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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

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UNIVERSITY    OF    IUINO1S    L.BRARY    AT    URBANA-CHAMPA.GN 


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JAN  13 
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L161— O-1096 


HISTORICAL 


OF 


ILLINOIS 


EDITED    BY 

NEWTON  BATEMAN,    LL. D.  PAUL  SELBY,    A.M. 


COOK  COUNTY  EDITION 


VOLUME    II. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


CHICAGO: 

MUNSELL     PUBLISHING    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS. 

1905. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress, 
in  the  years  1894,  1899  and  1900,  by 

WILLIAM    VV.    MUNSELL, 

in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress 

at 
WASHINGTON. 


COPYRIGHTED       1905 

All    rights    reserved 


503 


Historical  Encyclopedia  of  Illinois. 


STATE  BANK  OF  ILLINOIS.  The  first  legis- 
lation, having  for  its  object  the  establishment  of 
:  a  bank  within  the  territory  which  now  consti- 
tutes the  State  of  Illinois,  was  the  passage,  by  the 
Territorial  Legislature  of  1816,  of  an  act  incor- 
porating the  "Bank  of  Illinois  at  Shawneetown, 
•with  branches  at  Edwardsville  and  Kaskaskia." 
In  the  Second  General  Assembly  of  the  State 
(1820)  an  act  was  passed,  over  the  Governor's 
veto  and  in  defiance  of  the  adverse  judgment  of 
the  Council  of  Revision,  establishing  a  State 
Bank  at  Vandalia  with  branches  at  Shawneetown, 
Edwardsville,  and  Brownsville  in  Jackson  County. 
This  was,  in  effect,  a  rechartering  of  the  banks  at 
Shawneetown  and  Edwardsville.  So  far  as  the 
former  is  concerned,  it  seems  to  have  been  well 
managed ;  but  the  official  conduct  of  the  officers 
of  the  latter,  on  the  basis  of  charges  made  by 
Governor  Edwards  in  1826,  was  made  the  subject 
of  a  legislative  investigation,  which  (although  it 
resulted  in  nothing)  seems  to  have  had  some 
basis  of  fact,  in  view  of  the  losses  finally  sus- 
tained in  winding  up  its  affairs — that  of  the  Gen- 
eral Government  amounting  to  $54,000.  Grave 
charges  were  made  in  this  connection  against 
men  who  were  then,  or  afterwards  became, 
prominent  in  State  affairs,  including  one  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  and  one  (still  later)  a 
United  States  Senator.  The  experiment  was  dis- 
astrous, as,  ten  years  later  (1831),  it  was  found 
necessary  for  the  State  to  incur  a  debt  of  $100,000 
to  redeem  the  outstanding  circulation.  Influ- 
enced, however,  by  the  popular  demand  for  an 
increase  in  the  "circulating  medium,"  the  State 
continued  its  experiment  of  becoming  a  stock- 
holder in  banks  managed  by  its  citizens,  and 
accordingly  we  find  it,  in  1835,  legislating  in  the 
same  direction  for  the  establishing  of  a  central 
"Bank  of  Illinois"  at  Springfield,  with  branches 
at  other  points  as  might  be  required,  not  to  ex- 
ceed six  in  number.  One  of  these  branches  was 
established  at  Vandalia  and  another  at  Chicago, 


furnishing  the  first  banking  institution  of  the 
latter  city.  Two  years  later,  when  the  State  was 
entering  upon  its  scheme  of  internal  improve- 
ment, laws  were  enacted  increasing  the  capital 
stock  of  these  banks  to  $4,000,000  in  the  aggre- 
gate. Following  the  example  of  similar  institu- 
tions elsewhere,  they  suspended  specie  payments 
a  few  months  later,  but  were  protected  by  "stay 
laws"  and  other  devices  until  1842,  when,  the 
internal  improvement  scheme  having  been  finally 
abandoned,  they  tell  in  general  collapse.  The 
State  ceased  to  be  a  stock-holder  in  1843,  and  the 
banks  were  put  in  course  of  liquidation,  though 
it  required  several  years,  to  complete  the  work. 

STATE  CAPITALS.  The  first  State  capital  of 
Illinois  was  Kaskaskia,  where  the  first  Territorial 
Legislature  convened,  Nov.  25,  1812.  At  that 
time  there  were  but  five  counties  in  the  State — 
St.  Clair  and  Randolph  being  the  most  important, 
and  Kaskaskia  being  the  county-seat  of  the 
latter.  Illinois  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a 
State  in  1818,  and  the  first  Constitution  provided 
that  the  seat  of  government  should  remain  at 
Kaskaskia  until  removed  by  legislative  enact- 
ment. That  instrument,  however,  made  it  obli- 
gatory upon  the  Legislature,  at  its  first  session, 
to  petition  Congress  for  a  grant  of  not  more  than 
four  sections  of  land,  on  which  should  be  erected 
a  town,  which  should  remain  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment for  twenty  years.  The  petition  was  duly 
presented  and  granted ;  and,  in  accordance  with 
the  power  granted  by  the  Constitution,  a  Board 
of  five  Commissioners  selected  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Vandalia,  then  a  point  in  the 
wilderness,  twenty  miles  north  of  any  settle 
ment.  But  so  great  was  the  faith  of  speculators 
in  the  future  of  the  proposed  city,  that  town  lots 
were  soon  selling  at  $100  to  $780  each.  The  Com- 
missioners, in  obedience  to  law,  erected  a  plain 
two-story  frame  building — scarcely  more  than  a 
commodious  shanty — to  which  the  State  offices 
were  removed  in  December,  1820.  This  building 


504 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


was  burned,  Dec.  9,  1823,  and  a  brick  structure 
erected  in  its  place.  Later,  when  the  question  of 
a  second  removal  of  the  capital  began  to  be  agi- 
tated, the  citizens  of  Vandalia  assumed  the  risk 
of  erecting  a  new,  brick  State  House,  costing 
§16,000.  Of  this  amount  $6,000  was  reimbursed 
by  the  Governor  from  the  contingent  fund,  and 
the  balance  ($10,000)  was  appropriated  in  1837, 
when  the  seat  of  government  was  removed  to 
Springfield,  by  vote  of  the  Tenth  General  Assem- 
bly on  the  fourth  ballot.  The  other  places  receiv- 
ing the  principal  vote  at  the  time  of  the  removal 
to  Springfield,  were  Jacksonville,  Vandalia, 
Peoria,  Alton  and  Illiopolis — Springfield  receiv- 
ing the  largest  vote  at  each  ballot.  The  law 
removing  the  capital  appropriated  $50,000  from 
the  State  Treasury,  provided  that  a  like  amount 
should  be  raised  by  private  subscription  and 
guaranteed  by  bond,  and  that  at  least  two  acres 
of  land  should  be  donated  as  a  site.  Two  State 
Houses  have  been  erected  at  Springfield,  the  first 
cost  of  the  present  one  (including  furnishing) 
having  been  a  little  in  excess  of  $4,000,000. 
Abraham  Lincoln,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  Sangamon  County  at  the  time, 
was  an  influential  factor  in  securing  the  removal 
of  the  capital  to  Springfield. 

STATE  DEBT.  The  State  debt,  which  proved 
so  formidable  a  burden  upon  the  State  of  Illinois 
for  a  generation,  and,  for  a  part  of  that  period, 
seriously  checked  its  prosperity,  was  the  direct 
outgrowth  of  the  internal  improvement  scheme 
entered  upon  in  1837.  (See  Internal  Improvement 
Policy. )  At  the  time  this  enterprise  was  under- 
taken the  aggregate  debt  of  the  State  was  less 
than  $400,000 — accumulated  within  the  preceding 
six  years.  Two  years  later  (1838)  it  had  increased 
to  over  $6,500,000,  while  the  total  valuation  of 
real  and  personal  property,  for  the  purposes  of 
taxation,  was  less  than  $60,000,000,  and  the  aggre- 
gate receipts  of  the  State  treasury,  for  the  same 
year,  amounted  to  less  than  $150,000.  At  the 
same  time,  the  disbursements,  for  the  support  of 
the  State  Government  alone,  had  grown  to  more 
than  twice  the  receipts.  This  disparity  continued 
until  the  declining  credit  of  the  State  forced  upon 
the  managers  of  public  affairs  an  involuntary 
economy,  when  the  means  could  no  longer  be 
secured  for  more  lavish  expenditures.  The  first 
bonds  issued  at  the  inception  of  the  internal 
improvement  scheme  sold  at  a  premium  of  5  per 
cent,  but  rapidly  declined  until  they  were  hawked 
in  the  markets  of  New  York  and  London  at  a  dis- 
count, in  some  cases  falling  into  the  hands  of 
brokers  who  failed  before  completing  their  con- 


tracts, thus  causing  a  direct  loss  to  the  State.  If 
the  internal  improvement  scheme  was  ill-advised, 
the  time  chosen  to  carry  it  into  effect  was  most 
unfortunate,  as  it  came  simultaneously  with  the 
panic  of  1837,  rendering  the  disaster  all  the  more 
complete.  Of  the  various  works  undertaken  by 
the  State,  only  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal 
brought  a  return,  all  the  others  resulting  in  more 
or  less  complete  loss.  The  internal  improvement 
scheme  was  abandoned  in  1839-40,  but  not  until 
State  bonds  exceeding  $13,000,000  had  been 
issued.  For  two  years  longer  the  State  struggled 
with  its  embarrassments,  increased  by  the  failure 
of  the  State  Bank  in  February,  1842,  and,  by  that 
of  the  Bank  of  Illinois  at  Shawneetown,  a  few 
months  later,  with  the  proceeds  of  more  than  two 
and  a  half  millions  of  the  State's  bonds  in  their 
possession.  Thus  left  without  credit,  or  means 
even  of  paying  the  accruing  interest,  there  were 
those  who  regarded  the  State  as  hopelessly  bank- 
rupt, and  advocated  repudiation  as  the  only 
means  of  escape.  Better  counsels  prevailed,  how- 
ever ;  the  Constitution  of  1848  put  the  State  on  a 
basis  of  strict  economy  in  the  matter  of  salaries 
and  general  expenditures,  with  restrictions  upon 
the  Legislature  in  reference  to  incurring  in- 
debtedness, while  the  beneficent  "two-mill  tax" 
gave  assurance  to  its  creditors  that  its  debts 
would  be  paid.  While  the  growth  of  the  State, 
in  wealth  and  population,  had  previously  been 
checked  by  the  fear  of  excessive  taxation,  it  now 
entered  upon  a  new  career  of  prosperity,  in  spite 
of  its  burdens— its  increase  in  population,  be- 
tween 1850  and  1860,  amounting  to  over  100  per 
cent.  The  movement  of  the  State  debt  after  1840 
— when  the  internal  improvement  scheme  was 
abandoned — chiefly  by  accretions  of  unpaid  inter- 
est, has  been  estimated  as  follows:  1842,  $15,- 
637,950;  1844,  $14,633,969;  1846,  $16,389,817;  1848, 
$16,661,795.  It  reached  its  maximum  in  1853— 
the  first  year  of  Governor  Matteson's  administra- 
tion— when  it  was  officially  reported  at  $16,724,- 
177.  At  this  time  the  work  of  extinguishment 
began,  and  was  prosecuted  under  successive 
administrations,  except  during  the  war,  when 
the  vast  expense  incurred  in  sending  troops  to 
the  field  caused  an  increase.  During  Governor 
Bissell's  administration,  the  reduction  amounted 
to  over  $3,000,000;  during  Oglesby's,  to  over  five 
and  a  quarter  million,  besides  two  and  a  quarter 
million  paid  on  interest.  In  1880  the  debt  had 
been  reduced  to  $281,059.11,  and,  before  the  close 
of  1882,  it  had  been  entirely  extinguished,  except 
a  balance  of  $18,500  in  bonds,  which,  having  been 
called  in  years  previously  and  never  presented  for 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


505 


payment,  are  supposed  to  have  been  lost.     (See 
Macalister  and  Stebbins  Bonds. ) 

STATE  GUARDIANS  FOR  GIRLS,  a  bureau 
organized  for  the  care  of  female  juvenile  delin- 
quents, by  act  of  June  2,  1893.  The  Board  consists 
of  seven  members,  nominated  by  the  Executive 
and  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  and  who  consti- 
tute a  body  politic  and  corporate.  Not  more  than 
two  of  the  members  may  reside  in  the  same  Con- 
gressional District  and,  of  the  seven  members, 
four  must  be  women.  (See  also  Home  for  Female 
Juvenile  Offenders.)  The  term  of  office  is  six 
years. 

STATE  HOUSE,  located  at  Springfield.  Its 
construction  was  begun  under  an  act  passed  by 
the  Legislature  in  February,  1867,  and  completed 
in  1887.  It  stands  in  a  park  of  about  eight  acres, 
donated  to  the  State  by  the  citizens  of  Spring- 
field. A  provision  of  the  State  Constitution  of 
1870  prohibited  the  expenditure  of  any  sum  in 
excess  of  $3,500,000  in  the  erection  and  furnishing 
of  the  building,  without  previous  approval  of  such 
additional  expenditure  by  the  people.  This 
amount  proving  insufficient,  the  Legislature,  at 
its  session  of  1885,  passed  an  act  making  an  addi- 
tional appropriation  of  $531,712,  which  having 
been  approved  by  popular  vote  at  the  general 
election  of  1886,  the  expenditure  was  made  and 
the  capitol  completed  during  the  following  year, 
thus  raising  the  total  cost  of  construction  and  fur- 
nishing to  a  little  in 'excess  of  $4,000,000.  The 
building  is  cruciform  as  to  its  ground  plan,  and 
classic  in  its  style  of  architecture ;  its  extreme 
dimensions  (including  porticoes),  from  north  |to 
south,  being  379  feet,  and,  from  east  to  west,  286 
feet.  The  walls  are  of  dressed  Joliet  limestone, 
while  the  porticoes,  which  are  spacious  and 
lofty,  are  of  sandstone,  supported  by  polished 
columns  of  gray  granite.  The  three  stories  of 
the  building  are  surmounted '  by  a  Mansard  roof, 
with  two  turrets  and  a  central  dome  of  stately 
dimensions.  Its  extreme  height,  to  the  top  of 
the  iron  flag-staff,  which  rises  from  a  lantern 
springing  from  the  dome,  is  364  feet. 

STATE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY,  an  institu- 
tion for  the  education  of  teachers,  organized 
under  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  passed 
Feb.  18,  1857.  This  act  placed  the  work  of 
organization  in  the  hands  of  a  board  of  fifteen 
persons,  which  was  styled  "The  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  the  State  of  Illinois,"  and  was  constituted 
as  follows:  C.  B.  Denio  of  Jo  Daviess  County; 
Simeon  Wright  of  Lee ;  Daniel  Wilkins  of  Mc- 
Lean ;  Charles  E.  Hovey  of  Peoria ;  George  P.  Rex 
of  Pike;  Samuel  W.  Moulton  of  Shelby;  John 


Gillespie  of  Jasper;  George  Bunsen  of  St.  Clair,- 
Wesley  Sloan  of  Pope;  Ninian  W.  Edwards  of 
Sangamon;  John  E.  Eden  of  Moultrie;  Flavel 
Moseley  and  William  Wells  of  Cook ;  Albert  R. 
Shannon  of  White;  and  the  Superintendent  o\. 
Public  Instruction,  ex-officio.  The  object  of  the 
University,  as  defined  in  the  organizing  law,  is 
to  qualify  teachers  for  the  public  schools  of  the 
State,  and  the  course  of  instruction  to  be  given 
embraces  "the  art  of  teaching,  and  all  branches 
which  pertain  to  a  common-school  education ;  in 
the  elements  of  the  natural  sciences,  including 
agricultural  chemistry,  animal  and  vegetable 
physiology;  in  the  fundamental  laws  of  the 
United  States  and  of  the  State  of  Illinois  in 
regard  to  the  rights  and  duties  of  citizens,  and 
such  other  studies  as  the  Board  of  Education  may, 
from  time  to  time,  prescribe."  Various  cities 
competed  for  the  location  of  the  institution, 
Bloomington  being  finally  selected,  its  bid,  in- 
cluding 160  acres  of  land,  being  estimated  as 
equivalent  to  §141,725.  The  corner-stone  was 
laid  on  September  29,  1857,  and  the  first  building 
was  ready  for  permanent  occupancy  in  Septem- 
ber, 1860.  Previously,  however,  it  had  been 
sufficiently  advanced  to  permit  of  its  being  used, 
and  the  first  commencement  exercises  were  held 
on  June  29  of  the  latter  year.  Three  years 
earlier,  the  academic  department  had  been  organ- 
ized under  the  charge  of  Charles  E.  Hovey.  The 
first  cost,  including  furniture,  etc.,  was  not  far 
from  $200,000.  Gratuitous  instruction  is  given  to 
two  pupils  from  each  county,  and  to  three  from 
each  Senatorial  District.  The  departments  are : 
Grammar  school,  high  school,  normal  department 
and  model  school,  all  of  which  are  overcrowded. 
The  whole  number  of  students  in  attendance  on 
the  institution  during  the  school  year,  1897-98, 
was  1,197,  of  whom  891  were  in  the  normal 
department  and  306  in  the  practice  school  depart- 
ment, including  representatives  from  86  coun- 
ties of  the  State,  with  a  few  pupils  from  other 
States  on  the  payment  of  tuition.  The  teaching 
faculty  (including  the  President  and  Librarian) 
for  the  same  year,  was  made  up  of  twenty-six 
members — twelve  ladies  and  fourteen  gentlemen. 
The  expenditures  for  the  year  1897-98  aggregated 
$47,626.92,  against  $66,528.69  for  1896-97.  Nearly 
$22,000  of  the  amount  expended  during  the  latter 
year  was  on  account  of  the  construction  of  a 
gymnasium  building. 

STATE  PROPERTY.  The  United  States  Cen- 
sus of  1890  gave  the  value  of  real  and  personal 
property  belonging  to  the  State  as  follows :  Pub- 
lic lands,  $328,000;  buildings,  $22,164,000;  mis- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


cellaneous  property,  $2,650,000— total,  $25,142,000. 
The  land  may  be  subdivided  thus :  Camp-grounds 
of  the  Illinois  National  Guard  near  Springfield 
(donated),  §40,000;  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal, 
$168,000;  Illinois  University  lands,  in  Illinois 
(donated  by  the  General  Government),  $41,000,  in 
Minnesota  (similarly  donated),  $79,000.  The 
buildings  comprise  those  connected  with  the 
charitable,  penal  and  educational  institutions  of 
the  State,  besides  the  State  Arsenal,  two  build- 
ings for  the  use  of  the  Appellate  Courts  (at 
Ottawa  and  Mount  Vernon),  the  State  House, 
the  Executive  Mansion,  and  locks  and  dams 
erected  at  Henry  and  Copperas  Creek.  Of  the 
miscellaneous  property,  $120,000  represents  the 
equipment  of  the  Illinois  National  Guard;  $1,959,- 
000  the  value  of  the  movable  property  of  public 
buildings;  $550,000  the  endowment  fund  of  the 
University  of  Illinois;  and  $21,000  the  movable 
property  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  The 
figures  given  relative  to  the  value  of  the  public 
buildings  include  only  the  first  appropriations 
for  their  erection.  Considerable  sums  have 
since  been  expended  upon  some  of  them  in  repairs, 
enlargements  and  improvements. 

STATE  TREASURERS.  The  only  Treasurer 
of  Illinois  during  the  Territorial  period  was  John 
Thomas,  who  served  from  1812  to  1818,  and 
became  the  first  incumbent  under  the  State 
Government.  Under  the  Constitution  of  1818 
the  Treasurer  was  elected,  biennially,  by  joint  vote 
of  the  two  Houses  of  the  General  Assembly ;  by 
the  Constitution  of  1848,  this  officer  was  made 
elective  by  the  people  for  the  same  period,  with- 
out limitations  as  to  number  of  terms ;  under  the 
Constitution  of  1870,  the  manner  of  election  and 
duration  of  term  are  unchanged,  but  the  incum- 
bent is  ineligible  to  re-election,  for  two  years 
from  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he  may 
have  been  chosen.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
State  Treasurers,  from  the  date  of  the  admission 
of  the  State  into  the  Union  down  to  the  present 
time  (1899),  with  the  date  and  duration  of  the 
term  of  each:  John  Thomas,  1818-19;  Robert  K. 
McLaughlin,  1819-23;  Abner  Field,  1823-27; 
James  Hall,  1827-31;  John  Dement,  1831-36; 
Charles  Gregory,  1836-37;  John  D.  Whiteside, 
1837-41;  Milton  Carpenter,  1841-48;  John  Moore, 
1848-57;  James  Miller,  1857-59;  William  Butler, 
1859-63;  Alexander  Starne,  1863-65;  James  H. 
Beveridge,  1865-67;  George  W.  Smith,  1867-69; 
Erastus  N.  Bates,  1869-73;  Edward  Rutz,  1873-75; 
Thomas  S.  Ridgway,  1875-77;  Edward  Rutz, 
1877-79;  John  C.  Smith,  1879-81;  Edward  Rutz, 
1881-83;  John  C.  Smith,  1883-85;  Jacob  Gross, 


1885-87;  John  R.  Tanner,  1887-89;  Charles 
Becker,  1889-91;  Edward  S.  Wilson,  1891-93; 
Rufus  N.  Ramsay,  1893-95;  Henry  Wulff,  1895-97; 
Henry  L.  Hertz,  1897-99;  Floyd  K.  Whittemore, 
1899- . 

STAUNTON,  a  village  in  the  southeast  corner 
of  Macoupin  County,  on  the  Chicago,  Peoria  & 
St.  Louis  and  the  Wabash  Railways;  is  36  miles 
northeast  of  St.  Louis,  and  14  miles  southwest  of 
Litchfield.  Agriculture  and  coal-mining  are  the 
industries  of  the  surrounding  region.  Staunton 
has  two  banks,  eight  churches  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.  Population  (1880),  1,358;  (1890),  2,209; 
(1900),  2,786. 

STEEL  PRODUCTION.  In  the  manufacture 
of  steel,  Illinois  has  long  ranked  as  the  second 
State  in  the  Union  in  the  amount  of  its  output, 
and,  during  the  period  between  1880  and  1890, 
the  increase  in  production  was  241  per  cent.  In 
1880  there  were  but  six  steel  works  in  the  State ; 
in  1890  these  had  increased  to  fourteen ;  and  the 
production  of  steel  of  all  kinds  (in  tons  of  2,000 
pounds)  had  risen  from  254,569  tons  to  868,250. 
Of  the  3,837,039  tons  of  Bessemer  steel  ingots,  or 
direct  castings,  produced  in  the  United  States  in 
1890,  22  per  cent  were  turned  out  in  Illinois, 
nearly  all  the  steel  produced  in  the  State  being 
made  by  that  process.  From  the  tonnage  of 
ingots,  as  given  above,  Illinois  produced  622,260 
pounds  of  steel  rails, — more  than  30  per  cent  of 
the  aggregate  for  the  entire  country.  This  fact 
is  noteworthy,  inasmuch  as  the  competition  in 
the  manufacture  of  Bessemer  steel  rails,  since 
1880,  has  been  so  great  that  many  rail  mills  have 
converted  their  steel  into  forms  other  than  rails, 
experience  having  proved  their  production  to 
any  considerable  extent,  during  the  past  few 
years,  unprofitable  except  in  works  favorably 
located  for  obtaining  cheap  raw  material,  or 
operated  under  the  latest  and  most  approved 
methods  of  manufacture.  Open-hearth  steel  is 
no  longer  made  in  Illinois,  but  the  manufacture 
of  crucible  steel  is  slightly  increasing,  the  out- 
put in  1890  being  445  tons,  as  against  130  in  1880. 
For  purposes  requiring  special  grades  of  steel  the 
product  of  the  crucible  process  will  be  always 
in  demand,  but  the  high  cost  of  manufacture 
prevents  it,  in  a  majority  of  instances,  from 
successfully  competing  in  price  with  the  other 
processes  mentioned. 

STEPHENSON,  Benjamin,  pioneer  and  early 
politician,  came  to  Illinois  from  Kentucky  in 
1809,  and  was  appointed  the  first  Sheriff  of 
Randolph  County  by  Governor  Edwards  under 
the  Territorial  Government;  afterwards  served 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


507 


as  a  Colonel  of  Illinois  militia  during  the  War  of 
1812;  represented  Illinois  Territory  as  Delegate 
in  Congress,  1814-16,  and,  on  his  retirement  from 
Congress,  became  Register  of  the  Land  Office  at 
Edwardsville,  finally  dying  at  Edwardsville — Col. 
James  W.  (Stephenson),  a  son  of  the  preceding, 
was  a  soldier  during  the  Black  Hawk  War,  after- 
wards became  a  prominent  politician  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  State,  served  as  Register  of 
the  Land  Office  at  Galena  and,  in  1838,  received 
the  Democratic  nomination  for  Governor,  but 
withdrew  before  the  election. 

STEPHENSON,  (Dr.)  Benjamin  Franklin, 
physician  and  soldier,  was  born  in  Wayne 
County,  111.,  Oct.  30,  1822,  and  accompanied  his 
parents,  in  1825,  to  Sangamon  County,  where  the 
family  settled.  His  early  educational  advantages 
were  meager,  and  he  did  not  study  his  profession 
(medicine)  until  after  reaching  his  majority, 
graduating  from  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago, 
in  1850.  He  began  practice  at  Petersburg,  but, 
in  April,  1862,  was  mustered  into  the  volunteer 
army  as  Surgeon  of  the  Fourteenth  Illinois 
Infantry.  After  a  little  over  two  years  service  he 
was  mustered  out  in  June,  1864,  when  he  took  up 
his  residence  in  Springfield,  and,  for  a  year,  was 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  there.  In  1865  he 
resumed  professional  practice.  He  lacked  tenac- 
ity of  purpose,  however,  was  indifferent  to  money, 
and  always  willing  to  give  his  own  services  and 
orders  for  medicine  to  the  poor.  Hence,  his  prac- 
tice was  not  lucrative.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders 
in  the  organization  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  (which  see),  in  connection  with  which 
he  is  most  widely  known ;  but  his  services  in  its 
cause  failed  to  receive,  during  his  lifetime,  the 
recognition  which  they  deserved,  nor  did  the 
organization  promptly  flourish,  as  he  had  hoped. 
He  finally  returned  with  his  family  to  Peters- 
burg. Died,  at  Rock  Creek,  Menard,  County,  111. , 
August  30,  1871. 

STEPHENSON  COUNTY,  a  northwestern 
county,  with  an  area  of  560  square  miles.  The 
soil  is  rich,  productive  and  well  timbered.  Fruit- 
culture  and  stock-raising  are  among  the  chief 
industries.  Not  until  1827  did  the  aborigines  quit 
the  locality,  and  the  county  was  organized,  ten 
years  later,  and  named  for  Gen.  Benjamin 
Stephenson.  A  man  named  Kirker,  who  had 
been  in  the  employment  of  Colonel  Gratiot  as  a 
lead-miner,  near  Galena,  is  said  to  have  built  the 
first  cabin  within  the  present  limits  of  what  was 
called  Burr  Oak  Grove,  and  set  himself  up  as  an 
Indian-trader  in  1826,  but  only  remained  a  short 
time.  He  was  followed,  the  next  year,  by  Oliver 


W.  Kellogg,  who  took  Kirker's  place,  built  a 
more  pretentious  dwelling  and  became  the  first 
permanent  settler.  Later  came  William  Wad- 
dams,  the  Montagues,  Baker,  Kilpatrick,  Preston, 
the  Goddards,  and  others  whose  names  are  linked 
with  the  county's  early  history.  The  first  house 
in  Freeport  was  built  by  William  Baker.  Organi- 
zation was  effected  in  1837,  the  total  poll  being 
eighty-four  votes.  The  earliest  teacher  was  Nel- 
son Martin,  who  is  said  to  have  taught  a  school 
of  some  twelve  pupils,  in  a  house  which  stood  on 
the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Freeport.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  31,963;  (1890),  31,338;  (1900),  34,933. 

STERLING,  a  nourishing  city  on  the  north 
bank  of  Rock  River,  in  Whiteside  County,  109 
miles  west  of  Chicago,  29  miles  east  of  Clinton, 
Iowa,  and  52  miles  east-northeast  of  Rock  Island. 
It  has  ample  railway  facilities,  furnished  by  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  the  Sterling  & 
Peoria,  and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
roads. It  contains  fourteen  churches,  an  opera 
house,  high  and  grade  schools,  Carnegie  library, 
Government  postoffice  building,  three  banks, 
electric  street  and  interurban  car  lines,  electric 
and  gas  lighting,  water-works,  paved  streets  and 
sidewalks,  fire  department  and  four  newspaper 
offices,  two  issuing  daily  editions.  It  has  fine 
water-power,  and  is  an  important  manufacturing 
center,  its  works  turning  out  agricultural  imple- 
ments, carriages,  paper,  barbed-wire,  school  furni- 
ture, burial  caskets,  pumps,  sash,  doors,  etc.  It 
also  has  the  Sterling  Iron  Works,  besides  foundries 
and  machine  shops.  The  river  here  flows  through 
charming  scenery.  Pop.  (1890),  5,824;  (1900).  6,309. 

STEVENS,  Bradford  A.,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  at  Boscawen  (afterwards  Webster),  N.  H., 
Jan.  3,  1813.  After  attending  schools  in  New 
Hampshire  and  at  Montreal,  he  entered  Dart- 
mouth College,  graduating  therefrom  in  1835. 
During  the  six  years  following,  he  devoted  him- 
self to  teaching,  at  Hopkinsville,  Ky.,  and  New 
York  City.  In  1843  he  removed  to  Bureau 
County,  111.,  where  he  became  a  merchant  and 
farmer.  In  1868  he  was  chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  and,  in  1870,  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, as  an  Independent  Democrat,  for  the  Fifth 
District. v 

STEVENSON,  Adlai  E.,  ex-Vice-President  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  in  Christian  County, 
Ky.,  Oct.  23,  1835.  In  1852  he  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Bloomington,  McLean  County,  111., 
where  the  family  settled;  was  educated  at  the 
Illinois  Wesleyan  University  and  at  Centre  Col- 
lege, Ky.,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858  and 
began  practice  at  Metamora,  Wood  ford  County, 


508 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


where  he  was  Master  in  Chancery,  1861-65,  and 
State's  Attorney,  1865-69.  In  1864  he  was  candi- 
date for  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Democratic 
ticket.  In  1869  he  returned  to  Bloomington, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1874,  and  again 
in  1876,  he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  of  his 
party  for  Congress,  but  was  elected  as  a  Green- 
back Democrat  in  1878,  though  defeated  in  1880 
and  1882.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Hayes  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Visitors  to 
West  Point.  During  the  first  administration  of 
President  Cleveland  (1885-89)  he  was  First  Assist- 
ant Postmaster  General;  was  a  member  of  the 
National  Democratic  Conventions  of  1884  and 
1892,  being  Chairman  of  the  Illinois  delegation 
the  latter  year.  In  1892  he  received  his  party's 
nomination  for  the  Vice-Presidency,  and  was 
elected  to  that  office,  serving  until  1897.  Since 
retiring  from  office  he  has  resumed  his  residence 
at  Bloomington. 

STEWARD,  Lewis,  manufacturer  and  former 
Congressman,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Pa., 
Nov.  20,  1824,  and  received  a  common  school 
education.  At  the  age  of  14  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Kendall  County,  111. ,  where  he  after- 
wards resided,  being  engaged  in  farming  and  the 
manufacture  of  agricultural  implements  at 
Piano.  He  studied  law  but  never  practiced.  In 
1876  he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor on  the  Democratic  ticket,  being  defeated 
by  Shelby  M.  Cullom.  In  1890  the  Democrats  of 
the  Eighth  Illinois  District  elected  him  to  Con- 
gress. In  1892  he  was  again  a  candidate,  but  was 
defeated  by  his  Republican  opponent,  Robert  A. 
Childs,  by  the  narrow  margin  of  27  votes,  and, 
In  1894,  was  again  defeated,  this  time  being  pitted 
against  Albert  J.  Hopkins.  Mr.  Steward  died  at 
his  home  at  Piano,  August  26,  1896. 

STEWARDSON,  a  town  of  Shelby  County,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Kan- 
sas City  Railway  with  the  Altamont  branch  of 
the  Wabash,  12  miles  southeast  of  Shelby ville; 
is  in  a  grain  and  lumber  region ;  has  a  bank  and 
a  weekly  paper.  Population,  (1900),  677. 

STICKNEY,  William  H.,  pioneer  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Nov.  9,  1809,  studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Cincinnati  in 
1831,  and,  in  Illinois  in  1834,  being  at  that  time  a 
resident  of  Shawneetown;  was  elected  State's 
Attorney  by  the  Legislature,  in  1839,  for  the  cir- 
cuit embracing  some  fourteen  counties  in  the 
southern  and  southeastern  part  of  the  State ;  for 
a  time  also,  about  1835-36,  officiated  as  editor  of 
"The  Gallatin  Democrat,"  and  "The  Illinois 
Advertiser,"  published  at  Shawneetown.  '  In  1846 


Mr.  Stickney  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of 
the  General  Assembly  from  Gallatin  County,  and, 
twenty-eight  years  later — having  come  to  Chi- 
cago in  1848 — to  the  same  body  from  Cook 
County,  serving  in  the  somewhat  famous  Twenty- 
ninth  Assembly.  He  also  held  the  office  of 
Police  Justice  for  some  thirteen  years,  from  1860 
onward.  He  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  dying  in 
Chicago,  Feb.  14,  1898,  being  at  the  time  the 
oldest  surviving  member  of  the  Chicago  bar. 

STILES,  Isaac  Newton,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
born  at  Suffield,  Conn.,  July  16,  1833;  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  at  Lafayette,  Ind.,  in  1855, 
became  Prosecuting  Attorney,  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  and  an  effective  speaker  in  the  Fre- 
mont campaign  of  1856 ;  enlisted  as  a  private  sol- 
dier at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  went  to  the 
field  as  Adjutant,  was  captured  at  Malvern  Hill, 
and,  after  six  weeks'  confinement  in  Libby 
prison,  exchanged  and  returned  to  duty;  was 
promoted  Major,  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Colonel, 
and  brevetted  Brigadier-General  for  meritorious 
service.  After  the  war  he  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  Chicago,  though  almost  totally  blind. 
Died,  Jan.  18,  1895. 

STILLMAN,  Stephen,  first  State  Senator  from 
Sangamon  County,  111.,  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts who  came,  with  his  widowed  mother,  to 
Sangamon  County  in  1820,  and  settled  near 
Williamsville,  where  he  became  the  first  Post- 
master in  the  first  postoffice  in  the  State  north  of 
the  Sangamon  River.  In  1822,  Mr.  Stillman  was 
elected  as  the  first  State  Senator  from  Sangamon 
County,  serving  four  years,  and,  at  his  first  session, 
being  one  of  the  opponents  of  the  pro-slavery 
Convention  resolution.  He  died,  in  Peoria,  some- 
where between  1835  and  1840. 

STILLMAN  VALLEY,  village  in  Ogle  County, 
on  Chicago  Great  Western  and  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  Railways;  site  of  first  battle 
Black  Hawk  War;  has  graded  schools,  four 
churches,  a  bank  and  a  newspaper.  Pop. ,  475. 

STITES,  Samuel,  pioneer,  was  born  near 
Mount  Bethel,  Somerset  County,  N.  J.,  Oct.  31, 
1776;  died,  August  16,  1839,  on  his  farm,  which 
subsequently  became  the  site  of  the  city  of  Tren- 
ton, in  Clinton  County,  111.  He  was  descended 
from  John  Stites,  M.D.,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land in  1595,  emigrated  to  America,  and  died  at 
Hempstead,  L.  I.,  in  1717,  at  the  age  of  122  years. 
The  family  removed  to  New  Jersey  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Samuel  was  a 
cousin  of  Benjamin  Stites,  the  first  white  man  to 
settle  within  the  present  limits  of  Cincinnati,  and 
various  members  of  the  family  were  prominent  in 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF  ILLINOIS. 


509 


the  settlement  of  the  upper  Ohio  Valley  as  early 
as  1788.  Samuel  Stites  married,  Sept.  14,  1794, 
Martha  Martin,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Martin, 
and  grand- daughter  of  Col.  Ephraim  Martin,  both 
soldiers  of  the  New  Jersey  line  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War — with  the  last  named  of  whom 
he  had  (in  connection  with  John  Cleves  Symmes) 
been  intimately  associated  in  the  purchase  and 
settlement  of  the  Miami  Valley.  In  1800  he 
removed  to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  in  1803  to 
Greene  County,  and,  in  1818,  in  company  with  his 
son-in-law.  Anthony  Wayne  Casad,  to  St.  Clair 
County,  111.,  settling  near  Union  Grove.  Later,  he 
removed  to  O'Fallon,  and,  still  later,  to  Clinton 
County.  He  left  a  large  family,  several  members 
of  which  became  prominent  pioneers  in  the 
movements  toward  Minnesota  and  Kansas. 

STOLBRAND,  Carlos  John  Mueller,  soldier, 
was  born  in  Sweden,  May  11,  1821;  at  the  age  of 
18,  enlisted  in  the  Royal  Artillery  of  his  native 
land,  serving  through  the  campaign  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein  (1848) ;  came  to  the  United  States  soon 
after,  and,  in  1861,  enlisted  in  the  first  battalion 
of  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  finally  becoming  Chief 
of  Artillery  under  Gen.  John  A.  Logan.  When 
the  latter  became  commander  of  the  Fifteenth 
Army  Corps,  Col.  Stolbrand  was  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  artillery  brigade ;  in  February,  1865, 
was  made  Brigadier-General,  and  mustered  out 
in  January,  1866.  After  the  war  he  went  South, 
and  was  Secretary  of  the  South  Carolina  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  1868.  The  same  year  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Con- 
vention at  Chicago,  and  a  Presidential  Elector. 
He  was  an  inventor  and  patented  various  im- 
provements in  steam  engines  and  boilers;  was 
also  Superintendent  of  Public  Buildings  at 
Charleston,  S.  C.,  under  President  Harrison. 
Died,  at  Charleston,  Feb.  3,  1894. 

STONE,  Daniel,  early  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  a  native  of  Vermont  and  graduate  of  Middle- 
bury  College;  became  a  member  of  the  Spring- 
field (111.)  bar  in  1833,  and,  in  1836,  was  elected 
to  the  General  Assembly — being  one  of  the  cele- 
brated "Long  Nine"  from  Sangamon  County,  and 
joining  Abraham  Lincoln  in  his  protest  against 
a  series  of  pro-slavery  resolutions  which  had  been 
adopted  by  the  House.  In  1837  he  was  a  Circuit 
Court  Judge  and,  being  assigned  to  the  north- 
western part  of  the  State,  removed  to  Galena, 
but  was  legislated  out  of  office,  when  he  left  the 
State,  dying  a  few  years  later,  in  Essex  County, 
N.  J. 

STONE,  Horatio  0.,  pioneer,  was  born  in 
Ontario  (now  Monroe)  County,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  2, 


1811 ;  in  boyhood  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker, 
and  later  acted  as  overseer  of  laborers  on  the 
Lackawanna  Canal.  In  1831,  having  located  in 
Wayne  County,  Mich.,  he  was  drafted  for  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  serving  twenty-two  days  under 
Gen.  Jacob  Brown.  In  January,  1835,  he  came 
to  Chicago  and,  having  made  a  fortunate  specu- 
lation in  real  estate  in  that  early  day,  a  few 
months  later  entered  upon  the  grocery  and  pro- 
vision trade,  which  he  afterwards  extended  to 
grain;  finally  giving  his  chief  attention  to  real 
estate,  in  which  he  was  remarkably  successful, 
leaving  a  large  fortune  at  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  Chicago,  June  20,  1877. 

STONE,  (Rev.)  Luther,  Baptist  clergyman, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Oxford,  Worcester 
County,  Mass.,  Sept.  26,  1815,  and  spent  his  boy- 
hood on  a  farm.  After  acquiring  a  common 
school  education,  he  prepared  for  college  at  Lei- 
cester Academy,  and,  in  1835,  entered  Brown 
University,  graduating  in  the  class  of  1839.  He 
then  spent  three  years  at  the  Theological  Insti- 
tute at  Newton,  Mass. ;  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  at  Oxford,  in  1843,  but,  coming  west  the 
next  year,  entered  upon  evangelical  work  in 
Rock  Island,  Davenport,  Burlington  and  neigh- 
boring towns.  Later,  he  was  pastor  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  at  Rockford,  111.  In  1847  Mr. 
Stone  came  to  Chicago  and  established  "The 
Watchman  of  the  Prairies,"  which  survives  to- 
day under  the  name  of  "The  Standard,"  and  has 
become  the  leading  Baptist  organ  in  the  West. 
After  six  years  of  editorial  work,  he  took  up 
evangelistic  work  in  Chicago,  among  the  poor 
and  criminal  classes.  During  the  Civil  War  he 
conducted  religious  services  at  Camp  Douglas, 
Soldiers'  Rest  and  the  Marine  Hospital.  He  was 
associated  in  the  conduct  and  promotion  of  many 
educational  and  charitable  institutions.  He  did 
much  for  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago, 
and,  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  was 
attached  to  the  Immanuel  Baptist  Church, 
which  he  labored  to  establish.  Died,  in  July, 
1890. 

STONE,  Melville  E.,  journalist,  banker,  Man- 
ager ot  Associated  Press,  born  at  Hudson,  111., 
August  18,  1848.  Coming  to  Chicago  in  1860,  he 
graduated  from  the  local  high  school  in  1867, 
and,  in  1870,  acquired  the  sole  proprietorship  of 
a  foundry  and  machine  shop.  Finding  himself 
without  resources  after  the  great  fire  of  1871,  he 
embarked  in  journalism,  rising,  through  the  suc- 
cessive grades  of  reporter,  city  editor,  assistant 
editor  and  Washington  correspondent,  to  the 
position  of  editor-in-chief  of  his  own  journal. 


510 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


He  was  connected  with  various  Chicago  dailies 
between  1871  and  1875,  and,  on  Christmas  Day 
of  the  latter  year,  issued  the  first  number  of  "The 
Chicago  Daily  News."  He  gradually  disposed  of 
his  interest  in  this  journal,  entirely  severing 
his  connection  therewith  in  1888.  Since  that 
date  he  has  been  engaged  in  banking  in  the  city 
of  Chicago,  and  is  also  General  Manager  of  the 
Associated  Press. 

STONE,  Samuel,  philanthropist,  was  born  at 
Chesterfield,  Mass.,  Dec.  6,  1798;  left  an  orphan 
at  seven  years  of  age,  after  a  short  term  in  Lei- 
cester Academy,  and  several  years  in  a  wholesale 
store  in  Boston,  at  the  age  of  19  removed  to 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  to  take  charge  of  interests  in 
the  "Holland  Purchase,"  belonging  to  his  father's 
estate ;  in  1843-49,  was  a  resident  of  ^Detroit  and 
interested  in  some  of  the  early  railroad  enter- 
prises centering  there,  but  the  latter  year  re- 
moved to  Milwaukee,  being  there  associated  with 
Ezra  Cornell  in  telegraph  construction.  In  1859 
he  became  a  citizen  of  Chicago,  where  he  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  and  a  liberal  patron  of  many  enterprises 
of  a  public  and  benevolent  character.  Died,  May 
4,  1876. 

STONE  FORT,  a  village  in  the  counties  of 
Saline  and  Williamson.  It  is  situated  on  the  Cairo 
Division  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  & 
St.  Louis  Railway,  57  miles  northeast  of  Cairo. 
Population  (1900),  479. 

STOREY,  Wilbur  F.,  journalist  and  news- 
paper publisher,  was  born  at  Salisbury,  Vt.,  Dec. 
19,  1819.  He  began  to  learn  the  printer's  trade 
at  12,  and,  before  he  was  19,  was  part  owner  of  a 
Democratic  paper  called  "The  Herald,"  published 
at  La  Porte,  Ind.  Later,  he  either  edited  or  con- 
trolled journals  published  at  Mishawaka,  Ind., 
and  Jackson  and  Detroit,  Mich.  In  January, 
1861,  he  became  the  principal  owner  of  "The 
Chicago  Times,"  then  the  leading  Democratic 
organ  of  Chicago.  His  paper  soon  came  to  be 
regarded  as  the  organ  of  the  anti-war  party 
throughout  the  Northwest,  and,  in  June,  1863, 
was  suppressed  by  a  military  order  issued  by 
General  Burnside,  which  was  subsequently 
revoked  by  President  Lincoln.  The  net  result 
was  an  increase  in  "The  Times'  "  notoriety  and 
circulation.  Other  charges,  of  an  equally  grave 
nature,  relating  to  its  sources  of  income,  its  char- 
acter as  a  family  newspaper,  etc. ,  were  repeatedly 
made,  but  to  all  these  Mr.  Storey  turned  a  deaf 
ear.  He  lost  heavily  in  the  fire  of  1871,  but,  in 
1872,  appeared  as  the  editor  of  "The  Times," 
then  destitute  of  political  ties.  About  1876  his 


health  began  to  decline.  Medical  aid  failed  to 
afford  relief,  and,  in  August,  1884,  he  was  ad- 
judged to  be  of  unsound  mind,  and  his  estate  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  a  conservator.  On  the 
27th  of  the  following  October  (1884),  he  died  at 
his  home  in  Chicago. 

STORRS,  Emery  Alexander,  lawyer,  was  born 
at  Hinsdale,  Catt'araugus  County,  N.  Y.,  August 
12,  1835 ;  began  the  study  of  law  with  his  father, 
later  pursued  a  legal  course  Tat  Buffalo,  and,  in 
1853,  was  admitted  to  the  bar ;  spent  two  years 
(1857-59)  in  New  York  City,  the  latter  year  're- 
moving to  Chicago,  where  he  attained  great 
prominence  as  an  advocate  at  the  bar,  as  well  as 
an  orator  on  other  occasions.  Politically  a 
Republican,  he  took  an  active  part  in  Presidential 
campaigns,  being  a  delegate-at-large  from  Illinois 
to  the  National  Republican  Conventions  of  1868, 
'72,  and  '80,  and  serving  as  one  of  the  Vice-Presi- 
dents  in  1872.  Erratic  in  habits  and  a  master  of 
epigram  and  repartee,  many  of  his  speeches  are 
quoted  with  relish  and  appreciation  by  those  wha 
were  his  contemporaries  at  the  Chicago  bar. 
Died  suddenly,  while  in  attendance  on  the  Su- 
preme Court  at  Ottawa,  Sept.  12,  1885. 

STRAWN,  Jacob,  agriculturist  and  stock- 
dealer,  born  in  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  May  30, 
1800 ;  removed  to  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  1817, 
and  to  Illinois,  in  1831,  settling  four  miles  south- 
west of  Jacksonville.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
demonstrate  the  possibilities  of  Illinois  as  a  live- 
stock state.  Unpretentious  and  despising  mere 
show,  he  illustrated  the  virtues  of  industry,  fru- 
gality and  honesty.  At  his  death — which  occurred 
August  23,  1865 — he  left  an  estate  estimated  in 
value  at  about  §1,000,000,  acquired  by  industry 
and  business  enterprise.  He  was  a  zealous 
Unionist  during  the  war,  at  one  time  contributing 
§10,000  to  the  Christian  Commission. 

STREATOR,  a  city  (laid  out  in  1868  and  incor- 
porated in  1882)  in  the  southern  part  of  La  Salle 
County,  93  miles  southwest  of  Chicago ;  situated 
on  the  Vermilion  River  and  a  central  point  for 
five  railroads.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  rich  agri- 
cultural country,  and  is  underlaid  by  coal  seams 
(two  of  which  are  worked)  and  by  shale  and 
various  clay  products  of  value,  adapted  to  the 
manufacture  of  fire  and  building-brick,  drain- 
pipe, etc.  The  city  is  thoroughly  modern,  having 
gas,  electric  lighting,  street  railways,  water- 
works, a  good  fire-department,  and  a  large,  im- 
proved public  park.  Churches  and  schools  are 
numerous,  as  are  also  fine  public  and  private 
buildings.  One  of  the  chief  industries  is  the 
manufacture  of  glass,  including  rolled-plate. 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


511 


window-glass,  flint  and  Bohemian  ware  and  glass 
bottles.  Other  successful  industries  are  foundries 
and  machine  shops,  flour  mills,  and  clay  working 
establishments.  There  are  several  banks,  and 
three  daily  and  weekly  papers  are  published  here. 
The  estimated  property  valuation,  in  1884,  was 
§12,000,000.  Streator  boasts  some  handsome 
public  buildings,  especially  the  Government  post- 
office  and  the  Carnegie  public  library  building, 
both  of  which  have  been  erected  within  the  past 
few  years.  Pop.  (1890),  11,414;  (1900),  14,07-9. 

STREET,  Joseph  M.,  pioneer  and  early  politi- 
cian, settled  at  Shawneetown  about  1812,  coming 
from  Kentucky,  though  believed  to  have  been  a 
native  of  Eastern  Virginia.  In  1827  he  was  a 
Brigadier-General  of  militia,  and  appears  to  have 
been  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  that  section  of 
the  State.  His  correspondence  with  Governor 
Edwards,  about  this  time,  shows  him  to  have  been 
a  man  of  far  more  than  ordinary  education,  with 
a  good  opinion  of  his  merits  and  capabilities.  He 
was  a  most  persistent  applicant  for  office,  making 
urgent  appeals  to  Governor  Edwards,  Henry  Clay 
and  other  politicians  in  Kentucky,  Virginia  and 
Washington,  on  the  ground  of  his  poverty  and 
large  family.  In  1827  he  received  the  offer  of 
the  clerkship  of  the  new  county  of  Peoria,  but, 
on  visiting  that  region,  was  disgusted  with  the 
prospect;  returning  to  Shawneetown,  bought  a 
farm  in  Sangamon  County,  but,  before  the  close 
of  the  year,  was  appointed  Indian  Agent  at 
Prairie  du  Chien.  This  was  during  the  difficul- 
ties with  the  Winnebago  Indians,  upon  which  he 
made  voluminous  reports  to  the  Secretary  of 
War.  Mr.  Street  was  a  son-in-law  of  Gen. 
Thomas  Posey,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  was 
prominent  in  the  early  history  of  Indiana  and  its 
last  Territorial  Governor.  (See  Posey,  (Gen.) 
Thomas. ) 

STREETER,  Alson  J.,  farmer  and  politician, 
was  born  in  Rensselaer  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1823; 
at  the  age  of  two  years  accompanied  his  father  to 
Illinois,  the  family  settling  at  Dixon,  Lee  County, 
He  attended  Knox  College  for  three  years,  and, 
in  1849,  went  to  California,  where  he  spent  two 
years  in  gold  mining.  Returning  to  Illinois,  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  240  acres  near  New  Windsor, 
Mercer  County,  to  which  he  has  since  added  sev- 
eral thousand  acres.  In  1872  he  was  elected  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  Twenty-eighth  General 
Assembly  as  a  Democrat,  but,  in  1873,  allied  him- 
self with  the  Greenback  party,  whose  candidate 
for  Congress  he  was  in  1878,  and  for  Governor  in 
1880,  when  he  received  nearly  3,000  votes  more 
than  his  party's  Presidential  nominee,  in  Illinois. 


In  1884  he  was  elected  State  Senator  by  a  coali- 
tion of  Greenbackers  and  Democrats  in  the 
Twenty-fourth  Senatorial  District,  but  acted  as 
an  independent  throughout  his  entire  term. 

STRONG,  William  Emerson,  soldier,  was  born 
at  Granville,  N.  Y.,  in  1840;  from  13  years  of  age, 
spent  his  early  life  in  Wisconsin,  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Racine  in  1861.  The 
same  year  he  enlisted  under  the  first  call  for 
troops,  took  part,  as  Captain  of  a  Wisconsin  Com- 
pany, in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run;  was- 
afterwards  promoted  and  assigned  to  duty  as 
Inspector-General  in  the  West,  participated  in 
the  Vicksburg  and  Atlanta  campaigns,  being 
finally  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral. After  some  fifteen  months  spent  in  the 
position  of  Inspector-General  of  the  Freedmen's 
Bureau  (1865-66),  he  located  in  Chicago,  and 
became  connected  with  several  important  busi- 
ness enterprises,  besides  assisting,  as  an  officer  on 
the  staff  of  Governor  Cullom,  in  the  organization 
of  the  Illinois  National  Guard.  He  was  elected 
on  the  first  Board  of  Directors  of  the  World'a 
Columbian  Exposition,  and,  while  making  a  tour 
of  Europe  in  the  interest  of  that  enterprise,  died, 
at  Florence,  Italy,  April  10,  1891. 

STUART,  John  Todd,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, born  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  Nov.  10,  1807 — 
the  son  of  Robert  Stuart,  a  Presbyterian  minister 
and  Professor  of  Languages  in  Transylvania 
University,  and  related,  on  the  maternal  side,  to 
the  Todd  family,  of  whom  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  a  member.  He  graduated  at  Centre  College, 
Danville,  in  1826,  and,  after  studying  law,  re- 
moved to  Springfield,  111.,  in  1828,  and  began 
practice.  In  1832  he  was  elected  Representative 
in  the  General  Assembly,  re-elected  in  1834,  and, 
in  1836,  defeated,  as  the  Whig  candidate  for  Con- 
gress, by  Wm.  L.  May,  though  elected,  two  years 
later,  over  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  again  in  1840. 
In  1837,  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  had  been 
studying  law  under  Mr.  Stuart's  advice  and 
instruction,  became  his  partner,  the  relation- 
ship continuing  until  1841.  He  served  in  the 
State  Senate,  1849-53,  was  the  Bell-Everett 
candidate  for  Governor  in  1860,  and  was 
elected  to  Congress,  as  a  Democrat,  for  a  third 
time,  in  1862,  but,  in  1864,  was  defeated  by 
Shelby  M.  Cullom,  his  former  pupil.  During  the 
latter  years  of  his  life,  Mr.  Stuart  was  head  of  the 
law  firm  of  Stuart,  Edwards  &  Brown.  Died,  at 
Springfield,  Nov.  28,  1885. 

STURGES,  Solomon,  merchant  and  banker, 
was  born  at  Fairfield,  Conn.,  April  21,  1796,  early 
manifested  a  passion  for  the  sea  and,  in  1810, 


512 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


made  a  voyage,  on  a  vessel  of  which  his  brother 
was  captain,  from  New  York  to  Georgetown, 
D.  C.,  intending  to  continue  it  to  Lisbon.  At 
Georgetown  he  was  induced  to  accept  a  position 
as  clerk  with  a  Mr.  Williams,  where  he  was 
associated  with  two  other  youths,  as  fellow-em- 
ployes, who  became  eminent  bankers  and 
capitalists — W.  W.  Corcoran,  afterwards  the 
well-known  banker  of  Washington,  and  George 
W.  Peabody,  who  had  a  successful  banking  career 
in  England,  and  won  a  name  as  one  of  the  most 
liberal  and  public-spirited  of  philanthropists. 
During  the  War  of  1812  young  Sturges  joined  a 
volunteer  infantry  company,  where  he  had,  for 
comrades,  George  W.  Peabody  and  Francis  S.  Key, 
the  latter  author  of  the  popular  national  song, 
"The  Star  Spangled  Banner."  In  1814  Mr. 
Sturges  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  store  of  his 
brother-in-law,  Ebenezer  Buckingham,  at  Put- 
nam, Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  two  years  later 
becoming  a  partner  in  the  concern,  where  he 
developed  that  business  capacity  which  laid  the 
foundation  for  his  future  wealth.  Before  steam- 
ers navigated  the  waters  of  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi Rivers,  he  piloted  flat-boats,  loaded  with 
produce  and  merchandise,  to  New  Orleans,  return- 
ing overland.  During  one  of  his  visits  to  that 
city,  he  witnessed  the  arrival  of  the  "Washing- 
ton," the  first  steamer  to  descend  the  Mississippi, 
as,  in  1817,  he  saw  the  arrival  of  the  "Walk-in- 
the- Water"  at  Detroit,  the  first  steamer  to  arrive 
from  Buffalo — the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  Detroit 
being  to  carry  funds  to  General  Cass  to  pay  off 
the  United  States  troops.  About  1849  he  was 
associated  with  the  construction  of  the  Wabash 
&  Erie  Canal,  from  the  Ohio  River  to  Terre  Haute, 
Ind.,  advancing  money  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
work,  for  which  was  reimbursed  by  the  State.  In 
1854  he  came  to  Chicago,  and,  in  partnership 
with  his  brothers-in-law,  C.  P.  and  Alvah  Buck- 
ingham, erected  the  first  large  grain-elevator  in 
that  city,  on  land  leased  from  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  following  it,  two  years  later, 
by  another  of  equal  capacity.  For  a  time,  sub- 
stantially all  the  grain  coming  into  Chicago,  by 
railroad,  passed  into  these  elevators.  In  1857  he 
established  the  private  banking  house  of  Solomon 
Sturges  &  Sons,  which,  shortly  after  his  death, 
under  the  management  of  his  son,  George  Stur- 
ges, became  the  Northwestern  National  Bank  of 
Chicago.  He  was  intensely  patriotic  and,  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  used 
of  his  means  freely  in  support  of  the  Govern- 
ment, equipping  the  Sturges  Rifles,  an  independ- 
ent company,  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  He  was  also  a 


subscriber  to  the  first  loan  made  by  the  Govern- 
ment, during  this  period,  taking  §100,000  in 
Government  bonds.  While  devoted  to  his  busi- 
ness, he  was  a  hater  of  shams  and  corruption,  and 
contributed  freely  to  Christian  and  benevolent 
enterprises.  Died,  at  the  home  of  a  daughter,  at 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  Oct.  14,  1864,  leaving  a  large 
fortune  acquired  by  legitimate  trade. 

STURTEYANT,  Julian  Munson,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
clergyman  and  educator,  was  born  at  Warren, 
Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  July  26,  1805;  spent  his 
youth  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  meanwhile  pre- 
paring for  college ;  in  1822,  entered  Yale  College 
as  the  classmate  of  the  celebrated  Elizur  Wright, 
graduating  in  1826.  After  two  years  as  Princi- 
pal of  an  academy  at  Canaan,  Conn.,  he  entered 
Yale  Divinity  School,  graduating  there  in  1829; 
then  came  west,  and,  after  spending  a  year  in 
superintending  the  erection  of  buildings,  in  De- 
cember, 1830,  as  sole  tutor,  began  instruction  to  ... 
class  of  nine  pupils  in  what  is  now  Illinois  Col- 
lege, at  Jacksonville.  Having  been  joined,  the 
following  year,  by  Dr.  Edward  Beecher  as  Presi- 
dent, Mr.  Sturtevant  assumed  the  chair  of  Mathe- 
matics, Natural  Philosophy  and  Astronomy, 
which  he  retained  until  1844,  when,  by  the 
retirement  of  Dr.  Beecher,  he  succeeded  to  the 
offices  of  President  and  Professor  of  Intellectual 
and  Moral  Philosophy.  Here  he  labored,  inces- 
santly and  unselfishly,  as  a  teacher  during  term 
time,  and,  as  financial  agent  during  vacations, 
in  the  interest  of  the  institution  of  which  he  had 
been  one  of  the  chief  founders,  serving  until  1876, 
when  he  resigned  the  Presidency,  giving  his 
attention,  for  the  next  ten  years,  to  the  duties  of 
Professor  of  Mental  Science  and  Science  of  Gov- 
ernment, which  he  had  discharged  from  1870. 
In  1886  he  retired  from  the  institution  entirely, 
having  given  to  its  service  fifty -six  years  of  his 
life.  In  1863,  Dr.  Sturtevant  visited  Europe  in 
the  interest  of  the  Union  cause,  delivering  effec- 
tive addresses  at  a  number  of  points  in  England. 
He  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  weekly 
religious  and  periodical  press,  and  was  the  author 
of  "Economics,  or  the  Science  of  Wealth"  (1876) 
— a  text-book  on  political  economy,  and  "Keys 
of  Sect,  or  the  Church  of  the  New  Testament" 
(1879),  besides  frequently  occupying  the  pulpits 
of  local  and  distant  churches — having  been  early 
ordained  a  Congregational  minister.  He  received 
the  degree  of  D.D.  from  the  University  of  Mis- 
souri and  that  of  LL.D.  from  Iowa  University. 
Died,  in  Jacksonville,  Feb.  11,  1886.— Julian  M. 
(Sturtevant),  Jr.,  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born 
at  Jacksonville,  111..  Feb.  2,  1834;  fitted  for  col- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


513 


lege  in  the  preparatory  department  of  Jllinois 
College  and  graduated  from  the  college  (proper) 
in  1854.  After  leaving  college  he  served  as 
teacher  in  the  Jacksonville  public  schools  one 
year,  then  spent  a  year  as  tutor  in  Illinois  Col- 
lege, when  he  began  the  study  of  theology  at 
Andover  Theological  Seminary,  graduating  there 
in  1859,  meanwhile  having  discharged  the  duties 
of  Chaplain  of  the  Connecticut  State's  prison  in 
.  1858.  He  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Hannibal,  Mo.,  in  1860, 
remaining  as  pastor  in  that  city  nine  years.  He 
has  since  been  engaged  in  pastoral  work  in  New 
York  City  (1869-70),  Ottawa,  111.,  (1870-73);  Den- 
ver, Colo.,  (1873-77);  Grinnell,  Iowa,  (1877-84); 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  (1884-90);  Galesburg,  111., 
(1890-93),  and  Aurora,  (1893-97).  Since  leaving 
the  Congregational  church  at  Aurora,  Dr.  Sturte- 
vant  has  been  engaged  in  pastoral  work  in  Chi- 
cago. He  was  also  editor  of  "The  Congrega- 
tionalist"  of  Iowa  (1881-84),  and,  at  different 
periods,  has  served  as  Trustee  of  Colorado, 
Marietta  and  Knox  Colleges;  being  still  an 
honored  member  of  the  Knox  College  Board. 
He  received  the  degree  of  D.D.  from  Illinois 
College,  in  1879. 

SUBLETTE,  a  station  and  village  on  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad,  in  Lee  County,  8  miles 
northwest  of  Mendota.  Population,  (1900),  306. 

SUFFRAGE,  in  general,  the  right  or  privilege 
of  voting.  The  qualifications  of  electors  (or 
voters) ,  in  the  choice  of  public  officers  in  Illinois, 
are  fixed  by  the  State  Constitution  (Art.  VII.), 
except  as  to  school  officers,  which  are  prescribed 
by  law.  Under  the  State  Constitution  the  exer- 
cise of  the  right  to  vote  is  limited  to  persons  who 
were  electors  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution  of  1848,  or  who  are  native  or  natu- 
ralized male  citizens  of  the  United  States,  of  the 
age  of  21  years  or  over,  who  have  been  residents 
of  the  State  one  year,  of  the  county  ninety  days, 
and  of  the  district  (or  precinct)  in  which  they 
offer  to  vote,  30  days.  Under  an  act  passed  in 
1891,  women,  of  21  years  of  age  and  upwards,  are 
entitled  to  vote  for  school  officers,  and  are  also 
eligible  to  such  offices  under  the  same  conditions, 
as  to  age  and  residence,  as  male  citizens.  (See 
Elections;  Australian  Ballot. ) 

SULLIVAN,  a  city  and  county-seat  of  Moultrie 
County,  25  miles  southeast  of  Decatur  and  14 
miles  northwest  of  Mattoon ;  is  on  three  lines  of 
railway.  It  is  in  an  agricultural  and  stock-rais- 
ing region;  contains  two  State  banks  and  four 
weekly  newspapers.  Population  (1880),  1,305; 
<1890),  1,468;  (1900),  2,399;  (1900,  est).  3,100. 


SULLIVAN,  William  K.,  journalist,  was  born 
at  Waterford,  Ireland,  Nov.  10,  1843 ;  educated  at 
the  Waterford  Model  School  and  in  Dublin ;  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1863,  and,  after  teaching 
for  a  time  in  Kane  County,  in  1864  enlisted  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers.  Then,  after  a  brief  season  spent  in 
teaching  and  on  a  visit  to  his  native  land,  he 
began  work  as  a  reporter  on  New  York  papers, 
later  being  employed  on  "The  Chicago  Tribune" 
and  "The  Evening  Journal,"  on  the  latter,  at 
different  times,  holding  the  position  of  city  edi- 
tor, managing  editor  and  correspondent.  He 
was  also  a  Representative  from  Cook  County  in 
the  Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly,  for  three 
years  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, and  appointed  United  States  Consul  to  the 
Bermudas  by  President  Harrison,  resigning  in 
1892.  Died,  in  Chicago,  January  17,  1899. 

SULLIVANT,  Michael  Lucas,  agriculturist, 
was  born  at  Franklinton  (a  suburb  of  Columbus, 
Ohio),  August  6,  1807;  was  educated  at  Ohio 
University  and  Centre  College,  Ky.,  and — after 
being  engaged  in  the  improvement  of  an  immense 
tract  of  land  inherited  from  his  father  near  his 
birth-place,  devoting  much  attention,  meanwhile, 
to  the  raising  of  improved  stock — in  1854  sold  his 
Ohio  lands  and  bought  80,000  acres,  chiefly  in 
Champaign  and  Piatt  Counties,  111.,  where  he 
began  farming  on  a  larger  scale  than  before. '  The 
enterprise  proved  a  financial  failure,  and  he  was 
finally  compelled  to  sell  a  considerable  portion  of 
his  estate  in  Champaign  County,  known  as  Broad 
Lands,  to  John  T.  Alexander  (see  Alexander, 
John  T.),  retiring  to  a  farm  of  40,000  acres  at 
Burr  Oaks,  111.  He  died,  at  Henderson,  Ky.;  Jan. 
29,  1879. 

SUMMERFIELD,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County, 
on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railway, 
27  miles  east  of  St.  Louis ;  was  the  home  of  Gen. 
Fred.  Hecker.  Population  (1900),  360. 

SUMNER,  a  city  of  Lawrence  County,  on  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroad,  19  miles 
west  of  Vincennes,  Ind. ;  has  a  fine  school  house, 
four  churches,  two  banks,  two  flour  mills,  tele- 
phones, and  one  weekly  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890), 
1,037;  (1900),  1,268. 

SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUC- 
TION. The  office  of  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  was  created  by  act  of  the 
Legislature,  at  a  special  session  held  in  1854,  its 
duties  previous  to  that  time,  from  1845,  having 
been  discharged  by  the  Secretary  of  State  as 
Superintendent,  ex-officio.  The  following  is  a  list 
of  the  incumbents  from  the  date  of  the  formal 


514 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


creation  of  the  office  down  to  the  present  time 
(1899),  with  the  date  and  duration  of  the  term  of 
each  Ninian  W.  Edwards  (by  appointment  of 
the  Governor),  1854-57;  William  H.  PoweU  (by 
election),  1857-59;  Newton  Bateman,  1859-63; 
John  P.  Brooks,  1863-65;  Newton  Bateman, 
1865-75;  Samuel  W.  Etter,  1875-79;  James  P. 
Slade,  1879-83;  Henry  Raab,  1883-87;  Richard 
Edwards,  1887-91;  Henry  Raab,  1891-95;  Samuel 
M.  Inglis,  1^95-98;  James  H.  Freeman,  June, 
1898,  to  January,  1899  (by  appointment  of  the 
Governor,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Prof. 
Inglis,  who  died  in  office,  June  1,  1898) ;  Alfred 
Baylis,  1899—. 

Previous  to  1870  the  tenure  of  the  office  was 
two  years,  but,  by  the  Constitution  adopted  that 
year,  it  was  extended  to  four  years,  the  elections 
occurring  on  the  even  years  between  those  for 
Governor  and  other  State  officers  except  State 
Treasurer. 

SUPREME  COURT,  JUDGES  OF  THE.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Illinois  who  have  held  office  since  the 
organization  of  the  State  Government,  with  the 
period  of  their  respective  incumbencies :  Joseph 
Phillips,  1818-22  (resigned);  Thomas  C.  Browne, 
1818  48  (term  expired  on  adoption  of  new  Con- 
stitution); William  P.  Foster,  Oct.  9,  1818,  to 
July  7,  1819  (resigned),  John  Reynolds,  1818-25; 
Thomas  Reynolds  (vice  Phillips),  1822-25;  Wil- 
liam Wilson  (vice  Foster)  1819-48  (term  expired 
on  adoption  of  new  Constitution) ;  Samuel  D 
Lockwood,  1825-48  (term  expired  on  adoption  of 
new  Constitution) ;  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  1825-42 
(resigned);  Thomas  Ford,  Feb.  15,  1841,  to  Au- 
gust 1,  1842  (resigned) ;  Sidney  Breese,  Feb.  15, 
1841,  to  Dec.  19,  1842  (resigned) — also  (by  re-elec- 
tions), 1857-78  (died  in  office) ;  Walter  B.  Scates, 
1841-47  (resigned)— also  (vice  Trumbull),  1854-57 
(resigned);  Samuel  H.  Treat,  1841-55  (resigned); 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  1841-42  (resigned) ;  John  D. 
Caton  (vice  Ford)  August,  1842,  to  March,  1843— 
also  (vice  Robinson  and  by  successive  re-elec- 
tions), May,  1843  to  January,  1864  (resigned) ; 
James  Semple  (vice  Breese),  Jan.  14,  1843,  to 
April  16,  1843  (resigned) ;  Richard  M.  Young  (vice 
Smith),  1843-47  (resigned) ;  John  M.  Robinson 
(vice  Ford),  Jan.  14,  1843,  to  April  27,  1843  (died 
in  office);  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Jr.,  (vice  Douglas), 
1843-45  (resigned) — also  (vice  Young),  1847-48; 
James  Shields  (vice  Semple),  1843-45  (resigned) ; 
Norman  H.  Purple  (vice  Thomas),  1843-48  (retired 
under  Constitution  of  1848) ;  Gustavus  Koerner 
(vice  Shields),  1845-48  (retired  by  Constitution) ; 
William  A.  Denning  (vice  Scates),  1847-48  (re- 


tired b>y  Constitution) ;  Lymau  Trumbull,  1848-53 
(resigned);  Ozias  C.  Skinner  (vice  Treat),  1855-58 
(resigned);  Pinkney  H.  Walker  (vice  Skinner), 
1858-85  (deceased);  Corydon  Beckwith  (by  ap- 
pointment, vice  Caton),  Jan.  7,  1864,  to  June  6, 
1864;  Charles  B.  Lawrence  (one  term),  1864-73; 
Anthony  Thornton,  1870-73  (resigned);  John  M, 
Scott  (two  terms),  1870-88 ;  Benjamin  R.  Sheldon 
(two  terms),  1870-88;  William  K.  McAllister, 
1870-75  (resigned) ;  John  Scholfield  (vice  Thorn- 
ton), 187393  (died);  T.  Lyle  Dickey  (vice 
McAllister),  1875-85  (died) ;  David  J.  Baker  (ap- 
pointed, vice  Breese),  July  9,  1878,  to  June  2, 
1879— also,  1888-97;  John  H.  Mulkey,  1879-88; 
Damon  G.  Tunnicliffe  (appointed,  vice  Walker), 
Feb.  15,  1885,  to  June  1,  1885;  Simeon  P.  Shope, 
1885-94;  Joseph  M.  Bailey,  1888-95  (died  in  office). 
The  Supreme  Court,  as  at  present  constituted 
(1899),  is  as  follows:  Carroll  C.  Boggs,  elected, 
1897;  Jesse  J.  Phillips  (vice  Scholfield,  deceased) 
elected,  1893,  and  re-elected,  1897;  Jacob  W.  Wil- 
kin,  elected,  1888,  and  re-elected,  1897;  Joseph 
N.  Carter,  elected,  1894;  Alfred  M.  Craig,  elec- 
ted, 1873,  and  re-elected,  1882  and  '91;  James  H. 
Cartwright  (vice  Bailey),  elected,  1895,  and  re- 
elected,  1897 ;  Benjamin  D.  Magruder  (vice 
Dickey),  elected,  1885,  '88  and  '97.  The  terms  of 
Justices  Boggs,  Phillips,  Wilkin,  Cartwright  and 
Magruder  expire  in  1906 ;  that  of  Justice  Carter 
on  1903;  and  Justice  Craig's,  in  1900.  Under  the 
Constitution  of  1818,  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  were  chosen  by  joint  ballot  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, but,  under  the  Constitutions  of  1848  and 
1870,  by  popular  vote  for  terms  of  nine  years 
each.  (See  Judicial  System;  also  sketches  of 
individual  members  of  the  Supreme  Court  under 
their  proper  names.) 

SURVEYS,  EARLY  GOVERNMENT.  The  first 
United  States  law  passed  on  the  subject  of  Gov- 
ernment surveys  was  dated,  May  20,  1785.  After 
reserving  certain  lands  to  be  allotted  by  way  of 
pensions  and  to  be  donated  for  school  purposes, 
it  provided  for  the  division  of  the  remaining  pub- 
lic lands  among  the  original  thirteen  States. 
This,  however,  was,  in  effect,  repealed  by  the  Ordi- 
nance of  1788.  The  latter  provided  for  a  rectan- 
gular system  of  surveys  which,  with  but  little 
modification,  has  remained  in  force  ever  since. 
Briefly  outlined,  the  system  is  as  follows :  Town- 
ships, six  miles  square,  are  laid  out  from  principal 
bases,  each  township  containing  thirty -six  sec- 
tions of  one  square  mile,  numbered  consecutively, 
the  numeration  to  commence  at  the  upper  right 
hand  corner  of  the  township.  The  first  principal 
meridian  (84°  51'  west  of  Greenwich),  coincided 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


515 


with  the  line  dividing  Indiana  and  Ohio.  The 
second  (1°  37'  farther  west)  had  direct  relation 
to  surveys  in  Eastern  Illinois.  The  third  (89°  10' 
30"  west  of  Greenwich)  and  the  fourth  (90°  29' 
56"  west)  governed  the  remainder  of  Illinois  sur- 
veys. The  first  Public  Surveyor  was  Thomas 
Hutchins,  who  was  called  "the  geographer." 
(See  Hutchins,  Thomas.) 

SWEET,  (Gen.)  Benjamin  J.,  soldier,  was 
born  at  Kirkland,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  April 
24,  1832;  came  with  his  father,  in  1848,  to  Sheboy- 
gan,  Wis.,  studied  law,  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  in  1859,  and,  in  1861,  enlisted  in  the  Sixth 
Wisconsin  Volunteers,  being  commissioned  Major 
in  1862.  Later,  he  resigned  and,  returning  home, 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Twenty-first 
and  Twenty-second  regiments,  being  elected 
Colonel  of  the  former ;  and  with  it  taking  part  in 
the  campaign  in  Western  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see. In  1863  he  was  assigned  to  command  at 
Camp  Douglas,  and  was  there  on  the  exposure, 
in  November,  1864,  of  the  conspiracy  to  release 
the  rebel  prisoners.  (See  Camp  Douglas  Conspir- 
acy.) The  service  which  he  rendered  in  the 
defeat  of  this  bold  and  dangerous  conspiracy 
evinced  his  courage  and  sagacity,  and  was  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  country.  After  the 
war,  General  Sweet  located  at  Lombard,  near 
Chicago,  was  appointed  Pension  Agent  at  Chi- 
cago, afterwards  served  as  Supervisor  of  Internal 
Revenue,  and,  in  1872,  became  Deputy  Commis- 
sioner of  Internal  Revenue  at  Washington.  Died, 
in  Washington,  Jan.  1,  1874.  —  Miss  Ada  C. 
(Sweet),  for  eight  years  (1874-82)  the  efficient 
Pension  Agent  at  Chicago,  is  General  Sweet's 
daughter. 

SWEETSER,  A.  C.,  soldier  and  Department 
Commander  G.  A.  R. ,  was  born  in  Oxford  County, 
Maine,  in  1839;  came  to  Bloomington,  111.,  in 
1857 ;  enlisted  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War 
in  the  Eighth  Illinois  Volunteers  and,  later,  in  the 
Thirty-ninth;  at  the  battle  of  W'ierbottom 
Church,  Va.,  in  June,  1864,  was  shot  through 
both  legs,  necessitating  the  amputation  of  one  of 
them.  After  the  war  he  held  several  offices  of 
trust,  including  those  of  City  Collector  of  Bloom- 
ington and  Deputy  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue 
for  the  Springfield  District ;  in  1887  was  elected 
Department  Commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  for  Illinois.  Died,  at  Bloomington, 
March  23,  1896. 

SWETT,  Leonard,  lawyer,  was  born  near 
Turner,  Maine,  August  11,  1825;  was  educated  at 
Waterville  College  (now  Colby  University),  but 
left  before  graduation ;  read  law  in  Portland,  and, 


while  seeking  a  location  in  the  West,  enlisted  m 
an  Indiana  regiment  for  the  Mexican  War,  being 
attacked  by  climatic  fever,  was  discharged  before 
completing  his  term  of  enlistment.  He  soon 
after  came  to  Bloomington,  111. ,  where  he  became 
the  intimate  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
David  Davis,  traveling  the  circuit  with  them  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  early  became  active  in 
State  politics,  was  a  member  of  the  Republican 
State  Convention  of  1856,  was  elected  to  the 
lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1858, 
and,  in  1860,  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln as  a  Presidential  Elector  for  the  State-at- 
large.  In  1862  he  received  the  Republican 
nomination  for  Congress  in  his  District,  but  was 
defeatad.  Removing  to  Chicago  in  1865,  he 
gained  increased  distinction  as  a  lawyer,  espe- 
cially in  the  management  of  criminal  cases.  In 
1872  he  was  a  supporter  of  Horace  Greeley  for 
President,  but  later  returned  to  the  Republican 
party,  and,  in  the  National  Republican  Conven- 
tion of  1888,  presented  the  name  of  Judge 
Gresham  for  nomination  for  the  Presidency. 
Died,  June  8,  1889. 

SWIGERT,  Charles  Philip,  ex- Auditor  of  Pub- 
lic Accounts,  was  born  in  the  Province  of  Baden, 
Germany,  Nov.  27,  1843,  brought  by  his  parents 
to  Chicago,  111.,  in  childhood,  and,  in  his  boy- 
hood, attended  the  Scammon  School  in  that  city. 
In  1854  his  family  removed  to  a  farm  in  Kanka- 
kee  County,  where,  between  the  ages  of  12  and 
18,  he  assisted  his  father  in  "breaking"  between 
400  and  500  acres  of  prairie  land.  On  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  war,  in  1861,  although  scarcely  18 
years  of  age,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Forty- 
second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and,  in  April, 
1862,  was  one  of  twenty  heroic  volunteers  who 
ran  the  blockade,  on  the  gunboat  Carondelet,  at 
Island  No.  10,  assisting  materially  in  the  reduc- 
tion of  that  rebel  stronghold,  which  resulted  in 
the  capture  of  7,000  prisoners.  At  the  battle  of 
Farmington,  Miss.,  during  the  siege  of  Corinth, 
in  May,  1862,  he  had  his  right  arm  torn  from  its 
socket  by  a  six-pound  cannon-ball,  compelling  his 
retirement  from  the  army.  Returning  home, 
after  many  weeks  spent  in  hospital  at  Jefferson 
Barracks  and  Quincy,  111.,  he  received  his  final 
discharge,  Dec.  21,  1862,  spent  a  year  in  school, 
also  took  a  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Com- 
mercial College  in  Chicago,  and  having  learned 
to  write  with  his  left  hand,  taught  for  a  time  in 
Kankakee  County ;  served  as  letter-carrier  in  Chi- 
cago, and  for  a  year  as  Deputy  County  Clerk  of 
Kankakee  County,  followed  by  two  terms  (1867- 
69)  as  a  student  in  the  Soldiers'  College  at  Fulton. 


516 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


111.  The  latter  year  he  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  Treasurer  of  Kankakee  County,  serving,  by 
successive  re-elections,  until  1880,  when  he  re- 
signed to  take  the  position  of  State  Auditor,  to 
which  he  was  elected  a  second  time  in  1884.  In 
all  these  positions  Mr.  Swigert  has  proved  him- 
self an  upright,  capable  and  high-minded  public 
official.  Of  late  years  his  residence  has  been  in 
Chicago. 

SWING,  (Key.)  David,  clergyman  and  pulpit 
orator,  was  born  of  German  ancestry,  at  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  August  23,  1836.  After  1837  (his 
father  dying  about  this  time),  the  family  resided 
for  a  time  at  Reedsburgh,  and,  later,  on  a  farm 
near  Williamsburgh,  in  Clermont  County,  in  the 
same  State.  In  1852,  having  graduated  from  the 
Miami  (Ohio)  University,  he  commenced  the 
study  of  theology,  but,  in  1854,  accepted  the 
position  of  Professqr  of  Languages  in  his  Alma 
Mater,  which  he  continued  to  fill  for  thirteen 
years.  His  first  pastorate  was  in  connection  with 
the  Westminster  Presbyterian  Church  of  Chi- 
cago, which  he  assumed  in  1866.  His  church 
edifice  was  destroyed  in  the  great  Chicago  fire, 
but  was  later  rebuilt.  As  a  preacher  he  was 
popular ;  but,  in  April,  1874,  he  was  placed  on  trial, 
before  an  ecclesiastical  court  of  his  own  denomi- 
nation, on  charges  of  heresy.  He  was  acquitted 
by  the  trial  court,  but,  before  the  appeal  taken  by 
the  prosecution  could  be  heard,  he  personally 
withdrew  from  affiliation  with  the  denomination. 
Shortly  afterward  he  became  pastor  of  an  inde- 
pendent religious  organization  known  as  the 
"Central  Church,"  preaching,  first  at  McVicker's 
Theatre  and,  afterward,  at  Central  Music  Hall, 
Chicago.  He  was  a  fluent  and  popular  speaker 
on  all  themes,  a  frequent  and  valued  contributor 
to  numerous  magazines,  as  well  as  the  author  of 
several  volumes.  Among  his  best  known  books 
are  "Motives  of  Life,"  "Truths  for  To-day,"  and 
"Club  Essays."  Died,  in  Chicago,  Oct.  3,  1894. 

SYCAMORE,  the  county-seat  of  De  Kalb 
County  (founded  in  1836),  56  miles  west  of  Chi- 
cago, at  the  intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western and  the  Chicago  Great  Western  Rail- 
roads; lies  in  a  region  devoted  to  agriculture, 
dairying  and  stock-raising.  The  city  itself  con- 
tains several  factories,  the  principal  products 
being  agricultural  implements,  flour,  insulated 
•wire,  brick,  tile,  varnish,  furniture,  soap  and 
carriages  and  wagons.  There  are  also  works  for 
canning  vegetables  and  fruit, besides  two  creamer- 
ies. The  town  is  lighted  by  electricity,  and  has 
high-pressure  water-works.  There  are  eleven 
churches,  three  graded  public  schools  and  a 


young     ladies'     seminary.      Population     (1880), 
3,028;  (1890),  2,987;  (1900),  3,653. 

TAFT,  Lorado,  sculptor,  was  born  at  Elm  wood, 
Peoria  County,  111.,  April  29,  1860;  at  an  early 
age  evinced  a  predilection  for  sculpture  and 
began  modeling ;  graduated  at  the  University  of 
Illinois  in  1880,  then  went  to  Paris  and  studied 
sculpture  in  the  famous  Ecole  des  Beaux  Arts 
until  1885.  The  following  year  he  settled  in  Chi 
cago,  finally  becoming  associated  with  the  Chi- 
cago Art  Institute.  He  has  been  a  lecturer  on 
art  in  the  Chicago  University.  Mr.  Taft  fur- 
nished the  decorations  of  the  Horticultural  Build- 
ing on  the  World's  Fair  Grounds,  in  1893. 

TALCOTT,  Mancel,  business  man,  was  born 
in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  12,  1817;  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  until  17  years  of  age,  when  he  set 
out  for  the  West,  traveling  on  foot  from  Detroit 
to  Chicago,  and  thence  to  Park  Ridge,  where  he 
worked  at  farming  until  1850.  Then,  having 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  miner  for  some  time, 
in  California,  with  some  success,  he  united  with 
Horace  M.  Singer  in  establishing  the  firm  of 
Singer  &  Talcott,  stone-dealers,  which  lasted  dur- 
ing most  of  his  life.  He  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Chicago  City  Council,  on  the  Board  of  County 
Commissioners,  as  a  member  of  the  Police  Board, 
and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  First  National 
Bank,  and  President,  for  several  years,  of  the 
Stock  Yards  National  Bank.  Liberal  and  public- 
spirited,  he  contributed  freely  to  works  of 
charity.  Died,  June  5,  1878. 

TALCOTT,  (Capt.)  William,  soldier  of  the 
War  of  1812  and  pioneer,  was  born  in  Gilead, 
Conn.,  March  6,  1774;  emigrated  to  Rome,  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1810,  and  engaged  in  farming; 
served  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Oneida  County 
militia  during  the  War  of  1812-14,  being  stationed 
at  Sackett's  Harbor  under  the  command  of  Gen. 
Winfield  Scott.  In  1835,  in  company  with  his 
eldest  son,  Thomas  B.  Talcott,  he  made  an  ex- 
tended tour  through  the  West,  finally  selecting  a 
location  in  Illinois  at  the  junction  of  Rock  River 
and  the  Pecatonica,  where  the  town  of  Rockton 
now  stands — there  being  only  two  white  families, 
at  that  time,  within  the  present  limits  of  Winne- 
bago  County.  Two  years  later  (1837),  he  brought 
his  family  to  this  point,  with  his  sons  took  up  a 
considerable  body  of  Government  land  and 
erected  two  mills,  to  which  customers  came 
from  a  long  distance.  In  1838  Captain  Talcott 
took  part  in  the  organization  of  the  first  Congre- 
gational Church  in  that  section  of  the  State.  A 
zealous  anti-slavery  man,  he  supported  James  G. 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


517 


Birney  (the  Liberty  candidate  for  President)  in 
1844,  continuing  to  act  with  that  party  until  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  in  1856; 
was  deeply  interested  in  the  War  for  the  Union, 
but  died  before  its  conclusion,  Sept.  2,  1864. — 
Maj.  Thomas  B.  (Talcott),  oldest  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding, was  born  at  Hebron,  Conn  ,  April  17, 
.806 ;  was  taken  to  Rome,  N.  Y. ,  by  his  father  in 
nfancy,  and,  after  reaching  maturity,  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  with  his  brother  in  Che- 
mung  County ;  in  1835  accompanied  his  father  in 
a  tour  through  the  West,  finally  locating  at 
Rockton,  where  he  engaged  in  agriculture.  On 
the  organization  of  Winnebago  County,  in  1836, 
he  was  elected  one  of  the  first  County  Commis- 
sioners, and,  in  1850,  to  the  State  Senate,  serving 
four  years.  He  also  held  various  local  offices. 
Died,  Sept.  30,  1894.— Hon.  Wait  (Talcott),  second 
son  of  Capt.  William  Talcott,  was  born  at  He- 
bron, Conn.,  Oct.  17,  1807,  and  taken  to  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  until  his  19th  year, 
when  he  engaged  in  business  at  Booneville  and, 
still  later,  in  Utica ,-  in  1838,  removed  to  Illinois 
and  joined  his  father  at  Rockton,  finally 
becoming  a  citizen  of  Rockford,  where,  in  his 
later  years,  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing, having  become,  in  1854,  with  his 
brother  Sylvester,  a  partner  of  the  firm  of  J.  H. 
Manny  &  Co.,  in  the  manufacture  of  the  Manny 
reaper  and  mower.  He  was  an  original  anti- 
slavery  man  and,  at  one  time,  a  Free-Soil  candidate 
for  Congress,  but  became  a  zealous  Republican 
and  ardent  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  he 
employed  as  an  attorney  in  the  famous  suit  of 
McCormick  vs.  the  Manny  Reaper  Company  for 
infringement  of  patent.  In  1854  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate,  succeeding  his  brother, 
Thomas  B.,  and  was  the  first  Collector  of  Internal 
Revenue  in  the  Second  District,  appointed  by  Mr. 
Lincoln  in  1862,  and  continuing  in  office  some 
five  years.  Though  too  old  for  active  service  in 
the  field,  during  the  Civil  War,  he  voluntarily 
hired  a  substitute  to  take  his  place.  Mr.  Talcott 
was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  and  Trus- 
tees of  Beloit  College,  and  a  founder  of  Rockford 
Female  Seminary,  remaining  a  trustee  of  each 
for  many  years.  Died,  June  7,  1890. — SylYester 
(Talcott),  third  son  of  William  Talcott,  born  at 
Rome,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  14,  1810;  when  of  age,  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  in  Chemung  County;  in 
1837  removed,  with  other  members  of  the  family, 
to  Winnebago  County,  111.,  where  he  joined  his 
father  in  the  entry  of  Government  lands  and  the 
erection  of  mills,  as  already  detailed.  He  became 
one  of  the  first  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  Winne- 


bago County,  also  served  as  Supervisor  for  a 
number  of  years  and,  although  a  farmer,  became 
interested,  in  1854,  with  his  brother  Wait, 
in  the  Manny  Reaper  Company  at  Rockford. 
He  also  followed  the  example  of  his  brother, 
just  named,  in  furnishing  a  substitute  for  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  though  too  old  for  service 
himself.  Died,  June  19,  1885.— Henry  Walter 
(Talcott),  fourth  son  of  William  Talcott,  was 
born  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  13,  1814;  came  with 
his  father  to  Winnebago  County,  111.,  in  1835,  and 
was  connected  with  his  father  and  brothers  in  busi- 
ness. Died,  Dec.  9,  1870.— Dwight  Lewis  (Tal- 
cott), oldest  son  of  Henry  Walter  Talcott,  born 
in  Winnebago  County;  at  the  age  of  17  years 
enlisted  at  Belvidere,  in  January,  1864,  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry ;  served 
as  provost  guard  some  two  months  at  Fort  Picker- 
ing, near  Memphis,  and  later  took  part  in  many 
of  the  important  battles  of  that  year  in  Missis- 
sippi and  Tennessee.  Having  been  captured  at 
Campbellsville,  Tenn. ,  he  was  taken  to  Anderson- 
ville,  Ga. ,  where  he  suffered  all  the  horrors  of 
that  famous  prison-pen,  until  March,  1865,  when 
he  was  released,  arriving  at  home  a  helpless 
skeleton,  the  day  after  Abraham  Lincoln's  assas- 
sination. Mr.  Talcott  subsequently  settled  in 
Muscatine  County,  Iowa. 

TALLULA,  a  prosperous  village  of  Menard 
County,  on  the  Jacksonville  branch  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railway,  24  miles  northeast  of 
Jacksonville;  is  in  the  midst  of  a  grain,  coal- 
mining, and  stock-growing  region;  has  a  local 
bank  and  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890),  445 ;  (1900),  639. 

TAMAROA,a  village  in  Perry  County,  situated 
at  the  junction  of  the  Illinois  Central  with  the 
Wabash,  Chester  &  Western  Railroad,  8  miles 
north  of  Duquoin,  and  57  miles  east-southeast  of 
Belleville.  It  has  a  bank,  a  newspaper  office,  a 
large  public  school,  five  churches  and  two  flour- 
ing mills.  Coal  is  mined  here  and  exported  in 
large  quantities.  Pop.  (1900),  853. 

TAMAROA  &  MOUNT  VERNON  RAILROAD. 
(See  Wabash,  Chester  &  Western  Railroad. ) 

TANNER,  Edward  Allen,  clergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  of  New  England  ancestry,  at 
Waverly,  111.,  Nov.  29,  1837— being  the  first  child 
who  could  claim  nativity  there;  was  educated 
in  the  local  schools  and  at  Illinois  College, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1857;  spent  four 
years  teaching  in  his  native  place  and  at  Jack- 
sonville; then  accepted  the  Professorship  of 
Latin  in  Pacific  University  at  Portland,  Oregon, 
remaining  four  years,  when  he  returned  to  his 
Alma  Mater  (1865),  assuming  there  the  chair  of 


518 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Latin  and  Rhetoric.  In  1881  he  was  appointed 
financial  agent  of  the  latter  institution,  and,  in 
1882,  its  President.  While  in  Oregon  he  had 
been  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and,  for  a  considerable  period  during 
his  connection  with  Illinois  College,  officiated  as 
Chaplain  of  the  Central  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
at  Jacksonville,  besides  supplying  local  and 
other  pulpits.  He  labored  earnestly  for  the 
benefit  of  the  institution  under  his  charge,  and, 
during  his  incumbency,  added  materially  to  its 
endowment  and  resources.  Died,  at  Jackson- 
ville, Feb.  8,  18924 

TANNER,  John  R.,  Governor,  was  born  in 
Warrick  County,  Ind.,  April  4,  1844,  and  brought 
to  Southern  Illinois  in  boyhood,  where  he  grew 
up  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Carbondale, 
enjoying  only  such  educational  advantages  as 
were  afforded  by  the  common  school ;  in  1863,  at 
the  age  of  19,  enlisted  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illi- 
nois Volunteers,  serving  until  June,  1865,  when 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Sixty-first,  and  finally 
mustered  out  in  September  following.  All  the 
male  members  of  Governor  Tanner's  family  were 
soldiers  of  the  late  war,  his  father  dying  in  a 
rebel  prison  at  Columbus,  Miss.,  one  of  his  bro- 
thers suffering  the  same  fate  from  wounds  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  and  another  brother  dying  in  hospital 
at  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.  Only  one  of  this  patriotic 
family,  besides  Governor  Tanner,  still  survives — 
Mr.  J.  M.  Tanner  of  Clay  County,  who  left  the 
service  with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  of  the  Thir- 
teenth Illinois  Cavalry.  Returning  from  the 
war,  Mr.  Tanner  established  himself  in  business 
as  a  farmer  in  Clay  County,  later  engaging  suc- 
cessfully in  the  milling  and  lumber  business  as 
the  partner  of  his  brother.  The  public  positions 
held  by  him,  since  the  war,  include  those  of 
Sheriff  of  Clay 'County  (1870-72),  Clerk  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  (1872-76),  and  State  Senator  (1880-83). 
During  the  latter  year  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  United  States.  Marshal  for  the  Southern 
District  of  Illinois,  serving  until  after  the  acces- 
sion of  President  Cleveland  in  1885.  In  1886,  he 
was  the  Republican  nominee  for  State  Treasurer 
and  was  elected  by  an  unusually  large  majority ; 
in  1891  was  appointed,  by  Governor  Fifer,  a 
member  of  the  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commis- 
sion, but,  in  1892,  received  the  appointment  of 
Assistant  United  States  Treasurer  at  Chicago, 
continuing  in  the  latter  office  until  December, 
1893.  For  ten  years  (1874-84)  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee,  re- 
turning to  that  body  in  1894,  when  he  was  chosen 
Chairman  and  conducted  the  campaign  which 


resulted  in  the  unprecedented  Republican  suc- 
cesses of  that  year.  In  1896  he  received  the 
nomination  of  his  party  for  Governor,  and  was 
elected  over  Gov.  John  P.  Altgeld,  his  Demo- 
cratic opponent,  by  a  plurality  of  over  113,000, 
and  a  majority,  over  all,  of  nearly  90,000  votes. 

TANNER,  Tazewell  B.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Henry  County,  Va.,  and  came  to  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  about  1846  or  '47,  at  first  taking  a 
position  as  teacher  and  Superintendent  of  Public 
Schools.  Later,  he  was  connected  with  "The 
Jeff ersonian, "  a  Democratic  paper  at  Mount  Ver- 
non,  and,  in  1849,  went  to  the  gold  regions  of 
California,  meeting  with  reasonable  success  as  a 
miner.  Returning  in  a  year  or  two,  he  was 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and,  while  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duties,  prosecuted  the  study 
of  law,,  finally,  on  admission  to  the  bar,  entering 
into  partnership  with  the  late  Col.  Thomas  S. 
Casey.  In  1854  he  was  elected  Representative  in 
the  Nineteenth  General  Assembly,  and  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  the  appropriation  for  the 
erection  of  a  Supreme  Court  building  at  Mount 
Vernon.  In  1862  he  served  as  a  Delegate  to  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  of  that  year ;  was 
elected  Circuit  Judge  in  1873,  and,  in  1877,  was 
assigned  to  duty  on  the  Appellate  bench,  but,  at 
the  expiration  of  his  term,  declined  a  re-election 
and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Mount  Vernon.  Died,  March  25,  1880. 

TAXATION,  in  its  legal  sense,  the  mode  of 
raising  revenue.  In  its  general  sense  its  purposes 
are  the  support  of  the  State  and  local  govern- 
ments, the  promotion  of  the  public  good  by 
fostering  education  and  works  of  public  improve- 
ment, the  protection  of  society  by  the  preser- 
vation of  order  and  the  punishment  of  crime,  and 
the  support  of  the  helpless  and  destitute.  In 
practice,  and  as  prescribed  by  the  Constitution, 
the  raising  of  revenue  is  required  to  be  done  "by 
levying  a  tax  by  valuation,  so  that  every  person 
and  corporation  shall  pay  a  tax  in  proportion  to 
the  value  of  his,  her  or  its  property — such  value 
to  be  ascertained  by  some  person  or  persons,  to  be 
elected  or  appointed  in  such  manner  as  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  shall  direct,  and  not  otherwise." 
(State  Constitution,  1870 — Art.  Revenue,  Sec.  1.) 
The  person  selected  under  the  law  to  make  this 
valuation  is  the  Assessor  of  the  county  or  the 
township  (in  counties  under  township  organiza- 
tion), and  he  is  required  to  make  a  return  to  the 
County  Board  at  its  July  meeting  each  year — the 
latter  having  authority  to  hear  complaints  of  tax- 
payers and  adjust  inequalities  when  found  to 
exist.  It  is  made  the  duty  of  the  Assessor  to 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


519 


include  in  his  return,  as  real-estate,  all  lands  and 
the  buildings  or  other  improvements  erected 
thereon;  and,  under  the  head  of  personal  prop- 
erty, all  tangible  effects,  besides  moneys,  credits, 
bonds  or  stocks,  shares  of  stock  of  companies  or 
corporations,  investments,  annuities,  franchises, 
royalties,  etc.  Property  used  for  school,  church 
or  cemetery  purposes,  as  well  as  public  buildings 
and  other  property  belonging  to  the  State  and 
General  Government,  municipalities,  public 
charities,  public  libraries,  agricultural  and  scien- 
tific societies,  are  declared  exempt.  Nominally, 
all  property  subject  to  taxation  is  required  to  be 
assessed  at  its  cash  valuation ;  but,  in  reality,  the 
valuation,  of  late  years,  has  been  on  a  basis  of 
twenty-five  to  thirty-three  per  cent  of  its  esti- 
mated cash  value.  In  the  larger  cities,  however, 
the  valuation  is  often  much  lower  than  this, 
while  very  large  amounts  escape  assessment 
altogether.  The  Revenue  Act,  passed  at  the 
special  session  of  the  Fortieth  General  Assembly 
(1898),  requires  the  Assessor  to  make  a  return  of 
all  property  subject  to  taxation  in  his  district,  at 
its  cash  valuation,  upon  which  a  Board  of  Eeview 
fixes  a  tax  on  the  basis  of  twenty  per  cent  of 
such  cash  valuation.  An  abstract  of  the  property 
assessment  of  each  county  goes  before  the  State 
Board  of  Equalization,  at  its  annual  meeting  in 
August,  for  the  purpose  of  comparison  and  equal- 
izing valuations  between  counties,  but  the  Board 
has  no  power  to  modify  the  assessments  of  indi- 
vidual tax-payers.  (See  State  Board  of  Equali- 
zation. )  This  Board  has  exclusive  power  to  fix 
the  valuation  for  purposes  of  taxation  of  the 
capital  stock  or  franchises  of  companies  (except 
certain  specified  manufacturing  corporations) ,  in- 
corporated under  the  State  laws,  together  with  the 
"railroad  track"  and  "rolling  stock"  of  railroads, 
and  the  capital  stock  of  railroads  and  telegraph 
lines,  and  to  fix  the  distribution  of  the  latter 
between  counties  in  which  they  lie. — The  Consti- 
tution of  1848  empowered  the  Legislature  to 
impose  a  capitation  tax,  of  not  less  than  fifty 
cents  nor  more  than  one  dollar,  upon  each  free 
white  male  citizen  entitled  to  the  right  of  suf- 
frage, between  the  ages  of  21  and  60  years,  but  the 
Constitution  of  1870  grants  no  such  power, 
though  it  authorizes  the  extension  of  the  "objects 
and  subjects  of  taxation"  in  accordance  with  the 
principle  contained  in  the  first  section  of  the 
Revenue  Article. — Special  assessments  in  cities, 
for  the  construction  of  sewers,  pavements,  etc., 
being  local  and  in  the  form  of  benefits,  cannot 
be  said  to  come  under  the  head  of  general  tax- 
ation. The  same  is  to  be  said  of  revenue  derived 


from  fines  and  penalties,  which  are  forms  of 
punishment  for  specific  offenses,  and  go  to  the 
benefit  of  certain  specified  funds. 

TAYLOR,  Abner,  ex-Congressman,  is  a  native 
of  Maine,  and  a  resident  of  Chicago.  He  has  been 
in  active  business  all  his  life  as  contractor,  builder 
and  merchant,  and,  for  some  time,  a  member  of 
the  wholesale  dry-goods  firm  of  J.  V.  Farwell  & 
Co.,  of  Chicago.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Thirty- 
fourth  General  Assembly,  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  of  1884,  and 
represented  the  First  Illinois  District  in  the  Fifty- 
first  and  Fifty-second  Congresses,  1889  to  1893. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  one  of  the  contractors  for  the 
erection  of  the  new  State  Capitol  of  Texas. 

TAYLOR,  Benjamin  Franklin,  journalist,  poet 
and  lecturer,  was  born  at  Lowville,  N.  Y.,  July 
19,  1819;  graduated  at  Madison  University  in 
1839,  the  next  year  becoming  literary  and  dra- 
matic critic  of  "The  Chicago  Evening  Journal." 
Here,  in  a  few  years,  he  acquired  a  wide  reputa- 
tion as  a  journalist  and  poet,  and  was  much  in 
demand  as  a  lecturer  on  literary  topics.  His 
letters  from  the  field  during  the  Rebellion,  as 
war  correspondent  of  "The  Evening  Journal," 
won  for  him  even  a  greater  popularity,  and  were 
complimented  by  translation  into  more  than  one 
European  language.  After  the  war,  he  gave  his 
attention  more  unreservedly  to  literature,  his 
principal  works  appearing  after  that  date.  His 
publications  in  book  form,  including  both  prose 
and  poetry,  comprise  the  following:  "Attractions 
of  Language"  (1845);  "January  and  June" 
(1853);  "Pictures  in  Camp  and  Field"  (1871); 
"The  World  on  Wheels"  (1873);  "Old  Time  Pic- 
tures and  Sheaves  of  Rhyme"  (1874);  "Songs  of 
Yesterday"  (1877);  "Summer  Savory  Gleaned 
from  Rural  Nooks"  (1879);  "Between  the  Gates" 
— pictures  of  California  life — (1881);  "Dulce 
Domum,  the  Burden  of  Song"  (1884),  and  "Theo- 
philus  Trent,  or  Old  Times  in  the  Oak  Openings, ' ' 
a  novel  (1887).  The  last  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
publishers  at  his  death,  Feb.  27,  1887.  Among 
his  most  popular  poems  are  "The  Isle  of  the  Long 
Ago,"  "The  Old  Village  Choir,"  and  "Rhymes  of 
the  River. "  "The  London  Times"  complimented 
Mr.  Taylor  with  the  title  of  "The  Oliver  Gold- 
smith of  America." 

TAYLOR,  Edmund  Dick,  early  Indian-trader 
and  legislator,  was  born  at  Fairfield  C.  H. ,  Va. , 
Oct.  18,  1802 — the  son  of  a  commissary  in  the 
army  of  the  Revolution,  under  General  Greene, 
and  a  cousin  of  General  (later,  President)  Zachary 
Taylor ;  left  his  native  State  in  his  youth  and,  at 
an  early  day,  came  to  Springfield,  111.,  where  he 


520 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


opened  an  Indian-trading  post  and  general  store ; 
was  elected  from  Sangamon  County  to  the  lower 
branch  of  the  Seventh  General  Assembly  (1830) 
and  re-elected  in  1832 — the  latter  year  being  a 
competitor  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  he 
defeated.  In  1834  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  and,  at  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature, 
was  one  of  the  celebrated  "Long  Nine"  who 
secured  the  removal  of  the  State  Capital  to 
Springfield.  He  resigned  before  the  close  of  his 
term  to  accept,  from  President  Jackson,  the  ap- 
pointment of  Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  at  Chi- 
cago. Here  he  became  one  of  the  promoters  of 
the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  (1837), 
serving  as  one  of  the  Commissioners  to  secure 
subscriptions  of  stock,  and  was  also  active  in 
advocating  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal.  The  title  of  "Colonel,"  by 
which  he  was  known  during  most  of  his  life,  was 
acquired  by  service,  with  that  rank,  on  the  staff 
of  Gov.  John  Reynolds,  during  the  Black  Hawk 
War  of  1832.  After  coming  to  Chicago,  Colonel 
Taylor  became  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Chicago 
branch  of  the  State  Bank,  and  was  later  identified 
with  various  banking  enterprises,  as  also  a  some- 
what extensive  operator  in  real  estate.  An  active 
Democrat  in  the  early  part  of  his  career  in  Illi- 
nois, Colonel  Taylor  was  one  of  the  members  of 
his  party  to  take  ground  against  the  Kansas-Neb 
raska  bill  in  1854,  and  advocated  the  election  of 
General  Bissell  to  the  governorship  in  1856.  In 
1860  he  was  again  in  line  with  his  party  in  sup- 
port of  Senator  Douglas  for  the  Presidency,  and 
was  an  opponent  of  the  war  policy  of  the  Govern- 
ment still  later,  as  shown  by  his  participation  in 
the  celebrated  "Peace  Convention"  at  Spring- 
field, of  June  17,  1863.  In  the  latter  years  of  his 
life  he  became  extensively  interested  in  coal 
lands  in  La  Salle  and  adjoining  counties,  and, 
for  a  considerable  time,  served  as  President  of  the 
Northern  Illinois  Coal  &  Mining  Company,  his 
home,  during  a  part  of  this  period,  being  at 
Mendota.  Died,  in  Chicago,  Dec.  4,  1891. 

TAYLORVILLE,  a  city  and  county-seat  of 
Christian  County,  on  the  South  Fork  of  the  Sanga- 
mon River  and  on  the  Wabash  Railway  at  its 
point  of  intersection  with  the  Springfield  Division 
of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern.  It  is 
about  27  miles  southeast  of  Springfield,  and 
28  miles  southwest  of  Decatur.  It  has  several 
banks,  flour  mills,  paper  mill,  electric  light  and 
gas  plants,  water-works,  two  coal  mines,  carriage 
and  wagon  shops,  a  manufactory  of  farming 
implements,  two  daily  and  weekly  papers,  nine 
churches  and  five  graded  and  township  high 


schools.  Much  coal  is  mined  in  this  vicinity. 
Pop.  (1890),  2,839;  (1900),  4,248. 

TAZEWELL  COUNTY,  a  central  county  on 
the  Illinois  River ;  was  first  settled  in  1823  and 
organized  in  1827 ;  has  an  area  of  650  square  miles 
— was  named  for  Governor  Tazewell  of  Virginia. 
It  is  drained  by  the  Illinois  and  Mackinaw  Rivers 
and  traversed  by  several  lines  of  railway.  The 
surface  is  generally  level,  the  soil  alluvial  and 
rich,  but,  requiring  drainage,  especially  on  the 
river  bottoms.  Gravel,  coal  and  sandstone  are 
found,  but,  generally  speaking,  Tazewell  is  an 
agricultural  county.  The  cereals  are  extensively 
cultivated;  wool  is  also  clipped,  and  there  are 
dairy  interests  of  some  importance.  Distilling  is 
extensively  conducted  at  Pekin,  the  county-seat, 
which  is  also  the  seat  of  other  mechanical  indus- 
tries. (See  also  Pekin.)  Population  of  the 
county  (1880),  29,666;  (1890),  29,556;  (1900),  33,221. 

TEMPLE,  John  Taylor,  M.D.,  early  Chicago 
physician,  born  in  Virginia  in  1804,  graduated  in 
medicine  at  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  in  1830,  and, 
in  1833,  arrived  in  Chicago.  At  this  time  he  had 
a  contract  for  carrying  the  United  States  mail 
from  Chicago  to  Fort  Howard,  near  Green  Bay, 
and  the  following  year  undertook  a  similar  con- 
tract between  Chicago  and  Ottawa.  Having  sold 
these  out  three  years  later,  he  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  though 
interested,  for  a  time,  in  contracts  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  Dr. 
Temple  was  instrumental  in  erecting  the  first 
house  (after  Rev.  Jesse  Walker's  missionary 
station  at  Wolf  Point),  for  public  religious 
worship  in  Chicago,  and,  although  himself  a 
Baptist,  it  was  used  in  common  by  Protestant 
denominations.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Rush  Medical  College, 
though  he  later  became  a  convert  to  homeopathy, 
and  finally,  removing  to  St.  Louis,  assisted  in 
founding  the  St.  Louis  School  of  Homeopathy, 
dying  there,  Feb.  24,  1877. 

TENURE  OF  OFFICE.    (See  Elections.) 

TERRE  HAUTE,  ALTON  &  ST.  LOUIS 
RAILROAD.  (See  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre 
Haute  Railroad. ) 

TERRE  HAUTE  &  ALTON  RAILROAD  (See 
St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad.) 

TERRE  HAUTE  &  INDIANAPOLIS  RAIL- 
ROAD,  a  corporation  operating  no  line  of  its  own 
within  the  State,  but  the  lessee  and  operator  of 
the  following  lines  (which  see):  St.  Louis, 
Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute,  158.3  miles;  Terre 
Haute  &  Peoria,  145.12  miles;  East  St.  Louis 
&  Carondelet,  12.74  miles — total  length  of  leased 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


521 


lines  in  Illinois,  316.16  miles.  The  Terre  Haute 
&  Indianapolis  Railroad  was  incorporated  in 
Indiana  in  1847,  as  the  Terre  Haute  &  Rich- 
mond, completed  a  line  between  the  points 
named  in  the  title,  in  1852,  and  took  its  present 
name  in  186C.  The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  its  stock 
in  1893. 

TERRE  HAUTE  &  PEORIA  RAILROAD, 
(Vandalia  Line),  a  line  of  road  extending  from 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  to  Peoria,  111.,  145.12  miles, 
with  28.78 miles  of  trackage,  making  in  all  173.9 
miles  in  operation,  all  being  in  Illinois — operated 
by  the  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  gauge  is  standard,  and  the  rails  are 
steel.  (HISTORY.)  It  was  organized  Feb.  7,  1887, 
successor  to  the  Illinois  Midland  Railroad.  The 
latter  was  made  up  by  the  consolidation  (Nov.  4, 
1874)  of  three  lines:  (1)  The  Peoria,  Atlanta  & 
Decatur  Railroad,  chartered  in  1869  and  opened  in 
1874;  (2)  the  Paris  &  Decatur  Railroad,  chartered 
in  1861  and  opened  in  December,  1872 ;  and  (3)  the 
Paris  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad,  chartered  in  1873 
and  opened  in  1874  —  the  consolidated  lines 
assuming  the  name  of  the  Illinois  Midland  Rail- 
road. In  1886  the  Illinois  Midland  was  sold  under 
foreclosure  and,  in  February,  1887,  reorganized 
as  the  Terre  Haute  &  Peoria  Railroad.  In  1892 
it  was  leased  for  ninety-nine  years  to  the  Terre 
Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  Company,  and  is 
operated  as  a  part  of  the  "Vandalia  System." 
The  capital  stock  (1898)  was  $3,764,200;  funded 
debt,  $2,230,000,— total  capital  invested,  $6,227,- 
481. 

TETJTOPOLTS,  a  village  of  Effingham  County, 
on  the  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad,  4 
miles  east  of  Effingham;  was  originally  settled 
by  a  colony  of  Germans  from  Cincinnati.  Popu- 
lation (1900),  498. 

THOMAS,  Horace  H.,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  in  Vermont*,  Dec.  18,  1831,  graduated  at 
Middlebury  College,  and,  after  admission  to  the 
bar,  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  commenced 
practice.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  he 
enlisted  and  was  commissioned  Assistant  Adju- 
tant-General of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Ten- 
nessee, serving  as  Quartermaster  upon  the  staff 
of  Governor  Brownlow.  In  1867  he  returned  to 
Chicago  and  resumed  practice.  He  was  elected 
a  Representative  in  the  Legislature  in  1878  and 
re-elected  in  1880,  being  chosen  Speaker  of  the 
House  during  his  latter  term.  In  1888  he  was 
elected  State  Senator  from  the  Sixth  District, 
serving  during  the  sessions  of  the  Thirty-sixth 


and  Thirty-seventh  General  Assemblies.  In 
1897,  General  Thomas  was  appointed  United 
States  Appraiser  in  connection  with  the  Custom 
House  in  Chicago. 

THOMAS,  Jesse  Burgess,  jurist  and  United 
States  Senator,  was  born  at  Hagerstown,  Md., 
claiming  direct  descent  from  Lord  Baltimore. 
Taken  west  in  childhood,  he  grew  to  manhood 
and  settled  at  Lawrenceburg,  Indiana  Territory, 
in  1803;  in  1805  was  Speaker  of  the  Territorial 
Legislature  and,  later,  represented  the  Territory 
as  Delegate  in  Congress.  On  the  organization  of 
Illinois  Territory  (which  he  had  favored),  he 
removed  to  Kaskaskia,  was  appointed  one  of  the 
first  Judges  for  the  new  Territory,  and,  in  1818, 
as  Delegate  from  St.  Clair  County,  presided  over 
the  first  State  Constitutional  Convention,  and,  on 
the  admission  of  the  State,  became  one  of  the 
first  United  States  Senators — Governor  Edwards 
being  his  colleague.  Though  an  avowed  advo- 
cate of  slavery,  he  gained  no  little  prominence 
as  the  author  of  the  celebrated  "Missouri  Com- 
promise," adopted  in  1820.  He  was  re-elected  to 
the  Senate  in  1823,  serving  until  1829.  He  sub- 
sequently removed  to  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  where 
he  died  by  suicide,  May  4,  1853. — Jesse  Burgess 
(Thomas),  Jr.,  nephew  of  the  United  States  Sena- 
tor of  the  same  name,  was  born  at  Lebanon,  Ohio, 
July  31,  1806,  was  educated  at  Transylvania 
University,  and,  being  admitted  to  the  bar, 
located  at  Edwardsville,  111.  He  first  appeared 
in  connection  with  public  affairs  as  Secretary  of 
the  State  Senate  in  1830,  being  re-elected  in  1832 ; 
in  1834  was  elected  Representative  in  the  General 
Assembly  from  Madison  County,  but,  in  Febru- 
ary following,  was  appointed  Attorney-General, 
serving  only  one  year.  He  afterwards  held  the 
position  of  Circuit  Judge  (1837-39),  his  home  being 
then  in  Springfield;  in  1843  he  became  Associ- 
ate Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  by  appointment 
of  the  Governor,  as  successor  to  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las, and  was  afterwards  elected  to  the  same 
office  by  the  Legislature,  remaining  until  1848. 
During  a  part  of  his  professional  career  he  was 
the  partner  of  David  Prickett  and  William  L. 
May,  at  Springfield,  and  afterwards  a  member  of 
the  Galena  bar,  finally  removing  to  Chicago, 
where  he  died,  Feb.  21,  1850.— Jesse  B.  (Thomas) 
third,  clergyman  and  son  of  the  last  named ;  born 
at  Edwardsville,  111.,  July  29,  1832;  educated  at 
Kenyon  College,  Ohio,  and  Rochester  (N.  Y.) 
Theological  Seminary;  practiced  law  for  a  time 
in  Chicago,  but  finally  entered  the  Baptist  minis- 
try, serving  churches  at  "Waukegan,  111.,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  and  San  Francisco  (1862-69).  He 


522 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


then  became  pastor  of  the  Michigan  Avenue  Bap- 
tist Church,  in  Chicago,  remaining  until  1874, 
when  he  returned  to  Brooklyn.  In  1887  he 
became  Professor  of  Biblical  History  in  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  Newton,  Mass.,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  is  the  author  of  several 
volumes,  and,  in  1866,  received  the  degree  of  D.D. 
from  the  old  University  of  Chicago. 

THOMAS,  John,  pioneer  and  soldier  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  was  born  in  Wythe  County, 
Va.,  Jan.  11,  1800.  At  the  age  of  18  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  where 
the  family  located  in  what  was  then  called  the 
Alexander  settlement,  near  the  present  site  of 
Shiloh.  When  he  was  22  he  rented  a  farm 
(although  he  had  not  enough  money  to  buy  a 
horse)  and  married.  Six  years  later  he  bought 
and  stocked  a  farm,  and,  from  that  time  forward, 
rapidly  accumulated  real  property,  until  he 
became  one  of  the  most  extensive  owners  of  farm- 
ing land  in  St.  Clair  County.  In  early  life  he 
was  fond  of  military  exercise,  holding  various 
offices  in  local  organizations  and  serving  as  a 
Colonel  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  In  1824  he  was 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  party  opposed  to  the 
amendment  of  the  State  Constitution  to  sanction 
slavery,  was  a  zealous  opponent  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  bill  in  1854,  and  a  firm  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party  from  the  date  of  its  formation. 
He  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  1838,  '62,  '64,  '72  and  '74;  and  to  the 
State  Senate  in  1878,  serving  four  years  in  the 
latter  body.  Died,  at  Belleville,  Dec.  16,  1894,  in 
the  95th  year  of  his  age. 

THOMAS,  John  R.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
at  Mount  Vernon,  111.,  Oct.  11,  1846.  He  served 
in  the  Union  Army  during  the  War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion, rising  from  the  ranks  to  a  captaincy.  After 
his  return  home  he  studied  law,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  1869.  From  1872  to  1876  he  was 
State's  Attorney,  and,  from  1879  to  1889,  repre- 
sented his  District  in  Congress.  In  1897,  Mr. 
Thomas  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley 
an  additional  United  States  District  Judge  for 
Indian  Territory.  His  home  is  now  at  Vanita, 
in  that  Territory. 

THOMAS,  William,  pioneer  lawyer  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  in  what  is  now  Allen  County, 
Ky.,  Nov.  22,  1802;  received  a  rudimentary  edu- 
cation, and  served  as  deputy  of  his  father  (who 
was  Sheriff),  and  afterwards  of  the  County  Clerk ; 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1823 ; 
in  1826  removed  to  Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he 
taught  school,  served  as  a  private  in  the  Winne- 
bago  War  (1827),  and  at  the  session  of  1828-29, 


reported  the  proceedings  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly for  ''The  Vandalia  Intelligencer";  was  State's 
Attorney  and  School  Commissioner  of  Morgan 
County;  served  as  Quartermaster  and  Commis- 
sary in  the  Black  Hawk  War  (1831-32),  first  under 
Gen.  Joseph  Duncan  and,  a  year  later,  under 
General  Whiteside ;  in  1839  was  appointed  Circuit 
Judge,  but  legislated  out  of  office  two  years  later. 
It  was  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  however, 
that  he  gained  the  greatest  prominence,  first  as 
State  Senator  in  1834-40,  and  Representative  in 
1846-48  and  1850-52,  when  he  was  especially  influ- 
ential in  the  legislation  which  resulted  in  estab- 
lishing the  institutions  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb 
and  the  Blind,  and  "the  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
(the  first  in  the  State)  at  Jacksonville — serving, 
for  a  time,  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  latter.  He  was  also  prominent  in  connec- 
tion with  many  enterprises  of  a  local  character, 
including  the  establishment  of  the  Illinois  Female 
College,  to  which,  although  without  children  of 
his  own,  he  was  a  liberal  contributor.  During 
the  first  year  of  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Army  Auditors  by  appointment  of  Gov- 
ernor Yates.  Died,  at  Jacksonville,  August  22, 
1889. 

THORNTON,  Anthony,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  Nov.  9,  1814 — being 
descended  from  a  Virginia  family.  After  the 
usual  primary  instruction  in  the  common  schools, 
he  spent  two  years  in  a  high  school  at  Gallatin, 
Tenn.,  when  he  entered  Centre  College  at  Dan- 
ville, Ky. ,  afterwards  continuing  his  studies  at 
Miami  University,  Ohio,  where  he  graduated  in 
1834.  Having  studied  law  with  an  uncle  at 
Paris,  Ky.,  he  was  licensed  to  practice  in  1836, 
when  he  left  his  native  State  with  a  view  to  set- 
tling in  Missouri,  but,  visiting  his  uncle,  Gen. 
William  F.  Thornton,  at  Shelby ville,  111.,  was 
induced  to  establish  himself  in  practice  there. 
He  served  as  a  member  of  the  State  Constitutional 
Conventions  of  1847  and  1862,  and  as  Represent- 
ative in  the  Seventeenth  General  Assembly 
(1850-52)  for  Shelby  County.  In  1864  he  was 
elected  to  the  Thirty-ninth  Congress,  and,  in 
1870,  to  the  Illinois  Supreme  Court,  but  served 
only  until  1873,  when  he  resigned.  In  1879 
Judge  Thornton  removed  to  Decatur,  111.,  but 
subsequently  returned  to  Shelbyville,  where 
(1898)  he  now  resides. 

THORNTON,  William  Fit/lmgh,  Commissioner 
of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  was  born  in 
Hanover  County,  Va.,  Oct.  4,  1789;  in  1806,  went 
to  Alexandria,  Va.,  where  he  conducted  a  drug 
business  for  a  time,  also  acting  as  associate 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


523 


editor  of  "The  Alexandria  Gazette."  Subse- 
quently removing  to  Washington  City,  he  con- 
ducted a  paper  there  in  the  interest  of  John 
Quincy  Adams  for  the  Presidency.  During  the 
"War  of  1812-14  he  served  as  a  Captain  of  cavalry, 
and,  for  a  time,  as  staff -officer  of  General  Winder. 
On  occasion  of  the  visit  of  Marquis  La  Fayette  to 
America  (1824-25)  he  accompanied  the  distin- 
guished Frenchman  from  Baltimore  to  Rich- 
mond. In  1829  he  removed  to  Kentucky,  and, 
in  1833,  to  Shelby ville,  111.,  where  he  soon  after 
engaged  in  mercantile  business,  to  which  he 
added  a  banking  and  brokerage  business  in  1859, 
with  which  he  was  actively  associated  until  his 
death.  In  1836,  he  was  appointed,  by  Governor 
Duncan,  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal,  serving  as  President  of  the 
Board  until  1842.  In  1840,  he  made  a  visit  to 
London,  as  financial  agent  of  the  State,  in  the 
interest  of  the  Canal,  and  succeeded  in  making  a 
sale  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $1,000,000  on  what 
were  then  considered  favorable  terms.  General 
Thornton  was  an  ardent  Whig  until  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Republican  party,  when  he  became 
a  Democrat.  Died,  at  Shelby  ville,  Oct.  21, 
1873. 

TILLSON,  .loll n,  pioneer,  was  born  at  Halifax, 
Mass.,  March  13,  1796;  came  to  Illinois  in  1819, 
locating  at  Hillsboro,  Montgomery  County,  where 
he  became  a  prominent  and  enterprising  operator 
in  real  estate,  doing  a  large  business  for  eastern 
parties ;  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Hillsboro 
Academy  and  an  influential  and  liberal  friend  of 
Illinois  College,  being  a  Trustee  of  the  latter 
from  its  establishment  until  his  death ;  was  sup- 
ported in  the  Legislature  of  1827  for  State  Treas- 
urer, but  defeated  by  James  Hall.  Died,  at 
Peoria,  May  11,  1853.— Christiana  Holmes  (Till- 
son),  wife  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at  Kingston, 
Mass.,  Oct.  10,  1798;  married  to  John  Tillson  in 
1822,  and  immediately  came  to  Illinois  to  reside ; 
was  a  woman  of  rare  culture  and  refinement,  and 
deeply  interested  in  benevolent  enterprises. 
Died,  in  New  York  City,  May  29,  1872.— Charles 
Holmes  (Tillson),  son  of  John  and  Christiana 
Holmes  Tillson,  was  born  at  Hillsboro,  111. ,  Sept. 
15,  1823;  educated  at  Hillsboro  Academy  and 
Illinois  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1844;  studied  law  in  St.  Louis  and  at  Transyl- 
vania University,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  St. 
Louis  and  practiced  there  some  years — also  served 
several  terms  in  the  City  Council,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  National  Guard  of  Missouri  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  Died,  Nov.  25,  1865.— 
John  (Tillson),  Jr.,  another  son,  was  born  at 


Hillsboro,  111.,  Oct.  12,  1825;  educated  at  Hills- 
boro Academy  and  Illinois  College,  but  did  not 
graduate  from  the  latter;  graduated  from  Tran- 
sylvania Law  School,  Ky.,  in  1847,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Quincy,  111.,  the  same 
year;  practiced  two  years  at  Galena,  when  he 
returned  to  Quincy.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the 
Tenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  became  its 
Lieutenant -Colonel,  on  the  promotion  of  Col.  J.  D. 
Morgan  to  Brigadier-General,  was  advanced  to 
the  colonelcy,  and,  in  July,  1865,  was  mustered 
out  with  the  rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-General; 
for  two  years  later  held  a  commission  as  Captain 
in  the  regular  army.  During  a  portion  of  1869-70 
he  was  editor  of  "The  Quincy  Whig";  in  1873 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  Twenty-eighth 
General  Assembly  to  succeed  Nehemiah  Bushnell, 
who  had  died  in  office,  and,  during  the  same  year, 
was  'appointed  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for 
the  Quincy  District,  serving  until  1881.  Died, 
August  6,  1892. 

TILLSON,  Robert,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Hali- 
fax County,  Mass.,  August  12,  1800;  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1822,  and  was  employed,  for  several  years, 
as  a  clerk  in  the  land  agency  of  his  brother,  John 
Tillson,  at  Hillsboro.  In  1826  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  with  Charles  Holmes,  Jr.,  in 
St.  Louis,  but,  in  1828,  removed  to  Quincy,  111., 
where  he  opened  the  first  general  store  in  that 
city;  also  served  as  Postmaster  for  some  ten 
years.  During  this  period  he  built  the  first  two- 
story  frame  building  erected  in  Quincy,  up  to 
that  date.  Retiring  from  the  mercantile  business 
in  1840  he  engaged  in  real  estate,  ultimately 
becoming  the  proprietor  of  considerable  property 
of  this  character ;  was  also  a  contractor  for  fur- 
nishing cavalry  accouterments  to  the  Government 
during  the  war.  Soon  after  the  war  he  erected 
one  of  the  handsomest  business  blocks  existing 
in  the  city  at  that  time.  Died,  in  Quincy,  Dec. 
27,  1892. 

TINCHER,  John  L.,  banker,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1821 ;  brought  by  his  parents  to  Vermil- 
ion County,  Ind.,  in  1829,  and  left  an  orphan  at 
17;  attended  school  in  Coles  County,  111.,  and 
was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Danville, 
1843-53.  He  then  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Tincher  &  English,  merchants,  later  establish- 
ing a  bank,  which  became  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Danville.  In  1864  Mr.  Tincher  was 
elected  Representative  in  the  Twenty-fourth 
General  Assembly  and,  two  years  later,  to  the 
Senate,  being  re-elected  in  1870.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1869-70.  Died,  in  Springfield,  Dec.  17,  1871, 


524 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


while  in  attendance  on  the  adjourned  session  of 
that  year. 

TIPTON,  Thomas  F.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Franklin  County,  Ohio,  August  29,  1833 ; 
has  been  a  resident  of  McLean  County,  111.,  from 
the  age  of  10  years,  his  present  home  being  at 
Bloomington.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1857,  and,  from  January,  1867,  to  December,  1868, 
was  State's  Attorney  for  the  Eighth  Judicial 
Circuit.  In  1870  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
same  circuit,  and  under  the  new  Constitution, 
was  chosen  Judge  of  the  new  Fourteenth  Circuit. 
From  1877  to  1879  he  represented  the  (then) 
Thirteenth  Illinois  District  in  Congress,  but,  in 
1878,  was  defeated  by  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  the 
Democratic  nominee.  In  1891  he  was  re-elected 
to  a  seat  on  the  Circuit  bench  for  the  Bloomington 
Circuit,  but  resumed  practice  at  the  expiration 
of  his  term  in  1897. 

T1SKILWA,  a  village  of  Bureau  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway,  7  miles 
southwest  of  Princeton;  has  creameries  and 
cheese  factories,  churches,  school,  library,  water- 
works, bank  and  a  newspaper.  Pop.  (1900),  965. 

TODD,  (Col.)  John,  soldier,  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Pa.,  in  1750;  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  Va.,  in  1774,  as  Adju- 
tant-General of  General  Lewis;  settled  as  a 
lawyer  at  Fincastle,  Va.,  and,  in  1775,  removed 
to  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  the  next  year  locating 
near  Lexington.  He  was  one  of  the  first  two 
Delegates  from  Kentucky  County  to  the  Virginia 
House  of  Burgesses,  and,  in  1778,  accompanied 
Col.  George  Rogers  Clark  on  his  expedition 
against  Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1778,  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Patrick 
Henry,  Lieutenant -Commandant  of  Illinois 
County,  embracing  the  region  northwest  of  the 
Ohio  River,  serving  two  years;  in  1780,  was  again 
a  member  of  the  Virginia  Legislature,  where  he 
procured  grants  of  land  for  public  schools  and 
introduced  a  bill  for  negro-emancipation.  He 
was  killed  by  Indians,  at  the  battle  of  Blue 
Licks,  Ky.,  August  19,  1782. 

TODD,  (Dr.)  John,  physician,  born  near  Lex- 
ington, Ky.,  April  27,  1787,  was  one  of  the  earli- 
est graduates  of  Transylvania  University,  also 
graduating  at  the  Medical  University  of  Phila- 
delphia ;  was  appointed  Surgeon-General  of  Ken- 
tucky troops  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  captured  at 
trie  battle  of  River  Raisin.  Returning  to  Lex- 
ington after  his  release,  he  practiced  there  and 
at  Bardstown,  removed  to  Edwardsville,  111.,  in 
1817,  and,  in  1827,  to  Springfield,  where  he  had 
been  appointed  Register  of  the  Land  Office  by 


President  John  Quincy  Adams,  but  was  removed 
by  Jackson  in  1829.  Dr.  Todd  continued  to  reside 
at  Springfield  until  his  death,  which  occurred, 
Jan.  9,  1865.  He  was  a  grandson  of  John  Todd, 
who  was  appointed  Commandant  of  Illinois 
County  by  Gov.  Patrick  Henry  in  1778,  and  an 
uncle  of  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln. — John  Hlair 
Smith  (Todd),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at 
Lexington,  Ky.,  April  4,  1814;  came  with  his 
father  to  Illinois  in  1817;  graduated  at  the  United 
States  Military  Academy  in  1837,  serving  after- 
wards in  the  Florida  and  Mexican  wars  and  on 
the  frontier;  resigned,  and  was  an  Indian-trader 
in  Dakota,  1856-61;  the  latter  year,  took  his 
seat  as  a  Delegate  in  Congress  from  Dakota, 
then  served  as  Brigadier- General  of  Volun- 
teers, 1861-62;  was  again  Delegate  in  Congress 
in  1863-65,  Speaker  of  the  Dakota  Legislature 
in  1867,  and  Governor  of  the  Territory,  1869-71. 
Died,  at  Yankton  City,  Jan.  5,  1872. 

TOLEDO,  a  village  and  the  county-seat  of 
Cumberland  County,  on  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road; founded  in  1854;  has  five  churches,  a  graded 
school,  two  banks,  creamery,  flour  mill,  elevator, 
and  two  weekly  newspapers.  There  are  no  manu- 
factories, the  leading  industry  in  the  surrounding 
country  being  agriculture.  Pop.  (1890),  676; 
(1900),  818. 

TOLEDO,  CINCINNATI  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAIL- 
ROAD.  (See  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Kansas  Citg 
Railroad. ) 

TOLEDO,  PEORIA  &  WARSAW  RAILROAD. 
(See  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Railway. ) 

TOLEDO,  PEORIA  &  WESTERN  RAILROAD. 
(See  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Railway. ) 

TOLEDO,  PEORIA  &  WESTERN  RAILWAY, 
a  line  of  railroad  wholly  within  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, extending  from  Effner,  at  the  Indiana  State 
line,  west  to  the  Mississippi  River  at  Warsaw. 
The  length  of  the  whole  line  is  230. 7  miles,  owned 
entirely  by  the  company.  It  is  made  up  of  a 
division  from  Effner  to  Peoria  (110.9  miles) — 
which  is  practically  an  air-line  throughout  nearly 
its  entire  length — and  the  Peoria  and  Warsaw 
Division  (108.8  miles)  with  branches  from  La 
Harpe  to  Iowa  Junction  (10.4  miles)  and  0.6  of  a 
mile  connecting  with  the  Keokuk  bridge  at 
Hamilton. — (HISTORY.)  The  original  charter  for 
this  line  was  granted,  in  1863,  under  the  name  of 
the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw  Railroad ;  the  main 
line  was  completed  in  1868,  and  the  La  Harpe  & 
Iowa  Junction  branch  in  1873.  Default  was 
made  in  1873,  the  road  sold  under  foreclosure,  in 
1880,  and  reorganized  as  the  Toledo,  Peoria  & 
Western  Railroad,  and  the  line  leased  for 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


525 


years  to  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway 
Company.  The  latter  defaulted  in  July,  1884, 
and,  a  year  later,  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western 
was  transferred  to  trustees  for  the  first  mortgage 
bond-holders,  was  sold  under  foreclosure  in 
October,  1886,  and,  in  March,  1887,  the  present 
company,  under  the  name  of  the  Toledo,  Peoria 
&  Western  Railway  Company,  was  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  over  the  property.  In  1893 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  obtained  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  stock,  and,  in  1894,  an 
agreement,  for  joint  ownership  and  management, 
was  entered  into  between  that  corporation  and 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  total  capitalization,  in  1898,  was 
19,712,433,  of  which  $4,076,900  was  in  stock  and 
$4,895,000  in  bonds. 

TOLEDO,  ST.  LOUIS  &  KANSAS  CITY  RAIL- 
ROAD. This  line  crosses  the  State  in  a  northeast 
direction  from  East  St.  Louis  to  Humrick,  near 
the  Indiana  State  line,  with  Toledo  as  its  eastern 
terminus.  The  length  of  the  entire  line  is  450. 72 
miles,  of  which  179V£  miles  are  operated  in  Illi- 
nois.— (HISTORY.)  The  Illinois  portion  of  the 
line  grew  out  of  the  union  of  charters  granted  to 
the  Tuscola,  Charleston  &  Vincennes  and  the 
Charleston,  Neoga  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  Com- 
panies, which  were  consolidated  in  1881  with 
certain  Indiana  lines  under  the  name  of  the 
Toledo,  Cincinnati  &  St.  Louis  Railroad.  During 
1882  a  narrow-gauge  road  was  constructed  from 
Ridge  Farm,  in  Vermilion  County,  to  East  St. 
Louis  (172  miles).  In  1885  this  was  sold  under 
foreclosure  and,  in  June,  1886,  consolidated  with 
the  main  line  under  the  name  of  the  Toledo,  St. 
Louis  &  Kansas  City  Railroad.  The  whole  line 
was  changed  to  standard  gauge  in  1887-89,  and 
otherwise  materially  improved,  but,  in  1893, 
went  into  the  hands  of  receivers.  Plans  of  re- 
organization have  been  under  consideration,  but 
the  receivers  were  still  in  control  in  1898. 

TOLEDO,  WABASH  &  WESTERN  RAIL- 
ROAD.  (See  Wabash  Railroad.) 

TOLONO,  a  city  in  Champaign  County,  situ- 
ated at  the  intersection  of  the  Wabash  and  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroads,  9  miles  south  of  Cham- 
paign and  37  miles  east-northeast  of  Decatur.  It 
is  the  business  center  of  a  prosperous  agricultural 
region.  The  town  has  five  churches,  a  graded 
school,  a  bank,  a  button  factory,  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.  Population  (1880),  905;  (1890),  902; 
(1900),  845. 

TONICA,  a  village  of  La  Salle  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railway,  9  miles  south  of  La  Salle ; 
the  district  is  agricultural,  but  the  place  has  some 


manufactures  and  a  newspaper.  Population 
(1890),  473 ;  (1900),  497. 

TOXTY,  Chevalier  Henry  de,  explorer  and  sol- 
dier, born  at  Gaeta,  Italy,  about  1650  What  is 
now  known  as  the  Tontine  system  of  insurance 
undoubtedly  originated  with  his  father.  The 
younger  Tonty  was  adventurous,  and,  even  as  a 
youth,  took  part  in  numerous  land  and  naval 
encounters.  In  the  course  of  his  experience  he 
lost  a  hand,  which  was  replaced  by  an  iron  or 
copper  substitute.  He  embarked  with  La  Salle 
in  1678,  and  aided  in  the  construction  of  a  fort  at 
Niagara.  He  advanced  into  the  country  of  the 
Illinois  and  established  friendly  relations  with 
them,  only  to  witness  the  defeat  of  his  putative 
savage  allies  by  the  Iroquois.  After  various 
encounters  (chiefly  under  the  direction  of  La 
Salle)  with  the  Indians  in  Illinois,  he  returned 
to  Green  Bay  in  1681.  The  same  year — under  La 
Salle's  orders — he  began  the  erection  of  Fort  St. 
Louis,  on  what  is  now  called  "Starved  Rock"  in 
La  Salle  County.  In  1682  he  descended  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  its  mouth,  with  La  Salle,  but  was 
ordered  back  to  Mackinaw  for  assistance.  In 
1684  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  successfully 
repulsed  the  Iroquois  from  Fort  St.  Louis.  In 
1686  he  again  descended  the  Mississippi  in  search 
of  La  Salle.  Disheartened  by  the  death  of  his 
commander  and  the  loss  of  his  early  comrades, 
he  took  up  his  residence  with  the  Illinois  Indians. 
Among  them  he  was  found  by  Iberville  in  1700, 
as  a  hunter  and  fur-trader.  He  died,  in  Mobile, 
in  September,  1704.  He  was  La  Salle's  most  effi- 
cient coadjutor,  and  next  to  his  ill-fated  leader, 
did  more  than  any  other  of  the  early  French 
explorers  to  make  Illinois  known  to  the  civilized 
world. 

TOPOGRAPHY.  Illinois  is,  generally  speak- 
ing, an  elevated  table-land.  If  low  water  at 
Cairo  be  adopted  as  the  maximum  depression,  and 
the  summits  of  the  two  ridges  hereinafter  men- 
tioned as  the  highest  points  of  elevation,  the  alti- 
tude of  this  table  land  above  the  sea-level  varies 
from  300  to  850  feet,  the  mean  elevation  being 
about  600  feet.  The  State  has  no  mountain 
chains,  and  its  few  hills  are  probably  the  result 
of  unequal  denudation  during  the  drift  epoch. 
In  some  localities,  particularly  in  the  valley  of 
the  upper  Mississippi,  the  streams  have  cut 
channels  from  200  to  300  feet  deep  through  the 
nearly  horizontal  strata,  and  here  are  found  pre- 
cipitous scarps,  but,  for  the  most  part,  the 
fundamental  rocks  are  covered  by  a  thick  layer 
of  detrital  material.  In  the  northwest  there  is  a 
broken  tract  of  uneven  ground ;  the  central  por- 


526 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


tion  of  the  State  is  almost  wholly  flat  prairie, 
and,  in  the  alluvial  lands  in  the  State,  there  are 
many  deep  valleys,  eroded  by  the  action  of 
streams.  The  surface  generally  slopes  toward 
the  south  and  southwest,  but  the  uniformity  is 
broken  by  two  ridges,  which  cross  the  State,  one 
in  either  extremity.  The  northern  ridge  crosses 
the  Rock  River  at  Grand  Detour  and  the  Illinois 
at  Split  Rock,  with  an  extreme  altitude  of  800  to 
850  feet  above  sea -level,  though  the  altitude  of 
Mount  Morris,  in  Ogle  County,  exceeds  900  feet. 
That  in  the  south  consists  of  a  range  of  hills  in 
the  latitude  of  Jonesboro,  and  extending  from 
Shawneetown  to  Grand  Tower.  These  hills  are 
also  about  800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean. 
The  highest  point  in  the  State  is  in  Jo  Daviess 
County,  just  south  of  the  Wisconsin  State  .line 
(near  Scale's  Mound)  reaching  an  elevation  of 
1,257  feet  above  sea-level,  while  the  highest  in 
the  south  is  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Pope 
County — 1,046  feet — a  spur  of  the  Ozark  moun- 
tains. The  following  statistics  regarding  eleva- 
tions are  taken  from  a  report  of  Prof.  C.  W. 
Rolfe,  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  based  on 
observations  made  under  the  auspices  of  the  Illi- 
nois Board  of  World's  Fair  Commissioners:  The 
lowest  gauge  of  the  Ohio  river,  at  its  mouth 
(above  sea- lev  el),  is  268.58  feet,  and  the  mean 
level  of  Lake  Michigan  at  Chicago  581.28  feet. 
The  altitudes  of  a  few  prominent  points  are  as 
follows:  Highest  point  in  Jackson  County,  695 
feet;  "Bald  Knob"  in  Union  County,  985;  high- 
est point  in  Cook  County  (Barrington),  818;  in  La 
Salle  County  (Mendota),  747;  in  Livingston 
(Strawn),  770;  in  Will  (Monee),  804;  in  Pike 
(Arden),  790;  in  Lake  (Lake  Zurich),  880;  in 
Bureau,  910;  in  Boone,  1,010;  in  Lee  (Carnahan), 
1,017;  in  Stephenson  (Waddam's  Grove),  1,018; 
in  Kane  (Briar  Hill),  974;  in  Winnebago,  985. 
The  elevations  of  important  towns  are :  Peoria, 
465;  Jacksonville,  602;  Springfield,  596;  Gales- 
burg,  755;  Joliet.  537;  Rockford,  728;  Blooming- 
ton,  821.  Outside  of  the  immediate  valleys  of 
the  streams,  and  a  few  isolated  groves  or  copses, 
little  timber  is  found  in  the  northern  and  central 
portions  of  the  State,  and  such  growth  as  there 
is,  lacks  the  thriftiness  characteristic  of  the  for- 
ests in  the  Ohio  valley.  These  forests  cover  a 
belt  extending  some  sixty  miles  north  of  Cairo, 
and,  while  they  generally  include  few  coniferous 
trees,  they  abound  in  various  species  of  oak, 
black  and  white  walnut,  white  and  yellow  pop- 
lar, ash,  elm,  sugar-maple,  linden,  honey  locust, 
cottonwood,  mulberry,  sycamore,  pecan,  persim- 
mon, and  (in  the  immediate  valley  of  the  Ohio) 


the  cypress.  From  a  commercial  point  of  view, 
Illinois  loses  nothing  through  the  lack  of  timber 
over  three-fourths  of  the  State's  area.  Chicago 
is  an  accessible  market  for  the  product  of  the 
forests  of  the  upper  lakes,  so  that  the  supply  of 
lumber  is  ample,  while  extensive  coal-fields  sup- 
ply abundant  fuel.  The  rich  soil  of  the  prairies, 
with  its  abundance  of  organic  matter  (see  Geo- 
logical Formations) ,  more  than  compensates  for 
the  want  of  pine  forests,  whose  soil  is  ill  adapted 
to  agriculture.  About  two-thirds  of  the  entire 
boundary  of  the  State  consists  of  navigable 
waters.  These,  with  their  tributary  streams, 
ensure  sufficient  drainage. 

TORRENS  LAND  TITLE  SYSTEM.  A  system 
for  the  registration  of  titles  to,  and  incumbrances 
upon,  land,  as  well  as  transfers  thereof,  intended 
to  remove  all  unnecessary  obstructions  to  the 
cheap,  simple  and  safe  sale,  acquisition  and 
transfer  of  realty.  The  system  has  been  in  suc- 
cessful operation  in  Canada,  Australia,  New  Zea- 
land and  British  Columbia  for  many  years,  and 
it  is  also  in  force  in  some  States  in  the  American 
Union.  An  act  providing  for  its  introduction 
into  Illinois  was  first  passed  by  the  Twenty- 
ninth  General  Assembly,  and  approved,  June  13, 
1895.  The  final  legislation  in  reference  thereto 
was  enacted  by  the  succeeding  Legislature,  and 
was  approved,  May  1,  1897.  It  is  far  more  elabo- 
rate in  its  consideration  of  details,  and  is  believed 
to  be,  in  many  respects,  much  better  adapted  to 
accomplish  the  ends  in  view,  than  was  the  origi- 
nal act  of  1895.  The  law  is  applicable  only  to 
counties  of  the  first  and  second  class,  and  can  be 
adopted  in  no  county  except  by  a  vote  of  a 
majority  of  the  qualified  voters  of  the  same — the 
vote  "for"  or  "against"  to  be  taken  at  either  the 
November  or  April  elections,  or  at  an  election 
for  the  choice  of  Judges.  Thus  far  the  only 
county  to  adopt  the  system  has  been  Cook,  and 
there  it  encountered  strong  opposition  on  the 
part  of  certain  parties  of  influence  and  wealth. 
After  its  adoption,  a  test  case  was  brought,  rais- 
ing the  question  of  the  constitutionality  of  the 
act.  The  issue  was  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court, 
which  tribunal  finally  upheld  the  law.  —The 
Torrens  system  substitutes  a  certificate  of  regis- 
tration and  of  transfer  for  the  more 'elaborate 
deeds  and  mortgages  in  use  for  centuries.  Under 
it  there  can  be  no  actual  transfer  of  a  title  until 
the  same  is  entered  upon  the  public  land  regis- 
ter, kept  in  the  office  of  the  Registrar,  in  which 
case  the  deed  or  mortgage  becomes  a  mere  power 
of  attorney  to  authorize  the  transfer  to  be  made, 
upon  the  principle  of  an  ordinary  stock  transfer, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


527 


or  of  the  registration  of  a  United  States  bond, 
the  actual  transfer  and  public  notice  thereof 
being  simultaneous.  A  brief  synopsis  of  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Illinois  statute  is  given  below: 
Eecorders  of  deeds  are  made  Registrars,  and 
required  to  give  bonds  of  either  §50,000  or  $200,- 
000,  according  to  the  population  of  the  county. 
Any  person  or  corporation,  having  an  interest  in 
land,  may  make  application  to  any  court  having 
chancery  jurisdiction,  to  have  his  title  thereto 
registered.  Such  application  must  be  in  writ- 
ing, signed  and  verified  by  oath,  and  must  con- 
form, in  matters  of  specification  and  detail,  with 
the  requirements  of  the  act.  The  court  may  refer 
the  application  to  one  of  the  standing  examiners 
appointed  by  the  Registrar,  who  are  required  to  . 
be  competent  attorneys  and  to  give  bond  to  ex- 
amine into  the  title,  as  well  as  the  truth  of  the 
applicant's  statements.  Immediately  upon  the 
filing  of  the  application,  notice  thereof  is  given 
by  the  clerk,  through  publication  and  the  issuance 
of  a  summons  to  be  served,  as  in  other  proceed- 
ings in  chancery,  against  all  persons  mentioned 
in  the  petition  as  having  or  claiming  any  inter- 
est in  the  property  described.  Any  person  inter- 
ested, whether  named  as  a  defendant  or  not,  may 
enter  an  appearance  within  the  time  allowed.  A 
failure  to  enter  an  appearance  is  regarded  as  a 
confession  by  default.  The  court,  in  passing 
upon  the  application,  is  in  no  case  bound  by  the 
examiner's  report,  but  may  require  other  and 
further  proof ;  and,  in  its  final  adjudication,  passes 
upon  all  questions  of  title  and  incumbrance, 
directing  the  Registrar  to  register  the  title  in  the 
party  in  whom  it  is  to  be  vested,  and  making 
provision  as  to  the  manner  and  order  in  which 
incumbrances  thereon  shall  appear  upon  the 
certificate  to  be  issued.  An  appeal  may  be 
allowed  to  the  Supreme  Court,  if  prayed  at  the 
time  of  entering  the  decree,  upon  like  terms  as 
in  other  cases  in  chancery;  and  a  writ  of  error 
may  be  sued  out  from  that  tribunal  within  two 
years  after  the  entry  of  the  order  or  decree. 
The  period  last  mentioned  may  be  said  to  be  the 
statutory  period  of  limitation,  after  which  the 
decree  of  the  court  must  be  regarded  as  final, 
although  safeguards  are  provided  for  those  who 
may  have  been  defrauded,  and  for  a  few  other 
classes  of  persons.  Upon  the  filing  of  the  order 
or  decree  of  the  court,  it  becomes  the  duty  of  the 
Registrar  to  issue  a  certificate  of  title,  the  form 
of  which  is  prescribed  by  the  act,  making  such 
notations  at  the  end  as  shall  show  and  preserve 
the  priorities  of  all  estates,  mortgages,  incum- 
brances and  changes  to  which  the  owner's  title  is 


subject.  For  the  purpose  of  preserving  evidence 
of  the  owner's  handwriting,  a  receipt  for  the 
certificate,  duly  witnessed  or  acknowledged,  is 
required  of  him,  which  is  preserved  in  the  Regis- 
trar's office.  In  case  any  registered  owner 
should  desire  to  transfer  the  whole  or  any  part  of 
his  estate,  or  any  interest  therein,  he  is  required 
to  execute  a  conveyance  to  the  transferee,  which, 
together  with  the  certificate  of  title  last  issued, 
must  be  surrendered  to  the  Registrar.  That 
official  thereupon  issues  a  new  certificate,  stamp- 
ing the  word  "cancelled"  across  the  surrendered 
certificate,  as  well  as  upon  the  corresponding 
entry  in  his  books  of  record.  When  land  is  first 
brought  within  the  operation  of  the  act,  the 
receiver  of  the  certificate  of  title  is  required  to 
pay  to  the  Registrar  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent  of 
the  value  of  the  land,  the  aggregate  so  received 
to  be  deposited  with  and  invested  by  the  County 
Treasurer,  and  reserved  as  an  indemnity  fund 
for  the  reimbursement  of  persons  sustaining  any 
loss  through  any  omission,  mistake  or  malfea- 
sance of  the  Registrar  or  his  subordinates.  The 
advantage  claimed  for  the  Torrens  system  is, 
chiefly,  that  titles  registered  thereunder  can  be 
dealt  with  more  safely,  quickly  and  inexpensively 
than  under  the  old  system ;  it  being  possible  to 
close  the  entire  transaction  within  an  hour  or 
two,  without  the  need  of  an  abstract  of  title, 
while  (as  the  law  is  administered  in  Cook  County) 
the  cost  of  transfer  is  only  $3.  It  is  asserted  that 
a  title,  once  registered,  can  be  dealt  with  almost 
as  quickly  and  cheaply,  and  quite  as  safely,  as 
shares  of  stock  or  registered  bonds. 

TOULON v  the  county-seat  of  Stark  County,  on 
the  Peoria  &  Rock  Island  Railroad,  37  miles  north- 
northwest  of  Peoria,  and  11  miles  southeast  of 
Galva.  Besides  the  county  court-  house,  the  town 
has  five  churches  and  a  high  school,  an  academy, 
steam  granite  works,  two  banks,  and  two  weekly 
papers.  Population  (1880),  967;  (1890),  945;  (1900), 
1,057. 

TOWER  HILL,  a  village  of  Shelby  County,  on 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Leuis 
and  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Rail- 
roads, 7  miles  east  of  Pana;  has  bank,  grain  ele- 
vators, and  coal  mine.  Pop.  (1900),  615. 

TOWNSHEND,  Richard  W.,  lawyer  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Prince  George's  County, 
Md.,  April  30,  1840.  Between  the  ages  of  10 
and  18  he  attended  public  and  private  schools 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  In  1858  he  came  to 
Illinois,  where  he  began  teaching,  at  the  same 
time  reading  law  with  S.  S.  Marshall,  at  Mc- 
Leansboro,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 


528 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


in  1862,  and  where  he  began  practice.  From  1863 
to  1868  he  was  Circuit  Clerk  of  Hamilton  County, 
and,  from  18C8  to  1872,  Prosecuting  Attorney  for 
the  Twelfth  Judicial  Circuit.  In  1873  he  removed 
to  Shawneetown,  where  he  became  an  officer  of 
the  Gallatin  National  Bank.  From  1C64  to  1875 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  State  Cen- 
tral Committee,  and  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore,  in  1872. 
For  twelve  years  (1877  to  1889)  he  represented 
his  District  in  Congress;  was  re-elected  in  1888, 
but  died,  March  9,  1889,  a  few  days  after  the 
beginning  of  his  seventh  term. 

TRACY,  John  M.,  artist,  was  born  in  Illinois 
about  1842 ;  served  in  an  Illinois  regiment  during 
the  Civil  War;  studied  painting  in  Paris  in  . 
1866-76 ;  established  himself  as  a  portrait  painter 
in  St.  Louis  and,  later,  won  a  high  reputation  as 
a  painter  of  animals,  being  regarded  as  an  author- 
ity on  the  anatomy  of  the  horse  and  the  dog. 
Died,  at  Ocean  Springs,  Miss.,  March  20,  1893. 

TREASURERS.     (See  State  Treasurers.) 

TREAT,  Samuel  Hubbel,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  at  Plainfield,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y., 
June  21,  1811,  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and 
studied  law  at  Richfield,  where  he  was  admitted 
to  practice.  In  1834  he  came  to  Springfield,  111. , 
traveling  most  of  the  way  on  foot.  Here  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  George  Forquer,  who 
had  held  the  offices  of  Secretary  of  State  and 
Attorney-General.  In  1839  he  was  appointed  a 
Circuit  Judge,  and,  on  the  reorganization  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  1841,  was  elevated  to  the 
Supreme  bench,  being  acting  Chief  Justice  at  the 
time  of  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1848. 
Having  been  elected  to  the  Supreme  bench  under 
the  new  Constitution,  he  remained  in  office  until 
March,  1855,  when  he  resigned  to  take  the  posi- 
tion of  Judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court 
for  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois,  to  which  he 
had  been  appointed  by  President  Pierce.  This 
position  he  continued  to  occupy  until  his  death, 
•which  occurred  at  Springfield,  March  27,  1887. 
Judge  Treat's  judicial  career  was  one  of  the  long- 
est in  the  history  of  the  State,  covering  a  period 
of  forty-eight  years,  of  which  fourteen  were 
spent  upon  the  Supreme  bench,  and  thirty-two 
in  the  position  of  Judge  of  the  United  States  Dis- 
trict Court. 

TREATIES.  (See  Greenville,  Treaty  of;  Indian 
Treaties. ) 

TREE,  Lambert,  jurist,  diplomat  and  ex-Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  Nov. 
29,  1832,  of  an  ancestry  distinguished  in  the  War 
of  the  Revolution.  He  received  a  superior  clas- 


sical and  professional  education,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar,  at  Washington,  in  October,  1855. 
Removing  to  Chicago  soon  afterward,  his  profes- 
sional career  has  been  chiefly  connected  with 
that  city.  In  1864  he  was  chosen  President  of 
the  Law  Institute,  and  served  as  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County,  from  1870  to  1875, 
when  he  resigned.  The  three  following  years  he 
spent  in  foreign  travel,  returning  to  Chicago  in 
1878.  In  that  year,  and  again  in  1880,  he  was 
the  Democratic  candidate  for  Congress  from  the 
Fourth  Illinois  District,  but  was  defeated  by  his 
Republican  opponent.  In  1885  he  was  the  candi- 
date of  his  party  for  United  States  Senator,  but 
was  defeated  by  John  A.  Logan,  by  one  vote.  In 
1884  he  was  a  member  of  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  which  first  nominated  Grover  Cleve- 
land, and,  in  July,  1885,  President  Cleveland 
appointed  him  Minister  to  Belgium,  conferring 
the  Russian  mission  upon  him  in  September,  1888. 
On  March  3,  1889,  he  resigned  this  post  and 
returned  home.  In  1890  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Harrison  a  Commissioner  to  the  Inter- 
national Monetary  Conference  at  Washington. 
The  year  before  he  had  attended  (although  not  as 
a  delegate)  the  International  Conference,  at  Brus- 
sels, looking  to  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade, 
where  he  exerted  all  his  influence  on  the  side  of 
humanity.  In  1892  Belgium  conferred  upon  him 
the  distinction  of  "Councillor  of  Honor"  upon  its 
commission  to  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion. In  1896  Judge  Tree  was  one  of  the  most 
earnest  opponents  of  the  free-silver  policy,  and, 
after  the  Spanish- American  War,  a  zealous  advo- 
cate of  the  policy  of  retaining  the  territory 
acquired  from  Spain. 

TREMONT,  a  town  of  Tazewell  County,  on  the 
Peoria  Division  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railway,  9  miles  southeast 
of  Pekin;  has  two  banks,  two  telephone 
exchanges,  and  one  newspaper.  Pop.  (1900),  768. 

TRENTON,  a  town  of  Clinton  County,  on  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  South  western  Railway,  31  miles 
east  of  St.  Louis;  in  agricultural  district;  has 
creamery,  milk  condensery,  two  coal  mines,  six 
churches,  a  public  school  and  one  newspaper. 
Pop.  (1890),  1,384;  (1900),  1,706;  (1904),  about  2,000. 

TROY,  a  village  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  railroad,  21  miles 
northeast  of  St.  Louis ;  has  churches,  a  bank  and 
a  newspaper.  Pop.  (1900),  1,080. 

TRUITT,  James  Madison,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
a  native  of  Trimble  County,  Ky . ,  was  born  Feb. 
12,  1842,  but  lived  in  Illinois  since  1843,  his  father 
having  settled  near  Carrollton  that  year;  was 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


529 


educated  at  Hillsboro  and  at  McKendree  College ; 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventeenth 
Illinois  Volunteers  in  1862,  and  was  promoted 
from  the  ranks  to  Lieutenant.  After  the  war  he 
studied  law  with  Jesse  J.  Phillips,  now  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and,  in  1872,  was  elected  to  the 
Twenty -eighth  General  Assembly,  and,  in  1888,  a 
Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republican  ticket. 
Mr.  Truitt  has  been  twice  a  prominent  but  unsuc- 
cessful candidate  for  the  Republican  nomination 
for  Attorney-General.  His  home  is  at  Hillsboro, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. Died  July  26,  1900. 

TRUMBULL,  Ly  111:111,  statesman,  was  born  at 
Colchester,  Conn.,  Oct.  12,  1813,  descended  from 
a  historical  family,  being  a  grand-nephew  of 
Gov.  Jonathan  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut,  from 
whom  the  name  "Brother  Jonathan"  was  derived 
as  au  appellation  for  Americans.  Having  received 
an  academic  education  in  his  native  town,  at  the 
age  of  16  he  began  teaching  a  district  school  near 
his  home,  went  South  four  years  later,  and  en- 
gaged in  teaching  at  Greenville,  Ga.  Here  he 
studied  law  with  Judge  Hiram  Warner,  after- 
wards of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1837.  Leaving  Georgia  the  same  year,  he 
came  to  Illinois  on  horseback,  visiting  Vandalia, 
Belleville,  Jacksonville,  Springfield,  Tremont  and 
La  Salle,  and  finally  reaching  Chicago,  then  a 
village  of  four  or  five  thousand  inhabitants.  At 
Jacksonville  he  obtained  a  license  to  practice 
from  Judge  Lockwood,  and,  after  visiting  Michi- 
gan and  his  native  State,  he  settled  at  Belleville, 
which  continued  to  be  his  home  for  twenty  years. 
His  entrance  into  public  life  began  with  his  elec- 
tion as  Representative  in  the  General  Assembly 
in  1840.  This  was  followed,  in  February,  1841, 
by  his  appointment  by  Governor  Carlin,  Secre- 
tary of  State,  as  the  successor  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  who,  after  holding  the  position  only  two 
months,  had  resigned  to  accept  a  seat  on  the 
Supreme  bench.  Here  he  remained  two  years, 
when  he  was  removed  by  Governor  Ford,  March 
4,  1843,  but,  five  years  later  (1848),  was  elected  a 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  was  re-elected  in 
1852,  but  resigned  in  1853  on  account  of  impaired 
health.  A  year  later  (1854)  he  was  elected  to 
Congress  from  the  Belleville  District  as  an  anti- 
Nebraska  Democrat,  but,  before  taking  his  seat, 
was  promoted  to  the  United  States  Senate,  as  the 
successor  of  General  Shields  in  the  memorable  con- 
test of  1855,  which  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  Senator  TrumbulFs  career  of 
eighteen  years  in  the  United  States  Senate  (being 
re-elected  in  1861  and  1867)  is  one  of  the  most 


memorable  in  the  history  of  that  body,  covering, 
as  it  does,  the  whole  history  of  the  war  for  the 
Union,  and  the  period  of  reconstruction  which 
followed  it.  During  this  period,  as  Chairman  of 
the  Senate  Committee  on  Judiciary,  he  had  more 
to  do  in  shaping  legislation  on  war  and  recon- 
struction measures  than  any  other  single  member 
of  that  body.  While  he  disagreed  with  a  large 
majority  of  his  Republican  associates  on  the  ques- 
tion of  Andrew  Johnson's  impeachment,  he  was 
always  found  in  sympathy  with  them  on  the  vital 
questions  affecting  the  war  and  restoration  of  the 
Union.  The  Civil  Rights  Bill  and  Freedmen's 
Bureau  Bills  were  shaped  by  his  hand.  In  1872 
he  joined  in  the  ''Liberal  Republican"  movement 
and  afterwards  co-operated  with  the  Democratic 
party,  being  their  candidate  for  Governor  in 
1880.  From  1863  his  home  was  in  Chicago, 
where,  after  retiring  from  the  Senate,  he  con- 
tinued in  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  that  city,  June  25,  1896. 

TUGr  MILLS.  These  were  a  sort  of  primitive 
machine  used  in  grinding  corn  in  Territorial  and 
early  State  days.  The  mechanism  consisted  of  an 
upright  shaft,  into  the  upper  end  of  which  were 
fastened  bars,  resembling  those  in  the  capstan  of 
a  ship.  Into  the  outer  end  of  each  of  these  bars 
was  driven  a  pin.  A  belt,  made  of  a  broad  strip 
of  ox-hide,  twisted  into  a  sort  of  rope,  was 
stretched  around  these  pins  and  wrapped  twice 
around  a  circular  piece  of  wood  called  a  trundle 
head,  through  which  passed  a  perpendicular  flat 
bar  of  iron,  which  turned  the  mill- stone,  usually 
about  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  From  the 
upright  shaft  projected  a  beam,  to  which  were 
hitched  one  or  two  horses,  which  furnished  the 
motive  power.  Oxen  were  sometimes  employed 
as  motive  power  in  lieu  of  horses.  These  rudi- 
mentary contrivances  were  capable  of  grinding 
about  twelve  bushels  of  corn,  each,  per  day. 

TTJLET,  Murray  Floyd,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  March  4,  1827,  of  English 
extraction  and  descended  from  the  early  settlers 
of  Virginia.  His  father  died  in  1832,  and,  eleven 
years  later,  his  mother,  having  married  Col. 
Richard  J.  Hamilton,  for  many  years  a  prominent 
lawyer  of  Chicago,  removed  with  her  family  to 
that  city.  Young  Tuley  began  reading  law  with 
his  step-father  and  completed  his  studies  at  the 
Louisville  Law  Institute  in  1847,  the  same  year 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Chicago.  About  the 
same  time  he  enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers for  service  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  was 
commissioned  First  Lieutenant.  The  war  having 
ended,  he  settled  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  where  he 


530 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


practiced  law,  also  served  as  Attorney-General 
and  in  the  Territorial  Legislature.  Returning  to 
Chicago  in  1854,  he  was  associated  in  practice, 
successively,  with  Andrew  Harvie,  Judge  Gary 
and  J.  N.  Barker,  and  finally  as  head  of  the  firm 
of  Tuley,  Stiles  &  Lewis.  From  1869  to  1873  he 
was  Corporation  Counsel,  and  during  this  time 
framed  the  General  Incorporation  Act  for  Cities, 
under  which  the  City  of  Chicago  was  reincor- 
porated.  In  1879  he  was  elevated  to  the  bench 
of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County,  and  re- 
elected  every  six  years  thereafter,  his  last  election 
being  in  1897.  He  is  now  serving  his  fourth 
term,  some  ten  years  of  his  incumbency  having 
been  spent  in  the  capacity  of  Chief  Justice. 

TUNNICLIFFE,  Damon  G.,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  August  20, 
1829;  at  the  age  of  20,  emigrated  to  Illinois,  set- 
tling in  Vermont,  Fulton  County,  where,  for  a 
time,  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  He 
subsequently  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1853.  In  1854  he  established  himself 
at  Macomb,  McDonough  County,  where  he  built 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  In  1868  he 
was  chosen  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  and,  from  February  to  June,  1885, 
by  appointment  of  Governor  Oglesby,  occupied  a 
seat  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court,  vice 
Pinkney  H.  Walker,  deceased,  who  had  been  one 
of  his  first  professional  preceptors. 

TURCHIN,  John  Basil  (Ivan  Vasilevitch  Tur- 
chinoff),  soldier,  engineer  and  author,  was  born 
in  Russia,  Jan.  30,  1822.  He  graduated  from  the 
artillery  school  at  St.  Petersburg,  in  1841,  and 
was  commissioned  ensign;  participated  in  the 
Hungarian  campaign  of  1849,  and,  -in  1852,  was 
assigned  to  the  staff  of  the  Imperial  Guards; 
served  through  the  Crimean  War,  rising  to  the 
rank  of  Colonel,  and  being  made  senior  staff 
officer  of  the  active  corps.  In  1856  he  came  to 
this  country,  settling  in  Chicago,  and,  for  five 
years,  was  in  the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railway  Company  as  topographical  engineer.  In 
1861  he  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Illinois  Volunteers,  and,  after  leading  his 
regiment  in  Missouri,  Kentucky  and  Alabama, 
was,  on  July  7,  1862,  promoted  to  a  Brigadier- 
Generalship,  being  attached  to  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  until  1864,  when  he  resigned.  After 
the  war  he  was,  for  six  years,  solicitor  of  patents 
at  Chicago,  but,  in  1873,  returned  to  engineering. 
In  1879  he  established  a  Polish  colony  at  Radom, 
in  Washington  County,  in  this  State,  and  settled 
as  a  farmer.  He  is  an  occasional  contributor  to 
the  press,  writing  usually  on  military  or  scientific 


subjects,  and  is  the  author  of  the  "Campaign  and 
Battle  of  Chickamauga"  (Chicago,  1888). 

TURNER  (now  WEST  CHICAGO),  a  town  and 
manufacturing  center  in  Winfield  Township,  Du 
Page  County,  30  miles  west  of  Chicago,  at  the 
junction  of  two  divisions  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy,  the  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  and  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroads.  The  town 
has  a  rolling  mill,  manufactories  of  wagons  and 
pumps,  and  railroad  repair  shops.  It  also  has  five 
churches,  a  graded  school,  and  two  newspapers. 
Pop.  (1900),  1,877;  with  suburb,  2,270. 

TURNER,  (Col.)  Henry  L.,  soldier  and  real- 
estate  operator,  was  born  at  Oberlin,  Ohio, 
August  26,  1845,  and  received  a  part  of  his  edu- 
cation in  the  college  there.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  served  as  First  Lieutenant  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Ohio  Volunteers,  and 
later,  with  the  same  rank  in  a  colored  regiment, 
taking  part  in  the  operations  about  Richmond, 
the  capture  of  Fort  Fisher,  of  Wilmington  and  of 
Gen.  Joe  Johnston's  army.  Coming  to  Chi- 
cago after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  business  office  of  "The  Advance," 
but  later  was  employed  in  the  banking  house  of 
Jay  Cooke  &  Co.,  in  Philadelphia.  On  the  failure 
of  that  concern,  in  1872,  he  returned  to  Chicago 
and  bought  "The  Advance,"  which  he  conducted 
some  two  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business,  with  which  he  has  since 
been  identified — being  President  of  the  Chicago 
Real  Estate  Board  in  1888.  He  has  also  been 
President  of  the  Western  Publishing  Company 
and  a  Trustee  of  Oberlin  College.  Colonel  Turner 
is  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  Illinois  National 
Guard  and,  on  the  declaration  of  war  between  the 
United  States  and  Spain,  in  April,  1898,  promptly 
resumed  his  connection  with  the  First  Regiment 
of  the  Guard,  and  finally  led  it  to  Santiago  de 
Cuba  during  the  fighting  there — his  regiment 
being  the  only  one  from  Illinois  to  see  actual  serv- 
ice in  the  field  during  the  progress  of  the  war. 
Colonel  Turner  won  the  admiration  of  his  com- 
mand and  the  entire  nation  by  the  manner  in 
which  he  discharged  his  duty.  The  regiment 
was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  Nov.  17,  1898,  when 
he  retired  to  private  life. 

TURNER,  John  Bice,  Railway  President,  was 
born  at  Colchester,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y. ,  Jan. 
14,  1799;  after  a  brief  business  career  in  his 
native  State,  he  became  identified  with  the  con- 
struction and  operation  of  railroads.  Among  the 
works  Avith  which  he  was  thus  connected,  were 
the  Delaware  Division  of  the  New  York  &  Erie 
and  the  Troy  &  Schenectady  Roads.  In  1843  he 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


531 


came  to  Chicago,  having  previously  purchased  a 
large  body  of  land  at  Blue  Island.  In  1847  he 
joined  with  W.  B.  Ogden  and  others,  in  resusci- 
tating the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railway, 
which  had  been  incorporated  in  1836.  He  became 
President  of  the  Company  in  1850,  and  assisted  in 
constructing  various  sections  of  road  in  Northern 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  which  have  since  become 
portions  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  system. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  original  Directors  of  the 
North  Side  Street  Railway  Company,  organized 
in  1859.  Died,  Feb.  26,  1871. 

TURNER,  Jonathan  Baldwin,  educator  and 
agriculturist,  was  born  in  Templeton,  Mass.,  Dec. 
7,  1805 ;  grew  up  on  a  farm  and,  before  reaching 
his  majority,  began  teaching  in  a  country  school. 
After  spending  a  short  time  in  an  academy  at 
Salem,  in  1827  he  entered  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment of  Yale  College,  supporting  himself,  in  part, 
by  manual  labor  and  teaching  in  a  gymnasium. 
In  1829  he  matriculated  in  the  classical  depart- 
ment at  Yale,  graduated  in  1883,  and  the  same 
year  accepted  a  position  as  tutor  in  Illinois  Col- 
lege at  Jacksonville,  111.,  which  had  been  opened, 
three  years  previous,  by  the  late  Dr.  J.  M.  Sturte- 
vant.  In  the  next  fourteen  years  he  gave  in- 
struction in  nearly  every  branch  embraced  in  the 
college  curriculum,  though  holding,  during  most 
of  this  period,  the  chair  of  Rhetoric  and  English 
Literature.  In  1847  he  retired  from  college 
duties  to  give  attention  to  scientific  agriculture, 
in  which  he  had  always  manifested  a  deep  inter- 
est. The  cultivation  and  sale  of  the  Osage  orange 
as  a  hedge  plant  now  occupied  his  attention  for 
many  years,  and  its  successful  introduction  in 
Illinois  and  other  "Western  States — where  the 
absence  of  timber  rendered  some  substitute  a 
necessity  for  fencing  purposes — was  largely  dne 
to  his  efforts.  At  the  same  time  he  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  cause  of  practical  scientific  edu- 
cation for  the  industrial  classes,  and,  about  1850, 
began  formulating  that  system  of  industrial  edu- 
cation which,  after  twelve  years  of  labor  and 
agitation,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
recognized  in  the  act  adopted  by  Congress,  and 
approved  by  President  Lincoln,  in  July,  1862, 
making  liberal  donations  of  public  lands  for  the 
establishment  of  "Industrial  Colleges"  in  the 
several  States,  out  of  which  grew  the  University 
of  Illinois  at  Champaign.  While  Professor  Tur- 
ner had  zealous  cotaborers  in  this  field,  in  Illinois 
and  elsewhere,  to  him,  more  than  to  any  other 
single  man  in  the  Nation,  belongs  the  credit  for 
this  magnificent  achievement.  (See  Education, 
and  University  of  Illinois.)  He  was  also  one  of 


the  chief  factors  in  founding  and  building  up 
the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Association,  and  the 
State  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Societies. 
His  address  on  "The  Millennium  of  Labor," 
delivered  at  the  first  State  Agricultural  Fair  at 
Springfield,  in  1853,  is  still  remembered  as  mark- 
ing an  era  in  industrial  progress  in  Illinois.  A 
zealous  champion  of  free  thought,  in  both  political 
and  religious  affairs,  he  long  bore  the  reproach 
which  attached  to  the  radical  Abolitionist,  only 
to  enjoy,  in  later  years,  the  respect  universally 
accorded  to  those  who  had  the  courage  and 
independence  to  avow  their  honest  convictions. 
Prof.  Turner  was  twice  an  unsuccessful  candidate 
for  Congress — once  as  a  Republican  and  once  as 
an  "Independent" — and  wrote  much  on  political, 
religious  and  educational  topics.  The  evening  of 
an  honored  and  useful  life  was  spent  among 
friends  in  Jacksonville,  which  was  his  home  for 
more  than  sixty  years,  his  death  taking  place  in 
that  city,  Jan.  10,  1899,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
93  years.— Mrs.  Mary  Turner  Carriel,  at  the  pres- 
ent time  (1899)  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois,  is  Prof.  Turner's  only  daughter. 

TURNER,  Thomas  J.,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, born  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  April  5, 
1815.  Leaving  home  at  the  age  of  18,  he  spent 
three  years  in  Indiana  and  in  the  mining  dis- 
tricts about  Galena  and  in  Southern  Wisconsin, 
locating  in  Stephenson  County,  in  1836,  where  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840,  and  elected 
Probate  Judge  in  1841.  Soon  afterwards  Gov- 
ernor Ford  appointed  him  Prosecuting  Attorney, 
in  which  capacity  he  secured  the  conviction  and 
punishment  of  the  murderers  of  Colonel  Daven- 
port. In  1846  he  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a 
Democrat,  and,  the  following  year,  founded  "The 
Prairie  Democrat"  (afterward  "The  Freeport 
Bulletin"),  the  first  newspaper  published  in  the 
county.  Elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1854,  he 
was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House,  the  next  year 
becoming  the  first  Mayor  of  Freeport.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Peace  Conference  of  1861,  and,  in 
May  of  that  year,  was  commissioned,  by  Governor 
Yates,  Colonel  of  the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, but  resigned  in  1862.  He  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70, 
and,  in  1871,  was  again  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, where  he  received  the  Democratic  caucus 
nomination  for  United  States  Senator  against 
General  Logan.  In  1871  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
and  was  twice  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the 
office  of  State's  Attorney.  In  February,  1874,  he 
went  to  Hot  Springs,  Ark. ,  for  medical  treatment, 
and  died  there,  April  3  following. 


532 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


TUSCOLA,  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of 
Douglas  County,  located  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Illinois  Central  and  two  other  trunk  lines  of  rail- 
way, 22  miles  south  of  Champaign,  and  36  miles 
east  of  Decatur.  Besides  a  brick  court-house  it 
has  five  churches,  a  graded  school,  a  national 
bank,  two  weekly  newspapers  and  two  establish- 
ments for  the  manufacture  of  carriages  and 
wagons.  Population  (1880),  1,457;  (1890),  1,897; 
(1900),  2,569. 

TUSCOLA,  CHARLESTON  &  VINCENNES 
RAILROAD.  (See  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Kansas 
City  Railroad. ) 

TUTHILL,  Richard  Stanley,  jurist,  was  born 
at  Vergennes,  Jackson  County,  111.,  Nov.  10,  1841. 
After  passing  through  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  county,  he  took  a  preparatory  course  in  a 
high  school  at  St.  Louis  and  in  Illinois  College, 
Jacksonville,  when  he  entered  Middlebury  Col- 
lege, Vt. ,  graduating  there  in  1868.  Immediately 
thereafter  he  joined  the  Federal  army  at  Vicks- 
burg,  and,  after  serving  for  some  time  in  a  com- 
pany of  scouts  attached  to  General  Logan's 
command,  was  commissioned  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
First  Michigan  Light  Artillery,  with  which  he 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  meanwhile 
being  twice  promoted.  During  this  time  he  was 
with  General  Sherman  in  the  march  to  Meridian, 
and  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  also  took  part  with 
General  Thomas  in  the  operations  against  the 
rebel  General  Hood  in  Tennessee,  and  in  the 
battle  of  Nashville.  Having  resigned  his  com- 
mission in  May,  1865,  he  took  up  the  study  of 
law,  which  he  had  prosecuted  as  he  had  opportu- 
nity while  in  the  army,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Nashville  in  1866,  afterwards  serving  for 
a  time  as  Prosecuting  Attorney  on  the  Nashville 
circuit.  In  1873  he  removed  to  Chicago,  two 
years  later  was  elected  City  Attorney  and  re- 
elected  in  1877 ;  was  a  delegate  to  the  Eepublican 
National  Convention  of  1880  and,  in  1884,  was 
appointed  United  States  District  Attorney  for 
the  Northern  District,  serving  until  1886.  In 
1887  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Cook  County  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Judge  Rogers,  was  re-elected  for  a  full 
term  in  1891,  and  again  in  1897. 

TYNDALE,  Sharon,  Secretary  of  State,  born  in 
Philadelphia;  Pa.,  Jan.  19,  1816;  at  the  age  of  17 
came  to  Belleville,  111.,  and  was  engaged  for  a 
time  in  mercantile  business,  later  being  employed 
in  a  surveyor's  corps  under  the  internal  improve- 
ment system  of  1837.  Having  married  in  1839, 
he  returned  soon  after  to  Philadelphia,  where  he 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  with  his  father ; 


then  came  to  Illinois,  a  second  time, in  1845,  spend- 
ing a  year  or  two  in  business  at  Peoria.  About 
1847  he  returned  to  Belleville  and  entered  upon  a 
course  of  mathematical  study,  with  a  view  to 
fitting  himself  more  thoroughly  for  the  profession 
of  a  civil  engineer.  In  1851  he  graduated  in 
engineering  at  Cambridge,  Mass. ,  after  which  he 
was  employed  for  a  time  on  the  Sunbury  &  Erie 
Railroad,  and  later  on  certain  Illinois  railroads. 
In  1857  he  was  elected  County  Surveyor  of  St. 
Clair  County,  and,  in  1861,  by  appointment  of 
President  Lincoln,  became  Postmaster  of  the  city 
of  Belleville.  He  held  this  position  until  1864, 
when  he  received  the  Republican  nomination  for 
Secretary  of  State  and  was  elected,  remaining  in 
office  four  years.  He  was  an  earnest  advocate, 
and  virtually  author,  of  the  first  act  for  the  regis- 
tration of  voters  in  Illinois,  passed  at  the  session 
of  1865.  After  retiring  from  office  in  1869,  he 
continued  to  reside  in  Springfield,  and  was  em- 
ployed for  a  time  in  the  survey  of  the  Gilman, 
Clinton  &  Springfield  Railway — now  the  Spring- 
field Division  of  the  Illinois  Central.  At  an  early 
hour  on  the  morning  of  April  29,  1871,  while 
going  from  his  home  to  the  railroad  station  at 
Springfield,  to  take  the  train  for  St.  Louis,  he  was 
assassinated  upon  the  street  by  shooting,  as  sup- 
posed for  the  purpose  of  robbery — his  dead  body 
being  found  a  few  hours  later  at  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy.  Mr.  Tyndale  was  a  brother  of  Gen. 
Hector  Tyndale  of  Pennsylvania,  who  won  a 
high  reputation  by  his  services  during  the  war. 
His  second  wife,  who  survived  him,  was  a 
daughter  of  Shadrach  Penn,  an  editor  of  con- 
siderable reputation  who  was  the  contemporary 
and  rival  of  George  D.  Prentice  at  Louisville,  for 
some  years. 

"UNDERGROUND  RAILROAD,"  THE.  A 
history  of  Illinois  would  be  incomplete  without 
reference  to  the  unique  system  which  existed 
there,  as  in  other  Northern  States,  from  forty  to 
seventy  years  ago,  known  by  the  somewhat  mys- 
terious title  of  "The  Underground  Railroad." 
The  origin  of  the  term  has  been  traced  (probably 
in  a  spirit  of  facetiousness)  to  the  expression  of 
a  Kentucky  planter  who,  having  pursued  a  fugi- 
tive slave  across  the  Ohio  River,  was  so  surprised 
by  his  sudden  disappearance,  as  soon  as  he  had 
reached  the  opposite  shore,  that  he  was  led  to 
remark,  "The  nigger  must  have  gone  off  on  an 
underground  road."  From  "underground  road" 
to  "underground  railroad,"  the  transition  would 
appear  to  have  been  easy,  especially  in  view  of 
the  increased  facility  with  which  the  work  was 
performed  when  railroads  came  into  use.  For 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


533 


readers  of  the  present  generation,  it  may  be  well 
to  explain  what  "The  Underground  Railroad" 
really  was.  It  may  be  defined  as  the  figurative 
appellation  for  a  spontaneous  movement  in  the 
free  States — extending,  sometimes,  into  the 
slave  States  themselves — to  assist  slaves  in  their 
efforts  to  escape  from  bondage  to  freedom.  The 
movement  dates  back  to  a  period  close  to  the 
Revolutionary  War,  long  before  it  received  a 
definite  name.  Assistance  given  to  fugitives 
from  one  State  by  citizens  of  another,  became  a 
cause  of  complaint  almost  as  soon  as  the  Govern- 
ment was  organized.  In  fact,  the  first  President 
himself  lost  a  slave  who  took  refuge  at  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  where  the  public  sentiment  was 
so  strong  against  his  return,  that  the  patriotic 
and  philosophic  "Father  of  his  Country"  chose 
to  let  him  remain  unmolested,  rather  than  "excite 
a  mob  or  riot,  or  even  uneasy  sensations,  in  the 
minds  of  well-disposed  citizens."  That  the  mat- 
ter was  already  one  of  concern  in  the  minds  of 
slaveholders,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  a  provision 
was  inserted  in  the  Constitution  for  their  concili- 
ation, guaranteeing  the  return  of  fugitives  from 
labor,  as  well  as  from  justice,  from  one  State  to 
another. 

In  1793  Congress  passed  the  first  Fugitive  Slave 
Law,  which  was  signed  by  President  Washing- 
ton. This  law  provided  that  the  owner,  his 
agent  or  attorney,  might  follow  the  slave  into 
any  State  or  Territory,  and,  upon  oath  or  affi- 
davit before  a  court  or  magistrate,  be  entitled 
to  a  warrant  for  his  return.  Any  person  who 
should  hinder  the  arrest  of  the  fugitive,  or  who 
should  harbor,  aid  or  assist  him,  knowing  him 
to  be  such,  was  subject  to  a  fine  of  $500  for  each 
offense. — In  1850,  fifty-seven  years  later,  the  first 
act  having  proved  inefficacious,  or  conditions 
having  changed,  a  second  and  more  stringent 
law  was  enacted.  This  is  the  one  usually  referred 
to  in  discussions  of  the  subject.  It  provided  for 
an  increased  fine,  not  to  exceed  §1,000,  and  im- 
prisonment not  exceeding  six  months,  with 
liability  for  civil  damages  to  the  party  injured. 
No  proof  of  ownership  was  required  beyond  the 
statement  of  a  claimant,  and  the  accused  was  not 
permitted  to  testify  for  himself.  The  fee  of  the 
United  States  Commissioner,  before  whom  the 
case  was  tried,  was  ten  dollars  if  he  found  for 
the  claimant:  if  not,  five  dollars.  This  seemed 
to  many  an  indirect  form  of  bribery ;  clearly,  it 
made  it  to  the  Judge's  pecuniary  advantage  to 
decide  in  favor  of  the  claimant.  The  law  made 
it  possible  and  easy  for  a  white  man  to  arrest, 
and  carry  into  slavery,  any  free  negro  who  could 


not  immediately  prove,  by  other  witnesses,  that 
he  was  born  free,  or  had  purchased  his  freedom. 

Instead  of  discouraging  the  disposition,  on 
the  part  of  the  opponents  of  slavery,  to  aid  fugi- 
tives in  their  efforts  to  reach  a  region  where 
they  would  be  secure  in  their  freedom,  the  effect 
of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  of  1850  (as  that  of  1793 
had  been  in  a  smaller  degree)  was  the  very  oppo- 
site of  that  intended  by  its  authors — unless, 
indeed,  they  meant  to  make  matters  worse.  The 
provisions  of  the  act  seemed,  to  many  people,  so 
unfair,  so  one-sided,  that  they  rebelled  in  spirit 
and  refused  to  be  made  parties  to  its  enforce- 
ment. The  law  aroused  the  anti-slavery  senti- 
ment of  tke  North,  and  stimulated  the  active 
friends  of  the  fugitives  to  take  greater  risks  in 
their  behalf.  New  efforts  on  the  part  of  the 
slaveholders  were  met  by  a  determination  to 
evade,  hinder  and  nullify  the  law. 

And  here  a  strange  anomaly  is  presented.  The 
slaveholder,  in  attempting  to  recover  his  slave, 
was  acting  within  his  constitutional  and  legal 
rights.  The  slave  was  his  property  in  law.  He 
had  purchased  or  inherited  his  bondman  on  the 
same  plane  with  his  horse  or  his  land,  and,  apart 
from  the  right  to  hold  a  human  being  in  bond- 
age, regarded  his  legal  rights  to  the  one  as  good 
as  the  other.  From  a  legal  standpoint  his  posi- 
tion was  impregnable.  The  slave  was  his,  repre- 
senting so  much  of  money  value,  and  whoever 
was  instrumental  in  the  loss  of  that  slave  was, 
both  theoretically  and  technically,  a  partner  in 
robbery.  Therefore  he  looked  on  "The  Under- 
ground Railway"  as  the  work  of  thieves,  and  en- 
tertained bitter  hatred  toward  all  concerned  in  its 
operation.  On  the  other  hand,  men  who  were, 
in  all  other  respects,  good  citizens-— often  relig- 
iously devout  and  pillars  of  the  church — became 
bold  and  flagrant  violators  of  the  law  in  relation 
to  this  sort  of  property.  They  set  at  nought  a 
plain  provision  of  the  Constitution  and  the  act  of 
Congress  for  its  enforcement.  Without  hope  of 
personal  gain  or  reward,  at  the  risk  of  fine  and 
imprisonment,  with  the  certainty  of  social  ostra- 
cism and  bitter  opposition,  they  harbored  the 
fugitive  and  helped  him  forward  on  every 
occasion.  And  why?  Because  they  saw  in  him 
a  man,  with  the  same  inherent  right  to  "life, 
liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness"  that  they 
themselves  possessed.  To  them  this  was  a  higher 
law  than  any  Legislature,  State  or  National,  could 
enact.  They  denied  that  there  could  be  truly 
such  a  thing  as  property  in  man.  Believing  that 
the  law  violated  human  rights,  they  justified 
themselves  in  rendering  it  null  and  void. 


534 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


For  the  most  part,  the  "Underground  Rail- 
road" operators  and  promoters  were  plain, 
obscure  men,  without  hope  of  fame  or  desire  for 
notoriety.  Yet  there  were  some  whose  names 
are  conspicuous  in  history,  such  as  Wendell 
Phillips,  Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson  and 
Theodore  Parker  of  Massachusetts ;  Gerrit  Smith 
and  Thurlow  Weed  of  New  York:  Joshua  R. 
Giddings  of  Ohio,  and  Owen  Lovejoy  of  Illinois. 
These  had  their  followers  and  sympathizers  in 
all  the  Northern  States,  and  even  in  some  por- 
tions of  the  South.  It  is  a  curious  fact,  that 
some  of  the  most  active  spirits  connected  with 
the  "Underground  Railroad"  were  natives  of  the 
South,  or  had  resided  there  long  enough  to 
become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  "insti- 
tution." Levi  Coffin,  who  had  the  reputation  of 
being  the  "President  of  the  Underground  Rail- 
road"— at  least  so  far  as  the  region  west  of  the 
Ohio  was  concerned — was  an  active  operator  on 
the  line  in  North  Carolina  before  his  removal 
from  that  State  to  Indiana  in  1826.  Indeed,  as  a 
system,  it  is  claimed  to  have  had  its  origin  at 
Guilford  College,  in  the  "Old  North  State"  in 
1819,  though  the  evidence  of  this  may  not  be 
conclusive. 

Owing  to  the  peculiar  nature  of  their  business, 
no  official  reports  were  made,  no  lists  of  officers, 
conductors,  station  agents  or  operators  preserved, 
and  few  records  kept  which  are  now  accessible. 
Consequently,  we  are  dependent  chiefly  upon  the 
personal  recollection  of  individual  operators  for 
a  history  of  their  transactions.  Eacli  station  on 
the  road  was  the  house  of  a  "friend"  and  it  is 
significant,  in  this  connection,  that  in  every 
settlement  of  Friends,  or  Quakers,  there  was 
sure  to  be  a  house  of  refuge  for  the  slave.  For 
this  reason  it  was,  perhaps,  that  one  of  the  most 
frequently  traveled  lines  extended  from  Vir- 
ginia and  Maryland  through  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  then  on  towards  New  York  or  directly 
to  Canada.  From  the  proximity  of  Ohio  to 
Virginia  and  Kentucky,  and  the  fact  that  it 
offered  the  shortest  route  through  free  soil  to 
Canada,  it  was  traversed  by  more  lines  than  any 
other  State,  although  Indiana  was  pretty 
thoroughly  "grid-ironed"  by  roads  to  freedom. 
In  all,  however,  the  routes  were  irregular,  often 
zigzag,  for  purposes  of  security,  and  the  "con- 
ductor" was  any  one  who  conveyed  fugitives  from 
one  station  to  another  The  "train"  was  some- 
times a  farm-wagon,  loaded  with  produce  for 
market  at  some  town  (or  depot)  on  the  line,  fre- 
quently a  closed  carriage,  and  it  is  related  that 
once,  in  Ohio,  a  number  of  carriages  conveying 


a  large  party,  were  made  to  represent  a  funeral 
procession.  Occasionally  the  train  ran  on  foot, 
for  convenience  of  side-tracking  into  the  woods 
or  a  cornfield,  in  case  of  pursuit  by  a  wild  loco- 
motive. 

Then,  again,  there  were  not  wanting  lawyers 
who,  in  case  the  operator,  conductor  or  station 
agent  got  into  trouble,  were  ready,  without  fee  or 
reward,  to  defend  either  him  or  his  human 
freight  in  the  courts.  These  included  such 
names  of  national  repute  as  Salmon  P.  Chase, 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  Charles  Sumner,  William  H. 
Seward,  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  Richard  H.  Dana, 
and  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  while,  taking  the  whole 
country  over,  their  "name  was  legion."  And 
there  were  a  few  men  of  wealth,  like  Thomas 
Garrett  of  Delaware,  willing  to  contribute  money 
by  thousands  to  their  assistance.  Although 
technically  acting  in  violation  of  law — or,  as 
claimed  by  themselves,  in  obedience  to  a  "higher 
law"— the  time  has  already  come  when  there  is  a 
disposition  to  look  upon  the  actors  as,  in  a  certain 
sense,  heroes,  and  their  deeds  as  fitly  belonging 
to  the  field  of  romance. 

The  most  comprehensive  collection  of  material 
relating  to  the  history  of  this  movement  has 
been  furnished  in  a  recent  volume  entitled,  "The 
Underground  Railroad  from  Slavery  to  Free- 
dom," by  Prof.  Wilbur  H.  Siebert,  of  Ohio  State 
University ;  and,  while  it  is  not  wholly  free  from 
errors,  both  as  to  individual  names  and  facts,  it 
will  probably  remain  as  the  best  compilation  of 
history  bearing  on  this  subject — especially  as  the 
principal  actors  are  fast  passing  away.  One  of 
the  interesting  features  of  Prof.  Siebert's  book  is 
a  map  purporting  to  give  the  principal  routes 
and  stations  in  the  States  northwest  of  the  Ohio, 
yet  the  accuracy  of  this,  as  well  as  the  correct- 
ness of  personal  names  given,  has  been  questioned 
by  some  best  informed  on  the  subject.  As 
might  be  expected  from  its  geographical  position 
between  two  slave  States — Kentucky  and  Mis- 
souri— on  the  one  hand,  and  the  lakes  offering  a 
highway  to  Canada  on  the  other,  it  is  naturally 
to  be  assumed  that  Illinois  would  be  an  attract- 
ive field,  both  for  the  fugitive  and  his  sympa- 
thizer. 

The  period  of  greatest  activity  of  the  system  in 
this  Stat'o  was  between  1840  and  1861 — the  latter 
being  the  year  when  the  pro-slavery  party  in  the 
South,  by  their  attempt  forcibly  to  dissolve  the 
Union,  took  the  business  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
secret  agents  of  the  "Underground  Railroad," 
and — in  a  certain  sense — placed  it  in  the  hands 
of  the  Union  armies.  It  was  in  1841  that  Abra- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


535 


ham  Lincoln — then  a  conservative  opponent  of 
the  extension  of  slavery — on  an  appeal  from  a 
judgment,  rendered  by  the  Circuit  Court  in  Taze- 
well  County,  in  favor  of  the  holder  of  a  note 
given  for  the  service  of  the  indentured  slave- 
girl  "Nance,"  obtained  a  decision  from  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  upholding  the  doctrine 
that  the  girl  was  free  under  the  Ordinance  of 
1787  and  the  State  Constitution,  and  that  the 
note,  given  to  the  person  who  claimed  to  be  her 
owner,  was  void.  And  it  is  a  somewhat  curious 
coincidence  that  the  same  Abraham  Lincoln,  as 
President  of  the  United  States,  in  the  second 
year  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  issued  the 
Proclamation  of  Emancipation  which  finally 
resulted  in  striking  the  shackles  from  the  limbs 
of  every  slave  in  the  Union. 

In  the  practical  operation  of  aiding  fugitives 
in  Illinois,  it  was  natural  that  the  towns  along 
the  border  upon  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers, 
should  have  served  as  a  sort  of  entrepots,  or 
initial  stations,  for  the  reception  of  this  class  of 
freight — especially  if  adjacent  to  some  anti- 
slavery  community.  This  was  the  case  at  Ches- 
ter, from  which  access  was  easy  to  Sparta,  where 
a,  colony  of  Covenanters,  or  Seceders,  was 
located,  and  whence  a  route  extended,  by  way  of 
Oakdale,  Nashville  and  Centralia,  in  the  direction 
of  Chicago.  Alton  offered  convenient  access  to 
Bond  County,  where  there  was  a  community  of 
anti-slavery  people  at  an  early  day,  or  the  fugi- 
tives could  be  forwarded  northward  by  way  of 
Jerseyville,  Waverly  and  Jacksonville,  about 
each  of  which  there  was  a  strong  anti-slavery 
sentiment.  Quincy,  in  spite  of  an  intense  hos- 
tility among  the  mass  of  the  community  to  any- 
thing savoring  of  abolitionism,  became  the 
theater  of  great  activity  on  the  part  of  the 
opponents  of  the  institution,  especially  after  the 
advent  there  of  Dr.  David  Nelson  and  Dr.  Rich- 
ard Eells,  both  of  whom  had  rendered  themselves 
obnoxious  to  the  people  of  Missouri  by  extending 
aid  to  fugitives.  The  former  was  a  practical 
abolitionist  who,  having  freed  his  slaves  in  his 
native  State  of  Virginia,  removed  to  Missouri  and 
.attempted  to  establish  Marion  College,  a  few  miles 
from  Palmyra,  but  was  soon  driven  to  Illinois. 
Locating  near  Quincy,  he  founded  the  "Mission 
Institute"  there,  at  which  he  continued  to  dis- 
seminate his  anti-slavery  views,  while  educating 
young  men  for  missionary  work.  The  "Insti- 
tute" was  finally  burned  by  emissaries  from  Mis- 
souri, while  three  young  men  who  had  been 
connected  with  it,  having  been  caught  in  Mis- 
souri, were  condemned  to  twelve  years'  confine- 


ment in  the  penitentiary  of  that  State — partly  on 
the  testimony  of  a  negro,  although  a  negro  was 
not  then  a  legal  witness  in  the  courts  against  a 
white  man.  Dr.  Eells  was  prosecuted  before 
Stephen  A.  Dcfuglas  (then  a  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court),  and  fined  for  aiding  a  fugitive  to  escape, 
and  the  judgment  against  him  was  finally  con- 
firmed by  the  Supreme  Court  after  his  death,  in 
1852,  ten  years  after  the  original  indictment. 

A  map  in  Professor  Siebert's  book,  showing  the 
routes  and  principal  stations  of  the  "Undergound 
Railroad,"  makes  mention  of  the  following  places 
in  Illinois,  in  addition  to  those  already  referred 
to:  Carlinville,  in  Macoupin  County;  Pay  son 
and  Mendon,  in  Adams;  Washington,  in  Taze- 
well ;  Metamora,  in  Woodford ;  Magnolia,  in  Put- 
nam; Galesburg,  in  Knox;  Princeton  (the  home 
of  Owen  Lovejoy  and  the  Bryants),  in  Bureau; 
and  many  more.  Ottawa  appears  to  have  been 
the  meeting  point  of  a  number  of  lines,  as  well 
as  the  home  of  a  strong  colony  of  practical  abo- 
litionists. Cairo  also  became  an  important 
transfer  station  for  fugitives  arriving  by  river, 
after  the  completion  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road, especially  as  it  offered  the  speediest  way  of 
reaching  Chicago,  towards  which  nearly  all  the 
lines  converged.  It  was  here  that  the  fugitives 
could  be  most  safely  disposed  of  by  placing  them 
upon  vessels,  which,  without  stopping  at  inter- 
mediate ports,  could  soon  land  them  on  Canadian 
soil. 

As  to  methods,  these  differed  according  to  cir- 
cumstances, the  emergencies  of  the  occasion,  or 
the  taste,  convenience  or  resources  of  the  oper- 
ator. Deacon  Levi  Morse,  of  Woodford  County, 
near  Metamora,  had  a  route  towards  Magnolia, 
Putnam  County;  and  his  favorite  "car"  was  a 
farm  wagon  in  which  there  was  a  double  bottom. 
The  passengers  were  snugly  placed  below,  and 
grain  sacks,  filled  with  bran  or  other  light  material, 
were  laid  over,  so  that  the  whole  presented  the 
appearance  of  an  ordinary  load  of  grain  on  its 
way  to  market.  The  same  was  true  as  to  stations 
and  routes.  One,  who  was  an  operator,  says: 
"Wherever  an  abolitionist  happened  on  a  fugi- 
tive, or  the  converse,  there  was  a  station,  for  the 
time,  and  the  route  was  to  the  next  anti-slavery 
man  to  the  east  or  the  north.  As  a  general  rule, 
the  agent  preferred  not  to  know  anything  beyond 
the  operation  of  his  own  immediate  section  of  the 
road.  If  he  knew  nothing  about  the  operations 
of  another,  and  the  other  knew  nothing  of  his, 
they  could  not  be  witnesses  in  court. 

We  have  it  on  the  authority  of  Judge  Harvey  B. 
Hurd,  of  Chicago,  that  runaways  were  usually 


536 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


forwarded  from  that  city  to  Canada  by  way  of  the 
Lakes,  there  being  several  steamers  available  for 
that  purpose.  On  one  occasion  thirteen  were 
put  aboard  a  vessel  under  the  eyes  of  a  United 
States  Marshal  and  his  deputies.  The  fugitives, 
secreted  in  a  woodshed,  one  by  one  took  the 
places  of  colored  stevedores  carrying  wood 
aboard  the  ship.  Possibly  the  term,  "There's  a 
nigger  in  the  woodpile,"  may  have  originated  in 
this  incident.  Thirteen  was  an  "unlucky  num- 
ber" in  this  instance — for  the  masters. 

Among  the  notable  trials  for  assisting  runaways 
in  violation  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  case  of  Dr.  Eells,  already  mentioned, 
were  those  of  Owen  Lovejoy  of  Princeton,  and 
Deacon  Gushing  of  Will  County,  both  of  whom 
were  defended  by  Judge  James  Collins  of  Chi- 
cago. John  Hossack  and  Dr.  Joseph  Stout  of 
Ottawa,  with  some  half-dozen  of  their  neighbors 
and  friends,  were  tried  at  Ottawa,  in  1859,  for 
assisting  a  fugitive  and  acquitted  on  a  techni- 
cality. A  strong  array  of  attorneys,  afterwards 
widely  known  through  the  northern  part  of  the 
State,  appeared  for  the  defense,  including  Isaac 
N.  Arnold,  Joseph  Knox,  B.  C.  Cook,  J.  V.  Eus- 
tace, Edward  S.  Leland  and  E.  C.  Lamed.  Joseph 
T.  Morse,  of  Woodford  County,  was  also  arrested, 
taken  to  Peoria  and  committed  to  jail,  but 
acquitted  on  trial. 

Another  noteworthy  case  was  that  of  Dr. 
Samuel  Willard  (now  of  Chicago)  and  his  father, 
Julius  A.  Willard,  charged  with  assisting  in  the 
escape  of  a  fugitive  at  Jacksonville,  in  1843,  when 
the  Doctor  was  a  student  in  Illinois  College. 
"The  National  Corporation  Reporter,"  a  few 
years  ago,  gave  an  account  of  this  affair,  together 
with  a  letter  from  Dr.  Willard,  in  which  he  states 
that,  after  protracted  litigation,  during  which 
the  case  was  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court,  it  was 
ended  by  his  pleading  guilty  before  Judge  Samuel 
D.  Lockwood,  when  he  was  fined  one  dollar  and 
costs— the  latter  amounting  to  twenty  dollars. 
The  Doctor  frankly  adds:  "My  father,  as  well 
as  myself,  helped  many  fugitives  afterwards." 
It  did  not  always  happen,  however,  that  offenders 
escaped  so  easily. 

Judge  Harvey  B.  Kurd,  already  referred  to, 
and  an  active  anti-slavery  man  in  the  days  of  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Law,  relates  the  following :  Once, 
when  the  trial  of  a  fugitive  was  going  on  before 
Justice  Kercheval,  in  a  room  on  the  second  floor 
of  a  two-story  frame  building  on  Clark  Street  in 
the  city  of  Chicago,  the  crowd  in  attendance 
filled  the  room,  the  stairway  and  the  adjoining 
sidewalk.  In  some  way  the  prisoner  got  mixed 


in  with  the  audience,  and  passed  down  over  the 
heads  of  those  on  the  stairs,  where  the  officers 
were  unable  to  follow. 

In  another  case,  tried  before  United  States 
Commissioner  Geo.  W.  Meeker,  the  result  was 
made  to  hinge  upon  a  point  in  the  indictment  to 
the  effect  that  the  fugitive  was  "copper-colored." 
The  Commissioner,  as  the  story  goes,  being  in- 
clined to  favor  public  sentiment,  called  for  a  large 
copper  cent,  that  he  might  make  comparison. 
The  decision  was,  that  the  prisoner  was  "off 
color,"  so  to  speak,  and  he  was  hustled  out  of  the 
room  before  the  officers  could  re-arrest  him,  as 
they  had  been  instructed  to  do. 

Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  in  a  review  of  Professor 
Siebert's  book,  published  in  "The  Dial"  of  Chi 
cago,  makes  mention  of  Henry  Irving  and  Will- 
iam Chauncey  Carter  as  among  his  active  allies 
at  Jacksonville,  with  Rev.  Bilious  .Pond  and 
Deacon  Lyman  of  Farmington  (near  the  present 
village  of  Farmingdale  in  Sangamon  County), 
Luther  Ransom  of  Springfield,  Andrew  Borders 
of  Randolph  County,  Joseph  Gerrish  of  Jersey 
and  William  T.  Allan  of  Henry,  as  their  coadju- 
tors in  other  parts  of  the  State.  Other  active 
agents  or  promoters,  in  the  same  field,  included 
such  names  as  Dr.  Charles  V.  Dyer,  Philo  Carpen- 
ter, Calvin  De  Wolf,  L.  C.  P.  Freer,  Zebina  East- 
man, James  H.  Collins,  Harvey  B.  Hurd,  J.  Young 
Scammon,  Col.  J.  F.  Farnsworth  and  others  of 
Chicago,  whose  names  have  already  been  men- 
tioned; Rev.  Asa  Turner,  Deacon  Ballard,  J.  K. 
Van  Dorn  and  Erastus  Benton,  of  Quincy  and 
Adams  County;  President  Rufus  Blanchard  of 
Knox  College,  Galesburg ;  John  Leeper  of  Bond ; 
the  late  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner  and  Elihu  Wolcott  of 
Jacksonville;  Capt.  Parker  Morse  and  his  four 
sons — Joseph  T.,  Levi  P.,  Parker,  Jr.,  and  Mark 
— of  Woodford  County ;  Rev.  William  Sloane  of 
Randolph ;  William  Strawn  of  La  Salle,  besides  a 
host  who  were  willing  to  aid  their  fellow  men  in 
their  aspirations  to  freedom,  without  advertising 
their  own  exploits. 

Among  the  incidents  of  "Underground  Rail- 
road" in  Illinois  is  one  which  had  some  importance 
politically,  having  for  its  climax  a  dramatic  scene 
in  Congress,  but  of  which,  so  far  as  known,  no 
full  account  has  ever  been  written.  About  1855, 
Ephraim  Lombard,  a  Mississippi  planter,  but  a 
New  Englander  by  birth,  purchased  a  large  body 
of  prairie  land  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Stark 
County,  and,  taking  up  his  residence  temporarily 
in  the  village  of  Bradford,  began  its  improve- 
ment. He  had  brought  with  him  from  Mississippi 
a  negro,  gray-haired  and  bent  with  age,  a  slave 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


537 


of  probably  no  great  value.  "Old  Mose, "  as  he 
was  called,  soon  came  to  be  well  known  and  a 
favorite  in  the  neighborhood.  Lombard  boldly 
stated  that  he  had  brought  him  there  as  a  slave ; 
that,  by  virtue  of  the  Dred  Scott  decision  (then 
of  recent  date),  he  had  a  constitutional  right  to 
take  his  slaves  wherever  he  pleased,  and  that 
"Old  Mose"  was  just  as  much  his  property  in 
Illinois  as  in  Mississippi.  It  soon  became  evident 
to  some,  that  his  bringing  of  the  negro  to  Illinois 
was  an  experiment  to  test  the  law  and  the  feel- 
ings of  the  Northern  people.  This  being  the  case, 
a  shrewd  play  would  have  been  to  let  him  have 
his  way  till  other  slaves  should  have  been 
brought  to  stock  the  new  plantation.  But  this 
was  too  slow  a  process  for  the  abolitionists,  to 
whom  the  holding  of  a  slave  in  the  free  State  of 
Illinois  appeared  an  unbearable  outrage.  It  was 
feared  that  he  might  take  the  old  negro  back  to 
Mississippi  and  fail  to  bring  any  others.  It  was 
reported,  also,  that  "Old  Mose"  was  ill-treated; 
that  he  was  given  only  the  coarsest  food  in  a 
back  shed,  as  if  he  were  a  horse  or  a  dog,  instead 
of  being  permitted  to  eat  at  table  with  the  family. 
The  prairie  citizen  of  that  time  was  very  par- 
ticular upon  this  point  of  etiquette.  The  hired 
man  or  woman,  debarred  from  the  table  of  his  or 
her  employer,  would  not  have  remained  a  day. 
A  quiet  consultation  with  "Old  Mose"  revealed 
the  fact  that  he  would  hail  the  gift  of  freedom 
joyously.  Accordingly,  one  Peter  Risedorf,  and 
another  equally  daring,  met  him  by  the  light  of 
the  stars  and,  before  morning,  he  was  placed  in 
the  care  of  Owen  Lovejoy,  at  Princeton,  twenty 
miles  away.  From  there  he  was  speedily 
"franked"  by  the  member  of  Congress  to  friends 
in  Canada. 

There  was  a  great  commotion  in  Bradford  over 
the  "stealing"  of  "Old Mose."  Lombard  and  his 
friends  denounced  the  act  in  terms  bitter  and 
profane,  and  threatened  vengeance  upon  the  per- 
petrators. The  conductors  were  known  only  to  a 
fe'w,  and  they  kept  their  secret  well.  Lovejoy's 
part  in  the  affair,  however,  soon  leaked  out. 
Lombard  returned  to  Mississippi,  where  he 
related  his  experiences  to  Mr.  Singleton,  the 
Representative  in  Congress  from  his  district. 
During  the  next  session  of  Congress,  Singleton 
took  occasion,  in  a  speech,  to  sneer  at  Lovejoy  as  a 
"nigger-stealer,"  citing  the  case  of  "Old  Mose." 
Mr.  Lovejoy  replied  in  his  usual  fervid  and 
dramatic  style,  making  a  speech  which  ensured 
his  election  to  Congress  for  life — "Is  it  desired  to 
call  attention  to  this  fact  of  my  assisting  fugitive 
slaves?"  he  said.  "Owen  Lovejoy  lives  at  Prince- 


ton, 111.,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  the 
village,  and  he  aids  every  slave  that  comes  to  his 
door  and  asks  it.  Thou  invisible  Demon  of 
Slavery,  dost  thou  think  to  cross  my  humble 
threshold  and  forbid  me  to  give  bread  to  the 
hungry  and  shelter  to  the  homeless?  I  bid  you 
defiance,  in  the  name  of  my  God!" 

With  another  incident  of  an  amusing  charac- 
ter this  article  may  be  closed:  Hon.  J.  Young 
Scammon,  of  Chicago,  being  accused  of  conniving 
at  the  escape  of  a  slave  from  officers  of  the  law, 
was  asked  by  the  court  what  he  would  do  if  sum- 
moned as  one  of  a  posse  to  pursue  and  capture  a 
fugitive.  '  'I  would  certainly  obey  the  summons, ' ' 
he  replied,  "but — I  should  probably  stub  my  toe 
and  fall  down  before  I  reached  him." 

NOTE.— Those  who  wish  to  pursue  the  subject  of  the 
"  Underground  Eailroad  "  in  Illinois  further,  are  referred 
to  the  work  of  Dr.  Siebert,  already  mentioned,  and  to  the 
various  County  Histories  which  have  been  issued  and  may 
be  found  in  the  public  libraries;  also  for  interesting  inci- 
dents, to  "  Keminiscences  of  Levi  Coffin,"  Johnson's 
"  From  Dixie  to  Canada,"  Petit's  Sketches,  "Still,  Under- 
ground Kailroad,"  and  a  pamphlet  of  the  same  title  by 
James  H.  Fairchild,  ex-President  of  Oberlin  College. 

UNDERWOOD,  William  H.,  lawyer,  legislator 
and  jurist,  was  born  at  Schoharie  Court  House, 
N.  Y.,  Feb.  21,  1818,  and,  after  admission  to  the 
bar,  removed  to  Belleville,  111.,  where  he  began 
practice  in  1840.  The  following  year  he  was 
elected  State's  Attorney,  and  re-elected  in  1843. 
In  1846  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  of  the  General  Assembly,  and,  in  1848-54, 
sat  as  Judge  of  the  Second  Circuit.  During  this 
period  he  declined  a  nomination  to  Congress, 
although  equivalent  to  an  election.  In  1856  he 
was  elected  State  Senator,  and  re-elected  in  1860. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1869-70,  and,  in  1870,  was  again  elected  to 
the  Senate,  retiring  to  private  life  in  1872.  Died, 
Sept.  23,  1875. 

UNION  COUNTY,  one  of  the  fifteen  counties 
into  which  Illinois  was  divided  at  the  time  of  its 
admission  as  a  State — having  been  organized, 
under  the  Territorial  Government,  in  January, 
1818.  It  is  situated  in  the  southern  division  of 
the  State,  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Mississippi 
River,  and  has  an  area  of  400  square  miles.  The 
eastern  and  interior  portions  are  drained  by  the 
Cache  River  and  Clear  Creek.  The  western  part 
of  the  county  comprises  the  broad,  rich  bottom 
lands  lying  along  the  Mississippi,  but  is  subject 
to  frequent  overflow,  while  the  eastern  portion  is 
hilly,  and  most  of  its  area  originally  heavily  tim- 
bered. The  county  is  especially  rich  in  minerals. 
Iron-ore,  lead,  bituminous  coal,  chalk,  alum  and 


538 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


potter's  clay  are  found  in  considerable  abun- 
dance. Several  lines  of  railway  (the  most  impor- 
tant being  the  Illinois  Central)  either  cross  or 
tap  the  county.  The  chief  occupation  is  agri- 
culture, although  manufacturing  is  carried  on  to 
a  limited  extent.  Fruit  is  extensively  cultivated. 
Jonesboro  is  the  county-seat,  and  Cobden  and 
Anna  important  shipping  stations.  The  latter  is 
the  location  of  the  Southern  Hospital  for  the 
Insane.  The  population  of  the  county,  in  1890, 
was  21,529.  Being  next  to  St.  Clair,  Randolph 
and  Gallatin,  one  of  the  earliest  settled  counties 
in  the  State,  many  prominent  men  found  their 
first  home,  on  coming  into  the  State,  at  Jones- 
boro, and  this  region,  for  a  time,  exerted  a  strong 
influence  in  public  affairs.  Pop.  (1900),  22,610. 

UNIOX  LEAGUE  OF  AMERICA,  a  secret  polit- 
ical and  patriotic  order  which  had  its  origin 
early  in  the  late  Civil  War,  for  the  avowed  pur- 
pose of  sustaining  the  cause  of  the  Union  and 
counteracting  the  machinations  of  the  secret 
organizations  designed  to  promote  the  success  of 
the  Rebellion.  The  first  regular  Council  of  the 
order  was  organized  at  Pekin,  Tazewell  County, 
June  25,  1862,  consisting  of  eleven  members,  as 
follows;  John  W.  Glasgow,  Dr.  D.  A.  Cheever, 
Hart  Montgomery,  Maj.  Richard  N.  Cullom 
(father  of  Senator  Cullom),  Alexander  Small, 
Rev.  J.  W.  M.  Vernon,  George  H.  Harlow  (after- 
ward Secretary  of  State),  Charles  Turner,  Col. 
Jonathan  Merriam,  Henry  Pratt  and  L.  F.  Gar- 
rett.  One  of  the  number  was  a  Union  refugee 
from  Tennessee,  who  dictated  the  first  oath  from 
memory,  as  administered  to  members  of  a  some- 
what similar  order  which  had  been  organized 
among  the  Unionists  of  his  own  State.  It  sol- 
emnly pledged  the  taker,  (1)  to  preserve  invio- 
late the  secrets  and  business  of  the  order;  (2)  to 
"support,  maintain,  protect  and  defend  the  civil 
liberties  of  the  Union  of  these  United  States 
against  all  enemies,  either  domestic  or  foreign, 
at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances,"  even 
"if  necessary,  to  the  sacrifice  of  life";  (3)  to  aid 
in  electing  only  true  Union  men  to  offices  of 
trust  in  the  town,  county,  State  and  General 
Government;  (4)  to  assist,  protect  and  defend 
any  member  of  the  order  who  might  be  in  peril 
from  his  connection  with  the  order,  and  (5)  to 
obey  all  laws,  rules  or  regulations  of  any  Council 
to  which  the  taker  of  the  oath  might  be  attached. 
The  oath  was  taken  upon  the  Bible,  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence  and  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  the  taker  pledging  his  sacred 
honor  to  its  fulfillment.  A  special  reason  for  the 
organization  existed  in  the  activity,  about  this 


time,  of  the  "Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,"  a 
disloyal  organization  which  had  been  introduced 
from  the  South,  and  which  afterwards  took  the 
name,  in  the  North,  of  "American  Knights"  and 
'  'Sons  of  Liberty. ' '  (See  Secret  Treasonable  Soci- 
eties.) Three  months  later,  the  organization  had 
extended  to  a  number  of  other  counties  of  the 
State  and,  on  the  25th  of  September  following, 
the  first  State  Council  met  at  Bloomington — 
twelve  counties  being  represented — and  a  State 
organization  was  effected.  At  this  meeting  the 
following  general  officers  were  chosen:  Grand 
President  —  Judge  Mark  Bangs,  of  Marshall 
County  (now  of  Chicago) ;  Grand  Vice-President 
— Prof.  Daniel  Wilkin,  of  McLean  ;  Grand  Secre- 
tary— George  H.  Harlow,  of  Tazewell;  Grand 
Treasurer — H.  S.  Austin,  of  Peoria,  Grand  Mar- 
shal—J.  R.  Gorin,  of  Macon;  Grand  Herald — 
A.  Gould,  of  Henry;  Grand  Sentinel — John  E. 
Rosette,  of  Sangamon.  An  Executive  Committee 
was  also  appointed,  consisting  of  Joseph  Medill 
of  "The  Chicago  Tribune";  Dr.  A.  J.  McFai- 
land,  of  Morgan  County ;  J.  K.  Warren,  of  Macon ; 
Rev.  J.  C.  Rybolt,  of  La  Salle;  the  President, 
Judge  Bangs;  Enoch  Emery,  of  Peoria;  and 
John  E.  Rosette.  Under  the  direction  of  this 
Committee,  with  Mr.  Medill  as  its  Chairman, 
the  constitution  and  by-laws  were  thoroughly 
revised  and  a  new  ritual  adopted,  which  materi- 
ally changed  the  phraseology  and  -removed  some 
of  the  crudities  of  the  original  obligation,  as  well 
as  increased  the  beauty  and  impressiveness  of 
the  initiatory  ceremonies.  New  signs,  grips  and 
pass-words  were  also  adopted,  which  were  finally 
accepted  by  the  various  organizations  of  the 
order  throughout  the  Union,  which,  by  this  time, 
included  many  soldiers  in  the  army,  as  well  as 
civilians.  The  second  Grand  (or  State)  Council 
was  held  at  Springfield,  January  14,  1863,  with 
only  seven  counties  represented.  The  limited 
representation  was  discouraging,  but  the  mem- 
bers took  heart  from  the  inspiring  words  of  Gov- 
ernor Yates,  addressed  to  a  committee  of  the 
order  who  waited  upon  him.  At  a  special  ses- 
sion of  the  Executive  Committee,  held  at  Peoria, 
six  days  later,  a  vigorous  campaign  was 
mapped  out,  under  which  agents  were  sent 
into  nearly  every  county  in  the  State.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1862,  the  strength  of  the  order  in  Illi- 
nois was  estimated  at  three  to  five  thousand; 
a  few  months  later,  the  number  of  enrolled 
members  had  increased  to  50,000  —  so  rapid 
had  been  the  growth  of  the  order.  On  March 
25,  1863,  a  Grand  Council  met  in  Chicago — 
404  Councils  in  Illinois  being  represented,  with 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


539 


a  number  from  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Wiscon- 
sin, Iowa  and  Minnesota.  At  this  meeting  a 
Committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  plan  of 
organization  for  a  National  Grand  Council,  which 
was  carried  out  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  on  the  20th 
of  May  following — the  constitution,  ritual  and 
signs  of  the  Illinois  organization  being  adopted 
with  slight  modifications.  The  iodised  obligation 
— taken  upon  the  Bible,  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence and  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States — bound  members  of  the  League  to  "sup- 
port, protect  and  defend  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  and  the  flag  thereof,  against  all 
enemies,  foreign  and  domestic,"  and  to"bear  true 
faith  and  allegiance  to  the  same";  to  "defend 
the  State  against  invasion  or  insurrection";  to 
support  only  "true  and  reliable  men"  for  offices 
of  trust  and  profit;  to  protect  and  defend 
worthy  members,  and  to  preserve  inviolate  the 
secrets  of  the  order.  The  address  to  new  mem- 
bers was  a  model  of  impressiveness  and  a  powerful 
appeal  to  their  patriotism.  The  organization 
extended  rapidly,  not  only  throughout  the  North- 
west, but  in  the  South  also,  especially  in  the 
army.  In  1864  the  number  of  Councils  in  Illinois 
was  estimated  at  1,300,  with  a  membership  of 
175,000;  and  it  is  estimated  that  the  total  mem- 
bership, throughout  the  Union,  was  2,000,000. 
The  influence  of  the  silent,  but  zealous  and  effect- 
ive, operations  of  the  organization,  was  shown, 
not  only  in  the  stimulus  given  to  enlistments  and 
support  of  the  war  policy  of  the  Government, 
but  in  the  raising  of  supplies  for  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  in  the  field.  Within  a  few 
weeks  before  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  over  $25,000  in 
cash,  besides  large  quantities  of  stores,  were  sent 
to  Col.  John  Williams  (then  in  charge  of  the 
Sanitary  Bureau  at  Springfield),  as  the  direct 
result  of  appeals  made  through  circulars  sent  out 
by  the  officers  of  the  "League."  Large  contri- 
butions of  money  and  supplies  also  reached  the 
sick  and  wounded  in  hospital  through  the  medium 
of  the  Sanitary  Commission  in  Chicago.  Zealous 
efforts  were  made  by  the  opposition  to  get  at  the 
secrets  of  the  order,  and,  in  one  case,  a  complete 
copy  of  the  ritual  was  published  by  one  of  their 
organs ;  but  the  effect  was  so  far  the  reverse  of 
what  was  anticipated,  that  this  line  of  attack  was 
not  continued.  During  the  stormy  session  of  the 
Legislature  in  1863,  the  League  is  said  to  have 
rendered  effective  service  in  protecting  Gov- 
ernor Yates  from  threatened  assassination.  It 
continued  its  silent  but  effective  operations  until 
the  complete  overthrow  of  the  rebellion,  when  it 
ceased  to  exist  as  a  political  organization. 


UNITED  STATES  SENATORS.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  list  of  United  States  senators  from  Illinois, 
from  the  date  of  the  admission  of  the  State  into 
the  Union  until  1899,  with  the  date  and  duration 
of  the  term  of  each:  Ninian  Edwards,  1818-24; 
Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Sr.,  1818-29;  John  McLean, 
1824-25  and  1829-30;  Elias  Kent  Kane,  1825-35; 
David  Jewett  Baker,  Nov.  12  to  Dec.  11,  1830; 
John  M.  Robinson,  1830-41 ;  William  L.  D.  Ewing, 
1835-37;  Richard  M.  Young,  1837-43;  Samuel  Mc- 
Roberts,  1841-43;  Sidney  Breese,  1843-49;  James 
Semple,  1843-47;  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  1847-61; 
James  Shields,  1849-55  ;'Ly  man  Trumbull,  1855-73; 
Orville  II.  Browning,  1861-63;  William  A.  Rich- 
ardson, 1863-65;  Richard  Yates,  1865-71;  John  A. 
Logan,  1871-77  and  1879-86;  Richard  J.  Oglesby, 
1873-79;  David  Davis,  1877-83;  Shelby  M.  Cullom, 
first  elected  in  1883,  and  re-elected  in  '89  and  '95, 
his  third  term  expiring  in  1901 :  Charles  B.  Far- 
well,  1887-91;  John  McAuley  Palmer,  1891-97; 
William  E.  Mason,  elected  in  1897,  for  the  term 
expiring,  March  4,  1903. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  (The  New).  One 
of  the  leading  educational  institutions  of  the 
country,  located  at  Chicago.  It  is  the  outgrowth 
of  an  attempt,  put  forth  by  the  American  Educa- 
tional Society  (organized  at  Washington  in  1888), 
to  supply  the  place  which  the  original  institution 
of  the  same  name  had  been  designed  to  fill.  (See 
University  of  Chicago — The  Old.)  The  following 
year,  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller  of  New  York  ten- 
dered a  contribution  of  $600, 000  toward  the  endow- 
ment of  the  enterprise,  conditioned  upon  securing 
additional  pledges  to  the  amount  of  $400,000  by 
June  1,  1890.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the 
sum  promptly  raised.  In  addition,  a  site,  covering 
four  blocks  of  land  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  was 
secured — two  and  one-half  blocks  being  acquired 
by  purchase  for  $282,500,  and  one  and  one-half 
(valued  at  $125,000)  donated  by  Mr.  Marshall 
Field.  A  charter  was  secured  and  an  organiza- 
tion effected,  Sept.  10,  1890.  The  Presidency  of 
the  institution  was  tendered  to,  and  accepted  by, 
Dr.  William  R.  Harper.  Since  that  time  the 
University  has  been  the  recipient  of  other  gener- 
ous benefactions  by  Mr.  Rockefeller  and  others, 
until  the  aggregate  donations  (1898)  exceed  $10,- 
000,000.  Of  this  amount  over  one-half  has  been 
contributed  by  Mr.  Rockefeller,  while  he  has 
pledged  himself  to  make  additional  contributions 
of  $2,000,000,  conditioned  upon  the  raising  of  a 
like  sum,  from  other  donors,  by  Jan.  1, 1900.  The 
buildings  erected  on  the  campus,  prior  to  1896, 
include  a  chemical  laboratory  costing  $182,000;  a 
lecture  hall,  $150,000;  a  physical  laboratory 


540 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


$150,000;  a  museum,  §100,000;  an  academy  dor- 
mitory, $30,000;  three  dormitories  for  women, 
$150,000;  two  dormitories  for  men,  $100,000,  to 
which  several  important  additions  were  made 
during  1896  and  '97.  The  faculty  embraces  over 
150  instructors,  selected  with  reference  to  their 
fitness  for  their  respective  departments  from 
among  the  most  eminent  scholars  in  America  and 
Europe.  Women  are  admitted  as  students  and 
graduated  upon  an  equality  with  men.  The  work 
of  practical  instruction  began  in  October,  1892, 
with  589  registered  students,  coming  from  nearly 
every  Northern  State,  and  including  250  gradu- 
ates from  other  institutions,  to  which  accessions 
were  made,  during  the  year,  raising  the  aggregate 
to  over  900.  The  second  year  the  number  ex- 
ceeded 1,100;  the  third,  it  rose  to  1,750,  and  the 
fourth  (1895-96),  to  some  2,000,  including  repre- 
sentatives from  every  State  of  the  Union,  besides 
many  from  foreign  countries.  Special  features 
of  the  institution  include  the  admission  of  gradu- 
ates from  other  institutions  to  a  post-graduate 
course,  and  the  University  Extension  Division, 
which  is  conducted  largely  by  means  of  lecture 
courses,  in  other  cities,  or  through  lecture  centers 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  University,  non-resident 
students  having  the  privilege  of  written  exami- 
nations. The  various  libraries  embrace  over 
300,000  volumes,  of  which  nearly  60,000  belong 
to  what  are  called  the  "Departmental  Libraries,'' 
besides  a  large  and  valuable  collection  of  maps 
and  pamphlets. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  (The  Old),  an 
educational  institution  at  Chicago,  under  the 
care  of  the  Baptist  denomination,  for  some  years 
known  as  the  Douglas  University.  Senator 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  offered,  in  1854,  to  donate  ten 
acres  of  land,  in  what  was  then  near  the  southern 
border  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  as  a  site  for  an 
institution  of  learning,  provided  buildings  cost- 
ing $100,000,  be  erected  thereon  within  a  stipu- 
lated time.  The  corner-stone  of  the  main  building 
was  laid,  July  4,  1857,  but  the  financial  panic  of 
that  year  prevented  its  completion,  and  Mr.  Doug- 
las extended  the  time,  and  finally  deeded  the 
land  to  the  trustees  without  reserve.  For  eighteen 
years  the  institution  led  a  precarious  existence, 
struggling  under  a  heavy  debt.  By  1885,  mort- 
gages to  the  amount  of  8320,000  having  accumu- 
lated, the  trustees  abandoned  further  effort,  and 
acquiesced  in  the  sale  of  the  property  under  fore- 
closure proceedings.  The  original  plan  of  the 
institution  contemplated  preparatory  and  col- 
legiate departments,  together  with  a  college  of 
law  and  a  theological  school. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS,  the  leading  edu- 
cational institution  under  control  of  the  State, 
located  at  Urbana  and  adjoining  the  city  of 
Champaign.  The  Legislature  at  the  session  of  1863 
accepted  a  grant  of  480,000  acres  of  land  under 
Act  of  Congress,  approved  July  2, 1862,  making  an 
appropriation  of  public  lands  to  States — 30,000 
acres  for  each  Senator  and  each  Representative  in 
Congress — establishing  colleges  for  teaching  agri- 
culture and  the  mechanic  arts,  though  not  to  the 
exclusion  of  classical  and  scientific  studies.  Land- 
scrip  under  this  grant  was  issued  and  placed  in 
the  hands  of  Governor  Yates,  and  a  Board  of 
Trustees  appointed  under  the  State  law  was  organ- 
ized in  March,  1867,  the  institution  being  located 
the  same  year.  Departments  and  courses  of  study 
were  established,  and  Dr.  John  M.  Gregory,  of 
Michigan,  was  chosen  Regent  (President). — The 
landscrip  issued  to  Illinois  was  sold  at  an  early 
day  for  what  it  would  bring  in  open  market, 
except  25,000  acres,  which  was  located  in  Ne- 
braska and  Minnesota.  This  has  recently  been 
sold,  realizing  a  larger  sum  than  was  received 
for  all  the  scrip  otherwise  disposed  of.  The  entire 
sum  thus  secured  for  permanent  endowment  ag- 
gregates $613,026.  The  University  revenues  were 
further  increased  by  donations  from  Congress  to 
each  institution  organized  under  the  Act  of  1862, 
of  $15,000  per  annum  for  the  maintenance  of  an 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  and,  in  1890,  of 
a  similar  amount  for  instruction — the  latter  to  be 
increased  $1,000  annually  until  it  should  reach 
$25,000.— A  mechanical  building  was  erected  in 
1871,  and  this  is  claimed  to  have  been  the  first  of 
its  kind  in  America  intended  for  strictly  educa- 
tional purposes.  What  was  called  "the  main 
building"  was  formally  opened  in  December, 
1873.  Other  buildings  embrace  a  "Science  Hall," 
opened  in  1892;  a  new  "Engineering Hall,"  1894; 
a  fine  Library  Building,  1897.  Eleven  other  prin- 
cipal structures  and  a  number  of  smaller  ones 
have  been  erected  as  conditions  required.  The 
value  of  property  aggregates  nearly  $2,500,000,  and 
appropriations  from  the  State,  for  all  purposes, 
previous  to  1904,  foot  up  $5,123,517.90.— Since 
1871  the  institution  has  been  open  to  women. 
The  courses  of  study  embrace  agriculture,  chem- 
istry, polytechnics,  military  tactics,  natural  and 
general  sciences,  languages  and  literature,  eco- 
nomics, household  science,  trade  and  commerce. 
The  Graduate  School  dates  from  1891.  In  1896 
the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy  was  connected 
with  the  University:  a  College  of  Law  and  a 
Library  School  were  opened  in  1897,  and  the  same 
year  the  Chicago  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


541 


geons  was  affiliated  as  the  College  of  Medicine — a 
School  of  Dentistry  being  added  to  the  latter  in 
1901.  In  1885  the  State  Laboratory  of  Natural 
History  was  transferred  from  Normal,  111.,  and  an 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station  entablished  in 
1888,  from  which  bulletins  are  sent  to  farmers 
throughout  the  .State  who  may  desire  them. — The 
first  name  of  the  Institution  was  "Illinois  Indus- 
trial University,"  but,  in  1885,  this  was  changed 
to  "University  of  Illinois."  In  1887  the  Trustees 
(of  whom  there  are  nine)  were  made  elective  by 
popular  vote — three  being  elected  every  two 
years,  each  holding  office  six  years.  Dr.  Gregory, 
having  resigned  the  office  of  Regent  in  1880,  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.  Selim  H.  Peabody,  who  had 
been  Professor  of  Mechanical  and  Civil  Engineer- 
ing. Dr.  Peabody  resigned  in  1891.  The  duties 
of  Regent  were  then  discharged  by  Prof.  Thomas 
J.  Burrill  until  August,  1894,  when  Dr.  Andrew 
Sloan  Draper,  former  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  of  the  State  of  New  York,  was 
installed  as  President,  serving  until  1904. — The 
corps  of  instruction  (1904)  includes  over  100  Pro- 
fessors, 60  Associate  and  Assistant  Professors  and 
200  Instructors  and  Assistants,  besides  special 
lecturers,  demonstrators  and  clerks.  The  num- 
ber of  students  has  increased  rapidly  in  recent 
years,  as  shown  by  the  following  totals  for  suc- 
cessive years  from  1890-91  to  1903-04,  inclusive: 
619;  583;  714;  743;  810;  852;  1,075;  1,582;  1,824; 
2,234;  2,505;  2,932;  3,289;  3,589.  Of  the  last  num- 
ber, 2,271  were  men  and  718  women.  During 
1903-04  there  were  in  all  departments  at  Urbana, 
2,547  students  (256  being  in  the  Preparatory  Aca- 
demy) ;  and  in  the  three  Professional  Departments 
in  Chicago,  1,042,  of  whom  694  were  in  the  Col- 
lege of  Medicine,  185  in  the  School  of  Pharmacy, 
and  163  in  the  School  of  Dentistry.  The  Univer- 
sity Library  contains  63,700  volumes  and  14,500 
pamphlets,  not  including  5,350  volumes  and 
15,850  pamphlets  in  the  State  Laboratory  of  Nat- 
ural History. — The  University  occupies  a  con- 
spicuous and  attractive  site,  embracing  220  acres 
adjacent  to  the  line  between  Urbana  and  Cham- 
paign, and  near  the  residence  portion  of  the  two 
cities.  The  athletic  field  of  11  acres,  on  which 
stand  the  gymnasium  and  armory,  is  enclosed 
with  an  ornamental  iron  fence.  The  campus, 
otherwise,  is  an  open  and  beautiful  park  with 
fine  landscape  effects. 

UNORGANIZED  COUNTIES.  In  addition  to 
the  102  counties  into  which  Illinois  is  divided, 
acts  •were  passed  by  the  General  Assembly, 
at  different  times,  providing  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  number  of  others,  a  few  of  which 


were  subsequently  organized  under  different 
names,  but  the  majority  of  which  were  never 
organized  at  all— the  proposition  for  such  or- 
ganization being  rejected  by  vote  of  the  people 
within  the  proposed  boundaries,  or  allowed  to 
lapse  by  non-action.  These  unorganized  coun- 
ties, with  the  date  of  the  several  acts  authorizing 
them,  t,nd  the  territory  which  they  were  in- 
tended to  include,  were  as  follows:  Allen 
County  (1841)  —  comprising  portions  of  Sanga- 
mon,  Morgan  and  Macoupin  Counties ;  Audobon 
(Audubon)  County  (1843) — from  portions  of  Mont- 
gomery, Fayette  and  Shelby;  Benton  County 
(1843) — from  Morgan,  Greene  and  Macoupin; 
Coffee  County  (1837) — with  substantially  the 
same  territory  now  comprised  within  the  bound- 
aries of  Stark  County,  authorized  two  years 
later;  Dane  County  (1839) — name  changed  to 
Christian  in  1840;  Harrison  County  (1855) — 
from  McLean,  Champaign  and  Vermilion,  com- 
prising territory  since  partially  incorporated 
in  Ford  County;  Holmes  County  (1857)— from 
Champaign  and  Vermilion;  Marquette  County 
(1843),  changed  (1847)  to  Highland — compris- 
ing the  northern  portion  of  Adams,  (this  act 
was  accepted,  with  Columbus  as  the  county- 
seat,  but  organization  finally  vacated) ;  Michi- 
gan County  (1837)— from  apart  of  Cook;  Milton 
County  (1843) — from  the  south  part  of  Vermil- 
ion; Okaw  County  (1841) — comprising  substan- 
tially the  same  territory  as  Moultrie,  organized 
under  act  of  1843;  Oregon  County  (1851) — from 
parts  of  Sangamon,  Morgan  and  Macoupin  Coun- 
ties, and  covering  substantially  the  same  terri- 
tory as  proposed  to  be  incorporated  in  Allen 
County  ten  years  earlier.  The  last  act  of  this 
character  was  passed  in  1867,  when  an  attempt 
was  made  to  organize  Lincoln  County  out  o. 
parts  of  Champaign  and  Vermilion,  but  whictt 
failed  for  want  of  an  affirmative  vote. 

UPPER  ALTON,  a  city  of  Madison  County, 
situated  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  about 
\\  miles  northeast  of  Alton — laid  out  in  1816.  It 
has  several  churches,  and  is  the  seat  of  Shurtleff 
College  and  the  Western  Military  Academy,  the 
former  founded  about  1831,  and  controlled  by  the 
Baptist  denomination.  Beds  of  excellent  clay  are 
found  in  the  vicinity  and  utilized  in  pottery 
manufacture.  Pop.  (1890),  1,803;  (1900),  2,373. 

UPTON,  George  Putnam,  journalist,  was  born 
at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  Oct.  25,  1834;  graduated  from 
Brown  University  in  1854,  removed  to  Chicago 
in  1855,  and  began  newspaper  work  on  "The 
Native  American,"  the  following  year  taking 
the  place  of  city  editor  of  "The  Evening  Jour- 


542 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


nal. "  In  1862,  Mr.  Upton  became  musical  critic 
on  "The  Chicago  Tribune,"  serving  for  a  time 
also  as  its  war  correspondent  in  the  field,  later 
(about  1881)  taking  a  place  on  the  general  edi- 
torial staff,  which  he  still  retains.  He  is  regarded 
as  an  authority  on  musical  and  dramatic  topics. 
Mr.  Upton  is  also  a  stockholder  in,  and,  for  sev- 
eral years,  has  been  Vice-President  of  the  "Trib- 
une" Company.  Besides  numerous  contributions 
to  magazines,  his  works  include:  "Letters  of 
Peregrine  Pickle"  (1869) ;  "Memories,  a  Story  of 
German  Love,"  translated  from  the  German  of 
Max  Muller  (1879);  "Woman  in  Music"  (1880); 
"Lives  of  German  Composers"  (3  vols. — 1883-84); 
besides  four  volumes  of  standard  operas,  oratorios, 
cantatas,  and  symphonies  (1885-88). 

UBBANA,  a  flourishing  city,  the  county-seat 
of  Champaign  County,  on  the  "Big  Four,"  the 
Illinois  Central  and  the  Wabash  Railways:  130 
miles  south  of  Chicago  and  31  miles  west  of  Dan- 
ville; in  agricultural  and  coal-mining  region. 
The  mechanical  industries  include  extensive  rail- 
road shops,  manufacture  of  brick,  suspenders  and 
lawn-mowers.  The  Cunningham  Deaconesses' 
Home  and  Orphanage  is  located  here.  The  city 
has  water-works,  gas  and  electric  light  plants, 
electric  car-lines  (local  and  interurban),  superior 
schools,  nine  churches,  three  banks  and  three 
newspapers.  Urbana  is  the  seat  of  the  University 
of  Illinois.  Pop.  (1890),  3,511;  (1900),  5,728. 

DSREY,  William  J.,  editor  and  soldier,  was 
born  at  Washington  (near  Natchez),  Miss.,  May 
16,  1827;  was  educated  at  Natchez,  and,  before 
reaching  manhood,  came  to  Macon  County,  111., 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  until  1846,  when 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  Fourth 
Illinois  Volunteers,  for  the  Mexican  War.  In 
1855,  he  joined  with  a  Mr.  Wingate  in  the  estab- 
lishment, at  Decatur,  of  "The  Illinois  State  Chron- 
icle," of  which  he  soon  after  took  sole  charge, 
conducting  the  paper  until  1861,  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  Thirty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteers  and  was 
appointed  Adjutant.  Although  born  and  edu- 
cated in  a  slave  State,  Mr.  Usrey  was  an  earnest 
opponent  of  slavery,  as  proved  by  the  attitude  of 
his  paper  in  opposition  to  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill.  He  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  endorsers 
of  the  proposition  for  a  conference  of  the  Anti- 
Nebraska  editors  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  to  agree 
upon  a  line  of  policy  in  opposition  to  the  further 
extension  of  slavery,  and,  when  that  body  met  at 
Decatur,  on  Feb.  22,  1856,  he  served  as  its  Secre- 
tary, thus  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  initial 
steps  which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party  in  Illinois.  (See  Anti-Nebraska 


Editorial  Convention.)  After  returning  from 
the  war  he  resumed  his  place  as  editor  of  "The 
Chronicle,"  but  finally  retired  from  newspaper 
work  in  1871.  He  was  twice  Postmaster  of  the 
city  of  Decatur,  first  previous  to  1850,  and  again 
under  the  administration  of  President  Grant; 
served  also  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council  and 
was  a  member  of  the  local  Post  of  the  G.  A .  R. , 
and  Secretary  of  the  Macon  County  Association 
of  Mexican  War  Veterans.  Died,  at  Decatur, 
Jan.  20,  1894. 

UTICA,  (also  called  North  Utica),  a  village  of 
La  Salle  County,  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railway,  10  miles  west  of  Ottawa,  situated  on  the 
Illinois  River  opposite  "Starved  Rock,"  also 
believed  to  stand  on  the-  site  of  the  Kaskaskia 
village  found  by  the  French  Explorer,  La  Salle, 
when  he  first  visited  Illinois.  "Utica  cement"  is 
produced  here;  it  also  has  several  factories  or 
mills,  besides  banks  and  a  weekly  paper.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  767;  (1890),  1,094;  (1900),  1,150. 

VAN  ARNAM,  John,  lawyer  and  soldier,  was 
born  at  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  March  3,  1820.  Hav- 
ing lost  his  father  at  five  years  of  age,  he  went  to 
live  with  a  farmer,  but  ran  away  in  his  boyhood ; 
later,  began  teaching,  studied  law,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  New  York  City,  beginning 
practice  at  Marshall,  Mich.  In  1858  he  removed 
to  Chicago,  and,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Walker,  Van  Arnam  &  Dexter,  became  promi- 
nent as  a  criminal  lawyer  and  railroad  attorney, 
being  for  a  time  Solicitor  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railroad.  In  1862  he  assisted  in 
organizing  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  and  was  commissioned 
its  Colonel,  but  was  compelled  to  resign  on 
account  of  illness.  After  spending  some  time  in 
California,  he  resumed  practice  in  Chicago  in 
1865.  His  later  years  were  spent  in  California, 
dying  at  San  Diego,  in  that  State,  April  6,  1890. 

YANDALIA,  the  principal  city  and  county-seat 
of  Fayette  County.  It  is  situated  on  the  Kas- 
kaskia River,  30  miles  north  of  Centralia,  62 
miles  south  by  west  of  Decatur,  and  68  miles 
east-northeast  of  St.  Louis.  It  is  an  intersecting 
point  for  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  St.  Louis, 
Vandalia  and  Terre  Haute  Railroads.  It  was  the 
capital  of  the  State  from  1820  to  1839,  the  seat  of 
government  being  removed  to  Springfield,  the 
latter  year,  in  accordance  with  act  of  the  General 
Assembly  passed  at  the  session  of  1837.  It  con- 
tains a  court  house  (old  State  Capitol  building), 
six  churches,  two  banks,  three  weekly  papers,  a 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


543 


graded  school,  flour,  saw  and  paper  mills,  foundry, 
stave  and  heading  mill,  carriage  and  wagon 
and  brick  works.  Pop.  (1890),  2,144;  (1900),  2,665. 

VANDEVEER,  Horatio  M.,  pioneer  lawyer, 
was  born  in  Washington  County,  Ind.,  March  1, 
1816 ;  came  with  his  family  to  Illinois  at  an  early 
age,  settling  on  Clear  Creek,  now  in  Christian 
County;  taught  school  and  studied  law,  using 
books  borrowed  from  the  late  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart 
of  Springfield ;  was  elected  first  County  Recorder 
of  Christian  County  and,  soon  after,  appointed 
Circuit  Clerk,  filling  both  offices  three  years. 
He  also  held  the  office  of  County  Judge  from  1848 
to  1857 ;  was  twice  chosen  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly  (1842  and  1850)  and  once  to  the 
State  Senate  (1862);  in  1846,  enlisted  and  was 
chosen  Captain  of  a  company  for  the  Mexican 
War,  but,  having  been  rejected  on  account  of  the 
quota  being  full,  was  appointed  Assistant-Quarter- 
master, in  this  capacity  serving  on  the  staff  of 
General  Taylor  at  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista. 
Among  other  offices  held  by  Mr.  Vandeveer,  were 
those  of  Postmaster  of  Taylorville,  Master  in 
Chancery,  Presidential  Elector  (1848),  Delegate 
to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1862,  and 
Judge  Of  the  Circuit  Court  (1870-79).  In  1868 
Judge  Vandeveer  established  the  private  banking 
firm  of  H.  M.  Vandeveer  &  Co.,  at  Taylorville, 
which,  in  conjunction  with  his  sons,  he  continued 
successfully  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
Died,  March  12,  1894. 

VAN  HORNE,  William  C.,  Railway  Manager 
and  President,  was  born  in  Will  County,  111., 
February,  1843 ;  began  his  career  as  a  telegraph 
operator  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  in  1856, 
was  attached  to  the  Michigan  Central  and  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railroads  (1858-72),  later  being 
General  Manager  or  General  Superintendent  of 
various  other  lines  (1872-79).  He  next  served  as 
General  Superintendent  of  the  Chicago,  Milwau- 
kee &  St.  Paul,  but  soon  after  became  General 
Manager  of  the  Canadian  Pacific,  which  he 
assisted  to  construct  to  the  Pacific  Coast;  was 
elected  Vice-President  of  the  line  in  1884,  and  its 
President  in  1888.  His  services  have  been  recog- 
nized by  conferring  upon  him  the  order  of 
knighthood  by  the  British  Government. 

YASSEUR,  Noel  C.,  pioneer  Indian-trade^,  was 
born  of  French  parentage  in  Canada,  Dec.  25, 
1799 ;  at  the  age  of  17  made  a  trip  with  a  trading 
party  to  the  West,  crossing  Wisconsin  by  way  of 
the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  Rivers,  the  route  pursued 
by  Joliet  and  Marquette  in  1673 ;  later,  was  associ- 
ated with  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  in  the  service  of 
the  American  Fur  Company,  in  1820  visiting  the 


region  now  embraced  in  Iroquois  County,  where 
he  and  Hubbard  subsequently  established  a  trad- 
ing post  among  the  Pottawatomie  Indians, 
believed  to  have  been  the  site  of  the  present  town 
of  Iroquois.  The  way  of  reaching  their  station 
from  Chicago  was  by  the  Chicago  and  Des 
Plaines  Rivers  to  the  Kankakee,  and  ascending 
the  latter  and  the  Iroquois.  Here  Vasseur  re- 
mained in  trade  until  the  removal  of  the  Indians 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  in  which  he  served  as 
agent  of  the  Government.  While  in  the  Iroquois 
region  he  married  Watseka,  a  somewhat  famous 
Pottawatomie  woman,  for  whom  the  town  of 
Watseka  was  named,  and  who  had  previously 
been  the  Indian  wife  of  a  fellow-trader.  His 
later  years  were  spent  at  Bourbonnais  Grove,  in 
Kankakee  County,  where  he  died,  Dec.  12,  1879. 

YE  NICE,  a  city  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Mississippi  River  opposite  St.  Louis  and  2  miles 
north  of  East  St.  Louis ;  is  touched  by  six  trunk 
lines  of  railroad,  and  at  the  eastern  approach  to 
the  new  "Merchants'  Bridge,"  with  its  round- 
house, has  two  ferries  to  St.  Louis,  street  car  line, 
electric  lights,  water-works,  some  manufactures 
and  a  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890),  932;  (1900),  2,450. 

YENICE  &  CARONDELET  RAILROAD.  (See 
Louisville,  EvcMsville  &  St.  Louis  (Consolidated) 
Railroad. ) 

VERMILION  COUNTY,  an  eastern  county, 
bordering  on  the  Indiana  State  line,  and  drained 
by  the  Vermilion  and  Little  Vermilion  Rivers, 
from  which  it  takes  its  name.  It  was  originally 
organized  in  1826,  when  it  extended  north  to 
Lake  Michigan.  Its  present  area  is  926  square 
miles.  The  discovery  of  salt  springs,  in  1819, 
aided  in  attracting  immigration  to  this  region, 
but  the  manufacture  of  salt  was  abandoned 
many  years  ago.  Early  settlers  were  Seymour 
Treat,  James  Butler,  Henry  Johnston,  Harvey 
Lidington,  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  and  Daniel  W. 
Beckwith.  James  Butler  and  Achilles  Morgan 
were  the  first  County  Commissioners.  Many 
interesting  fossil  remains  have  been  found, 
among  them  the  skeleton  of  a  mastodon  (1868). 
Fire  clay  is  found  in  large  quantities,  and  two 
coal  seams  cross  the  county.  The  surface  is  level 
and  the  soil  fertile.  Corn  is  the  chief  agricultural 
product,  although  oats,  wheat,  rye,  and  potatoes 
are  extensively  cultivated.  Stock-raising  and 
wool-growing  are  important  industries.  There 
are  also  several  manufactories,  chiefly  at  Dan- 
ville, which  is  the  county-seat.  Coal  mining 
is  carried  on  extensively,  especially  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Danville.  Population  (1880),  41,588 ;  (1890), 
49,905;  (1900),  65,635. 


544 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


YERMILION  RIYER,  a  tributary  of  the  Illi- 
nois; rises  in  Ford  and  the  northern  part  of 
McLean  County,  and,  running  northwestward 
through  Livingston  and  the  southern  part  of 
La  Salle  Counties,  enters  the  Illinois  River 
nearly  opposite  the  city  of  La  Salle ;  has  a  length 
of  about  80  miles. 

VERMILION  RIYER,  an  affluent  of  the  Wa- 
bash,  formed  by  the  union  of  the  North,  Middle 
and  South  Forks,  which  rise  in  Illinois,  and 
come  together  near  Danville  in  this  State.  It 
flows  southeastward,  and  enters  the  Wabash  in 
Vermilion  County,  Ind.  The  main  stream  is 
about  28  miles  long.  The  South  Fork,  however, 
which  rises  in  Champaign  County  and  runs  east- 
ward, has  a  length  of  nearly  75  miles.  The 
Little  Vermilion  River  enters  the  Wabash  about 
7  or  8  miles  below  the  Vermilion,  which  is  some- 
times called  the  Big  Vermilion,  by  way  of 
distinction. 

VERMONT,  a  village  in  Fulton  County,  at 
junction  of  Galesburg  and  St.  Louis  Division  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  24 
miles  north  of  Beardstown ;  has  a  carriage  manu- 
factory, flour  and  saw-mills,  brick  and  tile  works, 
electric  light  plant,  besides  two  banks,  four 
churches,  two  graded  schools,  and  one  weekly 
newspaper.  An  artesian  well  has  been  sunk  here 
to  the  depth  of  2,600  feet.  Pop.  (1900),  1,195. 

VERSAILLES,  a  town  of  Brown  County,  on 
the  Wabash  Railway,  48  miles  east  of  Quincy ;  is 
in  a  timber  and  agricultural  district ;  has  a  bank 
and  weekly  newspaper.  Population  (1900),  524. 

VIENNA,  the  county-seat  of  Johnson  County, 
situated  on  the  Cairo  and  Vincennes  branch  of 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad,  36  miles  north-northwest  of  Cairo.  It 
has  a  court  house,  several  churches,  a  graded 
school,  banks  and  two  weekly  newspapers. 
Population  (1880),  494;  (1890),  828;  (1900),  1,217. 

YIGO,  Francois,  pioneer  and  early  Indian- 
trader,  was  born  at  Mondovi,  Sardinia  (Western 
Italy),  in  1747,  served  as  a  private  soldier,  first  at 
Havana  and  afterwards  at  New  Orleans.  When 
he  left  the  Spanish  army  he  came  to  St.  Louis, 
then  the  military  headquarters  of  Spain  for  Upper 
Louisiana,  where  he  became  a  partner  of  Com- 
mandant de  Leba,  and  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  fur-trade  among  the  Indians  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  Rivers.  On  the  occupation  of 
Kaskaskia  by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark  in  1778, 
he  rendered  valuable  aid  to  the  Americans,  turn- 
ing out  supplies  to  feed  Clark's  destitute  soldiers, 
and  accepting  Virginia  Continental  money,  at 
par,  in  payment,  incurring  liabilities  in  excess  of 


$20,000.  This,  followed  by  the  confiscation  policy 
of  the  British  Colonel  Hamilton,  at  Vincennes, 
where  Vigo  had  considerable  property,  reduced 
him  to  extreme  penury.  H.  W.  Beckwith  says 
that,  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  he  lived  on  his 
little  homestead  near  Vincennes,  in  great  poverty 
but  cheerful  to  the  last  He  was  never  recom- 
pensed during  his  life  for  his  sacrifices  in  behalf 
of  the  American  cause,  though  a  tardy  restitution 
was  attempted,  after  his  death,  by  the  United 
States  Government,  for  the  benefit  of  his  heirs. 
He  died,  at  a  ripe  old  age,  at  Vincennes,  Ind., 
March  22,  1835. 

VILLA  RIDGE,  a  village  of  Pulaski  County, 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  10  miles  north  of 
Cairo.  Population,  500. 

VINCENNES,  Jean  Baptiste  Bissot,  a  Canadian 
explorer,  born  at  Quebec,  January,  1688,  of  aris- 
tocratic and  wealthy  ancestry.  He  was  closely 
connected  with  Louis  Joliet  —  probably  his 
brother-in-law,  although  some  historians  say  that 
he  was  the  latter's  nephew.  He  entered  the 
Canadian  army  as  ensign  in  1701,  and  had  a  long 
and  varied  experience  as  an  Indian  fighter. 
About  1725  he  took  up  his  residence  on  what  is 
now  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Vincennes, 
Ind.,  which  is  named  in  his  honor.  Here  he 
erected  an  earth  fort  and  established  a  trading- 
post.  In  1726,  under  orders,  he  co-operated  with 
D'Artaguiette  (then  the  French  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois) in  an  expedition  against  the  Chickasaws. 
The  expedition  resulted  disastrously.  Vincennes 
and  D'Artaguiette  were  captured  and  burned 
at  the  stake,  together  with  Father  Senat  (a 
Jesuit  priest)  and  others  of  the  command. 
(See  also  D'Artaguiette;  French  Governors  of 
Illinois. ) 

VIRDEN,  a  city  of  Macoupin  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroads,  21  miles  south  by  west  from 
Springfield,  and  31  miles  east-southeast  of  Jack- 
sonville. It  has  five  churches,  two  banks,  two 
newspapers,  telephone  service,  electric  lights, 
grain  elevators,  machine  shop,  and  extensive  coal 
mines.  Pop.(1900), 2,280; (school censusl903),3,651. 

VIRGINIA,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Cass  County,  situated  at  the  intersection  of 
the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis,  with  the  Spring- 
field Division  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  South- 
western Railroad,  15  miles  north  of  Jacksonville, 
and  33  miles  west-northwest  of  Springfield.  It 
lies  in  the  heart  of  a  rich  agricultural  region. 
There  is  a  flouring  mill  here,  besides  manu- 
factories of  wagons  and  cigars.  The  city  has  two 
National  and  one  State  bank,  five  churches,  a 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


high  school,  and  two  weekly  papers.  Pop.  (1890), 
1,602;  (1900),  1,600. 

YOCKE,  William,  lawyer,  was  born  at  Min- 
den,  Westphalia  (Germany),  in  1839,  the  son  of  a 
Government  Secretary  in  the  Prussian  service. 
Having  lost  his  father  at  an  early  age,  he  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1856,  and,  after  a  short 
stay  in  New  York,  came  to  Chicago,  where  he 
found  employment  as  a  paper-carrier  for  "The 
Staats-Zeitung, "  meanwhile  giving  his  attention 
to  the  study  of  law.  Later,  he  became  associated 
with  a  real-estate  firm;  on  the  commencement 
of  the  Civil  War,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  a 
three-months'  regiment,  and,  finally,  in  the 
Twenty-fourth  Illinois  (the  first  Hecker  regi- 
ment), in  which  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Captain. 
Returning  from  the  army,  he  was  employed  as 
city  editor  of  "The  Staats-Zeitung,"  but,  in 
1865,  became  Clerk  of  the  Chicago  Police  Court, 
serving  until  1869.  Meanwhile  he  had  been 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and,  on  retirement  from 
office,  began  practice,  but,  in  1870,  was  elected 
Representative  in  the  Twenty-seventh  General 
Assembly,  in  which  he  bore  a  leading  part  in 
framing  "the  burnt  record  act"  made  necessary 
by  the  fire  of  1871.  He  has  since  been  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  having  been, 
for  a  number  of  years,  attorney  for  the  German 
Consulate  at  Chicago,  also  serving,  for  several 
years,  on  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education.  Mr. 
Vocke  is  a  man  of  high  literary  tastes,  as  shown 
by  his  publication,  in  1869,  of  a  volume  of  poems 
translated  from  the  German,  which  has  been 
highly  commended,  besides  a  legal  work  on 
"The  Administration  of  Justice  in  the  United 
States,  and  a  Synopsis  of  the  Mode  of  Procedure 
in  our  Federal  and  State  Courts  and  All  Federal 
and  State  Laws  relating  to  Subjects  of  Interest 
to  Aliens, ' '  which  has  been  published  in  the  Ger- 
man Language,  and  is  highly  valued  by  German 
lawyers  and  business  men.  Mr.  Vocke  was  a 
member  of  the  Republican  National  Convention 
of  1872  at  Philadelphia,  which  nominated  General 
Grant  for  the  Presidency  a  second  time. 

YOLK,  Leonard  Wells,  a  distinguished  Illinois 
sculptor,  born  at  Wellstown  (afterwards  Wells), 
N.  Y.,  Nov.  7,  1828.  Later,  his  father,  who  was 
a  marble  cutter ,  removed  to  Pittsfield,  Mass., 
and,  at  the  age  of  16,  Leonard  began  work  in  his 
shop.  In  1848  he  came  west  and  began  model- 
ing in  clay  and  drawing  at  St.  Louis,  being  only 
self-taught.  He  married  a  cousin  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  and  the  latter,  in  1855,  aided  him  in 
the  prosecution  of  his  art  studies  in  Italy.  Two 
years  afterward  he  settled  in  Chicago,  where  he 


modeled  the  first  portrait  bust  ever  made  in  the 
city,  having  for  his  subject  his  first  patron — the 
"Little  Giant."  The  next  year  (1858)  he  made  a 
life-size  marble  statue  of  Douglas.  In  1860  he 
made  a  portrait  bust  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  which 
passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Chicago  His- 
torical Society  and  was  destroyed  in  the  great  fire 
of  1871.  In  1868-69,  and  again  in  1871-72,  he 
revisited  Italy  for  purposes  of  study.  In  1867  he 
was  elected  academician  of  the  Chicago  Academy, 
and  was  its  President  for  eight  years.  He  was 
genial,  companionable  and  charitable,  and  always 
ready  to  assist  his  younger  and  less  fortunate  pro- 
fessional brethren.  His  best  known  works  are  the 
Douglas  Monument,  in  Chicago,  several  soldiers' 
monuments  in  different  parts  of  the  country, 
the  statuary  for  the  Henry  Keep  mausoleum  at 
Watertown,  N.  Y.,  life-size  statues  of  Lincoln 
and  Douglas,  in  the  State  House  at  Springfield, 
and  numerous  portrait  busts  of  men  eminent 
in  political,  ecclesiastical  and  commercial  life. 
Died,  at  Osceola,  Wis.,  August  18,  1895. 

YOSS,  Arno,  journalist,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
born  in  Prussia,  April  16,  1821 ;  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Chicago,  in  1848,  the  same  year  becoming  editor 
of  "The  Staats-Zeitung";  was  elected  City 
Attorney  in  1852,  and  again  In  1853;  in  1861 
became  Major  of  the  Sixth  Illinois  Cavalry,  but 
afterwards  assisted  in  organizing  the  Twelfth 
Cavalry,  of  which  he  was  commissioned  Colonel, 
still  later  serving  with  his  command  in,  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  at  Harper's  Ferry  at  the  time  of 
the  capture  of  that  place  in  September,  1862,  but 
succeeded  in  cutting  his  way,  with  his  command, 
through  the  rebel  lines,  escaping  into  Pennsyl- 
vania. Compelled  by  ill-health  to  leave  the  serv- 
ice in  1863,  he  retired  to  a  farm  in  Will  County, 
but,  in  1869,  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  served 
as  Master  in  Chancery  and  was  elected  to  the 
lower  branch  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1876, 
but  declined  a  re-election  in  1878.  Died,  in  Chi- 
cago, March  23,  1888. 

WABASH,  CHESTER  &  WESTERN  RAIL- 
ROAD,  a  railway  running  from  Chester  to  Mount 
Vernon,  111.,  63.33  miles,  with  a  branch  extend- 
ing from  Chester  to  Menard.  1.5  miles;  total 
mileage,  64.83.  It  is  of  standard  gauge,  and 
almost  entirely  laid  with  60-pound  steel  rails. — 
(HISTORY.)  It  was  organized,  Feb.  20,  1878,  as 
successor  to  the  Iron  Mountain,  Chester  &  East- 
ern Railroad.  During  the  fiscal  year  1893-94  the 
Company  purchased  the  Tamaroa  &  Mount  Ver- 
non Railroad,  extending  from  Mount  Vernon  to 


546 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Tamaroa,  22.5  miles.  Capital  stock  (1898),  $1,- 
250,000;  bonded  indebtedness,  $690,000;  total 
capitalization,  $2,028,573. 

WABASH  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  State ;  area  220  square  miles.  The 
county  was  carved  out  from  Edwards  in  1824, 
and  the  first  court  house  built  at  Centerville,  in 
May,  1826.  Later,  Mount  Carmel  was  made  the 
county -seat.  (See  Mount  Carmel.}  The  Wabash 
River  drains  the  county  on  the  east;  other 
streams  are  the  Bon  Pas,  Coffee  and  Crawfish 
Creeks.  The  surface  is  undulating  with  a  fair 
growth  of  timber.  The  chief  industries  are  the 
raising  of  live-stock  and  the  cultivation  of  cere- 
als. The  wool-crop  is  likewise  valuable.  The 
county  is  crossed  by  the  Louisville,  Evansville  & 
St.  Louis  and  the  Cairo  and  Vincennes  Division 
of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  Railroads.  Population  (1880),  4,945;  (1890), 
11,866;  (1900),  12,583. 

WABASH  RAILROAD,  an  extensive  railroad 
system  connecting  the  cities  of  Detroit  and 
Toledo,  on  the  east,  with  Kansas  City  and  Council 
Bluffs,  on  the  west,  with  branches  to  Chicago,  St. 
Louis,  Quincy  and  Altamont,  111.,  and  to  Keokuk 
and  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  The  total  mileage  (1898) 
is  1,874.96  miles,  of  which  677.4  miles  are  in  Illi- 
nois— all  of  the  latter  being  the  property  of  the 
company,  besides  176. 7  miles  of  yard-tracks,  sid- 
ings and  spurs.  The  company  has  trackage 
privileges  over  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  (6.5 
miles)  between  Elvaston  and  Keokuk  bridge,  and 
over  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  (21.8 
miles)  between  Camp  Point  and  Quincy. — (His- 
TORY.)  A  considerable  portion  of  this  road  in 
Illinois  is  constructed  on  the  line  upon  which  the 
Northern  Cross  Railroad  was  projected,  in  the 
"internal  improvement"  scheme  adopted  in  1837, 
and  embraces  the  only  section  of  road  completed 
under  that  scheme — that  between  the  Illinois 
River  and  Springfield.  (1)  The  construction  of 
this  section  was  begun  by  the  State,  May  11, 
1837,  the  first  rail  laid,  May  9,  1838,  the  road 
completed  to  Jacksonville,  Jan.  1,  1840,  and  to 
Springfield,  May  13,  1842.  It  was  operated  for  a 
time  by  "mule  power,"  but  the  income  was  in- 
sufficient to  keep  the  line  in  repair  and  it  was 
finally  abandoned.  In  1847  the  line  was  sold  for 
$21,100  to  N.  H.  Ridgely  and  Thomas  Mather  of 
Springfield,  and  by  them  transferred  to  New 
York  capitalists,  who  organized  the  Sangamon  & 
Morgan  Railroad  Company,  reconstructed  the 
road  from  Springfield  to  Naples  and  opened  it  for 
business  in  1849.  (2)  In  1853  two  corporations 
•were  organized  in  Ohio  and  Indiana,  respectively, 


under  the  name  of  the  Toledo  &  Illinois  Railroad 
and  the  Lake  Erie,  Wabash  &  St.  Louis  Railroad, 
which  were  consolidated  as  the  Toledo,  Wabash 
&  Western  Railroad,  June  25,  1856.  In  1858 
these  lines  were  sold  separately  under  foreclo- 
sure, and  finally  reorganized,  under  a  special  char- 
ter granted  by  the  Illinois  Legislature,  under  the 
name  of  the  Great  Western  Railroad  Company. 
(3)  The  Quincy  &  Toledo  Railroad,  extending 
from  Camp  Point  to  the  Illinois  River  opposite 
Meredosia,  was  constructed  in  1858-59,  and  that, 
with  the  Illinois  &  Southern  Iowa  (from  Clay- 
ton to  Keokuk),  was  united,  July  1,  1865,  with 
the  eastern  divisions  extending  to  Toledo,  the 
new  organization  taking  "the  name  of  the  main 
line,  (Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western).  (4)  The 
Hannibal  &  Naples  Division  (49.6  miles),  from 
Bluffs  to  Hannibal,  Mo.,  was  chartered  in  1863, 
opened  for  business  in  1870  and  leased  to  the 
Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western.  The  latter  defaulted 
on  its  interest  in  1875,  was  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  receiver  and,  in  1877,  was  turned  over  to  a 
new  company  under  the  name  of  the  Wabash 
Railway  Company.  (5)  In  1868  the  company, 
as  it  then  existed,  promoted  and  secured  the  con- 
struction, and  afterwards  acquired  the  owner- 
ship, of  a  line  extending  from  Decatur  to  East  St. 
Louis  (110.5  miles)  under  the  name  of  the  Deca- 
tur &  East  St.  Louis  Railroad.  (6)  The  Eel  River 
Railroad,  from  Butler  to  Logansport,  Ind.,  was 
acquired  in  1877,  and  afterwards  extended  to 
Detroit  under  the  name  of  the  Detroit,  Butler  & 
St.  Louis  Railroad,  completing  the  connection 
from  Logansport  to  Detroit. — In  November,  1879, 
the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany was  organized,  took  the  property  and  con- 
solidated it  with  certain  lines  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  of  which  the  chief  was  the  St.  Louis, 
Kansas  City  &  Northern.  A  line  had  been  pro- 
jected from  Decatur  to  Chicago  as  early  as  1870, 
but,  not  having  been  constructed  in  1881,  the 
Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  purchased  what  was 
known  as  the  Chicago  &  Paducah  Railroad, 
uniting  with  the  main  line  at  Bement,  and  (by 
way  of  the  Decatur  and  St.  Louis  Division)  giv- 
ing a  direct  line  between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis. 
At  this  time  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  was 
operating  the  following  additional  leased  lines: 
Pekin,  Lincoln  &  Decatur  (67.2  miles);  Hannibal 
&  Central  Missouri  (70.2  miles);  Lafayette,  Mun- 
cie  &  Bloomington  (36. 7  miles),  and  the  Lafayette 
Bloomington  &  Muncie  (80  miles).  A  connection 
between  Chicago  on  the  west  and  Toledo  and 
Detroit  on  the  east  was  established  over  the 
Grand  Trunk  road  in  1882,  but,  in  1890,  the  com- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


547 


pany  constructed  a  line  from  Montpelier,  Ohio,  to 
Clark,  Ind.  (149.7  miles),  thence  by  track  lease 
to  Chicago  (17.5  miles),  giving  an  independent 
line  between  Chicago  and  Detroit  by  what  is 
known  to  investors  as  the  Detroit  &  Chicago 
Division. 

The  total  mileage  of  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  & 
Pacific  system,  in  1884,  amounted  to  over  3,600 
miles ;  but,  in  May  of  that  year,  default  having 
been  made  in  the  payment  of  interest,  the  work 
of  disintegration  began.  The  main  line  east  of 
the  Mississippi  and  that  on  the  west  were  sepa- 
rated, the  latter  taking  the  name  of  the  "Wabash 
Western."  The  Eastern  Division  was  placed  in 
the  hands  of  a  receiver,  so  remaining  until  May, 
1889,  when  the  two  divisions,  having  been 
bought  in  by  a  purchasing  committee,  were 
consolidated  under  the  present  name.  The  total 
earnings  and  income  of  the  road  in  Illinois,  for 
the  fiscal  year  1898,  were  $4,402,621,  and  the 
expenses  $4,836,110.  The  total  capital  invested 
(1898)  was  $139,889,643,  including  capital  stock 
of  $52,000,000  and  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $81,- 
534,000. 

WABASH  RIYER,  rises  in  northwestern  Ohio, 
passes  into  Indiana,  and  runs  northwest  to  Hun- 
tington.  It  then  flows  nearly  due  west  to  Logans- 
port,  thence  southwest  to  Covington,  finally 
turning  southward  to  Terre  Haute,  a  few  miles 
below  which  it  strikes  the  western  boundary  of 
Indiana.  It  forms  the  boundary  between  Illinois 
and  Indiana  (taking  into  account  its  numerous 
windings)  for  spme  200  miles.  Below  Vincennes 
it  runs  in  a  south-southwesterly  direction,  and 
enters  the  Ohio  at  the  south-west  extremity  of 
Indiana,  near  latitude  37°  49'  north.  Its  length 
is  estimated  at  557  miles. 

WABASH  &  MISSISSIPPI  RAILROAD. 
(See  Illinois  Central  Railroad.) 

WABASH,  ST.  LOUIS  &  PACIFIC  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Wabash  Railroad.) 

WABASH  &  WESTERN  RAILROAD.  (See 
Wabash  Railroad.) 

WAIT,  William  Smith,  pioneer,  and  original 
suggestor  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  was 
born  in  Portland,  Maine,  March  5,  1789,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place. 
In  his  youth  he  entered  a  book-publishing  house 
in  which  his  father  was  a  partner,  and  was  for  a 
time  associated  with  the  publication  of  a  weekly 
paper.  Later  the  business  was  conducted  at 
Boston,  and  extended  over  the  Eastern,  Middle, 
and  Southern  States,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
making  extensive  tours  in  the  interest  of  the 
firm.  In  1817  he  made  a  tour  to  the  West, 


reaching  St.  Louis,  and,  early  in  the  following 
year,  visited  Bond  County,  111.,  where  he  made 
his  first  entry  of  land  from  the  Government. 
Returning  to  Boston  a  few  months  later,  he  con- 
tinued in  the  service  of  the  publishing  firm  until 

1820,  when  he  again  came  to  Illinois,  and,   in 

1821,  began  farming  in  Ripley  Township,  Bond 
County.     Returning  East  in  1824,  he  spent  the 
next  ten  years  in  the  employment  of  the  publish- 
ing firm,   with  occasional  visits  to  Illinois.     In 
1835    he  located   permanently  near    Greenville, 
Bond  County,  and  engaged  extensively  in  farm- 
ing and  fruit-raising,  planting  one  of  the  largest 
apple  orchards  in  the  State  at  that  early  day.     Irt 
1845  he  presided  as  chairman  over  the  National 
Industrial    Convention    in    New   York,  and,  irt 
1848,  was    nominated  as  the   candidate  of   the 
National  Reform  Association  for  Vice-President 
on  the  ticket  with  Gerrit  Smith  of  New  York, 
but  declined.     He  was  also  prominent  in  County 
and  State  Agricultural  Societies.     Mr  Wait  has 
been  credited  with  being  one  of  the  first  (if  not 
the  very  first)  to  suggest  the  construction  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  which  he  did  as  early 
as  1835;  was  also  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the 
construction  of  the  Mississippi  &  Atlantic  Rail- 
road— now  the  "Vandalia  Line" — giving   much 
time  to  the  latter  enterprise  from  1846  for  many 
years,  and  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators 
of   the    St.   Louis  &  Illinois    Bridge    Company. 
Died,  July  17,  1865. 

WALKER,  Cyrus,  pioneer,  lawyer,  born  in 
Rockbridge  County,  Va.,  May  14,  1791;  was  taken 
while  an  infant  to  Adair  County,  Ky.,  and  came 
to  Macomb,  111. ,  in  1833,  being  the  second  lawyer 
to  locate  in  McDonough  County.  He  had  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  successful  advocate,  especially  in 
criminal  cases,  and  practiced  extensively  in  the 
courts  of  Western  Illinois  and  also  in  Iowa.  Died, 
Dec.  1,  1875.  Mr.  Walker  was  uncle  of  the  late 
Pinkney  H.  Walker  of  the  Supreme  Court,  who 
studied  law  with  him.  He  was  Whig  candidate 
for  Presidential  Elector  for  the  State-at-large  in 
1840. 

WALKER,  James  Barr,  clergyman,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  July  29,  1805;  in  his  youth 
served  as  errand-boy  in  a  country  store  near 
Pittsburg  and  spent  four  years  in  a  printing 
office ;  then  became  clerk  in  the  office  of  Mordecai 
M.  Noah,  in  New  York,  studied  law  and  gradu- 
ated from  Western  Reserve  College,  Ohio ;  edited 
various  religious  papers,  including  "The  Watch- 
man of  the  Prairies"  (now  "The  Advance")  of 
Chicago,  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Chicago,  and  for  some  time  was  lecturer  on 


548 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


"Harmony  between  Science  and  Revealed  Reli- 
gion" at  Oberlin  College  and  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary.  He  was  author  of  several  volumes, 
one  of  which — "The  Philosophy  of  the  Plan  of 
Salvation,"  published  anonymously  under  the 
editorship  of  Prof.  Calvin  E.  Stowe  (1855) — ran 
through  several  editions  and  was  translated  into 
five  different  languages,  including  Hindustanee. 
Died,  at  Wheaton,  111.,  March  6,  1887. 

WALKER,  James  Monroe,  corporation  lawyer 
and  Railway  President,  was  born  at  Claremont, 
N.  H.,  Feb.  14,  1820.  At  fifteen  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  a  farm  in  Michigan ;  was  educated 
at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  at  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan, Ann  Arbor,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1849.  He  then  entered  a  law  office  as  clerk  and 
student,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  next  year, 
and  soon  after  elected  Prosecuting  Attorney  of 
Washtenaw  County;  was  also  local  attorney  for 
the  Michigan  Central  Railway,  for  which,  after 
his  removal  to  Chicago  in  1853,  he  became  Gen- 
eral Solicitor.  Two  years  later  the  firm  of  Sedg- 
wick  &  Walker,  which  had  been  organized  in 
Michigan,  became  attorneys  for  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  and,  until  his 
death,  Mr.  Walker  was  associated  with  this  com- 
pany, either  as  General  Solicitor,  General  Counsel 
or  President,  filling  the  latter  position  from  1870 
to  1875.  Mr.  Walker  organized  both  the  Chicago 
and  Kansas  City  stock-yards,  and  was  President 
of  these  corporations,  as  also  of  the  Wilmington 
Coal  Company,  down  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  Jan.  22,  1881,  as  a  result  of 
heart  disease. 

WALKER,  (Rev.)  Jesse,  Methodist  Episcopal 
missionary,  was  born  in  Rockingham  County, 
Va.,  June  9,  1766;  in  1800  removed  to  Tennessee, 
became  a  traveling  preacher  in  1802,  and,  in 
1806,  came  to  Illinois  under  the  presiding-elder- 
ship  of  Rev.  William  McKendree  (afterwards 
Bishop),  locating  first  at  Turkey  Hill,  St.  Clair 
County.  In  1807  he  held  a  camp  meeting  near 
Edwardsville — the  first  on  Illinois  soil.  Later, 
he  transferred  his  labors  to  Northern  Illinois; 
was  at  Peoria  in  1824;  at  Ottawa  in  1825,  and 
devoted  much  time  to  missionary  work  among 
the  Pottawatomies,  maintaining  a  school  among 
them  for  a  time.  He  visited  Chicago  in  1826,  and 
there  is  evidence  that  he  was  a  prominent  resident 
there  for  several  years,  occupying  a  log  house, 
which  he  used  as  a  church  and  living-room,  on 
c'Wolf  Point"  at  the  junction  of  the  North  and 
South  Branches  of  the  Chicago  River.  While 
acting  as  superintendent  of  the  Fox  River  mis- 
sion, his  residence  appears  to  have  been  at  Plain- 


field,  in  the  northern  part  of  Will  County.  Died, 
Oct.  5,  1835. 

WALKER,  Pinkney  H.,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Adair  County,  Ky.,  June  18,  1815. 
His  boyhood  was  chiefly  passed  in  farm  work  and 
as  clerk  in  a  general  store ;  in  1834  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois, settling  at  Rushville,  where  he  worked  in  a 
store  for  four  years.  In  1838  he  removed  to 
Macomb,  where  he  began  attendance  at  an  acad- 
emy and  the  study  of  law  with  his  uncle,  Cyrus 
Walker,  a  leading  lawyer  of  his  time.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1839,  practicing  at  Macomb 
until  1848,  when  he  returned  to  Rushville.  In 
1853  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Fifth  Judicial 
Circuit,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  re-elected  in  1855. 
This  position  he  resigned  in  1858,  having  been 
appointed,  by  Governor  Bissell,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  occasioned  by 
the  resignation  of  Judge  Skinner.  Two  months 
later  he  was  elected  to  the  same  position,  and 
re-elected  in  1867  and  '76.  He  presided  as  Chief 
Justice  from  January,  1864,  to  June,  '67,  and 
again  from  June,  1874,  to  June,  '75.  Before  the 
expiration  of  his  last  term  he  died,  Feb.  7,  1885. 

WALL,  George  Willard,  lawyer,  politician  and 
Judge,  was  born  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  April  22, 
1839;  brought  to  Perry  County,  111.,  in  infancy, 
and  received  his  preparatory  education  at  McKen. 
dree  College,  finally  graduating  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  in  1858,  and  from  the 
Cincinnati  Law  School  in  1859,  when  he  began 
practice  at  Duquoin,  111.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1862,  and,  from 
1864  to  '68,  served  as  State's  Attorney  for  the 
Third  Judicial  District ;  was  also  a  Delegate  to  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70.  In 
1872  he  was  an  unsuccessful  Democratic  candi- 
date for  Congress,  although  running  ahead  of  his 
ticket.  In  1877  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of 
the  Third  Circuit,  and  re-elected  in  '79,  '85  and 
'91,  much  of  the  time  since  1877  being  on  duty 
upon  the  Appellate  bench.  His  home  is  at 
Duquoin. 

WALLACE,  (Rev.)  Peter,  D.D.,  clergyman 
and  soldier;  was  born  in  Mason  County,  Ky., 
April  11,  1813;  taken  in  infancy  to  Brown 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  grew  up  on  a  farm  until 
15  years  of  age,  when  he  was  apprenticed  to  a 
carpenter;  at  the  age  of  20  came  to  Illinois, 
where  he  became  a  contractor  and  builder,  fol- 
lowing this  occupation  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
was  converted  in  1835  at  Springfield,  111.,  and, 
some  years  later,  having  decided  to  enter  the 
ministry,  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  Conference 
as  a  deacon  by  Bishop  E.  S.  Janes  in  1855,  and 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


549 


placed  in  charge  of  the  Danville  Circuit.  Two 
years  later  he  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Scott,  and, 
in  the  next  few  years,  held  pastorates  at  various 
places  in  the  central  and  eastern  parts  of  the 
State.  From  1867  to  1874  he  was  Presiding  Elder 
of  the  Mattoon  and  Quincy  Districts,  and,  for  six 
years,  held  the  position  of  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Chaddock  College  at  Quincy,  from 
which  he  received  the  degree  of  D.D.  in  1881. 
In  the  second  year  of  the  Civil  War  he  raised  a 
company  in  Sangamon  County,  was  chosen 
its  Captain  and  assigned  to  the  Seventy-third 
Illinois  Volunteers,  known  as  the  "preachers' 
regiment" — all  of  its  officers  being  ministers.  In 
1864  he  was  compelled  by  ill-health  to  resign  his 
commission.  While  pastor  of  the  church  at  Say- 
brook,  111.,  he  was  offered  the  position  of  Post- 
master of  that  place,  which  he  decided  to  accept, 
and  was  allowed  to  retire  from  the  active  minis- 
try. On  retirement  from  office,  in  1884,  he 
removed  to  Chicago.  In  1889  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Fifer  the  first  Chaplain  of  the  Sol- 
diers' and  Sailors'  Home  at  Quincy,  but  retired 
some  four  years  afterward,  when  he  returned  to 
Chicago.  Dr.  Wallace  was  an  eloquent  and 
effective  preacher  and  continued  to  preach,  at 
intervals,  until  within  a  short  time  of  his  decease, 
which  occurred  in  Chicago,  Feb.  21,  1897,  in  his 
84th  year.  A  zealous  patriot,  he  frequently 
spoke  very  effectively  upon  the  political  rostrum. 
Originally  a  Whig,  he  became  a  Republican  on 
the  organization  of  that  party,  and  took  pride  in 
the  fact  that  the  first  vote  he  ever  cast  was  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  for  Representative  in  the  Legis- 
lature, in  1834.  He  was  a  Knight  Templar,  Vice- 
President  of  the  Tippecanoe  Club  of  Chicago, 
and,  at  his  death,  Chaplain  of  America  Post,  No. 
708,  G.  A.  R. 

WALLACE,  William  Henry  Lamb,  lawyer  and 
soldier,  was  born  at  Urbana,  Ohio,  July  8,  1821 ; 
brought  to  Illinois  in  1833,  his  father  settling 
near  La  Salle  and,  afterwards,  at  Mount  Morris, 
Ogle  County,  where  young  Wallace  attended  the 
Rock  River  Seminary ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1845 ;  in  1846  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  First  Illi- 
nois Volunteers  (Col.  John  J.  Hardin's  regiment), 
for  the  Mexican  War,  rising  to  the  rank  of  Adju- 
tant and  participting  in  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista 
(where  his  commander  was  killed),  and  in  other 
engagements.  Returning  to  his  profession  at 
Ottawa,  he  served  as  District  Attorney  (1852-56), 
then  became  partner  of  his  father-in-law,  Col. 
T.  Lyle  Dickey,  afterwards  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
In  April,  1861,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  answer 
the  call  for  troops  by  enlisting,  and  became  Colo- 


nel of  the  Eleventh  Illinois  (three-months' 
men),  afterwards  re-enlisting  for  three  years. 
As  commander  of  a  brigade  he  participated  in 
the  capture  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1862,  receiving  promotion  as  Brigadier- 
General  for  gallantry.  At  Pittsburg  Landing 
(Shiloh),  as  commander  of  Gen.  C.  F.  Smith's 
Division,  devolving  on  him  on  account  of  the 
illness  of  his  superior  officer,  he  showed  great 
courage,  but  fell  mortally  wounded,  dying  at 
Charleston,  Tenn.,  April  10,  1862.  His  career 
promised  great  brilliancy  and  his  loss  was  greatly 
deplored. — Martin  R.  M.  (  Wallace),  brother  of 
the  preceding,  was  born  at  Urbana,  Ohio,  Sept. 
29,  1829,  came  to  La  Salle  County,  111.,  with  his 
father's  family  and  was  educated  in  the  local 
schools  and  at  Rock  River  Seminary ;  studied  law 
at  Ottawa,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1856, 
soon  after  locating  in  Chicago.  In  1861  he 
assisted  in  organizing  the  Fourth  Regiment  Illi- 
nois Cavalry,  of  which  he  became  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  and  was  complimented,  in  1865,  with  the 
rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-General.  After  the 
war  he  served  as  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue 
(1866-69) ;  County  Judge  (1869-77) ;  Prosecuting 
Attorney  (1884) ;  and,  for  many  years  past,  has 
been  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  of  the  city 
of  Chicago. 

WALNUT,  a  .town  of  Bureau  County,  on  the 
Mendota  and  Fulton  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railroad,  26  miles  west  of 
Mendota;  is  in  a  farming  and  stock-raising  dis- 
trict ;  has  two  banks  and  two  newspapers.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  605;  (1900),  791. 

WAR  OF  1812.  Upon  the  declaration  of  war 
by  Congress,  in  June,  1812,  the  Pottawatomies, 
and  most  of  the  other  tribes  of  Indians  in  the 
Territory  of  Illinois,  strongly  sympathized  with 
the  British.  The  savages  had  been  hostile  and 
restless  for  some  time  previous,  and  blockhouses 
and  family  forts  had  been  erected  at  a  number 
of  points,  especially  in  the  settlements  most 
exposed  to  the  incursions  of  the  savages.  Gov- 
ernor Edwards,  becoming  apprehensive  of  an 
outbreak,  constructed  Fort  Russell,  a  few  miles 
from  Edwardsville.  Taking  the  field  in  person, 
he  made  this  his  headquarters,  and  collected  a 
force  of  250  mounted  volunteers,  who  were  later 
reinforced  by  two  companies  of  rangers,  under 
Col.  William  Russell,  numbering  about  100  men. 
An  independent  company  of  twenty-one  spies,  of 
which  John  Reynolds — afterwards  Governor — 
was  a  member,  was  also  formed  and  led  by  Capt. 
Samuel  Judy.  The  Governor  organized  his  little 
army  into  two  regiments  under  Colonels  Rector 


550 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  Stephenson,  Colonel  Russell  serving  as 
second  to  the  commander-in-chief,  other  mem- 
bers of  his  staff  being  Secretary  Nathaniel  Pope 
and  Robert  K.  McLaughlin.  On  Oct.  18,  1812, 
Governor  Edwards,  with  his  men,  set  out  for 
Peoria,  where  it  was  expected  that  their  force 
would  meet  that  of  General  Hopkins,  who  had 
been  sent  from  Kentucky  with  a  force  of  2,000 
men.  En  route,  two  Kickapoo  villages  were 
burned,  and  a  number  of  Indians  unnecessarily 
slain  by  Edwards'  party.  Hopkins  had  orders  to 
disperse  the  Indians  on  the  Illinois  and  Wabash 
Rivers,  and  destroy  their  villages.  He  deter- 
mined, however,  on  reaching  the  headwaters  of 
the  Vermilion  to  proceed  no  farther.  Governor 
Edwards  reached  the  head  of  Peoria  Lake,  but, 
failing  to  meet  Hopkins,  returned  to  Fort  Russell. 
About  the  same  time  Capt.  Thomas  E.  Craig  led 
a  party,  in  two  boats,  up  the  Illinois  River  to 
Peoria.  His  boats,  as  he  alleged,  having  been 
fired  upon  in  the  night  by  Indians,  who  were  har- 
bored and  protected  by  the  French  citizens  of 
Peoria,  he  burned  the  greater  part  of  the  village, 
and  capturing  the  population,  carried  them  down 
the  river,  putting  them  on  shore,  in  the  early  part 
of  the  winter,  just  below  Alton.  Other  desultory 
expeditions  marked  the  campaigns  of  1813  and 
1814.  The  Indians  meanwhile  gaining  courage, 
remote  settlements  were  continually  harassed 
by  marauding  bands.  Later  in  1814,  an  expedi- 
tion, led  by  Major  (afterwards  President)  Zachary 
Taylor,  ascended  the  Mississippi  as  far  as  Rock 
Island,  where  he  found  a  large  force  of  Indians, 
supported  by  British  regulars  with  artillery. 
Finding  himself  unable  to  cope  with  so  formida- 
ble a  foe,  Major  Taylor  retreated  down  the  river. 
On  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Warsaw  he 
threw  up  fortifications,  which  he  named  Fort 
Edwards,  from  which  point  he  was  subsequently 
compelled  to  retreat.  The  same  year  the  British, 
with  their  Indian  allies,  descended  from  Macki- 
nac,  captured  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  burned  Forts 
Madison  and  Johnston,  after  which  they  retired 
to  Cap  au  Gris.  The  treaty  of  Ghent,  signed 
Dec.  24,  1814,  closed  the  war,  although  no  formal 
treaties  were  made  with  the  tribes  until  the  year 
following. 

WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  At  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War,  the  executive  chair,  in  Illinois, 
was  occupied  by  Gov.  Richard  Yates.  Immedi- 
ately upon  the  issuance  of  President  Lincoln's 
first  call  for  troops  (April  15,  1861),  the  Governor 
issued  his  proclamation  summoning  the  Legisla- 
ture together  in  special  session  and,  the  same 
day,  issued  a  call  for  "six  regiments  of  militia," 


the  quota  assigned  to  the  State  under  call  of  the 
President.  Public  excitement  was  at  fever  heat, 
and  dormant  patriotism  in  both  sexes  was 
aroused  as  never  before.  Party  lines  were 
broken  down  and,  with  comparatively  few  excep- 
tions, the  mass  of  the  people  were  actuated  by  a 
common  sentiment  of  patriotism.  On  April  19, 
Governor  Yates  was  instructed,  by  the  Secretary 
of  War,  to  take  possession  of  Cairo  as  an  important 
strategic  point.  At  that  time,  the  State  militia 
organizations  were  few  in  number  and  poorly 
equipped,  consisting  chiefly  of  independent  com- 
panies in  the  larger  cities.  The  Governor  acted 
with  great  promptitude,  and,  on  April  21,  seven 
companies,  numbering  595  men,  commanded  by 
Gen.  Richard  K.  Swift  of  Chicago,  were  en  route 
to  Cairo.  The  first  volunteer  company  to  tender 
its  services,  in  response  to  Governor  Yates'  proc- 
lamation, on  April  16,  was  the  Zouave  Grays  of 
Springfield.  Eleven  other  companies  were  ten- 
dered the  same  day,  and,  by  the  evening  of  the 
18th,  the  number  had  been  increased  to  fifty. 
Simultaneously  with  these  proceedings,  Chicago 
bankers  tendered  to  the  Governor  a  war  loan  of 
$500,000,  and  those  of  Springfield,  §100,000.  The 
Legislature,  at  its  special  session,  passed  acts  in- 
creasing the  efficiency  of  the  militia  law,  and 
provided  for  the  creation  of  a  war  fund  of  §2,- 
000, 000.  Besides  the  six  regiments  already  called 
for,  the  raising  of  ten  additional  volunteer  regi- 
ments and  one  battery  of  light  artillery  was 
authorized.  The  last  of  the  six  regiments, 
apportioned  to  Illinois  under  the  first  presidential 
call,  was  dispatched  to  Cairo  early  in  May.  The 
six  regiments  were  numbered  the  Seventh  to 
Twelfth,  inclusive — the  earlier  numbers,  First  to 
Sixth,  being  conceded  to  the  six  regiments  which 
had  served  in  the  war  \vith  Mexico.  The  regi- 
ments were  commanded,  respectively,  by  Colonels 
John  Cook,  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  Eleazer  A.  Paine, 
James  D.  Morgan,  William  H.  L.  Wallace,  and 
John  Me  Arthur,  constituting  the  ."First  Brigade 
of  Illinois  Volunteers."  Benjamin  M.  Prentiss, 
having  been  chosen  Brigadier-General  on  arrival 
at  Cairo,  assumed  command,  relieving  General 
Swift.  The  quota  under  the  second  call,  consist- 
ing of  ten  regiments,  was  mustered  into  service 
within  sixty  days,  200  companies  being  tendered 
immediately.  Many  more  volunteered  than  could 
be  accepted,  and  large  numbers  crossed  to  Mis- 
souri and  enlisted  in  regiments  forming  in  that 
State.  During  June  and  July  the  Secretary  of 
War  authorized  Governor  Yates  to  recruit  twenty- 
two  additional  regiments  (seventeen  infantry  and 
five  cavalry),  which  were  promptly  raised.  On 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


551 


July  22,  the  day  following  the  defeat  of  the  Union 
army  at  Bull  Run,  President  Lincoln  called  for 
500,000  more  volunteers.  Governor  Yates  im- 
mediately responded  with  an  offer  to  the  War 
Department  of  sixteen  more  regiments  (thirteen 
of  infantry  and  three  of  cavalry),  and  a  battalion 
of  artillery,  adding,  that  the  State  claimed  it  as 
her  right,  to  do  her  full  share  toward  the  preser- 
vation of  the  Union.  Under  supplemental  author- 
ity, received  from  the  Secretary  of  War  in 
August,  1861,  twelve  additional  regiments  of  in- 
fantry and  five  of  cavalry  were  raised,  and,  by  De- 
cember, 1861,  the  State  had  43,000  volunteers  in 
the  field  and  17,000  in  camps  of  instruction. 
Other  calls  were  made  in  July  and  August,  1802, 
«ach  for  300,000  men.  Illinois'  quota,  under  both 
calls,  was  over  52,000  men,  no  regard  being  paid 
to  the  fact  that  the  State  had  already  furnished 
16,000  troops  in  excess  of  its  quotas  under  previ- 
ous calls.  Unless  this  number  of  volunteers  was 
raised  by  September  1,  a  draft  would  be  ordered. 
The  tax  was  a  severe  one,  inasmuch  as  it  would 
fall  chiefly  upon  the  prosperous  citizens,  the  float- 
ing population,  the  idle  and  the  extremely  poor 
having  already  followed  the  army's  march,  either 
as  soldiers  or  as  camp-followers.  But  recruiting 
was  actively  carried  on,  and,  aided  by  liberal 
bounties  in  many  of  the  counties,  in  less  than  a 
fortnight  the  52,000  new  troops  were  secured,  the 
volunteers  coming  largely  from  the  substantial 
classes  —  agricultural,  mercantile,  artisan  and 
professional.  By  the  end  of  December,  fifty-nine 
regiments  and  four  batteries  had  been  dispatched 
to  the  front,  besides  a  considerable  number  to  fill 
up  regiments  already  in  che  field,  which  had  suf- 
fered severely  from  battle,  exposure  and  disease. 
At  this  time,  Illinois  had  an  aggregate  of  over 
135,000  enlisted  men  in  the  field.  The  issue  of 
President  Lincoln's  preliminary  proclamation  of 
•emancipation,  in  September,  1862,  was  met  by  a 
storm  of  hostile  criticism  from  his  political 
opponents,  who — aided  by  the  absence  of  so 
large  a  proportion  of  the  loyal  population  of  the 
State  in  the  field — were  able  to  carry  the  elec- 
tions of  that  year.  Consequently,  when  the 
Twenty-third  General  Assembly  convened  in 
regular  session  at  Springfield,  on  Jan.  5,  1863,  a 
large  majority  of  that  body  was  not  only  opposed 
to  both  the  National  and  State  administrations, 
but  avowedly  opposed  to  the  further  prosecution 
of  the  war  under  the  existing  policy.  The  Leg- 
islature reconvened  in  June,  but  was  prorogued 
by  Governor  Yates  Between  Oct.  1,  1863,  and 
July  1,  1864,  16,000  veterans  re-enlisted  and 
57,000  new  volunteers  were  enrolled;  and,  by  the 


date  last  mentioned,  Illinois  had  furnished  to  the 
Union  army  244,496  men,  being  14,596  in  ex- 
cess of  the  allotted  quotas,  constituting  fifteen 
per  cent  of  the  entire  population.  These  were 
comprised  in  151  regiments  of  infantry,  17  of 
cavalry  and  two  complete  regiments  of  artillery, 
besides  twelve  independent  batteries.  The  total 
losses  of  Illinois  organizations,  during  the  war, 
has  been  reported  at  34,834,  of  which  5,874  were 
killed  in  battle,  4,020  died  from  wounds,  22,786 
from  disease  and  2,154  from  other  causes — being 
a  total  of  thirteen  per  cent  of  the  entire  force  of 
the  State  in  the  service.  The  part  which  Illinois 
played  in  the  contest  was  conspicuous  for  patriot- 
ism, promptness  in  response  to  every  call,  and 
the  bravery  and  efficiency  of  its  troops  in  the 
field — reflecting  honor  upon  the  State  and  its  his- 
tory. Nor  were  its  loyal  citizens — who,  while 
staying  at  home,  furnished  moral  and  material 
support  to  the  men  at  the  front — less  worthy  of 
praise  than  those  who  volunteered.  By  uphold- 
ing the  Government — National  and  State — and 
by  their  zeal  and  energy  in  collecting  and  sending 
forward  immense  quantities  of  supplies — surgical, 
medical  and  other — often  at  no  little  sacrifice, 
they  contributed  much  to  the  success  of  the 
Union  arms.  (See  also  Camp  Douglas;  Camp 
Douglas  Conspiracy;  Secret  Treasonable  Soci- 
eties. ) 

WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION  (HISTORY  OF  ILLI- 
NOIS REGIMENTS).  The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
various  military  organizations  mustered  into  the 
service  during  the  Civil  War  (1861-65),  with  the 
terms  of  service  and  a  summary  of  the  more 
important  events  in  the  history  of  each;  while 
in  the  field : 

SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Illinois  having  sent  six 
regiments  to  the  Mexican  War,  by  courtesy  the 
numbering  of  the  regiments  which  took  part  in 
the  war  for  the  Union  began  with  number 
Seven.  A  number  of  regiments  which  responded 
to  the  first  call  of  the  President,  claimed  the  right 
to  be  recognized  as  the  first  regiment  in  the 
field,  but  the  honor  was  finally  accorded  to  that 
organized  at  Springfield  by  Col.  John  Cook,  and 
hence  his  regiment  was  numbered  Seventh.  It 
was  mustered  into  the  service,  April  25,  1861,  and 
remained  at  Mound  City  during  the  three  months' 
service,  the  period  of  its  first  enlistment.  It  was 
subsequently  reorganized  and  mustered  for  the 
three  years'  service,  July  25,  1861,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh, 
Corinth,  Cherokee,  Allatoona  Pass,  Salkahatchie 
Swamp,  Bentonville  and  Columbia.  The  regi- 
ment re-enlisted  as  veterans  at  Pulaski,  Tenn., 


552 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Dec.  22,  1863;  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
July  9,  1865,  and  paid  off  and  discharged  at 
Springfield,  July  11. 

EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
and  mustered  in  for  three  months'  service,  April 
26,  1861,  Richard  J.  Oglesby  of  Decatur,  being 
appointed  Colonel.  It  remained  at  Cairo  during 
its  term  of  service,  when  it  was  mustered  out. 
July  25,  1861,  it  was  reorganized  and  mustered  in 
for  three  years'  service.  It  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  Port  Gibson, 
Thompson  Hill,  Raymond,  Champion  Hill,  Vicks- 
burg,  Brownsville,  and  Spanish  Fort ;  re-enlisted 
as  veterans,  March  24,  1864 ;  was  mustered  out  at 
Baton  Rouge,  May  4,  1866,  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged, May  13,  having  served  five  years. 

NINTH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  the  service 
at  Springfield,  April  26,  1861,  for  the  term  of 
three  months,  under  Col.  Eleazer  A.  Paine.  It 
was  reorganized  at  Cairo,  in  August,  for  three 
years,  being  composed  of  companies  from  St. 
Clair,  Madison,  Montgomery,  Pulaski,  Alexander 
and  Mercer  Counties ;  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donel- 
son, Shiloh,  Jackson  (Tenn.),  Meed  Creek 
Swamps,  Salem,  Wyatt,  Florence,  Montezuma, 
Athens  and  Grenada.  The  regiment  was  mounted, 
March  15,  1863,  and  so  continued  during  the 
remainder  of  its  service.  Mustered  out  at  Louis- 
ville, July  9,  1865. 

TENTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  and  mustered 
into  the  service  for  three  months,  on  April  29, 
1861,  at  Cairo,  and  on  July  29,  1861,  was  mustered 
into  the  service  for  three  years,  with  Col.  James 
D.  Morgan  in  command.  It  was  engaged  at 
Sykeston,  New  Madrid,  Corinth,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome,  Kenesaw, 
Chattahoochie,  Savannah  and  Bentonville.  Re- 
enlisted  as  veterans,  Jan.  1,  1864,  and  mustered 
out  of  service,  July  4,  1865,  at  Louisville,  and 
received  final  discharge  and  pay,  July  11,  1865, 
at  Chicago. 

ELEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field and  mustered  into  service,  April  30,  1861, 
for  three  months.  July  30,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out,  and  re-enlisted  for  three  years' 
service.  It  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donelson, 
Shiloh,  Corinth,  Tallahatchie,  Vicksburg,  Liver- 
pool Heights,  Yazoo  City,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Fort  Blakely.  W.  H.  L.  Wallace,  afterwards 
Brigadier-General  and  killed  at  Shiloh,  was  its 
first  Colonel.  Mustered  out  of  service,  at  Baton 
Rouge,  July  14,  1865 ;  paid  off  and  discharged  at 
Springfield. 

TWELFTH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  service 
for  three  years,  August  1,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at 


Columbus,  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Lay's 
Ferry,  Rome  Cross  Roads,  Dallas,  Kenesaw, 
Nickajack  Creek,  Bald  Knob,  Decatur,  Ezra 
Church,  Atlanta,  Allatoona  and  Goldsboro.  On 
Jan.  16,  1864,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veter- 
ans. John  McArthur  was  its  first  Colonel,  suc- 
ceeded by  Augustus  L.  Chetlain,  both  being 
promoted  to  Brigadier-Generalships.  Mustered 
out  of  service  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  10,  1865, 
and  received  final  pay  and  discharge,  at  Spring- 
field, July  18. 

THIRTEENTH  INFANTRY.  One  of  the  regiment* 
organized  under  the  act  known  as  the  '  'Ten  Regi- 
ment Bill"  ;  was  mustered  into  service  on  May  24, 
1861,  for  three  years,  at  Dixon,  with  John  B. 
Wyman  as  Colonel;  was  engaged  at  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  Rossville  and  Ringgold  Gap. 
Mustered  out  at  Springfield,  June  18,  1864,  hav- 
ing served  three  years  and  two  months. 

FOURTEENTH  INFANTRY.  One  of  the  regiments 
raised  under  the  "Ten  Regiment  Bill,"  which 
anticipated  the  requirements  of  the  General 
Government  by  organizing,  equipping  and  dril- 
ling a  regiment  in  each  Congressional  District  in 
the  State  for  thirty  days,  unless  sooner  required 
for  service  by  the  United  States.  It  was  mustered 
in  at  Jacksonville  for  three  years,  May  25,  1861, 
under  command  of  John  M.  Palmer  as  its  first 
Colonel;  was  engaged  at  Shiloh, *Corinth,  Meta- 
mora,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Fort  Beauregard  and 
Meridian;  consolidated  with  the  Fifteenth  Infan- 
try, as  a  veteran  battalion  (both  regiments  hav- 
ing enlisted  as  veterans),  on  July  1,  1864.  In 
October,  1864,  the  major  part  of  the  battalion 
was  captured  by  General  Hood  and  sent  to 
Andersonville.  The  remainder  participated  in 
the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  and  through  the  cam- 
paign in  the  Carolinas.  In  the  spring  of  1865  the 
battalion  organization  was  discontinued,  both 
regiments  having  been  filled  up  by  recruits.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth,  Kan.,  Sept.  16,  1865;  and  arrived  at 
Springfield,  111.,  Sept.  22,  2865,  where  it  received 
final  payment  and  discharge.  The  aggregate 
number  of  men  who  belonged  to  this  organization 
was  1,980,  and  the  aggregate  mustered  out  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  480.  During  its  four  years 
and  four  months  of  service,  the  regiment 
marched  4,490  miles,  traveled  by  rail,  2,330  miles, 
and,  by  river,  4,490  miles — making  an  aggregate 
of  11,670  miles. 

FIFTEENTH  INFANTRY.  Raised  under  the  "Ten 
Regiment  Act,"  in  the  (then)  First  Congressional 
District;  was  organized  at  Freeport,  and  mus- 


.    HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


553 


tered  into  service,  May  24,  1861.  It  was  engaged 
at  Sedalia,  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Metamora  Hill, 
Vicksburg,  Fort  Beauregard,  Champion  Hill, 
Allatoona  and  Bentonville.  In  March,  1864,  the 
regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and,  in  July, 

1864,  was  consolidated  with  the  Fourteenth  Infan- 
try as  a  Veteran  Battalion.     At  Big  Shanty  and 
Ackworth  a  large  portion  of  the  battalion  was 
captured    by    General    Hood.     At    Raleigh   the 
Veteran    Battalion   was    discontinued    and    the 
Fifteenth  reorganized.     From  July  1,  to  Sept.  1, 

1865,  the  regiment  was  stationed  at  Forts  Leaven- 
worth  and  Kearney.     Having  been  mustered  out 
at  Fort  Leavenworth,  it  was  sent  to  Springfield 
for  final  payment  and  discharge — having  served 
four  years  and    four  months.     Miles    marched, 
4,299;    miles    by  rail,   2,403,  miles    by  steamer, 
4,310;  men  enlisted  from  date    of  organization, 
1,963;  strength  at  date  of  muster-out,  640.  " 

SIXTEENTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  and  mus- 
tered into  service  at  Quincy  under  the  "Ten-Regi- 
ment Act,"  May '24,  1861.  The  regiment  was 
engaged  at  New  Madrid,  Tiptonville,  Corinth, 
Buzzards'  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, Chattahoochie  River,  Peach  Tree  Creek, 
Atlanta,  Savannah,  Columbia,  Fayetteville, 
Averysboro  and  Bentonville.  In  December, 
1864,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans;  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  8,  1865, 
after  a  term  of  service  of  four  years  and  three 
months,  and,  a  week  later,  arrived  at  Spring- 
field, where  it  received  its  final  pay  and  discharge 
papers. 

SEVENTEENTH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  the 
service  at  Peoria,  111.,  on  May  24,  1861;  was 
engaged  at  Fredericktown  (Mo.),  Greenfield 
(Ark.),  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Hatchie  and  Vicksburg. 
In  May,  1864,  the  term  of  enlistment  having 
expired,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Springfield 
for  pay  and  discharge.  Those  men  and  officers 
who  re-enlisted,  and  those  whose  term  had  not 
expired,  were  consolidated  with  the  Eighth  Infan- 
try, which  was  mustered  out  in  the  spring  of  1866. 

EIGHTEENTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  under  the 
provisions  of  the  "Ten  Regiment  Bill,"  at  Anna, 
and  mustered  into  the  service  on  May  28,  1861, 
the  term  of  enlistment  being  for  three  years. 
The  regiment  participated  in  the  capture  of  Fort 
McHenry,  and  was  actively  engaged  at  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh  and  Corinth.  It  was  mustered 
out  at  Little  Rock,  Dec.  16,  1865,  and  Dec.  31, 
thereafter,  arrived  at  Springfield,  111.,  for  pay- 
ment and  discharge.  The  aggregate  enlistments 
in  the  regiment,  from  its  organization  to  date  of 
discharge  (rank  and  file),  numbered  2,043. 


NINETEENTH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  the 
United  States  service  for  three  years,  June  17, 
1861,  at  Chicago,  embracing  four  companies 
which  had  been  accepted  under  the  call  for  three 
months'  men;  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Stone  River  and  in  the  Tullahoma  and  Chatta- 
nooga campaigns;  was  also  engaged  at  Davis' 
Cross  Roads,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge  and 
Resaca.  It  was  mustered  out  of  service  on  July 
9,  1864,  at  Chicago.  Originally  consisting  of 
nearly  1,000  men,  besides  a  large  number  of 
recruits  received  during  the  war,  its  strength  at 
the  final  muster-out  was  less  than  350. 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY,  Organized,  May  14, 
1861,  at  Joliet,  and  June  13,  1861,  and  mustered 
into  the  service  for  a  term  of  three  years.  It 
participated  in  the  following  engagements,  bat- 
tles, sieges,  etc. :  Fredericktown  (Mo. ),  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Thompson's  Planta- 
tion, Champion  Hills,  Big  Black  River,  Vicks- 
burg, Kenesaw  Mountain  and  Atlanta.  After 
marching  through  the  Carolinas,  the  regiment 
was  finally  ordered  to  Louisville,  where  it  was 
mustered  out,  July  16,  1865,  receiving  its  final 
discharge  at  Chicago,  on  July  24. 

TWENTY- FIRST  INFANTRY.  Organized  under 
the  "Ten  Regiment  Bill,"  from  the  (then)  Sev- 
enth Congressional  District,  at  Mattoon,  and 
mustered  into  service  for  three  years,  June  28, 
1861.  Its  first  Colonel  was  U.  S.  Grant,  who  was 
in  command  until  August  7,  when  he  was  com- 
missioned Brigadier-General.  It  was  engaged 
at  Fredericktown  (Mo. ) ,  Corinth,  Perry ville,  Mur- 
freesboro,  Liberty  Gap,  Chickamauga,  Jonesboro, 
Franklin  and  Nashville.  The  regiment  re-enlisted 
as  veterans,  at  Chattanooga,  in  February,  1864. 
From  June,  1864,  to  December,  1865,  it  was  on 
duty  in  Texas.  Mustered  out  at  San  Antonio, 
Dec.  16,  1865,  and  paid  off  and  discharged  at 
Springfield,  Jan.  18,  1866. 

TWENTY-SECOND  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Belleville,  and  mustered  into  service,  for  three 
years,  at  Caseyville,  111.,  June  25,  1861;  was 
engaged  at  Belmont,  Charleston  (Mo.),  Sikestown, 
Tiptonville,  Farmington,  Corinth,  Stone  River, 
Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  New 
Hope  Church,  and  all  the  battles  of  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  except  Rocky  Face  Ridge.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Springfield,  July  7,  1864,  the  vet- 
erans and  recruits,  whose  term  of  service  had  not 
expired,  being  consolidated  with  the  Forty -second 
Regiment  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers. 

TWENTY-THIRD  INFANTRY.  The  organization 
of  the  Twenty-third  Infantry  Volunteers  com- 
menced, at  Chicago,  under  the  popular  name  of 


554 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  "Irish  Brigade,"  immediately  upon  the 
opening  of  hostilities  at  Sumter.  The  formal 
muster  of  the  regiment,  under  the  command  of 
Col.  James  A.  Mulligan,  was  made,  June  15, 1861, 
at  Chicago,  when  it  was  occupying  barracks 
known  as  Kane's  brewery  near  the  river  on 
West  Polk  Street.  It  was  early  ordered  to  North- 
ern Missouri,  and  was  doing  garrison  duty  at 
Lexington,  when,  in  September,  1861,  it  surren- 
dered with  the  rest  of  the  garrison,  to  the  forces 
under  the  rebel  General  Price,  and  was  paroled. 
From  Oct.  8,  1861,  to  June  14,  1862,  it  was  detailed 
to  guard  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas.  Thereafter 
it  participated  in  engagements  in  the  Virginias, 
as  follows:  at  South  Fork,  Greenland  Gap,  Phi- 
lippi,  Hedgeville,  Leetown,  Maryland  Heights, 
Snicker's  Gap,  Kernstown,  Cedar  Creek,  Win- 
chester, Charlestown,  Berryville,  Opequan  Creek, 
Fisher's  Hill,  Harrisonburg,  Hatcher's  Run  and 
Petersburg.  It  also  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
Richmond  and  the  pursuit  of  Lee,  being  present 
at  the  surrender  at  Appomattox.  In  January 
and  February,  1864,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as 
veterans,  at  Greenland  Gap,  W.  Va.  In  August, 
1864,  the  ten  companies  of  the  Regiment,  then 
numbering  440,  were  consolidated  into  five  com- 
panies and  designated,  "Battalion,  Twenty -third 
Regiment,  Illinois  Veteran  Volunteer  Infantry. " 
The  regiment  was  thanked  by  Congress  for  its 
part  at  Lexington,  and  was  authorized  to  inscribe 
Lexington  upon  its  colors.  (See  also  Mulligan, 
James  A.) 

TWENTY-FOURTH  INFANTRY,  (known  as  the 
First  Hecker  Regiment).  Organized  at  Chicago, 
with  two  companies — to-wit:  the  Union  Cadets 
and  the  Lincoln  Rifles — from  the  three  months' 
service,  in  June,  1861,  and  mustered  in,  July  8, 
1861.  It  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perryville, 
Murfreesboro,  Chickamauga,  Resaca,  Kenesaw 
Mountain  and  other  engagements  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign.  It  was  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Chicago,  August  6,  1864.  A  fraction  of  the  regi- 
ment, which  had  been  recruited  in  the  field,  and 
whose  term  of  service  had  not  expired  at  the  date 
of  muster-out,  was  organized  into  one  company 
and  attached  to  the  Third  Brigade,  First  Divi- 
sion, Fourteenth  Army  Corps,  and  mustered  out 
at  Camp  Butler,  August  1,  1865. 

TWENTY-FIFTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  from 
the  counties  of  Kankakee,  Iroquois,  Ford,  Vermil- 
ion, Douglas,  Coles,  Champaign  and  Edgar,  and 
mustered  into  service  at  St.  Louis,  August  4,  1861. 
It  participated  in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Stone 
River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Moun- 


tain, the  siege  of  Atlanta,  and  innumerable  skir- 
mishes ;  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  Sept.  5, 
1864.  During  its  three  years'  service  the  regi- 
ment traveled  4,962  miles,  of  which  3,252  were  on 
foot,  the  remainder  by  steamboat  and  railroad. 

TWENTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice, consisting  of  seven  companies,  at  Springfield, 
August  31,  1861.  On  Jan.  1,  1864,  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans.  It  was  authorized  by  the 
commanding  General  to  inscribe  upon  its  ban- 
ners "New  Madrid" ;  "Island  No.  10;"  "Farming- 
ton;"  "Siege  of  Corinth;"  "luka;"  "Corinth— 
3d  and  4th,  1862;"  "Resaca;"  "Kenesaw;"  "Ezra 
Church;"  "Atlanta;"  "Jonesboro;"  "Griswold- 
ville;"  "McAllister;"  "Savannah;"  "Columbia," 
and  "Bentonville."  It  was  mustered  out  at 
Louisville,  July  20,  1865,  and  paid  off  and 
discharged,  at  Springfield,  July  28 — the  regiment 
having*  marched,  during  its  four  years  of  service, 
6,931  miles,  and  fought  twenty-eight  hard  battles, 
besides  innumerable  skirmishes. 

TWENTY-SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  First  organized, 
with  only  seven  companies,  at  Springfield, 
August  10,  1861,  and  organization  completed  by 
the  addition  of  three  more  companies,  at  Cairo, 
on  September  1.  It  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bel- 
mont,  the  siege  of  Island  No.  10,  and  the  battles 
of  Farmington,  Nashville,  Murfreesboro,  Chicka- 
mauga, Missionary  Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge, 
Resaca,  Calhoun,  Adairsville,  Dallas,  Pine  Top 
Mountain  and  Kenesaw  Mountain,  as  well  as  in 
the  investment  of  Atlanta;  was  relieved  from 
duty,  August  25,  1864,  while  at  the  front,  and 
mustered  out  at  Springfield,  September  20.  Its 
veterans,  with  the  recruits  whose  term  of  serv- 
ice had  not  expired,  were  consolidated  with  the 
Ninth  Infantry. 

TWENTY-EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Composed  of 
companies  from  Pike,  Fulton,  Schuyler,  Mason, 
Scott  and  Menard  Counties;  was  organized  at 
Springfield,  August  15,  1861,  and  mustered  into 
service  for  three  years.  It  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Shiloh  and  Metamora,  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg  and  the  battles  of  Jackson,  Mississippi, 
and  Fort  Beauregard,  and  in  the  capture  of 
Spanish  Fort,  Fort  Blakely  and  Mobile.  From 
June,  1864,  to  March,  1866,  it  was  stationed  in 
Texas,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Brownsville,  in 
that  State,  March  15,  1866,  having  served  four 
years  and  seven  months.  It  was  discharged,  at 
Springfield,  May  13,  1866. 

TWENTY-NINTH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice at  Springfield,  August  19,  1861,  and  was 
engaged  at  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  and  in  the 
sieges  of  Corinth,  Vicksburg  and  Mobile.  Eight 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


555 


companies  were  detailed  for  duty  at  Holly  Springs, 
and  were  there  captured  by  General  Van  Dorn, 
in  December,  1862,  but  were  exchanged,  six 
months  later.  In  January,  1864,  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and,  from  June,  1864,  to 
November,  1865,  was  on  duty  in  Texas.  It  was 
mustered  out  of  service  in  that  State,  Nov.  6, 
1865,  and  received  final  discharge  on  November  28. 

THIRTIETH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, August  28,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Belmont, 
Fort  Donelson,  the  siege  of  Corinth,  Medan 
Station,  Raymond,  Champion  Hills,  the  sieges  of 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  Big  Shanty,  Atlanta, 
Savannah,  Pocotaligo,  Orangeburg,  Columbia, 
Cheraw,  and  Fayetteville ;  mustered  out,  July 
17, 1865,  and  received  final  payment  and  discharge 
at  Springfield,  July  27,  1865. 

THIRTY-FIRST  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Cairo, 
and  there  mustered  into  service  on  Sept.  18, 
1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Belmont,  Fort  Donelson, 
Shiloh,  in  the  two  expeditions  against  Vicks- 
burg, at  Thompson's  Hill,  Ingram  Heights,  Ray- 
mond, Jackson,  Champion  Hill,  Big  Shanty, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Atlanta,  Lovejoy  Station  and 
Jonesboro;  also  participated  in  the  "March  to 
the  Sea"  and  took  part  in  the  battles  and  skir- 
mishes at  Columbia,  Cheraw,  Fayetteville  and 
Bentonville.  A  majority  of  the  regiment  re- 
enlisted  as  veterans  in  March,  1864.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  19,  1865,  and 
finally  discharged  at  Springfield,  July  23. 

THIRTY-SECOND  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Springfield  and  mustered  into  service,  Dec.  31, 
1861.  By  special  authority  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment, it  originally  consisted  of  ten  companies  of 
infantry,  one  of  cavalry,  and  a  battery.  It  was 
engaged  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  in  the  sieges 
of  Corinth  and  Vicksburg,  and  in  the  battles  of 
La  Grange,  Grand  Junction,  Metamora,  Harrison- 
burg,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Nickajack  Creek, 
Allatoona,  Savannah,  Columbia,  Cheraw  and 
Bentonville.  In  January,  1864,  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and,  in  June,  1865,  was 
ordered  to  Fort  Leaven  worth.  Mustered  out 
there,  Sept.  16,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at 
Springfield. 

THIRTY-THIRD  INFANTRY.  Organized  and  mus- 
tered into  service  at  Springfield  in  September, 
1861:  was  engaged  at  Fredericktown  (Mo.),  Port 
Gibson,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge,  the 
assault  and  siege  of  Vicksburg,  siege  of  Jackson, 
Fort  Esperanza,  and  in  the  expedition  against 
Mobile.  The  regiment  veteranized  at  Vicksburg, 
Jan.  1,  1864 ;  was  mustered  out,  at  the  same  point, 
Nov.  24,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Spring- 


field, Dec.  6  and  7,  1865.  The  aggregate  enroll- 
ment of  the  regiment  was  between  1,900  and 
2,000. 

THIRTY-FOURTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Springfield,  Sept.  7,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Shiloh, 
Corinth,  Murfreesboro,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Re- 
saca,  Big  Shanty,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  and,  after  participating  in  the  "March 
to  the  Sea"  and  through  the  Carolinas,  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Bentonville.  After  the  surrender 
of  Johnston,  the  regiment  went  with  Sherman's 
Army  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  took  part  in  the 
grand  review,  May  24,  1865;  left  Washington, 
June  12,  and  arrived  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  June  18, 
where  it  was  mustered  out,  on  July  12 ;  was  dis- 
charged and  paid  at  Chicago,  July  17,  1865. 

THIRTY-FIFTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  De- 
catur  on  July  3,  1861,  and  its  services  tendered  to 
the  President,  being  accepted  by  the  Secretary  of 
War  as  "Col.  G.  A.  Smith's  Independent  Regi- 
ment of  Illinois  Volunteers,"  on  July  23,  and 
mustered  into  service  at  St.  Louis,  August  12.  It 
was  engaged  at  Pea  Ridge  and  in  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  also  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perry- 
ville,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Dallas  and 
Kenesaw.  Its  final  muster-out  took  place  at 
Springfield,  Sept.  27,  1864,  the  regiment  having 
marched  (exclusive  of  railroad  and  steamboat 
transportation)  3,056  miles. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Camp 
Hammond,  near  Aurora,  111.,  and  mustered  into 
service,  Sept.  23,  1861,  for  a  term  of  three  years. 
The  regiment,  at  its  organization,  numbered  965 
officers  and  enlisted  men,  and  had  two  companies 
of  Cavalry  ("A"  and  "B"),  186  officers  and 
men.  It  was  engaged  at  Leetown,  Pea  Ridge, 
Perryville,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  the  siege 
of  Chattanooga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Rocky  Face 
Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville,  New  Hope  Church, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Jones- 
boro, Franklin  and  Nashville.  Mustered  out, 
Oct.  8,  1865,  and  disbanded,  at  Springfield,  Oct. 
27,  having  marched  and  been  transported,  during 
its  term  of  service,  more  than  10,000  miles. 

THIRTY-SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Familiarly  known 
as  "Fremont  Rifles";  organized  in  August,  1861, 
and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  18.  The  regi- 
ment was  presented  with  battle-flags  by  the  Chi- 
cago Board  of  Trade.  It  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Neosho,  Prairie  Grove  and 
Chalk  Bluffs,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Yazoo  City  and  Morgan's  Bend.  In 
October,  1863,  it  was  ordered  to  the  defense  of  the 
frontier  along  the  Rio  Grande;  re-enlisted  as 


^c  il  I      I  IR 


556 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


veterans  in  February,  1864;  took  part  in  the 
siege  and  storming  of  Fort  Blakely  and  the  cap- 
ture of  Mobile;  from  July,  1865,  to  May,  1866, 
was  again  on  duty  in  Texas ;  was  mustered  out 
at  Houston,  May  15,  1866,  and  finally  discharged 
at  Springfield,  May  31,  having  traveled  some 
17,000  miles,  of  which  nearly  3,300  were  by 
marching. 

THIRTY-EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Springfield,  in  September,  1861.  The  regiment 
was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Fredericktown, 
Perryville,  Knob  Gap,  Stone  River,  Liberty  Gap, 
Chickamauga,  Pine  Top,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Franklin  and  Nashville; 
re-enlisted  as  veterans  in  February,  1864;  from 
June  to  December,  1865,  was  on  duty  in  Louisi- 
ana and  Texas;  was  mustered  out  at  Victoria, 
Texas,  Dec.  31,  1865,  and  received  final  discharge 
at  Springfield. 

THIRTY-NINTH  INFANTRY.  The  organization  of 
this  Regiment  was  commenced  as  soon  as  the 
news  of  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter  reached  Chi- 
cago. General  Thomas  O.  Osborne  was  one  of  its 
contemplated  field  officers,  and  labored  zealously 
to  get  it  accepted  under  the  first  call  for  troops, 
but  did  not  accomplish  his  object.  The  regiment 
had  already  assumed  the  name  of  the  "Yates 
Phalanx"  in  honor  of  Governor  Yates.  It  was 
accepted  by  the  War  Department  on  the  day 
succeeding  the  first  Bull  Run  disaster  (July  22, 
1861),  and  Austin  Light, of  Chicago,  was  appointed 
Colonel.  Under  his  direction  the  organization  was 
completed,  and  the  regiment  left  Camp  Mather, 
Chicago,  on  the  morning  of  Oct.  13,  1861.  It  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Winchester,  Malvern 
Hill  (the  second),  Morris  Island,  Fort  Wagner, 
Drury's  Bluff,  and  in  numerous  engagements 
before  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  including  the 
capture  of  Fort  Gregg,  and  was  present  at  Lee's 
surrender  at  Appomattox.  In  the  meantime  the 
regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  at  Hilton  Head, 
S.  C.,  in  September,  1863.  It  was  mustered  out 
at  Norfolk,  Dec.  6,  1865,  and  received  final  dis- 
charge at  Chicago,  December  16. 

FORTIETH  INFANTRY.  Enlisted  from  the  coun- 
ties of  Franklin,  Hamilton,  Wayne,  White, 
Wabash,  Marion,  Clay  and  Fayette,  and  mustered 
into  service  for  three  years  at  Springfield, 
August  10,  1861.  It  was  engaged  at  Shiloh,  in 
the  siege  of  Corinth,  at  Jackson  (Miss.),  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  at  Missionary  Ridge,  New 
Hope  Church,  Black  Jack  Knob,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Ezra  Chapel,  Gris- 
woldville,  siege  of  Savannah,  Columbia  (S.  C.), 
and  Bentonville.  It  re-enlisted,  as  veterans,  at 


Scottsboro,  Ala.,  Jan.  1,  1864,  and  was  mustered 
out  at  Louisville,  July  24,  1865,  receiving  final 
discharge  at  Springfield. 

FORTY-FIRST  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Decatur 
during  July  and  August,  1861,  and  was  mustered 
into  service,  August  5.  It  was  engaged  at  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh,  the  siege  of  Corinth,  the  second 
battle  of  Corinth,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and 
Jackson,  in  the  Red  River  campaign,  at  Guntown, 
Kenesaw  Mountain  and  Allatoona,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  "March  to  the  Sea."  It  re-enlisted, 
as  veterans,  March  17,  1864,  at  Vicksburg,  and 
was  consolidated  with  the  Fifty-third  Infantry, 
Jan.  4,  1865,  forming  Companies  G  and  H. 

FORTY-SECOND  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, July  22,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Island  No.  10, 
the  siege  of  Corinth,'  battles  of  Farmington, 
Columbia  (Tenn.),  was  besieged  at  Nashville, 
engaged  at  Stone  River,  in  the  Tullahoma  cam- 
paign, at  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Rocky 
Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville,  New  Hope 
Church,  Pine  and  Kenesaw  Mountains,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station, 
Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  It  re- 
enlisted,  as  veterans,  Jan.  1,  1864;  was  stationed 
in  Texas  from  July  to  December,  1865 ;  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Indianola,  in  that  State,  Dec.  16, 
1865,  and  finally  discharged,  at  Springfield,  Jan. 
12,  1866. 

FORTY-THIRD  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field in  September,  1861,  and  mustered  into 
service  on  Oct.  12.  The  regiment  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh  and  in  the 
campaigns  in  West  Tennessee,  Mississippi  and 
Arkansas;  was  mustered  out  at  Little  Rock, 
Nov.  30,  1865,  and  returned  to  Springfield  for 
final  pay  and  discharge,  Dec.  14,  1865. 

FORTY-FOURTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  in  Au- 
gust, 1861,  at  Chicago,  and  mustered  into  service, 
Sept.  13,  1861;  was  engaged  at  Pea  Ridge, 
Perryville,  Stone  River,  Hoover's  Gap,  Shelby- 
ville,  Tullahoma,  Chickamauga,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Rocky  Face  Ridge, 
Adairsville,  Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Kene- 
saw Mountain,  Gulp's  Farm,  Chattahoochie 
River,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro, 
Franklin  and  Nashville.  The  regiment  re-enlisted 
as  veterans  in  Tennessee,  in  January,  1864. 
From  June  to  September,  1865,  it  was  stationed 
in  Louisiana  and  Texas,  was  mustered  out  at 
Port  Lavaca,  Sept.  25,  1865,  and  received  final 
discharge,  at  Springfield,  three  weeks  later. 

FORTY-FIFTH  INFANTRY.  Originally  called 
the  "Washburne  Lead  Mine  Regiment";  was 
organized  at  Galena,  July  23,  1861,  and  mustered 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


557 


into  service  at  Chicago,  Dec.  25,  1861.  It  was 
engaged  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  battle  of  Medan,  the  campaign  against 
Vicksburg,  the  Meridian  raid,  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  and  the  advance 
through  the  Carolinas.  The  regiment  veteran- 
ized in  January,  1864;  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  12,  1865,  and  arrived 
in  Chicago,  July  15,  1865,  for  final  pay  and  dis- 
charge. Distance  marched  in  four  years,  1,750 
miles. 

FORTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, Dec.  28,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donel- 
son, Shiloh,  the  siege  of  Corinth,  battle  of 
Metamora,  siege  of  Vicksburg  (where  five  com- 
panies of  the  regiment  were  captured),  in  the 
reduction  of  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakeley, 
and  the  capture  of  Mobile.  It  was  mustered  in 
as  a  veteran  regiment,  Jan.  4,  1864.  From  May, 

1865,  to  January,  1866,  it  was  on  duty  in  Louisi- 
ana ;  was  mustered  out  at  Baton  Rouge,  Jan.  20, 

1866,  and,  on  Feb.  1,  1866,  finally  paid  and  dis- 
charged at  Springfield. 

FORTY-SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  and 
mustered  into  service  at  Peoria,  111.,  on  August 
16,  1861.  The  regiment  took  part  in  the  expe- 
dition against  New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10; 
also  participated  in  the  battles  of  Farmington, 
luka,  the  second  battle  of  Corinth,  the  capture 
of  Jackson,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the  Red 
River  expedition  and  the  battle  of  Pleasant  Hill, 
and  in  the  struggle  at  Lake  Chicot.  It  was 
ordered  to  Chicago  to  assist  in  quelling  an  antici- 
pated riot,  in  1864,  but,  returning  to  the  front, 
took  part  in  the  reduction  of  Spanish  Fort  and 
the  capture  of  Mobile;  was  mustered  out,  Jan. 
21,  1866,  at  Selma,  Ala.,  and  ordered  to  Spring- 
field, where  it  received  final  pay  and  discharge. 
Those  members  of  the  regiment  who  did  not  re-en- 
list as  veterans  were  mustered  out,  Oct.  11, 1864. 

FORTY-EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, September,  1861,  and  participated  in  battles 
and  sieges  as  follows:  Fort  Henry  and  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh,  Corinth  (siege  of),  Vicksburg 
(first  expedition  against),  Missionary  Ridge,  as 
well  as  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the  "March 
to  the  Sea."  The  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veter- 
ans, at  Scottsboro,  Ala.,  Jan.  1,  1864;  was  mus- 
tered out,  August  15,  1865,  at  Little  Rock,  Ark., 
and  ordered  to  Springfield  for  final  discharge, 
arriving,  August  21,  1865.  The  distance  marched 
was  3,000  miles;  moved  by  water,  5,000;  by  rail- 
road, 3,450— total,  11,450. 

FORTY-NINTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, 111.,  Dec.  31,  1861;  was  engaged  at  Fort 


Donelson,  Shiloh  and  Little  Rock;  took  part  in 
the  campaign  against  Meridian  and  in  the  Red 
River  expedition,  being  in  the  battle  of  Pleasant 
Hill,  Jan.  15,  1864 ;  three-fourths  of  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  and  were  mustered  in  as  veterans, 
returning  to  Illinois  on  furlough.  The  non- 
veterans  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Tupelo.  The 
regiment  participated  in  the  battle  of  Nashville, 
and  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  9,  1865,  at  Paducah, 
Ky.,  and  arrived  at  Springfield,  Sept,  15,  1865, 
for  final  payment  and  discharge. 

FIFTIETH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Quincy,  in 
August,  1861,  and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  12, 
1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  the  second  battle  of  Corinth, 
Allatoona  and  Bentonville,  besides  many  minor 
engagements.  The  regiment  was  mounted,  Nov. 
17,  1863 ;  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  Jan.  1, 1864,  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  13,  1865,  and 
reached  Springfield,  the  following  day,  for  final 
pay  and  discharge. 

FIFTY-FIRST  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, Dec.  24,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  New  Madrid, 
Island  No.  10,  Farmington,  the  siege  of  Corinth, 
Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge, 
Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jones- 
boro,  Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  in  as  veterans,  Feb.  16, 
1864 ;  from  July  to  September,  1865,  was  on  duty 
in  Texas,  and  mustered  out,  Sept.  25,  1865,  at 
Camp  Irwin,  Texas,  arriving  at  Springfield,  111., 
Oct.  15,  1865,  for  final  payment  and  discharge. 

FIFTY-SECOND  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Ge- 
neva in  November,  1861,  and  mustered  into  serv- 
ice, Nov.  19.  The  regiment  participated  in  the 
following  battles,  sieges  and  expeditions :  Shiloh, 
Corinth  (siege  and  second  battle  of),  luka,  Town 
Creek,  Snake  Creek  Gap,  Resaca,  Lay's  Ferry, 
Rome  Cross  Roads,  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Nickajack  Creek,  Decatur,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro 
and  Bentonville.  It  veteranized,  Jan.  9,  1864; 
was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  4,  1865, 
and  received  final  payment  and  discharge  at 
Springfield,  July  12. 

FIFTY-THIRD  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Ottawa 
in  the  winter  of  1861-62,  and  ordered  to  Chicago, 
Feb.  27,  1862,  to  complete  its  organization.  It 
took  part  in  the  siege  of  Corinth,  and  was  engaged 
at  Davis'  Bridge,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  in  the 
Meridian  campaign,  at  Jackson,  the  siege  of 
Atlanta,  the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  the  capture  of 
Savannah  and  the  campaign  in  the  Carolinas, 
including  the  battle  of  Bentonville.  The  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Louisville, 


558 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


July  22,  1865,  and  received  final  discharge,  at 
Chicago,  July  28.  It  marched  2,855  miles,  and 
was  transported  by  boat  and  cars,  4,168  miles. 
Over  1,800  officers  and  men  belonged  to  the  regi- 
ment during  its  term  of  service. 

FIFTY-FOURTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Anna, 
in  November,  1861,  as  a  part  of  the  "Kentucky 
Brigade,"  and  was  mustered  into  service,  Feb. 
18,  1862.  No  complete  history  of  the  regiment 
can  be  given,  owing  to  the  loss  of  its  official 
records.  It  served  mainly  in  Kentucky,  Tennes- 
see, Mississippi  and  Arkansas,  and  always  effect- 
ively. Three-fourths  of  the  men  re-enlisted  as 
veterans,  in  January,  1864.  Six  companies  were 
captured  by  the  rebel  General  Shelby,  in  August, 
1864,  and  were  exchanged,  the  following  De- 
cember. The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at 
Little  Rock,  Oct.  15,  1865 ;  arrived  at  Springfield, 
Oct.  26,  and  was  discharged.  During  its  organi- 
zation, the  regiment  had  1,342  enlisted  men  and 
71  commissioned  officers. 

FIFTY-FIFTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, and  mustered  into  service,  Oct.  31,  1861. 
The  regiment  originally  formed  a  part  of  the 
"Douglas  Brigade,"  being  chiefly  recruited  from 
the  young  farmers  of  Fulton,  McDonough, 
Grundy,  La  Salle,  De  Kalb,  Kane  and  Winnebago 
Counties.  It  participated  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh 
and  Corinth,  and  in  the  Tallahatchie  campaign; 
in  the  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas 
Post,  around  Vicksburg,  and  at  Missionary  Ridge ; 
was  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  notably  in  the 
battles  of  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  Jonesboro.  In 
all,  it  was  engaged  in  thirty -one  battles,  and  was 
128  days  under  fire.  The  total  mileage  traveled 
amounted  to  11,965,  of  which  3,240  miles  were 
actually  marched.  Re-enlisted  as  veterans,  while 
at  Larkinsville,  Tenn.,was  mustered  out  at  Little 
Rock,  August  14,  1865,  receiving  final  discharge 
at  Chicago,  the  same  month. 

FIFTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  with  com- 
panies principally  enlisted  from  the  counties  of 
Massac,  Pope,  Gallatin,  Saline,  White,  Hamilton, 
Franklin  and  Wayne,  and  mustered  in  at  Camp 
Mather,  near  Shawneetown.  The  regiment  par- 
ticipated in  the  siege,  and  second  battle,  of 
Corinth,  the  Yazoo  expedition,  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg — being  engaged  at  Champion  Hills, 
and  in  numerous  assaults ;  also  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Missionary  Ridge  and  Resaca,  and  in 
the  campaign  in  the  Carolinas,  including  the 
battle  of  Bentonville.  Some  200  members  of  the 
regiment  perished  in  a  wreck  off  Cape  Hatteras, 
March  31,  1865.  It  was  mustered  out  in  Arkan- 
sas, August  12,  1865. 


FIFTY-SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice, Dec.  26,  1861,  at  Chicago;  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  and  the  second  battle  at  that  point ;  was 
also  engaged  at  Resaca,  Rome  Cross  Roads  and 
Allatoona;  participated  in  the  investment  and 
capture  of  Savannah,  and  the  campaign  through 
the  Carolinas,  including  the  battle  of  Benton- 
ville. It  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  7, 
1865,  and  received  final  discharge  at  Chicago, 
July  14. 

FIFTY-EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Recruited  at  Chi- 
cago, Feb.  11,  1862;  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  a  large  number  of  the 
regiment  being  captured  during  the  latter  engage- 
ment, but  subsequently  exchanged.  It  took  part 
in  the  siege  of  Corinth  and  the  battle  of  luka, 
after  which  detachments  were  sent  to  Springfield 
for  recruiting  and  for  guarding  prisoners. 
Returning  to  the  front,  the  regiment  was  engaged 
in  the  capture  of  Meridian,  the  Red  River  cam- 
paign, the  taking  of  Fort  de  Russey,  and  in  many 
minor  battles  in  Louisiana.  It  was  mustered  out 
at  Montgomery,  Ala.,  April  1,  1866,  and  ordered 
to  Springfield  for  final  payment  and  discharge. 

FIFTY-NINTH  INFANTRY.  Originally  known  as 
the  Ninth  Missouri  Infantry,  although  wholly 
recruited  in  Illinois.  It  was  organized  at  St. 
Louis,  Sept.  18,  1861,  the  name  being  changed  to 
the  Fifty-ninth  Illinois,  Feb.  12,  1862,  by  order  of 
the  War  Department.  It  was  engaged  at  Pea 
Ridge,  formed  part  of  the  reserve  at  Farmington, 
took  part  at  Perryville,  Nolansville,  Knob  Gap 
and  Murfreesboro,  in  the  Tullahoma  campaign 
and  the  siege  of  Chattanooga,  in  the  battles  of 
Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville,  Kingston, 
Dallas,  Ackworth,  Pine  Top,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Smyrna,  Atlanta,  Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and 
Nashville.  Having  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  the 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Texas,  in  June,  1865, 
where  it  was  mustered  out,  December,  1865, 
receiving  its  final  discharge  at  Springfield. 

SIXTIETH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Anna,  111., 
Feb.  17,  1862;  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Corinth 
and  was  besieged  at  Nashville.  The  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans  while  at  the  front,  in 
January,  1864;  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Buzzard's  Roost,  Ringgold,  Dalton,  Resaca, 
Rome,  Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Nickajack,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  Averysboro  and  Bentonville;  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  31,  1865,  and 
received  final  discharge  at  Springfield. 

SIXTY-FIRST  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Carroll- 
ton,  111.,  three  full  companies  being  mustered 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


550 


in,  Feb.  5,  1862.  On  February  21,  the  regiment, 
being  still  incomplete,  moved  to  Benton  Bar- 
racks, Mo. ,  where  a  sufficient  number  of  recruits 
joined  to  make  nine  full  companies.  The  regiment 
was  engaged  at  Shiloh  and  Bolivar,  took  part 
in  the  Yazoo  expedition,  and  re-enlisted  as  veter- 
ans early  in  1864.  Later,  it  took  part  in  the  battle 
of  Wilkinson's  Pike  (near  Murfreesboro),  and 
other  engagements  near  that  point ;  was  mustered 
out  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,'Sept.  8,  1865,  and  paid 
off  and  discharged  at  Springfield,  Septem- 
ber 27. 

SIXTY-SECOND  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Anna, 
111.,  April  10,  1862;  after  being  engaged  in  several 
skirmishes,  the  regiment  sustained  a  loss  of  170 
men,  who  were  captured  and  paroled  at  Holly 
Springs,  Miss.,  by  the  rebel  General  Van  Dorn, 
where  the  regimental  records  were  destroyed. 
The  regiment  took  part  in  forcing  the  evacuation 
of  Little  Rock ;  re-enlisted,  as  veterans,  Jan.  9, 
1864 ;  was  mustered  out  at  Little  Rock,  March  6, 
1866,  and  ordered  to  Springfield  for  final  payment 
and  discharge. 

SIXTY-THIRD  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Anna, 
in  December,  1861,  and  mustered  into  service, 
April  10,  1862.  It  participated  in  the  first  invest- 
ment of  Vicksburg,  the  capture  of  Richmond 
Hill,  La. ,  and  in  the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge. 
On  Jan.  1,  1864,  272  men  re-enlisted  as  veterans. 
It  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Savannah  and  in 
Sherman's  march  through  the  Carolinas,  partici- 
pating in  its  important  battles  and  skirmishes; 
was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  13,  1865, 
reaching  Springfield,  July  16.  The  total  distance 
traveled  was  6,453  miles,  of  which  2,250  was  on 
the  march. 

SIXTY- FOURTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, December,  1861,  as  the  "First  Battalion  of 
Yates  Sharp  Shooters."  The  last  company  was 
mustered  in,  Dec.  31,  1861.  The  regiment  was 
engaged  at  New  Madrid,  the  siege  of  Corinth, 
Chambers'  Creek,  the  second  battle  of  Corinth, 
Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Decatur,  the 
siege  of  Atlanta,  the  investment  of  Savannah  and 
the  battle  of  Bentonville ;  re-enlisted  as  veterans, 
in  January,  1864 ;  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
July  11,  1865,  and  finally  discharged,  at  Chicago, 
July  18. 

SIXTY-FIFTH  INFANTRY.  Originally  known  as 
the  "Scotch  Regiment";  was  organized  at  Chi- 
cago, and  mustered  in,  May  1,  1862.  It  was  cap- 
tured and  paroled  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  ordered 
to  Chicago;  was  exchanged  in  April,  1863;  took 
part  in  Burnside's  defense  of  Knoxville;  re-en- 
listed as  veterans  in  March,  1864,  and  participated 


in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the  "March  to  the 
Sea."  It  was  engaged  in  battles  at  Columbia 
(Tenn. ),  Franklin  and  Nashville,  and  later,  near 
Federal  Point  and  Smithtown,  N.  C.,  being  mus- 
tered out,  July  13,  1865,  and  receiving  final  pay- 
ment and  discharge  at  Chicago,  July  26,  1865. 

SIXTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Benton 
Barracks,  near  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  during  September 
and  October,  1861 — being  designed  as  a  regiment 
of  "Western  Sharp  Shooters"  from  Illinois,  Mis- 
souri, Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Indiana  and 
Ohio.  It  was  mustered  in,  Nov.  23,  1861,  was 
engaged  at  Mount  Zion  (Mo.),  Fort  Donelson, 
Shiloh,  the  siege  of  Corinth,  luka,  the  second 
battle  of  Corinth,  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  the 
"March  to  the  Sea"  and  the  campaign  through 
the  Carolinas.  The  regiment  was  variously 
known  as  the  Fourteenth  Missouri  Volunteers, 
Birge's  Western  Sharpshooters,  and  the  Sixty- 
sixth  Illinois  Infantry.  The  latter  (and  final) 
name  was  conferred  by  the  Secretary  of  War, 
Nov.  20,  1862.  It  re-enlisted  (for  the  veteran 
service),  in  December,  1863,  was  mustered  out  at 
Camp  Logan,  Ky.,  July  7,  1865,  and  paid  off  and 
discharged  at  Springfield,  July  15. 

SIXTY-SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, June  13,  1862,  for  three  months'  service,  in 
response  to  an  urgent  call  for  the  defense  of 
Washington.  The  Sixty -seventh,  by  doing  guard 
duty  at  the  camps  at  Chicago  and  Springfield, 
relieved  the  veterans,  who  were  sent  to  the  front. 

SIXTY-EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Enlisted  in  response 
to  a  call  made  by  the  Governor,  early  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1862,  for  State  troops  to  serve  for  three 
months  as  State  Militia,  and  was  mustered  in 
early  in  June,  1862.  It  was  afterwards  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service  as  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, by  petition  of  the  men,  and  received 
marching  orders,  July  5,  1862 ;  mustered  out,  at 
Springfield,  Sept.  26,  1862 — many  of  the  men  re- 
enlisting  in  other  regiments. 

SIXTY-NINTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Camp 
Douglas,  Chicago,  and  mustered  into  service  for 
three  months,  June  14,  1862.  It  remained  on 
duty  at  Camp  Douglas,  guarding  the  camp  and 
rebel  prisoners. 

SEVENTIETH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Camp 
Butler,  near  Springfield,  and  mustered  in,  July  4, 
1862.  It  remained  at  Camp  Butler  doing  guard 
duty.  Its  term  of  service  was  three  months. 

SEVENTY-FIRST  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice, July  26,  1862,  at  Chicago,  for  three  months. 
Its  service  was  confined  to  garrison  duty  in  Illi- 
nois and  Kentucky,  being  mustered  out  at  Chi- 
cago, Oct.  29,  1862. 


560 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


SEVENTY-SECOND  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, as  the  First  Regiment  of  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Trade,  and  mustered  into  service  for  three 
years,  August  23,  1862.  It  was  engaged  at  Cham- 
pion Hill,  Vicksburg,  Natchez,  Franklin,  Nash- 
ville, Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely;  mustered 
out  of  service,  at  Vicksburg,  August  6,  1865,  and 
discharged  at  Chicago. 

SEVENTY-THIRD  INFANTRY.  Recruited  from 
the  counties  of  Adams,  Champaign,  Christian, 
Hancock,  Jackson,  Logan,  Piatt,  Pike,  Sanga- 
mon,  Tazewell  and  Vermilion,  and  mustered  into 
.service  at  Springfield,  August  21,  1862,  900  strong. 
I't  participated  in  the  battles  of  Stone  River, 
Perryville,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge, 
Resaca,  Adairsville,  Burnt  Hickory,  Pine  and 
Lost  Mountains,  New  Hope  Church,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Spring  Hill,  Frank- 
lin and  Nashville ;  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
June  12,  1865,  and,  a  few  days  later,  -rent  to 
Springfield  to  receive  pay  and  final  discharge. 

SEVENTY-FOURTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Rockford,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into 
service  September  4.  It  was  recruited  from  Win- 
nebago,  Ogle  and  Stephenson  Counties.  This  regi- 
ment was  engaged  at  Perryville,  Murfreesboro 
and  Nolansville,  took  part  in  the  Tullahoma 
campaign,  and  the  battles  of  Missionary  Ridge, 
Resaca,  Adairsville,  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Tunnel  Hill,  and  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  the  siege  of 
Atlanta,  and  the  battles  of  Spring  Hill,  Franklin 
and  Nashville.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
June  10,  1865,  with  343  officers  and  men,  the 
aggregate  number  enrolled  having  been  1,001. 

SEVENTY-FIFTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Dixon,  and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  2,  1862. 
The  regiment  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perry- 
ville, Nolansville,  Stone  River,  Lookout  Mountain, 
Dalton,  Resaca,  Marietta, Kenesaw,  Franklin  and 
Nashville;  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville,  June 
12,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chicago,  July 
1,  following. 

SEVENTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Kan- 
kakee,  111. ,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  the 
service,  August  22,  1862 ;  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  the  engagement  at  Jackson,  the  cam- 
paign against  Meridian,  the  expedition  to  Yazoo 
•City,  and  the  capture  of  Mobile,  was  ordered  to 
Texas  in  June,  1865,  and  mustered  out  at  Galves- 
ton,  July  22,  1865,  being  paid  off  and  disbanded 
at  Chicago,  August  4,  1865 — having  traveled 
10,000  miles. 

SEVENTY-SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  and 
mustered  into  service,  Sept.  3,  1862,  at  Peoria; 
was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou, 


Arkansas  Post,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  (including 
the  battle  of  Champion  Hills),  the  capture  of 
Jackson,  the  Red  River  expedition,  and  the  bat- 
tles of  Sabine  Cross  Roads  and  Pleasant  Hill ;  the 
reduction  of  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  and  the 
capture  of  Spanish  Fort,  Fort  Blakely  and  Mobile. 
It  was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Mobile,  July 
10,  1865,  and  ordered  to  Springfield  for  final  pay- 
ment and  discharge,  where  it  arrived,  July  22, 1865, 
having  participated  in  sixteen  battles  and  sieges. 

SEVENTY-EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Quincy,  and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  1,  1862; 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome, 
New  Hope  Church,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Averysboro  and 
Bentonville ;  was  mustered  out,  June  7,  1865,  and 
sent  to  Chicago,  where  it  was  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged, June  12,  1865. 

SEVENTY-NINTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Mat- 
toon,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  service, 
August  28,  1862;  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Stone  River,  Liberty  Gap,  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Kene- 
saw Mountain,  Dallas,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  Lovejoy,  Franklin  and  Nashville ;  was 
mustered  out,  June  12,  1865;  arrived  at  Camp 
Butler,  June  15,  and,  on  June  23,  received  final 
pay  and  discharge. 

EIGHTIETH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Centralia, 
111.,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  service, 
August  25,  1862.  It  was  engaged  at  Perryville, 
Dug's  Gap,  Sand  Mountain  and  Blunt's  Farm, 
surrendering  to  Forrest  at  the  latter  point.  After 
being  exchanged,  it  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Wauhatchie,  Missionary  Ridge,  Dalton,  Resaca, 
Adairsville,  Cassville,  Dallas,  Pine  Mountain, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Marietta,  Peach  Tree  Creek, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station  and  Nash- 
ville. The  regiment  traveled  6,000  miles  and 
participated  in  more  than  twenty  engagements. 
It  was  mustered  out  of  service,  June  10,  1865,  and 
proceeded  to  Camp  Butler  for  final  pay  and 
discharge. 

EIGHTY-FIRST  INFANTRY.  Recruited  from  the 
counties  of  Perry,  Franklin,  Williamson,  Jack- 
son, Union,  Pulaski  and  Alexander,  and  mustered 
into  service  at  Anna,  August  26,  1862.  It  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Port  Gibson,  Raymond, 
Jackson,  Champion  Hill,  Black  River  Bridge,  and 
in  the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg.  Later, 
the  regiment  was  engaged  at  Fort  de  Russey, 
Alexandria,  Guntown  and  Nashville,  besides 
assisting  in  the  investment  of  Mobile.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Chicago,  August  5,  1864. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


561 


EIGHTY-SECOND  INFANTRY.  Sometimes  called 
the  "Second  Hecker  Regiment,"  in  honor  of  Col- 
onel Frederick  Hecker,  its  first  Colonel,  and  for 
merly  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Illinois 
Infantry — being  chiefly  composed  of  German 
members  of  Chicago.  It  was  organized  at  Spring- 
field, Sept.  26,  1862,  and  mustered  into  service, 
Oct.  23,  1862;  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg,  Gettysburg,  Wauhatchie,  Or- 
chard Knob,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  New 
Hope  Church,  Dallas,  Marietta,  Pine  Mountain, 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta  and  Bentonville ;  was 
mustered  out  of  service,  June  9,  1865,  and 
returned  to  Chicago,  June  16 — having  marched, 
during  its  time  of  service,  2,503  miles. 

EIGHTY-THIRD  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Mon- 
mouth  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  serv- 
ice, August  21.  It  participated  in  repelling  the 
rebel  attack  on  Fort  Donelson,  and  in  numerous 
hard- fought  skirmishes  in  Tennessee,  but  was 
chiefly  engaged  in  the  performance  of  heavy 
guard  duty  and  in  protecting  lines  of  communi- 
cation. The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Nash- 
ville, June  26,  1865,  and  finally  paid  off  and 
discharged  at  Chicago,  July  4,  following. 

EIGHTY-FOURTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Quincy,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  serv- 
ice, Sept.  1,  1862,  with  939  men  and  officers.  The 
regiment  was  authorized  to  inscribe  upon  its 
battle-flag  the  names  of  Perryville,  Stone  River, 
Woodbury,  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain, 
Missionary  Ridge,  Ringgold,  Dalton,  Buzzard's 
Roost,  Resaca,  Burnt  Hickory,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, Smyrna,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Sta- 
tion, Franklin,  and  Nashville.  It  was  mustered 
out,  June  8,  1865. 

EIGHTY-FIFTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Peoria, 
about  Sept.  1,  1862,  and  ordered  to  Louisville.  It 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Stone  River, 
Chickamauga,  Knoxville,  Dalton,  Rocky-Face 
Ridge,  Resaca,  Rome,  Dallas,  Kenesaw,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Savannah,  Ben- 
tonville, Goldsboro  and  Raleigh;  was  mustered 
out  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  June  5,  1865,  and 
sent  to  Springfield,  where  the  regiment  was 
paid  off  and  discharged  on  the  20th  of  the  same 
month. 

EIGHTY-SIXTH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice, August  27,  1862,  at  Peoria,  at  which  time  it 
numbered  923  men,  rank  and  file.  It  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome, 
Dallas,  K«nesaw,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Jonesboro, 
Averysboro  and  Bentonville;  was  mustered  out 
on  June  6,  1865,  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  arriving 


on  June  11,  at  Chicago,  where,  ten  days  later,  the 
men  received  their  pay  and  final  discharge. 

EIGHTY-SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Enlisted  in  Au- 
gust, 1862;  was  composed  of  companies  from 
Hamilton,  Edwards,  Wayne  and  White  Counties ; 
was  organized  in  the  latter  part  of  August,  1862, 
at  Shawneetown;  mustered  in,  Oct.  3,  1862,  the 
muster  to  take  effect  from  August  2.  It  took 
part  in  the  siege  and  capture  of  Warrenton  and 
Jackson,  and  in  the  entire  campaign  through 
Louisiana  and  Southern  Mississippi,  participating 
in  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross  Roads  and  in  numer- 
ous skirmishes  among  the  bayous,  being  mustered 
out,  June  16,  1865,  and  ordered  to  Springfield, 
where  it  arrived,  June  24,  1865,  and  was  paid  off 
and  disbanded  at  Camp  Butler,  on  July  2. 

EIGHTY-EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, in  September,  1862,  and  known  as  the 
"Second  Board  of  Trade  Regiment."  It  was 
mustered  in,  Sept.  4,  1862 ;  was  engaged  at  Perry- 
ville, Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville, 
New  Hope  Church,  Pine  Mountain,  Mud  Creek, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Smyrna  Camp  Ground, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station,  Franklin 
and  Nashville;  was  mustered  out,  June  9,  1865, 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  arrived  at  Chicago, 
June  13,  1865,  where  it  received  final  pay  and 
discharge,  June  22,  1865. 

EIGHTY-NINTH  INFANTRY.  Called  the  "Rail- 
road Regiment";  was  organized  by  the  railroad 
companies  of  Illinois,  at  Chicago,  in  August, 
1862,  and  mustered  into  service  on  the  27th  of 
that  month.  It  fought  at  Stone  River,  Chicka- 
mauga, Missionary  Ridge,  Knoxville,  Resaca, 
Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Pickett's  Mills,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro, 
Lovejoy's  Station,  Spring  Hill,  Columbia,  Frank- 
lin and  Nashville;  was  mustered  out,  June  10, 
1865,  in  the  field  near  Nashville,  Tenn. ;  arrived 
at  Chicago  two  days  later,  and  was  finally  dis- 
charged, June  24,  after  a  service  of  two  years, 
nine  months  and  twenty -seven  days. 

NINETIETH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  service 
at  Chicago,  Sept.  7,  1862 ;  participated  in  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg  and  the  campaign  against  Jackson, 
and  was  engaged  at  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca, 
Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Big  Shanty,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Marietta,  Nickajack  Creek,  Rosswell, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro  and  Fort  McAllister.  After 
the  review  at  Washington,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out,  June  6,  and  returned  to  Chicago, 
June  9,  1865,  where  it  was  finally  discharged. 

NINETY-FIRST  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Camp 
Butler,  near  Springfield,  in  August,  1862,  and 


562 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


mustered  in  on  Sept.  8,  1862 ;  participated  in  the 
campaigns  against  Vicksburg  and  New  Orleans, 
and  all  along  the  southwestern  frontier  in 
Louisiana  and  Texas,  as  well  as  in  the  investiture 
and  capture  of  Mobile.  It  was  mustered  out  at 
Mobile,  July  12,  1865,  starting  for  home  the  same 
day,  and  being  finally  paid  off  and  discharged  on 
July  28,  following. 

NINETY-SECOND  INFANTRY  (Mounted).  Organ- 
ized and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  4,  1862, 
being  recruited  from  Ogle,  Stephenson  and  Car- 
roll Counties.  During  its  term  of  service,  the 
Ninety -second  was  in  more  than  sixty  battles  and 
skirmishes,  including  Ringgold,  Chickamauga, 
and  the  numerous  engagements  on  the  "March 
to  the  Sea,"  and  during  the  pursuit  of  Johnston 
through  the  Carolinas.  It  was  mustered  out  at 
Concord,  N.  C. ,  and  paid  and  discharged  from  the 
service  at  Chicago,  July  10,  1865. 

NINETY-THIRD  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, in  September,  1862,  and  mustered  in,  Oct. 
18,  998  strong.  It  participated  in  the  movements 
against  Jackson  and  Vicksburg,  and  was  engaged 
at  Champion  Hills  and  at  Fort  Fisher ;  also  was 
engaged  in  the  battles  of  Missionary  Ridge, 
Dallas,  Resaca,  and  many  minor  engagements, 
following  Sherman  in  his  campaign  though  the 
Carolinas.  Mustered  out  of  service,  June  23, 
1865,  and,  on  the  25th,  arrived  at  Chicago,  receiv- 
ing final  payment  and  discharge,  July  7,  1865,  the 
regiment  having  marched  2,554  miles,  traveled 
by  water,  2,296  miles,  and,  by  railroad,  1,237 
miles — total,  6,087  miles. 

NINETY-FOURTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Blooinington  in  August,  1862,  and  enlisted  wholly 
in  McLean  County.  After  some  warm  experi 
ence  in  Southwest  Missouri,  the  regiment  took 
part  in  the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg,  and 
was,  later,  actively  engaged  in  the  campaigns  in 
Louisiana  and  Texas.  It  participated  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Mobile,  leading  the  final  assault.  After 
several  months  of  garrison  duty,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out  at  Galveston,  Texas,  on  July  17, 
1865,  reaching  Bloornington  on  August  9,  follow- 
ing, having  served  just  three  years,  marched  1,200 
miles,  traveled  by  railroad  610  miles,  and,  by 
steamer,  6,000  miles,  and  taken  part  in  nine  bat- 
tles, sieges  and  skirmishes. 

NINETY-FIFTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Rock- 
ford  and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  4,  1862.  It 
was  recruited  from  the  counties  of  McHenry  and 
Boone — three  companies  from  the  latter  and 
seven  from  the  former.  It  took  part  in  the  cam- 
paigns in  Northern  Mississippi  and  against  Vicks- 
burg. in  the  Red  River  expedition,  the  campaigns 


against  Price  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  against 
Mobile  and  around  Atlanta.  Among  the  battles 
in  which  the  regiment  was  engaged  were  those 
of  the  Tallahatchie  River,  Grand  Gulf,  Raymond, 
Champion  Hills,  Fort  de  Russey,  Old  River, 
Cloutierville,  Mansura,  Yellow  Bayou,  Guntown, 
Nashville,  Spanish  Fort,  Fort  Blakely,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Chattahoochie  River,  Atlanta,  Ezra 
Church,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station  and  Nash- 
ville. The  distance  traveled  by  the  regiment, 
while  in  the  service,  was  9,960  miles.  It  was 
transferred  to  the  Forty-seventh  Illinois  Infan- 
try, August  25,  1865. 

NINETY-SIXTH  INFANTRY.  Recruited  during 
the  months  of  July  and  August,  1862,  and  mus- 
tered into  service,  as  a  regiment,  Sept.  6,  1862. 
The  battles  engaged  in  included  Fort  Donelson, 
Spring  Hill,  Franklin,  Triune,  Liberty  Gap, 
Shelbyville,  Chickamauga,  "Wauhatchie,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Rocky  Face  Ridge, 
Resaca,  Kingston,  New  Hope  Church,  Dallas, 
Pine  Mountain,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Smyrna 
Camp  Ground,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Rough 
and  Ready,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy's  Station,  Frank- 
lin and  Nashville.  Its  date  of  final  pay  and  dis- 
charge was  June  30,  1865. 

NINETY-SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  in 
August  and  September,  1862,  and  mustered  in  on 
Sept.  16 ;  participated  in  the  battles  of  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Port  Gibson,  Champion 
Hills,  Black  River,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and 
Mobile.  On  July  29,  1865,  it  was  mustered  out 
and  proceeded  homeward,  reaching  Springfield, 
August  10,  after  an  absence  of  three  years,  less  a 
few  days. 

NINETY-EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Cen- 
tralia,  September,  1862,  and  mustered  in,  Sept.  3; 
took  part  in  engagements  at  Chickamauga,  Mc- 
Minnville,  Farmington  and  Selma,  besides  many 
others  of  less  note.  It  was  mustered  out,  June 
27,  1865,  the  recruits  being  transferred  to  the 
Sixty -first  Illinois  Volunteers.  The  regiment 
arrived  at  Springfield,  June  30,  and  received  final 
payment  and  discharge,  July  7,  1865. 

NINETY-NINTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  in  Pike 
County  and  mustered  in  at  Florence,  August  23, 
1862;  participated  in  the  following  battles  and 
skirmishes:  Beaver  Creek,  Hartsville,  Magnolia 
Hills,  Raymond,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Fort  Esperanza,  Grand 
Coteau,  Fish  River,  Spanish  Fort  and  Blakely: 
days  under  fire,  62;  miles  traveled,  5,900;  men 
killed  in  battle,  38;  men  died  of  wounds  and 
disease,  149;  men  discharged  for  disability,  127; 
men  deserted,  35;  officers  killed  in  battle,  8; 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


563 


officers  died,  2;  officers  resigned,  26.  The  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  at  Baton  Rouge,  July  31, 
1865,  and  paid  off  and  discharged,  August  9, 
following. 

ONE  HUNDREDTH  INFANTRY.  Organized  at 
Joliet,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  in,  August 
30.  The  entire  regiment  was  recruited  in  Will 
County.  It  was  engaged  at  Bardstown,  Stone 
River,  Lookout  Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge,  and 
Nashville;  was  mustered  out  of  service,  June  12, 
1865,  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  arrived  at  Chicago, 
June  15,  where  it  received  final  payment  and 
discharge. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIRST  INFANTRY.  Organ- 
ized at  Jacksonville  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
month  of  August,  1862,  and,  on  Sept.  2,  1862, 
was  mustered  in.  It  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Wauhatchie,  Chattanooga,  Resaca,  New  Hope 
Church,  Kenesaw  and  Pine  Mountains,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Averysboro  and  Bentonville. 
On  Dec.  20,  1862,  five  companies  were  captured 
at  Holly  Springs,  Miss.,  paroled  and  sent  to 
Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.,  and  formally  exchanged 
in  June,  1863.  On  the  7th  of  June,  1865,  it  was 
mustered  out,  and  started  for  Springfield,  where, 
on  the  21st  of  June,  it  was  paid  off  and  disbanded. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SECOND  INFANTRY.  Organ- 
ized at  Knoxville,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered 
in,  September  1  and  2.  It  was  engaged  at  Resaca, 
Camp  Creek,  Burnt  Hickory,  Big  Shanty,  Peach 
Tree  Creek  and  Averysboro;  mustered  out  of 
service  June  6,  1865,  and  started  home,  arriving 
at  Chicago  on  the  9th,  and,  June  14,  received 
final  payment  and  discharge. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRD  INFANTRY.  Re- 
cruited wholly  in  Fulton  County,  and  mustered 
into  the  service,  Oct.  2,  1862.  It  took  part  in 
the  Grierson  raid,  the  sieges  of  Vicksburg,  Jack- 
son, Atlanta  and  Savannah,  and  the  battles  of 
Missionary  Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Dal- 
las, Kenesaw  Mountain  and  Griswoldsville ;  was 
also  in  the  campaign  through  the  Carolinas. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
June  21,  and  received  final  discharge  at  Chi- 
cago, July  9,  1865.  The  original  strength  of 
the  regiment  was  808,  and  84  recruits  were 
enlisted. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FOURTH  INFANTRY.  Organ- 
ized at  Ottawa,  in  August,  1862,  and  composed 
almost  entirely  of  La  Salle  County  men.  The 
regiment  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Harts- 
ville,  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain,  Mission- 
ary Ridge,  Resaca,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Utoy 
Creek,  Jonesboro  and  Bentonville,  besides  many 
severe  skirmishes ;  was  mustered  out  at  Washing- 


ton, D.  C.,  June  6,  1865,  and,  a  few  days  later, 
received  final  discharge  at  Chicago. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTH  INFANTRY.  Mus- 
tered into  service,  Sept.  2,  1862,  at  Dixon,  and 
participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  being 
engaged  at  Resaca,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and 
Atlanta,  and  almost  constantly  skirmishing; 
also  took  part  in  the  "March  to  the  Sea"  and  the 
campaign  in  the  Carolinas,  including  the  siege  of 
Savannah  and  the  battles  of  Averysboro  and 
Bentonville.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  June  7,  1865,  and  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged at  Chicago,  June  17. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SIXTH  INFANTRY.  Mus- 
tered into  service  at  Lincoln,  Sept.  18,  1862, 
eight  of  the  ten  companies  having  been  recruited 
in  Logan  County,  the  other  two  being  from  San- 
gamon  and  Menard  Counties.  It  aided  in  the 
defense  of  Jackson,  Tenn.,  where  Company  "C" 
was  captured  and  paroled,  being  exchanged  in 
the  summer  of  1863;  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  the  Yazoo  expedition,  the  capture  of 
Little  Rock,  the  battle  of  Clarendon,  and  per- 
formed service  at  various  points  in  Arkansas.  It 
was  mustered  out,  July  12,  1865,  at  Pine  Bluff, 
Ark.,  and  arrived  at  Springfield,  July  24,  1865, 
where  it  received  final  payment  and  discharge 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Mus- 
tered into  service  at  Springfield,  Sept.  4,  1862; 
was  composed  of  six  companies  from  DeWitt  and 
four  companies  from  Piatt  County.  It  was 
engaged  at  Campbell's  Station,  Dandridge, 
Rocky-Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Atlanta,  Spring  Hill,  Franklin,  Nashville  and 
Fort  Anderson,  and  mustered  out,  June  21,  1865, 
at  Salisbury,  N.  C.,  reaching  Springfield,  for 
final  payment  and  discharge,  July  2,  1865. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTH  INFANTRY.  Organ- 
ized at  Peoria,  and  mustered  into  service,  August 
28,  1862 ;  took  part  in  the  first  expedition  against 
Vicksburg  and  in  the  battles  of  Arkansas  Post 
(Fort  Hindman),  Port  Gibson  and  Champion 
Hills ;  in  the  capture  of  Vicksburg,  the  battle  of 
Guntown,  the  reduction  of.  Spanish  Fort,  and  the 
capture  of  Mobile.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Vicks- 
burg, August  5,  1865,  and  received  final  discharge 
at  Chicago,  August  11. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  NINTH  INFANTRY.  Re- 
cruited from  Union  and  Pulaski  Counties  and 
mustered  into  the  service,  Sept.  11,  1862.  Owing 
to  its  number  being  greatly  reduced,  it  was  con- 
solidated with  the  Eleventh  Infantry  in  April, 
1863.  (See  Eleventh  Infantry.) 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TENTH  INFANTRY.  Organ- 
ized at  Anna  and  mustered  in,  Sept.  11,  1862;  was 


564 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


engaged  at  Stone  Ri^er,  Woodbury,  and  in 
numerous  skirmishes  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 
In  May,  1863,  the  regiment  was  consolidated,  its 
numbers  having  been  greatly  reduced.  Subse- 
quently it  participated  in  the  battles  of  Chicka- 
mauga  and  Missionary  Ridge,  the  battles  around 
Atlanta  and  the  campaign  through  the  Carolinas, 
being  present  at  Johnston's  surrender.  The  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  at  Washington,  D.  C., 
June  5,  1865,  and  received  final  discharge  at 
Chicago,  June  15.  The  enlisted  men  whose  term 
of  service  had  not  expired  at  date  of  muster-out, 
were  consolidated  into  four  companies  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  Sixtieth  Illinois  Veteran  Volunteer 
Infantry. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  ELEVENTH  INFANTRY.  Re- 
cruited from  Marion,  Clay,  Washington,  Clinton 
and  Wayne  Counties,  and  mustered  into  the  serv- 
ice at  Salem,  Sept.  18,  1862.  The  regiment  aided 
in  the  capture  of  Decatur,  Ala. ;  took  part  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  being  engaged  at  Resaca, 
Dallas,  Kenesaw,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro ;  partici- 
pated in  the  "March  to  the  Sea"  and  the  cam- 
paign in  the  Carolinas,  taking  part  in  the  battles 
of  Fort  McAllister  and  Bentonville.  It  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  June  7,  1865, 
receiving  final  discharge  at  Springfield,  June  27, 
having  traveled  3,736  miles,  of  which  1,836  was 
on  the  march. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWELFTH  INFANTRY.  Mus- 
tered into  service  at  Peoria,  Sept.  20  and  22, 
1862 ;  participated  in  the  campaign  in  East  Ten- 
nessee, under  Burnside,  and  in  that  against 
Atlanta,  under  Sherman;  was  also  engaged  in 
the  battles  of  Columbia,  Franklin  and  Nashville, 
and  the  capture  of  Fort  Anderson  and  Wilming- 
ton. It  was  mustered  out  at  Goldsboro,  N.  C., 
June  20,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chicago, 
July  7,  1865. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTEENTH  INFANTRY. 
Left  Camp  Hancock  (near  Chicago)  for  the  front, 
Nov.  6,  1862;  was  engaged  in  the  Tallahatchie 
expedition,  participated  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
saw  Bayou,  and  was  sent  North  to  guard  prison- 
ers and  recruit.  The  regiment  also  took  part  in 
the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg,  was  mustered 
out,  June  20,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chi- 
cago, five  days  later. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FOURTEENTH  INFANTRY. 
Organized  in  July  and  August,  1862,  and  mustered 
in  at  Springfield,  Sept.  18,  being  recruited  from 
Cass,  Menard  and  Sangamon  Counties.  The  regi- 
ment participated  in  the  battle  of  Jackson  (Miss. ), 
the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Guntown  and  Harrisville,  the  pursuit 


of  Price  through  Missouri,  the  battle  of  Nash- 
ville, and  the  capture  of  Mobile.  It  v.-as  mustered 
out  at  Vicksburg,  August  3,  1865,  receiving  final 
payment  and  discharge  at  Springfield.  August  15, 
1865. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTEENTH  INFANTRY. 
Ordered  to  the  front  from  Springfield,  Oct.  4, 
1862 ;  was  engaged  at  Chickamauga,  Chattanooga, 
Missionary  Ridge,  Tunnel  Hill,  Resaca  and  in  all 
the  principal  battles  of  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
and  in  the  defense  of  Nashville  and  pursuit  of 
Hood;  was  mustered  out  of  service,  June  11, 
1865,  and  received  final  pay  and  discharge,  June 
23,  1865,  at  Springfield. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SIXTEENTH  INFANTRY. 
Recruited  almost  wholly  from  Macon  County, 
numbering  980  officers  and  men  when  it  started 
from  Decatur  for  the  front  on  Nov.  8,  1862.  It 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou, 
Arkansas  Post,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River 
Bridge,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  Dallas,  Big 
Shanty,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Stone  Mountain, 
Atlanta,  Fort  McAllister  and  Bentonville,  and 
was  mustered  out,  June  7,  1865,  near  Washington, 
D.  C. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SEVENTEENTH  INFANTRY. 
Organized  at  Springfield,  and  mustered  in,  Sept. 
19,  1862 ;  participated  in  the  Meridian  campaign, 
the  Red  River  expedition  (assisting  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  de  Russey),  and  in  the  battles  of 
Pleasant  Hill,  Yellow  Bayou,  Tupelo,  Franklin, 
Nashville,  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely.  It 
was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  August  5,  1865, 
having  traveled  9,276  miles,  2,307  of  which  were 
marched. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTEENTH  INFANTRY. 
Organized  and  mustered  into  the  service  at 
Springfield,  Nov.  7,  1862 ;  was  engaged  at  Chicka- 
saw Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Port  Gibson,  Cham- 
pion Hills,  Black  River  Bridge,  Jackson  (Miss.), 
Grand  Coteau,  Jackson  (La. ),  and  Amite  River. 
The  regiment  was  mounted,  Oct.  11,  1863,  and 
dismounted,  May  22,  1865.  Oct.  1,  1865,  it  was 
mustered  out,  and  finally  discharged,  Oct.  13. 
At  the  date  of  the  muster-in,  the  regiment  num- 
bered 820  men  and  officers,  received  283  recruits, 
making  a  total  of  1,103;  at  muster-out  it  num- 
bered 523.  Distance  marched,  2,000  miles;  total 
distance  traveled,  5,700  miles. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  NINETEENTH  INFANTRY. 
Organized  at  Quincy,  in  September,  1862,  and 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service, 
October  10 ;  was  engaged  in  the  Red  River  cam- 
paign and  in  the  battles  of  Shreveport,  Yellow 
Bayou,  Tupelo,  Nashville,  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


565 


Blakely.  Its  final  muster-out  took  place  at 
Mobile,  August  26,  1865,  and  its  discharge  at 
Springfield. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETY  INFANTRY. 
Mustered  into  the  service,  Oct.  28,  1862,  at  Spring- 
field ;  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  7,  1865,  and  received 
final  payment  and  discharge,  September  10,  at 
Springfield. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-FIRST  INFAN- 
TRY. (The  organization  of  this  regiment  was  not 
completed.) 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-SECOND  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Carlinville,  in  August,  1862, 
and  mustered  into  the  service,  Sept.  4,  with  960 
enlisted  men.  It  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Tupelo  and  Nashville,  and  in  the  capture  of 
Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  and  was  mustered 
out,  July  15,  1865,  at  Mobile,  and  finally  dis- 
charged at  Springfield,  August  4. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-THIRD  INFAN- 
TRY. Mustered  into  service  at  Mattoon,  Sept.  6, 
1862;  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perry ville, 
Milton,  Hoover's  Gap,  and  Farmington ;  also  took 
part  in  the  entire  Atlanta  campaign,  marching 
as  cavalry  and  fighting  as  infantry.  Later,  it 
served  as  mounted  infantry  in  Kentucky,  Tennes- 
see and  Alabama,  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the 
capture  of  Selma.  The  regiment  was  discharged 
at  Springfield,  July  11,  1865 — the  recruits,  whose 
terms  had  not  expired,  being  transferred  to  the 
Sixty-first  Volunteer  Infantry. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-FOURTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Mustered  into  the  service,  Sept.  10,  1862,  at 
Springfield ;  took  part  in  the  Vicksburg  campaign 
arid  in  the  battles  of  Port  Gibson,  Raymond  and 
Champion  Hills,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the 
Meridian  raid,  the  Yazoo  expedition,  and  the 
capture  of  Mobile.  On  the  16th  of  August,  1865, 
eleven  days  less  than  three  years  after  the  first 
company  went  into  camp  at  Springfield,  the  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  at  Chicago.  Colonel 
Howe's  history  of  the  battle-flag  of  the  regiment, 
stated  that  it  had  been  borne  4,100  miles,  in  four- 
teen skirimishes,  ten  battles  and  two  sieges  of 
forty-seven  days  and  nights,  and  thirteen  days 
and  nights,  respectively. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-FIFTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Mustered  into  service,  Sept.  3,  1862;  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Chicka- 
mauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro,  and  in 
the  "March  to  the  Sea"  and  the  Carolina  cam- 
paign, being  engaged  at  Averysboro  and  Benton- 
ville.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Washington,  D.  C., 
June  9,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chicago. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-SIXTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Alton  and  mustered  in,  Sept.  4, 
1862,  and  participated  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
Six  companies  were  engaged  in  skirmish  line,  near 
Humboldt,  Tenn.,  and  the  regiment  took  part  in 
the  capture  of  Little  Rock  and  in  the  fight  at 
Clarendon,  Ark.  It  was  mustered  out  July  12, 1865. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-SEVENTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Mustered  into  service  at  Chicago,  Sept.  6, 
1862;  took  part  in  the  first  campaign  against 
Vicksburg,  and  in  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post, 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg  under  Grant,  the  capture 
of  Jackson  (Miss.),  the  battles  of  Missionary 
Ridge  and  Lookout  Mountain,  the  Meridian  raid, 
and  in  the  fighting  at  Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro;  also  accom- 
panied Sherman  in  his  march  through  Georgia 
and  the  Carolinas,  taking  part  in  the  battle  of 
Bentonville ;  was  mustered  out  at  Chicago.  June 
17,  1865. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-EIGHTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Mustered  in,  Dec.  18,  1862,  but  remained 
in  service  less  than  five  months,  when,  its  num- 
ber of  officers  and  men  having  been  reduced  from 
860  to  161  (largely  by  desertions),  a  number  of 
officers  were  dismissed,  and  the  few  remaining 
officers  and  men  were  formed  into  a  detachment, 
and  transferred  to  another  Illinois  regiment. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-NINTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Pontiac,  in  August,  1862,  and 
mustered  into  the  service  Sept.  8.  Prior  to  May, 
1864,  the  regiment  was  chiefly  engaged  in  garri- 
son duty.  It  marched  with  Sherman  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign  and  through  Georgia  and  the 
Carolinas,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Resaca, 
Buzzard's  Roost,  Lost  Mountain,  Dallas,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Averysboro  and  Benton- 
ville. It  received  final  pay  and  discharge  at  Chi- 
ca«~o,  June  10,  1865. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTIETH  INFANTRY. 
Organized  at  Springfield  and  mustered  into 
service,  Oct.  25,  1862 ;  was  engaged  at  Port  Gib- 
son, Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge,  Vicks- 
burg, Jackson  (Miss.),  and  in  the  Red  River 
expedition.  While  on  this  expedition  almost  the 
entire  regiment  was  captured  at  the  battle  of 
Mansfield,  and  not  paroled  until  near  the  close  of 
the  war.  The  remaining  officers  and  men  were 
consolidated  with  the  Seventy-seventh  Infantry 
in  January,  1865,  and  participated  in  the  capture 
of  Mobile.  Six  months  later  its  regimental  re- 
organization, as  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth, 
was  ordered.  It  was  mustered  out  at  New 
Orleans,  August  15,  1865,  and  discharged  at 
Springfield,  August  31. 


566 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-FIRST  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  in  September,  1862,  and  mus- 
tered into  the  service,  Nov.  13,  with  815  men, 
exclusive  of  officers.  In  October,  1863,  it  was 
consolidated  with  the  Twenty-ninth  Infantry, 
and  ceased  to  exist  as  a  separate  organization. 
Up  to  that  time  the  regiment  had  been  in  but  a 
few  conflicts  and  in  no  pitched  battle. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-SECOND  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Chicago  and  mustered  in  for 
100  days  from  June  1,  1864.  The  regiment  re- 
mained on  duty  at  Paducah  until  the  expiration 
of  its  service,  when  it  moved  to  Chicago,  and 
was  mustered  out,  Oct.  17,  1864. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-THIRD  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Springfield,  and  mustered  in 
for  one  hundred  days,  May  31,  1864;  was  engaged 
during  its  term  of  service  in  guarding  prisoners 
of  war  at  Eock  Island ;  was  mustered  out,  Sept. 
4,  1864,  at  Camp  Butler. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-FOURTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Chicago  and  mustered  in, 
May  31,  1864,  for  100  days;  was  assigned  to 
garrison  duty  at  Columbus,  Ky.,  and  mustered 
out  of  service,  Oct.  25,  1864,  at  Chicago. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-FIFTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Mustered  in  for  100-days'  service  at  Mat- 
toon,  June  6,  1864,  having  a  strength  of  852  men. 
It  was  chiefly  engaged,  during  its  term  of  service, 
in  doing  garrison  duty  and  guarding  railroads. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  Sept.  28,  1864. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-SIXTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Enlisted  about  the  first  of  May,  1864,  for 
100  days,  and  went  into  camp  at  Centralia,  111., 
but  was  not  mustered  into  service  until  June  1, 
following.  Its  principal  service  was  garrison 
duty,  with  occasional  scouts  and  raids  amongst 
guerrillas.  At  the  end  of  its  term  of  service  the 
regiment  re-enlisted  for  fifteen  days;  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Springfield,  Oct.  22,  1864,  and  dis- 
charged eight  days  later 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-SEVENTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Quincy,  with  ex-Gov.  John 
Wood  as  its  Colonel,  and  mustered  in,  June  5, 
1864,  for  100  days.  Was  on  duty  at  Memphis, 
Tenn  ,  and  mustered  out  of  service  at  Spring- 
field. 111..  Sept.  4,  1864. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-EIGHTH  INFAN- 
TRY Organized  at  Quincy,  and  mustered  in, 
June  21,  1864,  for  100  days;  was  assigned  to  garri- 
son duty  at  Fort  Leaven  worth,  Kan.,  and  in 
Western  Missouri.  It  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice at  Springfield,  111.,  Oct.  14,  1864. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-NINTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Mustered  into  service  as  a  100-day's  regi- 


ment, at  Peoria,  June  1,  1864;  was  engaged  in 
garrison  duty  at  Columbus  and  Cairo,  in  making 
reprisals  for  guerrilla  raids,  and  in  the  pursuit  of 
the  Confederate  General  Price  in  Missouri.  The 
latter  service  was  rendered,  at  the  President's 
request,  after  the  term  of  enlistment  had  expired. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Peoria,  Oct.  25,  1864,  hav- 
ing been  in  the  service  nearly  five  months. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FOURTIETH  INFANTRY. 
Organized  as  a  100-days'  regiment,  at  Springfield, 
June  18,  1864,  and  mustered  into  service  on  that 
date.  The  regiment  was  engaged  in  guarding 
railroads  between  Memphis  and  Holly  Springs,  and 
in  garrison  duty  at  Memphis.  After  the  term  of 
enlistment  had  expired  and  the  regiment  had 
been  mustered  out,  it  aided  in  the  pursuit  of 
General  Price  through  Missouri;  was  finally  dis- 
charged at  Chicago,  after  serving  about  five 
months 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-FIRST  INFAN- 
TRY. Mustered  into  service  as  a  100-days'  regi- 
ment, at  Elgin,  June  16,  1864 — strength,  842  men; 
departed  for  the  field,  June  27,  1864;  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Chicago,  Oct.  10,  1864. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-SECOND  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Freeport  as  a  battalion  of 
eight  companies,  and  sent  to  Camp  Butler,  where 
two  companies  were  added  and  the  regiment 
mustered  into  service  for  100  days,  June  18,  1864. 
It  was  ordered  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  five  days  later, 
and  assigned  to  duty  at  White's  Station,  eleven 
miles  from  that  city,  where  it  was  employed  in 
guarding  the  Memphis  &  Charleston  railroad. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  on  Oct,  27,  1864, 
the  men  having  voluntarily  served  one  month 
beyond  their  term  of  enlistment. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-THIRD  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Mattoon,  and  mustered  in, 
June  11,  1864,  for  100  days.  It  was  assigned  to 
garrison  duty,  and  mustered  out  at  Mattoon, 
Sept.  26,  1864. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-FOURTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Alton,  in  1864,  as  a  one-year 
regiment;  was  mustered  into  the  service,  Oct.  21, 
its  strength  being  1,159  men.  It  was  mustered 
out,  July  14,  1865. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-FIFTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Mustered  into  service  at  Springfield,  June 
9,  1864 ;  strength,  880  men.  It  departed  for  the 
field,  June  12,  1864;  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  23, 
1864. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-SIXTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Springfield,  Sept.  18,  1864,  for 
one  year.  Was  assigned  to  the  duty  of  guarding 
drafted  men  at  Brighton,  Quincy,  Jacksonville 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


567 


and  Springfield,  and  mustered  out  at  Springfield, 
July  5,  1865. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-SEVENTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Chicago,  and  mustered  into 
service  for  one  year,  Feb.  18  and  19,  1865;  was 
engaged  chiefly  on  guard  or  garrison  duty,  in 
scouting  and  in  skirmishing  with  guerrillas. 
Mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Jan.  22,  1866,  and 
received  final  discharge  at  Springfield,  Feb.  4. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-EIGHTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Springfield,  Feb.  21,  1865,  for 
the  term  of  one  year ;  was  assigned  to  garrison 
and  guard  duty  and  mustered  out,  Sept.  5,  1865, 
at  Nashville,  Tenn ;  arrived  at  Springfield,  Sept. 
9,  1865,  where  it  was  paid  off  and  discharged. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FORTY-NINTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Springfield,  Feb.  11,  1865, 
and  mustered  in  for  one  year;  was  engaged  in 
garrison  and  guard  duty ;  mustered  out,  Jan.  27, 
1866,  at  Dalton,  Ga. ,  and  ordered  to  Springfield, 
where  it  received  final  payment  and  discharge. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTIETH  INFANTRY. 
Organized  at  Springfield,  and  mustered  in,  Feb.  14, 
1865,  for  one  year ;  was  on  duty  in  Tennessee  and 
Georgia,  guarding  railroads  and  garrisoning 
towns.  It  was  mustered  out,  Jan.  16,  1866,  at 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  ordered  to  Springfield,  where  it 
received  final  payment  and  discharge. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY-FIRST  INFANTRY. 
This  regiment  was  organized  at  Quincy,  111., 
and  mustered  into  the  United  States  service, 
Feb.  23,  1865,  and  was  composed  of  companies 
from  various  parts  of  the  State,  recruited,  under 
the  call  of  Dec.  19,  1864.  It  was  engaged  in 
guard  duty,  with  a  few  guerrilla  skirmishes,  and 
was  present  at  the  surrender  of  General  War- 
ford's  army,  at  Kingston,  Ga. ;  was  mustered  out 
at  Columbus,  Ga.,  Jan.  24,  1866,  and  ordered  to 
Springfield,  where  it  received  final  payment  and 
discharge,  Feb.  8,  1866. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY-SECOND  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Springfield  and  mustered  in, 
Feb.  18,  1865,  for  one  year ;  was  mustered  out  of 
service,  to  date  Sept.  11,  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and 
arrived  at  Camp  Butler,  Sept.  9,  1865,  where  it 
received  final  payment  and  discharge. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY-THIRD  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Chicago,  and  mustered  in, 
Feb.  27,  1865,  for  one  year;  was  not  engaged  in 
any  battles.  It  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  15,  1865, 
and  moved  to  Springfield,  111.,  and,  Sept.  24, 
received  final  pay  and  discharge. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY-FOURTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Springfield,  Feb.  21,  1865, 
for  one  year.  Sept.  18,  1865,  the  regiment  was 


mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  ordered  to 
Springfield  for  final  payment  and  discharge, 
where  it  arrived,  Sept.  22 ;  was  paid  oft  and  dis- 
charged at  Camp  Butler,  Sept-  29. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY-FIFTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  at  Springfield  and  mustered  in 
Feb.  28,  1865,  for  one  year,  904  strong.  On  Sept. 
4,  1865,  it  was  mustered  out  of  service,  and  moved 
to  Camp  Butler,  where  it  received  final  pay  and 
discharge. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY-SIXTH  INFAN- 
TRY. Organized  and  mustered  in  during  the 
months  of  February  and  March,  1865,  from  the 
northern  counties  of  the  State,  for  the  term  of 
one  year.  The  officers  of  the  regiment  have  left 
no  written  record  of  its  history,  but  its  service 
seems  to  have  been  rendered  chiefly  in  Tennessee 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Memphis,  Nashville  and 
Chattanooga.  Judging  by  the  muster-rolls  of 
the  Adjutant-General,  the  regiment  would  appear 
to  have  been  greatly  depleted  by  desertions  and 
otherwise,  the  remnant  being  finally  mustered 
out,  Sept.  20,  1865. 

FIRST  CAVALRY.  Organized  —  consisting  of 
seven  companies,  A,  B,  C,  D,  E,  F  and  G — at 
Alton,  in  1861,  and  mustered  into  the  United 
States  service,  July  3.  After  some  service  in 
Missouri,  the  regiment  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Lexington,  in  that  State,  and  was  surrendered, 
with  the  remainder  of  the  garrison,  Sept.  20, 1861. 
The  officers  were  paroled,  and  the  men  sworn  not 
to  take  up  arms  again  until  discharged.  No  ex- 
change having  been  effected  in  November,  the 
non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  were 
ordered  to  Springfield  and  discharged.  In  June, 
1862,  the  regiment  was  reorganized  at  Benton 
Barracks,  Mo.,  being  afterwards  employed  in 
guarding  supply  trains  and  supply  depots  at 
various  points.  Mustered  out,  at  Benton  Bar- 
racks, July  14,  1862. 

SECOND  CAVALRY.  Organized  at  Springfield 
and  mustered  into  service,  August  12,  1861,  with 
Company  M  (which  joined  the  regiment  some 
months  later),  numbering  47  commissioned  offi- 
cers and  1,040  enlisted  men.  This  number  was  in- 
creased by  recruits  and  re-enlistments,  during  its 
four  and  a  half  year's  term  of  service,  to  2,236 
enlisted  men  and  145  commissioned  officers.  It 
was  engaged  at  Belmont ;  a  portion  of  the  regi- 
ment took  part  in  the  battles  at  Fort  Henry, 
Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  another  portion  at 
Merriweather's  Ferry,  Bolivar  and  Holly  Springs, 
and  participated  in  the  investment  of  Vicksburg. 
In  January,  1864,  the  major  part  of  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans,  later,  participating  in  the 


568 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Red  River  expedition  and  the  investment  of  Fort 
Blakely.  It  was  mustered  out  at  San  Antonio, 
Tex.,  Nov.  22,  1865,  and  finally  paid  and  dis- 
charged at  Springfield,  Jan.  3,  1866. 

THIRD  CAVALRY.  Composed  of  twelve  com- 
panies, from  various  localities  in  the  State,  the 
grand  total  of  company  officers  and  enlisted  men, 
under  the  first  organization,  being  1,433.  It  was 
organized  at  Springfield,  in  August,  1861 ;  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Haines'  Bluff, 
Arkansas  Post,  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills, 
Black  River  Bridge,  and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
In  July,  1864,  a  large  portion  of  the  regiment  re- 
enlisted  as  veterans.  The  remainder  were  mus- 
tered out,  Sept.  5,  1864.  The  veterans  participated 
in  the  repulse  of  Forrest,  at  Memphis,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Lawrenceburg,  Spring  Hill,  Campbells- 
ville  and  Franklin.  From  May  to  October,  1865, 
engaged  in  service  against  the  Indians  in  the 
Northwest  The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at 
Springfield,  Oct.  18,  1865. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY.  Mustered  into  service, 
Sept.  26,  1861,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson,  and  Shiloh;  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  and  in  many  engagements  of 
less  historic  note ;  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield 
in  November,  1864.  By  order  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment, of  June  18,  1865,  the  members  of  the 
regiment  whose  terms  had  not  expired,  were  con- 
solidated with  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Cavalry. 

FIFTH  CAVALRY.  Organized  at  Camp  Butler, 
in  November,  1861 ;  took  part  in  the  Meridian 
raid  and  the  expedition  against  Jackson,  Miss., 
and  in  numerous  minor  expeditions,  doing  effect- 
ive work  at  Canton,  Grenada,  Woodville,  and 
other  points.  On  Jan.  1,  1864,  a  large  portion  of 
the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans.  Its  final 
muster-out  took  place,  Oct.  27,  1865,  and  it  re- 
ceived final  payment  and  discharge,  October  30. 
SIXTH  CAVALRY.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
Nov.  19, 1861 ;  participated  in  Sherman's  advance 
upon  Grenada ;  in  the  Grierson  raid  through  Mis- 
sissippi and  Louisiana,  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson, 
the  battles  of  Moscow  (Tenn),  West  Point  (Miss.), 
Franklin  and  Nashville;  re-enlisted  as  veterans, 
March  30,  1864 ;  was  mustered  out  at  Selma,  Ala. , 
Nov.  5,  1865,  and  received  discharge,  November 
20,  at  Springfield. 

SEVENTH  CAVALRY.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
and  was  mustered  into  service,  Oct.  13,  1861.  It 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Farmington,  luka, 
Corinth  (second  battle) ;  in  Grierson's  raid 
through  Mississippi  and  Louisiana;  in  the  en- 
gagement at  Plain's  Store  (La.),  and  the  invest- 
ment of  Port  Hudson.  In  March,  1864,  288 


officers  and  men  re-enlisted  as  veterans.  The 
non- veterans  were  engaged  at  Guntown,  and  the 
entire  regiment  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Frank- 
lin. After  the  close  of  hostilities,  it  was  stationed 
in  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  until  the  latter  part 
of  October,  1865 ;  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
and  finally  discharged  at  Springfield,  Nov.  17, 
1865. 

EIGHTH  CAVALRY.  Organized  at  St.  Charles, 
111.,  and  mustered  in,  Sept.  18,  1861.  The  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  Virginia,  and  participated 
in  the  general  advance  on  Manassas  in  March, 
1862;  was  engaged  at  Mechanicsville,  Games' 
Hill,  Malvern  Hill,  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,  Middle- 
town,  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericks- 
burg,  Sulphur  Springs,  Warrenton,  Rapidan 
Station,  Northern  Neck,  Gettysburg,  Williams- 
burg,  Funkstown,  Falling  Water,  Chester  Gap 
Sandy  Hook,  Culpepper,  Brandy  Station,  and  in 
many  raids  and  skirmishes.  It  was  mustered 
out  of  service  at  Benton  Barracks,  Mo.,  July  17, 
1865,  and  ordered  to  Chicago,  where  it  received 
final  payment  and  discharge. 

NINTH  CAVALRY.  Organized  at  Chicago,  in 
the  autumn  of  1861,  and  mustered  in,  November 
30 ;  was  engaged  at  Coldwater,  Grenada,  Wyatt, 
Saulsbury,  Moscow,  Guntown,  Pontotoc,  Tupelo, 
Old  Town  Creek,  Hurricane  Creek,  Lawrence- 
burg,  Campellsville,  Franklin  and  Nashville. 
The  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  March  16, 
1864;  was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Selma,  Ala., 
Oct.  31,  1865,  and  ordered  to  Springfield,  where 
the  men  received  final  payment  and  discharge. 

TENTH  CAVALRY.  Organized  at  Springfield  in 
the  latter  part  of  September,  1861,  and  mustered 
into  service,  Nov.  25,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Prairie 
Grove,  Cotton  Plant,  Arkansas  Post,  in  the 
Yazoo  Pass  expedition,  at  Richmond  (La.), 
Brownsville,  Bayou  Metoe,  Bayou  La  Fourche 
and  Little  Rock.  In  February,  1864,  a  large 
portion  of  the  regiment  re -enlisted  as  veter- 
ans, the  non- veterans  accompanying  General 
Banks  in  his  Red  River  expedition.  On  Jan.  27, 
1865,  the  veterans,  and  recruits  were  consolidated 
with  the  Fifteenth  Cavalry,  and  all  reorganized 
under  the  name  of  the  Tenth  Illinois  Veteran 
Volunteer  Cavalry.  Mustered  out  of  service  at 
San  Antonio,  Texas,  Nov.  22,  1865,  and  received 
final  discharge  at  Springfield,  Jan.  6,  1866. 

ELEVENTH  CAVALRY.  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  of 
Peoria,  and  Basil  D.  Meeks,  of  Woodford  County, 
obtained  permission  to  raise  a  regiment  of 
cavalry,  and  recruiting  commenced  in  October, 
1861.  The  regiment  was  recruited  from  the 
counties  of  Peoria,  Fulton,  Tazewell,  Woodford, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


569 


Marshall,  Stark,  Knox,  Henderson  and  Warren; 
was  mustered  into  the  service  at  Peoria,  Dec.  20, 
1861,  and  was  first  under  fire  at  Shiloh.  It  also 
took  part  in  the  raid  in  the  rear  of  Corinth,  and 
in  the  battles  of  Bolivar,  Corinth  (second  battle), 
luka,  Lexington  and  Jackson  (Tenn. ) ;  in  Mc- 
Pherson's  expedition  to  Canton  and  Sherman's 
Meridian  raid,  in  the  relief  of  Yazoo  City,  and  in 
numerous  less  important  raids  and  skirmishes. 
Most  of  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans  in 
December,  1863;  the  non- veterans  being  mus- 
tered out  at  Memphis,  in  the  autumn  of  1864.  The 
veterans  were  mustered  out  at  the  same  place, 
Sept.  80,  1865,  and  discharged  at  Springfield, 
October  20. 

TWELFTH  CAVALRY.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
in  February,  1862,  and  remained  there  guarding 
rebel  prisoners  until  June  25,  when  it  was 
mounted  and  sent  to  Martinsburg,  Va.  It  was 
engaged  at  Fredericksburg,  Williamsport,  Falling 
Waters,  the  Rapidan  and  Stevensburg.  On  Nov. 
26,  1863,  the  regiment  was  relieved  from  service 
and  ordered  home  to  reorganize  as  veterans. 
Subsequently  it  joined  Banks  in  the  Red  River 
expedition  and  in  Davidson's  expedition  against 
Mobile.  While  at  Memphis  the  Twelfth  Cavalry 
was  consolidated  into  an  eight-company  organi- 
zation, and  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  having  previously 
been  consolidated  into  a  battalion  of  five  com- 
panies, was  consolidated  with  the  Twelfth.  The 
consolidated  regiment  was  mustered  out  at 
Houston,  Texas,  May  29,  1866,  and,  on  June  18, 
received  final  pay  and  discharge  at  Springfield. 

THIRTEENTH  CAVALRY.  Organized  at  Chicago, 
in  December,  1861 ;  moved  to  the  front  from 
Benton  Barracks,  Mo.,  in  February,  1862,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  following  battles  and  skir- 
mishes (all  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas) :  Putnam's 
Ferry,  Cotton  Plant,  Union  City  (twice),  Camp 
Pillow,  Bloomfield  (first  and  second  battles),  Van 
Buren,  Allen,  Eleven  Point  River,  Jackson, 
White  River,  Chalk  Bluff,  Bushy  Creek,  near 
Helena,  Grand  Prairie,  White  River,  Deadman's 
Lake,  Brownsville,  Bayou  Metoe,  Austin,  Little 
Rock,  Benton,  Batesville,  Pine  Bluff,  Arkadel- 
phia,  Okolona,  Little  Missouri  River,  Prairie  du 
Anne,  Camden,  Jenkins'  Ferry,  Cross  Roads, 
Mount  Elba,  Douglas  Landing  and  Monticello. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  out,  August  31,  1865, 
and  received  final  pay  and  discharge  at  Spring- 
field, Sept.  13,  1865. 

FOURTEENTH  CAVALRY.  Mustered  into  service 
at  Peoria,  in  January  and  February,  1863;  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Cumberland  Gap,  in  the 
defense  of  Knoxville  and  the  pursuit  of  Long- 


street,  in  the  engagements  at  Bean  Station  and 
Dandridge,  in  the  Macon  raid,  and  in  the  cavalry 
battle  at  Sunshine  Church.  In  the  latter  Gen- 
eral Stoneman  surrendered,  but  the  Fourteenth 
cut  its  way  out.  On  their  retreat  the  men  were 
betrayed  by  a  guide  and  the  regiment  badly  cut 
up  and  scattered,  those  escaping  being  hunted  by 
soldiers  with  bloodhounds.  Later,  it  was  engaged 
at  Waynesboro  and  in  the  battles  of  Franklin  and 
Nashville,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
July  31,  1865,  having  marched  over  10,000  miles, 
exclusive  of  duty  done  by  detachments. 

FIFTEENTH  CAVALRY.  Composed  of  companies 
originally  independent,  attached  to  infantry  regi- 
ments and  acting  as  such;  participated  in  the. 
battles  of  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  and  in  the 
siege  and  capture  of  Corinth.  Regimental  or- 
ganization was  effected  in  the  spring  of  1863,  and 
thereafter  it  was  engaged  chiefly  in  scouting  and 
post  duty.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield, 
August  25,  1864,  the  recruits  (whose  term  of 
service  had  not  'expired)  being  consolidated  with 
the  Tenth  Cavalry. 

SIXTEENTH  CAVALRY.  Composed  principally 
of  Chicago  men — Thieleman's  and  Schambeck's 
Cavalry  Companies,  raised  at  the  outset  of  the 
war,  forming  the  nucleus  of  the  regiment.  The 
former  served  as  General  Sherman's  body-guard 
for  some  time.  Captain  Thieleman  was  made  a 
Major  and  authorized  to  raise  a  battalion,  the 
two  companies  named  thenceforth  being  known 
as  Thieleman's  Battalion.  In  September,  1862, 
the  War  Department  authorized  the  extension  of 
the  battalion  to  a  regiment,  and,  on  the  llth  of 
June,  1863,  the  regimental  organization  was  com- 
pleted. It  took  part  in  the  East  Tennessee  cam- 
paign, a  portion  of  the  regiment  aiding  in  the 
defense  of  Knoxville,  a  part  garrisoning  Cumber- 
and  Gap,  and  one  battalion  being  captured  by 
Longstreet.  The  regiment  also  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Buzzard's 
Roost,  Resaca,  Kingston,  Cassville,  Carterville, 
Allatoona,  Kenesaw,  Lost  Mountain,  Mines 
Ridge,  Powder  Springs,  Chattahoochie,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  It  arrived 
in  Chicago,  August  23,  1865,  for  final  payment 
and  discharge,  having  marched  about  5,000  miles 
and  engaged  in*  thirty -one  battles,  besides  numer- 
ous skirmishes. 

SEVENTEENTH  CAVALRY.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice in  January  and  February,  1864;  aided  in  the 
repulse  of  Price  at  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  and  was 
engaged  at  Booneville,  Independence,  Mine 
Creek,  and  Fort  Scott,  besides  doing  garrison 
duty,  scouting  and  raiding.  It  was  mustered 


570 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


out  in  November  and  December,  1865,  at  Leaven- 
worth,  Kan.  Gov.  John  L.  Beveridge,  who  had 
previously  been  a  Captain  and  Major  of  the 
Eighth  Cavalry,  was  the  Colonel  of  this  regi- 
ment. 

FIRST  LIGHT  ARTILLERY.  Consisted  of  ten 
batteries.  Battery  A  was  organized  under  the 
first  call  for  State  troops,  April  21,  1861,  but  not 
mustered  into  the  three  years'  service  until  July 
16;  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh, 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  the  sieges  of 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  and  in  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign; was  in  reserve  at  Champion  Hills  and 
Nashville,  and  mustered  out  July  3,  1865,  at 
Chicago. 

Battery  B  was  organized  in  April,  1861,  en- 
gaged at  Belmont,  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth  and  at  La  Grange,  Holly  Springs, 
Memphis,  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  Mechanicsburg,  Richmond 
(La.),  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the  battle  of 
Nashville.  The  Battery  was  reorganized  by  con- 
solidation with  Battery  A,  and  mustered  out  at 
rChicago,  July  2,  1865. 

Battery  D  was  organized  at  Cairo,  Sept.  2,  1861 ; 
was  engaged  at  Fort  Donelson  and  at  Shiloh, 
and  mustered  out,  July  28,  1865,  at  Chicago. 

Battery  E  was  organized  at  Camp  Douglas  and 
mustered  into  service,  Dec.  19,  1861 ;  was  engaged 
at  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Jackson,  Vicksburg,  Gun- 
town,  Pontotoc,  Tupelo  and  Nashville,  and  mus- 
tered out  at  Louisville,  Dec.  24,  1864. 

Battery  F  was  recruited  at  Dixon  and  mus- 
tered in  at  Springfield,  Feb.  25,  1862.  It  took 
part  in  the  siege  of  Corinth  and  the  Yocona 
expedition,  and  was  consolidated  with  the  other 
batteries  in  the  regiment,  March  7,  1865. 

Battery  G  was  organized  at  Cairo  and  mus- 
tered in  Sept.  28,  1861 ;  was  engaged  in  the  siege 
and  the  second  battle  of  Corinth,  and  mustered 
out  at  Springfield,  July  24,  1865. 

Battery  H  was  recruited  in  and  about  Chicago, 
during  January  and  February,  1862 ;  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and 
in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  the  "March  to  the 
Sea,"  and  through  the  Carolinas  with  Sherman. 

Battery  I  was  organized  at  Camp  Douglas  and 
mustered  in,  Feb.  10,  1862;  was  engaged  at 
Shiloh,  in  the  Tallahatchie  raid,  the  sieges  of 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  and  in  the  battles  of 
Chattanooga  and  Vicksburg  It  veteranized, 
March  17,  1864,  and  was  mustered  out,  July  26, 
1865. 

Battery  K  was  organized  at  Shawneetown  and 
mustered  in,  Jan.  9,  1862,  participated  in  Burn- 


side's  campaign  in  Tennessee,  and  in  the  capture 
of  Knoxville.  Part  of  the  men  were  mustered 
out  at  Springfield  in  June,  1865,  and  the  re- 
manider  at  Chicago  in  July. 

Battery  M  was  organized  at  Camp  Douglas  and 
mustered  into  the  service,  August  12,  1862,  for 
three  years.  It  served  through  the  Chickamauga 
campaign,  being  engaged  at  Chickamauga;  also 
was  engaged  at  Missionary  Ridge,  was  besieged 
at  Chattanooga,  and  took  part  in  all  the  impor- 
tant battles  of  the  Atlanta  campaign.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Chicago,  July  24,  1864,  having 
traveled  3,102  miles  and  been  under  fire  178  days. 

SECOND  LIGHT  ARTILLERY.  Consisted  of  nine 
batteries.  Battery  A  was  organized  at  Peoria, 
and  mustered  into  service,  May  23,  1861 ;  served 
in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  doing  brilliant  work 
at  Pea  Ridge.  It  was  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Springfield,  July  27,  1865. 

Battery  D  was  organized  at  Cairo,  and  mustered 
into  service  in  December,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at 
Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Meridian  and  Decatur,  and  mustered  out  at 
Louisville,  Nov.  21,  1864. 

Battery  E  was  organized  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in 
August,  1861,  and  mustered  into  service,  August 
20,  at  that  point.  It  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donel- 
son and  Shiloh,  and  in  the  siege  of  Corinth  and 
the  Yocona  expedition — was  consolidated  with 
Battery  A. 

Battery  F  was  organized  at  Cape  Girardeau, 
Mo.,  and  mustered  in,  Dec.  11,  1861 ;  was  engaged 
at  Shiloh,  in  the  siege  and  second  battle  of 
Corinth,  and  the  Meridian  campaign;  also 
at  Kenesaw,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro.  It  was 
mustered  out,  July  27,  1865,  at  Springfield. 

Battery  H  was  organized  at  Springfield,  De- 
cember, 1861,  and  mustered  in,  Dec.  31, 1861 ;  was 
engaged  at  Fort  Donelson  and  in  the  siege  of 
Fort  Pillow;  veteranized,  Jan.  1,  1864,  was 
mounted  as  cavalry  the  following  summer,  and 
mustered  out  at  Springfield,  July  29,  18G5. 

Battery  I  was  recruited  in  Will  County,  and 
mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Butler,  Dec.  31, 
1861.  It  participated  in  the  siege  of  Island  No. 
10,  in  the  advance  upon  Cornith,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Perryville,  Chickamauga,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge  and  Chattanooga. 
It  veteranized,  Jan.  1,  1864,  marched  with  Sher- 
man to  Atlanta,  and  thence  to  Savannah  and 
through  the  Carolinas,  and  was  mustered  out  at 
Springfield. 

Battery  K  was  organized  at  Springfield  and 
mustered  in  Dec.  31,  1863;  was  engaged  at  Fort 
Pillow,  the  capture  of  Clarkston,  Mo.,  and  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


siege  of  Vicksburg.  It  was  mustered  out,  July 
14,  1865,  at  Chicago. 

Battery  L  was  organized  at  Chicago  and  mus- 
tered in,  Feb.  28,  1862;  participated  in  the  ad- 
vance on  Corinth,  the  battle  of  Hatchie  and  the 
advance  on  the  Tallahatchie,  and  was  mustered 
out  at  Chicago,  August  9,  1865. 

Battery  M  was  organized  at  Chicago,  and  mus- 
tered in  at  Springfield,  June,  1862 ;  was  engaged 
at  Jonesboro,  Blue  Spring,  Blountsville  and 
Rogersville,  being  finally  consolidated  with 
other  batteries  of  the  regiment. 

CHICAGO  BOARD  OF  TRADE  BATTERY.  Organ- 
ized through  the  efforts  of  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trade,  which  raised  $15,000  for  its  equipment, 
within  forty-eight  hours.  It  was  mustered  into 
service,  August  1,  1862,  was  engaged  at  Law- 
renceburg,  Murfreesboro,  Stone  River,  Chicka- 
mauga,  Farmington,  Decatur  (Ga.),  Atlanta, 
Lovejoy  Station,  Nashville,  Selma  and  Columbus 
(Ga. )  It  was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  June  30, 
1865,  and  paid  in  full,  July  3,  having  marched 
5,268  miles  and  traveled  by  rail  1,231  miles.  The 
battery  was  in  eleven  of  the  hardest  battles 
fought  in  the  West,  and  in  twenty-six  minor 
battles,  being  in  action  forty -two  times  while  on 
scouts,  reconnoissances  or  outpost  duty. 

CHICAGO  MERCANTILE  BATTERY.  Recruited 
and  organized  under  the  auspices  of  the  Mercan- 
tile Association,  an  association  of  prominent  and 
patriotic  merchants  of  the  City  of  Chicago.  It 
was  mustered  into  service,  August  29,  1862,  at 
Camp  Douglas,  participated  in  the  Tallahatchie 
and  Yazoo  expeditions,  the  first  attack  upon 
Vicksburg,  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post,  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  the  battles  of  Magnolia  Hills, 
Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge  and  Jackson 
(Miss.);  also  took  part  in  Banks'  Red  River  ex- 
pedition; was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  and 
received  final  payment,  July  10,  1865,  having 
traveled,  by  river,  sea  and  land,  over  11,000 
miles. 

SPRINGFIELD  LIGHT  ARTILLERY.  Recruited 
principally  from  the  cities  of  Springfield,  Belle- 
ville and  Wenona,  and  mustered  into  service  at 
Springfield,  for  the  term  of  three  years,  August 
21,  1862,  numbering  199  men  and  officers.  It 
participated  in  the  capture  of  Little  Rock  and  in 
the  Red  River  expedition,  and  was  mustered  out 
at  Springfield,  114  strong,  June  30,  1865. 

COGSWELL'S  BATTERY,  LIGHT  ARTILLERY. 
Organized  at  Ottawa,  111.,  and  mustered  in,  Nov. 
11,  1861,  as  Company  A  (Artillery)  Fifty-third 
Illinois  Volunteers,  Colonel  Cushman  command- 
ing the  regiment.  It  participated  in  the 


advance  on  Corinth,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the 
battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  and  the  capture  of 
Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  near  Mobile.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  August 
14,  1865,  having  served  three  years  and  nine 
months,  marched  over  7,500  miles,  and  partici- 
pated in  seven  sieges  and  battles. 

STURGES  RIFLES.  An  independent  company, 
organized  at  Chicago,  armed,  equipped  and  sub- 
sisted for  nearly  two  months,  by  the  patriotic 
generosity  of  Mr.  Solomon  Sturges ;  was  mustered 
into  service,  May  6,  1861 ;  in  June  following,  was 
ordered  to  West  Virginia,  serving  as  body- 
guard of  General  McClellan;  was  engaged  at 
Rich  Mountain,  in  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  and  in 
the  seven  days'  battle  of  the  Chickahominy.  A 
portion  of  the  company  was  at  Antietam,  the 
remainder  having  been  detached  as  foragers, 
scouts,  etc.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Washington, 
Nov.  25,  1862. 

WAR,  THE  SPANISH  -  AMERICAN.  The 
oppressions  and  misrule  which  had  character- 
ized the  administration  of  affairs  by  the  Spanish 
Government  and  its  agents  for  generations,  in  the 
Island  of  Cuba,  culminated,  in  April,  1898,  in 
mutual  declarations  of  war  between  Spain  and 
the  United  States.  The  causes  leading  up  to  this 
result  were  the  injurious  effects  upon  American 
commerce  and  the  interests  of  American  citizens 
owning  property  in  Cuba,  as  well  as  the  constant 
expense  imposed  upon  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  in  the  maintenance  of  a  large  navy 
along  the  South  Atlantic  coast  to  suppress  fili- 
bustering, superadded  to  the  friction  and  unrest 
produced  among  the  people  of  this  country  by  the 
long  continuance  of  disorders  and  abuses  so  near 
to  our  own  shores,  which  aroused  the  sympathy 
and  indignation  of  the  entire  civilized  world. 
For  three  years  a  large  proportion  of  the  Cuban 
population  had  been  in  open  rebellion  against  the 
Spanish  Government,  and,  while  the  latter  had 
imported  a  large  army  to  the  island  and  sub- 
jected the  insurgents  and  their  families  and 
sympathizers  to  the  grossest  cruelties,  not  even 
excepting  torture  and  starvation  itself,  their 
policy  had  failed  to  bring  the  insurgents  into 
subjection  or  to  restore  order.  In  this  condition 
of  affairs  the  United  States  Government  had 
endeavored,  through  negotiation,  to  secure  a  miti- 
gation of  the  evils  complained  of,  by  a  modifica- 
tion of  the  Spanish  policy  of  government  in  the 
island ;  but  all  suggestions  in  this  direction  had 
either  been  resented  by  Spain  as  unwarrantable 
interference  in  her  affairs,  or  promises  of  reform, 
when  made,  had  been  as  invariably  broken. 


572 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


In  the  meantime  an  increasing  sentiment  had 
been  growing  up  in  the  United  States  in  favor  of 
conceding  belligerent  rights  to  the  Cuban  insur- 
gents, or  the  recognition  of  their  independence, 
which  found  expression  in  measures  proposed  in 
Congress — all  offers  of  friendly  intervention  by 
the  United  States  having  been  rejected  by  Spain 
with  evidences  of  indignation.  Compelled,  at 
last,  to  recognize  its  inability  to  subdue  the  insur- 
rection, the  Spanish  Government,  in  November, 
1897,  made  a  pretense  of  tendering  autonomy  to 
the  Cuban  people,  with  the  privilege  of  amnesty 
to  the  insurgents  on  laying  down  their  arms. 
The  long  duration  of  the  war  and  the  outrages 
perpetrated  upon  the  helpless  "reconcentrados, " 
coupled  with  the  increased  confidence  of  the 
insurgents  in  the  final  triumph  of  their  cause, 
rendered  this  movement — even  if  intended  to  be 
carried  out  to  the  letter — of  no  avail.  The 
proffer  came  too  late,  and  was  promptly  rejected. 

In  this  condition  of  affairs  and  with  a  view  to 
greater  security  for  American  interests,  the 
American  battleship  Maine  was  ordered  to 
Havana,  on  Jan.  24,  1898.  It  arrived  in  Havana 
Harbor  the  following  day,  and  was  anchored  at  a 
point  designated  by  the  Spanish  commander.  On 
the  night  of  February  15,  following,  it  was  blown 
up  and  destroyed  by  some  force,  as  shown  by  after 
investigation,  applied  from  without.  Of  a  crew 
of  354  men  belonging  to  the  vessel  at  the  time, 
266  were  either  killed  outright  by  the  explosion, 
or  died  from  their  wounds.  Not  only  the  Ameri- 
can people,  but  the  entire  civilized  world,  was 
shocked  by  the  catastrophe.  An  act  of  horrible 
treachery  had  been  perpetrated  against  an 
American  vessel  and  its  crew  on  a  peaceful  mis- 
sion in  the  harbor  of  a  professedly  friendly  na- 
tion. 

The  successive  steps  leading  to  actual  hostili- 
ties were  rapid  and  eventful.  One  of  the  earliest 
and  most  significant  of  these  was  the  passage,  by 
a  unanimous  vote  of  both  houses  of  Congress,  on 
March  9,  of  an  appropriation  placing  $50,000,000 
in  the  hands  of  the  President  as  an  emergency 
fund  for  purposes  of  national  defense.  This  was 
followed,  two  days  later,  by  an  order  for  the 
mobilization  of  the  army.  The  more  important 
events  following  this  step  were :  An  order,  under 
date  of  April  5,  withdrawing  American  consuls 
from  Spanish  stations ;  the  departure,  on  April  9, 
of  Consul-General  Fitzhugh  Lee  from  Havana; 
April  19,  the  adoption  by  Congress  of  concurrent 
resolutions  declaring  Cuba  independent  and 
directing  the  President  to  use  the  land  and  naval 
forces  of  the  United  States  to  put  an  end  to 


Spanish  authority  in  the  island;  April  20,  the 
sending  to  the  Spanish  Government,  by  the  Presi- 
dent, of  an  ultimatum  in  accordance  with  this 
act;  April  21,  the  delivery  to  Minister  Woodford, 
at  Madrid,  of  his  passports  without  waiting  for 
the  presentation  of  the  ultimatum,  with  the 
departure  of  the  Spanish  Minister  from  Washing- 
ton ;  April  23,  the  issue  of  a  call  by  the  President 
for  125,000  volunters;  April  24,  the  final  declara- 
tion of  war  by  Spain ;  April  25,  the  adoption  by 
Congress  of  a  resolution  declaring  that  war  had 
existed  from  April  21 ;  on  the  same  date  an  order 
to  Admiral  Dewey,  in  command  of  the  Asiatic 
Squadron  at  Hongkong,  to  sail  for  Manila  with  a 
view  to  investing  that  city  and  blockading 
Philippine  ports. 

The  chief  events  subsequent  to  the  declaration 
of  war  embraced  the  following:  May  1,  the 
destruction  by  Admiral  Dewey's  squadron  of  the 
Spanish  fleet  in  the  harbor  of  Manila;  May  19, 
the  arrival  of  the  Spanish  Admiral  Cervera's  fleet 
at  Santiago  de  Cuba;  May  25,  a  second  call  by 
the  President  for  75,000  volunteers;  July  3,  the 
attempt  of  Cervera's  fleet  to  escape,  and  its 
destruction  off  Santiago;  July  17,  the  surrender 
of  Santiago  to  the  forces  under  General  Shaf ter ; 
July  30,  the  statement  by  the  President,  through 
the  French  Ambassador  at  Washington,  of  the 
terms  on  which  the  United  States  would  consent 
to  make  peace ;  August  9,  acceptance  of  the  peace 
terms  by  Spain,  followed,  three  days  later,  by  the 
signing  of  the  peace  protocol ;  September  9,  the 
appointment  by  the  President  of  Peace  Commis- 
sioners on  the  part  of  the  United  States ;  Sept.  18, 
the  announcement  of  the  Peace  Commissioners 
selected  by  Spain;  October  1,  the  beginning  of  the 
Peace  Conference  by  the  representatives  of  the 
two  powers,  at  Paris,  and  the  formal  signing,  on 
December  10,  of  the  peace  treaty,  including  the 
recognition  by  Spain  of  the  freedom  of  Cuba, 
with  the  transfer  to  the  United  States  of  Porto 
Rico  and  her  other  West  India  islands,  together 
with  the  surrender  of  the  Philippines  for  a  con- 
sideration of  $20,000,000. 

Seldom,  if  ever,  in  the  history  of  nations  have 
such  vast  and  far-reaching  results  been  accom- 
plished within  so  short  a  period.  The  war, 
which  practically  began  with  the  destruction  of 
the  Spanish  fleet  in  Manila  Harbor — an  event 
which  aroused  the  enthusiasm  of  the  whole 
American  people,  and  won  the  respect  and 
admiration  of  other  nations — was  practically 
ended  by  the  surrender  of  Santiago  and  the 
declaration  by  the  President  of  the  conditions  of 
peace  just  three  months  later.  Succeeding 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


573 


events,  up  to  the  formal  signing  of  the  peace 
treaty,  were  merely  the  recognition  of  results 
previously  determined. 

HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS  REGIMENTS. — The  part 
played  by  Illinois  in  connection  with  these  events 
may  be  briefly  summarized  in  the  history  of  Illi- 
nois regiments  and  other  organizations.  Under 
the  first  call  of  the  President  for  125,000  volun- 
teers, eight  regiments — seven  of  infantry  and  one 
of  cavalry — were  assigned  to  Illinois,  to  which 
was  subsequently  added,  on  application  through 
Governor  Tanner,  one  battery  of  light  artil- 
lery. The  infantry  regiments  were  made  up 
of  the  Illinois  National  Guard,  numbered 
consecutively  from  one  to  seven,  and  were 
practically  mobilized  at  their  home  stations 
within  forty-eight  hours  from  the  receipt  of  the 
call,  and  began  to  arrive  at  Camp  Tanner,  near 
Springfield,  the  place  of  rendezvous,  on  April  26, 
the  day  after  the  issue  of  the  Governor's  call. 
The  record  of  Illinois  troops  is  conspicuous  for 
the  promptness  of  their  response  and  the  com- 
pleteness of  their  organization — in  this  respect 
being  unsurpassed  by  those  of  any  other  State. 
Under  the  call  of  May  25  for  an  additional  force 
of  75,000  men,  the  quota  assigned  to  Illinois  was 
two  regiments,  which  were  promptly  furnished, 
taking  the  names  of  the  Eighth  and  Ninth.  The 
first  of  these  belonged  to  the  Illinois  National 
Guard,  as  the  regiments  mustered  in  under  the 
first  call  had  done,  while  the  Ninth  was  one  of  a 
number  of  "Provisional  Regiments"  which  had 
tendered  their  services  to  the  Government.  Some 
twenty-five  other  regiments  of  this  class,  more  or 
less  complete,  stood  ready  to  perfect  their  organi- 
zations should  there  be  occasion  for  their  serv- 
ices. The  aggregate  strength  of  Illinois  organi- 
zations at  date  of  muster  out  from  the  United 
States  service  was  12,280 — 11,789  men  and  491 
officers. 

FIRST  REGIMENT  ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEERS  (orig- 
inally Illinois  National  Guard)  was  organized  at 
Chicago,  and  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  at  Camp  Tanner  (Springfield),  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Henry  L.  Turner,  May  13,  1898; 
left  Springfield  for  Camp  Thomas  (Chickamauga) 
May  17;  assigned  to  First  Brigade,  Third 
Division,  of  the  First  Army  Corps;  started  for 
Tampa,  Fla.,  June  2,  but  soon  after  arrival  there 
was  transferred  to  Picnic  Island,  and  assigned  to 
provost  duty  in  place  of  the  First  United  States 
Infantry.  On  June  30  the  bulk  of  the  regiment 
embarked  for  Cuba,  but  was  detained  in  the  har- 
bor at  Key  West  until  July  5,  when  the  vessel 
sailed  for  Santiago,  arriving  in  Guantanamo  Bay 


on  the  evening  of  the  8th.  Disembarking  on 
the  10th,  the  whole  regiment  arrived  on  the 
firing  line  on  the  llth,  spent  several  days  and 
nights  in  the  trenches  before  Santiago,  and 
were  present  at  the  surrender  of  that  city 
on  the  17th.  Two  companies  had  previously 
been  detached  for  the  scarcely  less  perilous  duty 
of  service  in  the  fever  hospitals  and  in  caring 
for  their  wounded  comrades.  The  next  month 
was  spent  on  guard  duty  in  the  captured  city, 
until  August  25,  when,  depleted  in  numbers  and 
weakened  by  fever,  the  bulk  of  the  regiment  was 
transferred  by  hospital  boats  to  Camp  Wikoff,  on 
Montauk  Point,  L.  I.  The  members  of  the  regi- 
ment able  to  travel  left  Camp  Wikoff,  September 
8,  for  Chicago,  arriving  two  days  later,  where  they 
met  an  enthusiastic  reception  and  were  mustered 
out,  November  17,  1,235  strong  (rank  and  file) — a 
considerable  number  of  recruits  having  joined  the 
regiment  just  before  leaving  Tampa.  The  record 
of  the  First  was  conspicuous  by  the  fact  that  it 
was  the  only  Illinois  regiment  to  see  service  in 
Cuba  during  the  progress  of  actual  hostilities. 
Before  leaving  Tampa  some  eighty  members  of  the 
regiment  were  detailed  for  engineering  duty  in 
Porto  Rico,  sailed  for  that  island  on  July  12,  and 
were  among  the  first  to  perform  service  there. 
The  First  suffered  severely  from  yellow  fever 
while  in  Cuba,  but,  as  a  regiment,  while  in  the 
service,  made  a  brilliant  record,  which  was  highly 
complimented  in  the  official  reports  of  its  com- 
manding officers. 

SECOND  REGIMENT  ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEER  IN- 
FANTRY (originally  Second  I.  N.  G.).  This  regi- 
ment, also  from  Chicago,  began  to  arrive  at 
Springfield,  April  27,  1898 — at  that  time  number- 
ing 1,202  men  and  47  officers,  under  command  of 
Col.  George  M.  Moulton;  was  mustered  in 
between  May  4  and  May  15;  on  May  17  started 
for  Tampa,  Fla.,  but  en  route  its  destination  was 
changed  to  Jacksonville,  where,  as  a  part  of  the 
Seventh  Army  Corps,  under  command  of  Gen. 
Fitzhugh  Lee,  it  assisted  in  the  dedication  of 
Camp  Cuba  Libre.  October  25  it  was  transferred 
to  Savannah,  Ga.,  remaining  at  "Camp  Lee"  until 
December  8,  when  two  battalions  embarked  for 
Havana,  landing  on  the  15th,  being  followed,  a 
few  days  later,  by  the  Third  Battalion,  and  sta- 
tioned at  Camp  Columbia.  From  Dec.  17  to  Jan. 
11,  1899,  Colonel  Moulton  served  as  Chief  of 
Police  for  the  city  of  Havana.  On  March  28  to  30 
the  regiment  left  Camp  Columbia  in  detach- 
ments for  Augusta,  Ga.,  where  it  arrived  April 
5,  and  was  mustered  out,  April  26,  1,051  strong 
(rank  and  file),  and  returned  to  Chicago.  Dur- 


574 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


ing  its  stay  in  Cuba  the  regiment  did  not  lose  a 
man.  A  history  of  this  regiment  has  been 
written  by  Rev.  H.  W.  Bolton,  its  late  Chaplain. 

THIRD  REGIMENT  ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEER  IN- 
FANTRY, composed  of  companies  of  the  Illinois 
National  Guard  from  the  counties  of  La  Salle. 
Livingston,  Kane,  Kankakee,  McHenry,  Ogle, 
Will,  and  Winnebago,  under  command  of  Col. 
Fred  Bennitt,  reported  at  Springfield,  with  1,170 
men  and  50  officers,  on  April  27 ;  was  mustered 
in  May  7,  1898;  transferred  from  Springfield  to 
Camp  Thomas  (Chickamauga),  May  14;  on  July 
22  left  Chickamauga  for  Porto  Rico ;  on  the  28th 
sailed  from  Newport  News,  on  the  liner  St.  Louis, 
arriving  at  Ponce,  Porto  Rico,  on  July  31 ;  soon 
after  disembarking  captured  Arroyo,  and  assisted 
in  the  capture  of  Guayama,  which  was  the 
beginning  of  General  Brooke's  advance  across 
the  island  to  San  Juan,  when  intelligence  was 
received  of  the  signing  of  the  peace  protocol  by 
Spain.  From  August  13  to  October  1  the  Third 
continued  in  the  performance  of  guard  duty  in 
Porto  Rico;  on  October  22,  986  men  and  39  offi- 
cers took  transport  for  home  by  way  of  New  York, 
arriving  in  Chicago,  November  11,  the  several 
companies  being  mustered  out  at  their  respective 
home  stations.  Its  strength  at  final  muster-out 
was  1,273  men  and  officers.  This  regiment  had 
the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  first  to  see 
service  in  Porto  Rico,  but  suffered  severely  from 
fever  and  other  diseases  during  the  three  months 
of  its  stay  in  the  island. 

FOURTH  ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY,  com- 
posed of  companies  from  Champaign,  Coles, 
Douglas,  Edgar,  Effingham,  Fayette,  Jackson, 
Jefferson,  Montgomery,  Richland,  and  St.  Clair 
counties;  mustered  into  the  service  at  Spring- 
field, May  20,  under  command  of  Col.  Casimer 
Andel;  started  immediately  for  Tampa,  Fla.,  but 
en  route  its  destination  was  changed  to  Jackson- 
ville, where  it  was  stationed  at  Camp  Cuba  Libre 
as  a  part  of  the  Seventh  Corps  under  command  of 
Gen.  Fitzhugh  Lee;  in  October  was  transferred 
to  Savannah,  Ga.,  remaining  at  Camp  Onward 
until  about  the  first  of  January,  when  the  regi- 
ment took  ship  for  Havana.  Here  the  regiment 
was  stationed  at  Camp  Columbia  until  April  4, 
1899,  when  it  returned  to  Augusta,  Ga.,  and  was 
mustered  out  at  Camp  Mackenzie  (Augusta),  May 
2,  the  companies  returning  to  their  respective 
home  stations.  During  a  part  of  its  stay  at 
Jacksonville,  and  again  at  Savannah,  the  regi- 
ment was  employed  on  guard  duty.  While  at 
Jacksonville  Colonel  Andel  was  suspended  by 
court-martial,  and  finally  tendered  his  resigna- 


tion, his  place  being  supplied  by  Lieut. -Col.  Eben 
Swift,  of  the  Ninth. 

FIFTH  REGIMENT  ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEER  IN- 
FANTRY was  the  first  regiment  to  report,  and  was 
mustered  in  at  Springfield,  May  7,  1898,  under 
command  of  Col.  James  S.  Culver,  being  finally 
composed  of  twelve  companies  from  Pike,  Chris- 
tian, Sangamon,  McLean,  Montgomery,  Adams, 
Tazewell,  Macon,  Morgan,  Peoria,  and  Fulton 
counties;  on  May  14  left  Springfield  for  Camp 
Thomas  (Chickamauga,  Ga.),  being  assigned  to 
the  command  of  General  Brooke ;  August  3  left 
Chickamauga  for  Newport  News,  Va.,  with  the 
expectation  of  embarking  for  Porto  Rico — a 
previous  order  of  July  26  to  the  same  purport 
having  been  countermanded;  at  Newport  News 
embarked  on  the  transport  Obdam,  but  again  the 
order  was  rescinded,  and,  after  remaining  on 
board  thirty-six  hours,  the  regiment  was  disem- 
barked. The  next  move  was  made  to  Lexington; 
Ky.,  where  the  regiment — having  lost  hope  of 
reaching  "the  front" — remained  until  Sept.  5, 
when  it  returned  to  Springfield  for  final  muster- 
out.  This  regiment  was  composed  of  some  of  the 
best  material  in  the  State,  and  anxious  for  active 
service,  but  after  a  succession  of  disappoint- 
ments, was  compelled  to  return  to  its  home  sta- 
tion without  meeting  the  enemy.  After  its  arrival 
at  Springfield  the  regiment  was  furloughed  for 
thirty  days  and  finally  mustered  out,  October  16, 
numbering  1,213  men  and  47- officers. 

SIXTH  REGIMENT  ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEER  IN- 
FANTRY, consisting  of  twelve  companies  from  the 
counties  of  Rock  Island,  Knox,  Whiteside,  Lee, 
Carroll,  Stephenson,  Henry,  Warren,  Bureau,  and 
Jo  Daviess,  was  mustered  in  May  11,  1898,  under 
command  of  Col.  D.  Jack  Foster;  on  May  17  left 
Springfield  for  Camp  Alger,  Va. ;  July  5  the 
regiment  moved  to  Charleston,  S.  C.,  where  a 
part  embarked  for  Siboney,  Cuba,  but  the  whole 
regiment  was  soon  after  united  in  General 
Miles'  expedition  for  the  invasion  of  Porto  Rico, 
landing  at  Guanico  on  July  25,  and  advancing 
into  the  interior  as  far  as  Adjunta  and  Utuado. 
After  several  weeks'  service  in  the  interior,  the 
regiment  returned  to  Ponce,  and  on  September  7 
took  transport  for  the  return  home,  arrived  at 
Springfield  a  week  later,  and  was  mustered  out 
November  25,  the  regiment  at  that  time  consist- 
ing of  1,239  men  and  49  officers. 
.  SEVENTH  ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 
(known  as  the  "Hibernian  Rifles").  Two 
battalion?  of  this  regiment  reported  at  Spring, 
field,  April  27,  with  33  officers  and  765  enlisted 
men,  being  afterwards  increased  to  the  maxi- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


575 


mum ;  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  serv- 
ice, under  command  of  Col.  Marcus  Kavanagh, 
May  18,  1898;  on  May  28  started  for  Camp  Alger, 
Va. ;  was  afterwards  encamped  at  Thoroughfare 
Gap  and  Camp  Meade ;  on  September  9  returned 
to  Springfield,  was  furloughed  for  thirty  days, 
and  mustered  out,  October  20,  numbering  1,260 
men  and  49  officers.  Like  the  Fifth,  the  Seventh 
saw  no  actual  service  in  the  field. 

EIGHTH  ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY  (col- 
ored regiment),  mustered  into  the  service  at 
Springfield  under  the  second  call  of  the  Presi- 
dent, July  23,  1898,  being  composed  wholly  of 
Afro- Americans  under  officers  of  their  own  race, 
with  Col.  John  R.  Marshall  in  command,  the 
muster-roll  showing  1,195  men  and  76  officers. 
The  six  companies,  from  A  to  F,  were  from  Chi- 
cago, the  other  five  being,  respectively,  from 
Bloomington,  Springfield,  Quincy,  Litchfield, 
Mound  City  and  Metropolis,  and  Cairo.  The 
regiment  having  tendered  their  services  to 
relieve  the  First  Illinois  on  duty  at  Santiago  de 
Cuba,  it  started  for  Cuba,  August  8,  by  way  of 
New  York ;  immediately  on  arrival  at  Santiago, 
a  week  later,  was  assigned  to  duty,  but  subse- 
quently transferred  to  San  Luis,  where  Colone, 
Marshall  was  made  military  governor.  The 
major  part  of  the  regiment  remained  here  until 
ordered  home  early  in  March,  1899,  arrived  at 
Chicago,  March  15,  and  was  mustered  out,  April 
3,  1,226  strong,  rank  and  file,  having  been  in 
service  nine  months  and  six  days. 

NINTH  ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY  was 
organized  from  the  counties  of  Southern  Illinois, 
and  mustered  in  at  Springfield  under  the  second 
call  of  the  President,  July  4-11,  1898,  under  com- 
mand of  Col.  James  R.  Campbell;  arrived  at 
Camp  Cuba  Libre  (Jacksonville,  Fla.),  August  9; 
two  months  later  was  transferred  to  Savannah, 
Ga. ;  was  moved  to  Havana  in  December,  where 
it  remained  until  May,  1899,  when  it  returned  to 
Augusta,  Ga.,  and  was  mustered  out  there,  May 
20,  1899,  at  that  time  consisting  of  1,095  men  and 
46  officers.  From  Augusta  the  several  companies 
returned  to  their  respective  home  stations.  The 
Ninth  was  the  only  "Provisional  Regiment"  from 
Illinois  mustered  into  the  service  during  the 
war,  the  other  regiments  all  belonging  to  the 
National  Guard. 

FIRST  ILLINOIS  CAVALRY  was  organized  at  Chi- 
cago immediately  after  the  President's  first  call, 
seven  companies  being  recruited  from  Chicago, 
two  from  Bloomington,  and  one  each  from 
Springfield,  Elkhart,  and  Lacon ;  was  mustered  in 
at  Springfield,  May  21,  1898,  under  command  of 


Col.  Edward  C.  Young;  left  Springfield  for  Camp 
Thomas,  Ga.,  May  30,  remaining  there  until 
August  24,  when  it  returned  to  Fort  Sheridan, 
near  Chicago,  where  it  was  stationed  until  October 
11,  when  it  was  mustered  out,  at  that  time  con- 
sisting of  1,158  men  and  50  officers.  Although 
the  regiment  saw  no  active  service  in  the  field,  it 
established  an  excellent  record  for  itself  in  respect 
to  discipline. 

FIRST  ENGINEERING  CORPS,  consisting  of  80 
men  detailed  from  the  First  Illinois  Volunteers, 
were  among  the  first  Illinois  soldiers  to  see  serv- 
ice in  Porto  Rico,  accompanying  General  Miles' 
expedition  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  and  being^ 
engaged  for  a  time  in  the  construction  of  bridges 
in  aid  of  the  intended  advance  across  the  island. 
On  September  8  they  embarked  for  the  return 
home,  arrived  at  Chicago,  September  17,  and 
were  mustered  out  November  20. 

BATTERY  A  (I.  N.  G.),  from  Danville,  111.,  was 
mustered  in  under  a  special  order  of  the  War 
Department,  May  12,  1898,  under  command  of 
Capt.  Oscar  P.  Yaeger,  consisting  of  118  men; 
left  Springfield  for  Camp  Thomas,  Ga.,  May  19, 
and,  two  months  later,  joined  in  General  Miles' 
Porto  Rico  expedition,  landing  at  Guanico  oa 
August  3,  and  taking  part  in  the  affair  at  Gua- 
yama  on  the  12th.  News  of  peace  having  been 
received,  the  Battery  returned  to  Ponce,  where 
it  remained  until  September  7,  when  it  started 
on  the  return  home  by  way  of  New  York,  arrived 
at  Danville,  September  17,  was  furloughed  for 
sixty  days,  and  mustered  out  November  25.  The 
Battery  was  equipped  with  modern  breech-load- 
ing rapid-firing  guns,  operated  by  practical  artil- 
lerists and  prepared  for  effective  service. 

NAVAL  RESERVES. — One  of  the  earliest  steps 
taken  by  the  Government  after  it  became  ap- 
parent that  hostilities  could  not  be  averted,  was 
to  begin  preparation  for  strengthening  the  naval 
arm  of  the  service.  The  existence  of  the  "Naval 
Militia,"  first  organized  in  1893,  placed  Illinois  in. 
an  exceptionally  favorable  position  for  making  a 
prompt  response  to  the  call  of  the  Government,  as 
•well  as  furnishing  a  superior  class  of  men  for 
service — a  fact  evidenced  during  the  operations 
•  in  the  West  Indies.  Gen.  John  McNulta,  as  head 
of  the  local  committee,  was  active  in  calling  the 
attention  of  the  Navy  Department  to  the  value  of 
the  service  to  be  rendered  by  this  organization, 
which  resulted  in  its  being  enlisted  practically  as 
a  body,  taking  the  name  of  "Naval  Reserves" — 
all  but  eighty -eight  of  the  number  passing  the 
physical  examination,  the  places  of  these  being 
promptly  filled  by  new  recruits.  The  first  de- 


576 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


tachment  of  over  200  left  Chicago  May  2,  under 
the  command  of  Lieut. -Com.  John  M.  Hawley, 
followed  soon  after  by  the  remainder  of  the  First 
Battalion,  making  the  whole  number  from  Chi- 
cago 400,  with  267,  constituting  the  Second  Bat- 
talion, from  other  towns  of  the  State.  The  latter 
•was  made  up  of  147  men  from  Moline,  58  from 
Quincy,  and  62  from  Alton — making  a  total  from 
the  State  of  667.  This  does  not  include  others, 
not  belonging  to  this  organization,  who  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  navy  during  the  war,  which 
raised  the  whole  number  for  the  State  over  1,000. 
The  Reserves  enlisted  from  Illinois  occupied  a 
different  relation  to  the  Government  from  that 
of  the  "naval  militia"  of  other  States,  which 
retained  their  State  organizations,  while  those 
from  Illinois  were  regularly  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service.  The  recruits  from  Illinois 
were  embarked  at  Key  West,  Norfolk  and  New 
York,  and  distributed  among  fifty-two  different 
vessels,  including  nearly  every  vessel  belonging 
to  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron.  They  saw  serv- 
ice in  nearly  every  department  from  the  position 
of  stokers  in  the  hold  to  that  of  gunners  in  the 
turrets  of  the  big  battleships,  the  largest  number 
(60)  being  assigned  to  the  famous  battleship  Ore- 
gon, while  the  cruiser  Yale  followed  with  47 ;  the 
Harvard  with  35;  Cincinnati,  27;  Yankton,  19; 
Franklin,  18;  Montgomery  and  Indiana,  each,  17; 
Hector,  14;  Marietta,  11;  Wilmington  and  Lan- 
caster, 10  each,  and  others  down  to  one  each. 
Illinois  sailors  thus  had  the  privilege  of  partici- 
pating in  the  brilliant  affair  of  July  3,  which 
resulted  in  the  destruction  of  Cervera's  fleet  off 
Santiago,  as  also  in  nearly  every  other  event  in 
the  West  Indies  of  less  importance,  without  the 
loss  of  a  man  while  in  the  service,  although 
among  the  most  exposed.  They  were  mustered 
out  at  different  times,  as  they  could  be  spared 
from  the  service,  or  the  vessels  to  which  they 
were  attached  went  out  of  commission,  a  portion 
serving  out  their  full  term  of  one  year.  The 
Reserves  from  Chicago  retain  their  organization 
under  the  name  of  "Naval  Reserve  Veterans," 
with  headquarters  in  the  Masonic  Temple  Build- 
ing, Chicago. 

WARD,  James  H.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
in  Chicago,  Nov.  30,  1853,  and  educated  in  the 
Chicago  public  schools  and  at  the  University  of 
Notre  Dame,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1873. 
Three  years  later  he  graduated  from  the  Union 
College  of  Law,  Chicago,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  Since  then  he  has  continued  to  practice 
his  profession  in  his  native  city.  In  1879  he  was 
elected  Supervisor  of  the  town  of  West  Chicago, 


and,  in  1884,  was  a  candidate  for  Presidential 
Elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  the  same 
year,  was  the  successful  candidate  of  his  party 
for  Congress  in  the  Third  Illinois  District,  serv- 
ing one  term. 

WINNEBAGO  INDIANS,  a  tribe  of  the  Da- 
cota, or  Sioux,  stock,  which  at  one  time  occupied 
a  part  of  Northern  Illinois.  The  word  Winne- 
bago  is  a  corruption  of  the  French  Ouinebe- 
goutz,  Ouimbegouc,  etc.,  the  diphthong  "ou" 
taking  the  place  of  the  consonant  "w,"  which  is 
wanting  in  the  French  alphabet.  These  were, 
in  turn,  French  misspellings  of  an  Algonquin 
term  meaning  "fetid,"  which  the  latter  tribe 
applied  to  the  Winnebagoes  because  they  had 
come  from  the  western  ocean — the  salt  (or 
"fetid")  water.  In  their  advance  towards  the 
East  the  Winnebagoes  early  invaded  the  country 
of  the  Illinois,  but  were  finally  driven  north- 
ward by  the  latter,  who  surpassed  them  in  num- 
bers rather  than  in  bravery.  The  invaders 
settled  in  Wisconsin,  near  the  Fox  River,  and 
here  they  were  first  visited  by  the  Jesuit  Fathers 
in  the  seventeenth  century.  (See  Jesuit  Rela- 
tions.) The  Winnebagoes  are  commonly  re- 
garded as  a  Wisconsin  tribe;  yet,  that  they 
claimed  territorial  rights  in  Illinois  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  the  treaty  of  Prairia  du  Chien 
(August  1,  1829),  alludes  to  a  Winnebago  village 
located  in  what  is  now  Jo  Daviess  County,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Pecatonica  River.  While,  as  a 
rule,  the  tribe,  if  left  to  itself,  was  disposed  to 
live  in  amity  with  the  whites,  it  was  carried 
away  by  the  eloquence  and  diplomacy  of 
Tecumseh  and  the  cajoleries  of  "The  Prophet. " 
General  Harrison  especially  alludes  to  the  brav- 
ery of  the  .Winnebago  warriors  at  Tippecanoe' 
•which  he  attributees  in  part,  however,  to  a  super- 
stitious faith  in  "The  Prophet."  In  June  or 
July,  1827,  an  unprovoked  and  brutal  outrage  by 
the  whites  upon  an  unoffending  and  practically 
defenseless  party  of  Winnebagoes,  near  Prairie 
du  Chien  brought  on  what  is  known  as  the 
'Winnebago  War."  (See  Winnebago  War.) 
The  tribe  took  no  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  War, 
largely  because  of  the  great  influence  and  shrewd 
tactic  of  their  chief,  Naw-caw.  By  treaties 
executed  in  1832  and  1837  the  Winnebagoes  ceded 
to  the  United  States  all  their  lands  lying  east  of 
the  Mississippi.  They  were  finally  removed  west 
of  that  river,  and,  after  many  sh  if  tings  of  loca- 
tion, were  placed  upon  the  Omaha  Reservation  in 
Eastern  Nebraska,  where  their  industry,  thrift 
and  peaceable  disposition  elicited  high  praise 
from  Government  officials. 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


577 


WARNER,  Vespasian,  lawyer  and  Member  of 
Congress,  was  born  in  De  Witt  County,  111.,  April 
23,  1842,  and  has  lived  all  his  life  in  his  native 
county — his  present  residence  being  Clinton. 
After  a  short  course  in  Lombard  University, 
while  studying  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Law- 
rence Weldon,  at  Clinton,  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
soldier  of  the  Twentieth  Illinois  Volunteers,  in 
June,  1861,  serving  until  July,  1866,  when  he  was 
mustered  out  with  the  rank  of  Captain  and 
brevet  Major.  He  received  a  gunshot  wound  at 
Shiloh,  but  continued  to  serve  in  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee  until  the  evacuation  of  Atlanta, 
when  he  was  ordered  North  on  account  of  dis- 
ability. His  last  service  was  in  fighting  Indians 
on  the  plains.  After  the  war  he  completed  his 
law  studies  at  Harvard  University,  graduating  in 
1868,  when  he  entered  into  a  law  partnership 
with  Clifton  H.  Moore  of  Clinton.  He  served  as 
Judge- Advocate  General  of  the  Illinois  National 
Guard  for  several  years,  with  the  rank  of  Colonel, 
under  the  administrations  of  Governors  Hamil- 
ton, Oglesby  and  Fifer,  and,  in  1894,  was  nomi- 
nated and  elected,  as  a  Republican,  to  the 
Fifty -fourth  Congress  for  the  Thirteenth  District, 
being  re-elected  in  1896,  and  again  in  1898.  In 
the  Fifty-fifth  Congress,  Mr.  Warner  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Committees  on  Agriculture  and  Invalid 
Pensions,  and  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Revision  of  the  Laws. 

WARREN,  a  village  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  at 
intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railways,  26  miles 
west-northwest  of  Freeport  and  27  miles  east  by 
north  of  Galena.  The  surrounding  region  is 
agricultural  and  stock-raising ;  there  are  also  lead 
mines  in  the  vicinity.  Tobacco  is  grown  to  some 
extent.  Warren  has  a  flouring  mill,  tin  factory, 
creamery  and  stone  quarries,  a  State  bank,  water 
supply  from  artesian  wells,  fire  department,  gas 
plant,  two  weekly  newspapers,  five  churches,  a 
high  school,  an  academy  and  a  public  library. 
Pop.  (1890),  1,172;  (1900),  1,327. 

WARREN,  Calvin  A.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Essex  County,  N.  Y.,  June  3,  1807;  in  his  youth, 
worked  for  a  time,  as  a  typographer,  in  the  office 
of  "The  Northern  Spectator,"  at  Poultney,  Vt., 
side  by  side  with  Horace  Greeley,  afterwards  the 
founder  of  "The  New  York  Tribune."  Later,  he 
became  one  of  the  publishers  of  "The  Palladium" 
at  Ballston,  N.  Y.,  but,  in  1832,  removed  to 
Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  where  he  began  the 
study  of  law,  completing  his  course  at  Transyl- 
vania University,  Ky.,  in  1834,  and  beginning 
practice  at  Batavia,  Ohio,  as  the  partner  of 


Thomas  Morris,  then  a  United  States  Senator 
from  Ohio,  whose  daughter  he  married,  thereby 
becoming  the  brother-in-law  of  the  late  Isaac  N. 
Morris,  of  Quincy,  111.  In  1836,  Mr.  Warren 
came  to  Quincy,  Adams  County,  111.,  but  soon 
after  removed  to  Warsaw  in  Hancock  County, 
where  he  resided  until  1839,  when  he  returned  to 
Quincy.  Here  he  continued  in  practice,  either 
alone  or  as  a  partner,  at  different  times,  of  sev- 
eral of  the  leading  attorneys  of  that  city. 
Although  he  held  no  office  except  that  of  Master 
in  Chancery,  which  he  occupied  for  some  sixteen 
years,  the  possession  of  an  inexhaustible  fund  of 
humor,  with  strong  practical  sense  and  decided 
ability  as  a  speaker,  gave  him  great  popularity 
at  the  bar  and  upon  the  stump,  and  made  him  a 
recognized  leader  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democratic 
party,  of  which  he  was  a  life-long  member.  He 
served  as  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Pierce 
ticket  in  1852,  and  was  the  nominee  of  his  party 
for  the  same  position  on  one  or  two  other  occa- 
sions. Died,  at  Quincy,  Feb.  22,  1881. 

WARREN,  Hooper,  pioneer  journalist,  was 
born  at  Walpole,  N.  H.,  in  1790;  learned  the  print- 
er's trade  on  the  Rutland  (Vt. )  "Herald";  in 
1814  went  to  Delaware,  whence,  three  years  later, 
he  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  working  for  a  time 
on  a  paper  at  Frankfort.  In  1818  he  came  to  St. 
Louis  and  worked  in  the  office  of  the  old  "Mis- 
souri Gazette"  (the  predecessor  of  "The  Repub- 
lican"), and  also  acted  as  the  agent  of  a  lumber 
company  at  Cairo,  111. ,  when  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  that  place  consisted  of  one  family  domi- 
ciled on  a  grounded  flat-boat.  In  March,  1819, 
he  established,  at  Edwardsville,  the  third  paper 
in  Illinois,  its  predecessors  being  "The  Illinois 
Intelligencer,"  at  Kaskaskia,  and  "The  Illinois 
Emigrant,"  at  Shawneetown.  The  name  given 
to  the  new  paper  was  "The  Spectator,"  and  the 
contest  over  the  effort  to  introduce  a  pro-slavery 
clause  in  the  State  Constitution  soon  brought  it 
into  prominence.  Backed  by  Governor  Coles, 
Congressman  Daniel  P.  Cook,  Judge  S.  D.  Lock- 
wood,  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  Judge  Wm.  H. 
Brown  (afterwards  of  Chicago),  George  Churchill 
and  other  opponents  of  slavery,  "The  Spectator" 
made  a  sturdy  fight  in  opposition  to  the  scheme, 
which  ended  in  defeat  of  the  measure  by  the 
rejection  at  the  polls,  in  1824,  of  the  proposition 
for  a  Constitutional  Convention.  Warren  left 
the  Edwardsville  paper  in  1825,  and  was,  for  a 
time,  associated  with  "The  National  Crisis,"  an 
anti-slavery  paper  at  Cincinnati,  but  soon  re~ 
turned  to  Illinois  and  established  "The  Sangamon 
Spectator" — the  first  paper  ever  published  at  the 


578 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


present  State  capital.  This  he  sold  out  in  1829, 
and,  for  the  next  three  years,  was  connected 
with  "The  Advertiser  and  Upper  Mississippi  Her- 
ald," at  Galena.  Abandoning  this  field  in  1832, 
he  removed  to  Hennepin,  where,  within  the  next 
five  years,  he  held  the  offices  of  Clerk  of  the  Cir- 
cuit and  County  Commissioners'  Courts  and  ex- 
officio  Recorder  of  Deeds.  In  1836  he  began  the 
publication  of  the  third  paper  in  Chicago — "The 
Commercial  Advertiser"  (a  weekly) — which  was 
continued  a  little  more  than  a  year,  when  it  was 
abandoned,  and  he  settled  on  a  farm  at  Henry, 
Marshall  County.  His  further  newspaper  ven- 
tures were,  as  the  associate  of  Zebina  Eastman,  in 
the  publication  of  "The  Genius  of  Liberty,"  at 
Lowell,  La  Salle  County,  and  "The  Western 
Citizen"— afterwards  "The  Free  West"— in  Chi- 
cago. (See  Eastman,  Zebina,  and.  Lundy,  Ben- 
jamin.) On  the  discontinuance  of  "The  Free 
West"  in  1856,  he  again  retired  to  his  farm  at 
Henry,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
While  returning  home  from  a  visit  to  Chicago, 
in  August,  1864,  he  was  taken  ill  at  Mendota, 
dying  there  on  the  22d  of  the  month. 

WARREN,  John  Esaias,  diplomatist  and  real- 
estate  operator,  was  born  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in  1826, 
graduated  at  Union  College  and  was  connected 
with  the  American  Legation  to  Spain  during  the 
administration  of  President  Pierce;  in  1859-60 
was  a  member  of  the  Minnesota  Legislature  and, 
in  1861-62,  Mayor  of  St.  Paul;  in  1867,  came  to 
Chicago,  where,  while  engaged  in  real-estate 
business,  he  became  known  to  the  press  as  the 
author  of  a  series  of  articles  entitled  '  'Topics  of 
the  Time."  In  1886  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
Brussels,  Belgium,  where  he  died,  July  6,  1896. 
Mr.  Warren  was  author  of  several  volumes  of 
travel,  of  which  "An  Attache  in  Spain"  and 
"Para"  are  most  important. 

WARREN  COUNTY.  A  western  county, 
created  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  in  1825,  but 
not  fully  organized  until  1830,  having  at  that  time 
about  350  inhabitants ;  has  an  area  of  540  square 
miles,  and  was  named  for  Gen.  Joseph  Warren. 
It  is  drained  by  the  Henderson  River  and  its 
affluents,  and  is  traversed  by  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  (two  divisions),  the  Iowa 
Central  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe 
Railroads.  Bituminous  coal  is  mined  and  lime- 
stone is  quarried  in  large  quantities.  The  county's 
early  development  was  retarded  in  consequence 
of  having  become  the  "seat  of  war,"  during  the 
Black  Hawk  War.  The  principal  products  are 
grain  and  live-stock,  although  manufacturing  is 
carried  on  to  some  extent.  The  county -seat  and 


chief  city  is  Monmouth  (which  see).  Roseville 
is  a  shipping  point.  Population  (1880),  22,933. 
(1890),  21,281;  (1900),  23,163. 

WARRENSBURG,  a  town  of  Macon  County, 
on  Peoria  Division  111.  Cent.  Railway,  9  miles 
northwest  of  Decatur;  has  elevators,  canning 
factory,  a  bank  and  newspaper.  Pop.  (1900),  503. 

WARSAW,  the  largest  town  in  Hancock 
County,  and  admirably  situated  for  trade.  It 
stands  on  a  bluff  on  the  Mississippi  River,  some 
three  miles  below  Keokuk,  and  about  40  miles 
above  Quincy.  It  is  the  western  terminus  of  the 
Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Railway,  and  lies  116 
miles  west-southwest  of  Peoria.  Old  Fort 
Edwards,  established  by  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor, 
during  the  War  of  1812,  was  located  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  city  of  Warsaw,  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Des  Moines  River.  An  iron 
foundry,  a  large  woolen  mill,  a  plow  factory 
and  cooperage  works  are  its  principal  manufac- 
turing establishments.  The  channel  of  the  Missis- 
sippi admits  of  the  passage  of  the  largest  steamers 
up  to  this  point.  Warsaw  has  eight  churches,  a 
system  of  common  schools  comprising  one  high 
and  three  grammar  schools,  a  National  bank  and 
two  weekly  newspapers.  Population  (1880),  3,105; 
(1890),  2,721;  (1900),  2,335. 

WASHBURN,  a  village  of  Woodford  County,  on 
a  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway  25 
miles  northeast  of  Peoria;  has  banks  and  a 
weekly  paper ;  the  district  is  agricultural.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  598;  (1900),  703. 

WASHBURNE,  Elihu  Benjamin,  Congressman 
and  diplomatist,  was  born  at  Livermore,  Maine, 
Sept.  23,  1816 ;  in  early  life  learned  the  trade  of  a 
printer,  but  graduated  from  Harvard  Law  School 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840.  Coming 
west,  he  settled  at  Galena,  forming  a  partnership 
with  Charles  S.  Hempstead,  for  the  practice  of 
law,  in  1841.  He  was  a  stalwart  Whig,  and,  as 
such,  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1852.  He  con- 
tinued to  represent  his  District  until  1869,  taking 
a  prominent  position,  as  a  Republican,  on  the 
organization  of  that  party.  On  account  of  his 
long  service  he  was  known  as  the  "Father  of  the 
House,"  administering  the  Speaker's  oath  three 
times  to  Schuyler  Colfax  and  once  to  James  G. 
Blaine.  He  was  appointed  Secretary  of  State  by 
General  Grant  in  1869,  but  surrendered  his  port- 
folio to  become  Envoy  to  France,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  achieved  great  distinction.  He  was  the 
only  official  representative  of  a  foreign  govern- 
ment who  remained  in  Paris,  during  the  siege  of 
that  city  by  the  Germans  (1870-71)  and  the  reign 
of  the  ' 'Commune."  For  his  conduct  he  was 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


579 


honored  by  the  Governments  of  France  and  Ger- 
many alike.  On  his  return  to  the  United  States, 
he  made  his  home  in  Chicago,  where  he  devoted 
his  latter  years  chiefly  to  literary  labor,  and 
where  he  died,  Oct.  22,  1887.  He  was  strongly 
favored  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  in  1880. 
WASHINGTON,  a  city  in  Tazewell  County, 
situated  at  the  intersection  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  and  the 
Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Railroads.  It  is  21 
miles  west  of  El  Paso,  and  12  miles  east  of  Peoria. 
Carriages,  plows  and  farming  implements  con- 
stitute the  manufactured  output.  It  is  also  an 
important  shipping-point  for  farm  products.  It 
has  electric  light  and  water-works  plants,  eight 
churches,  a  graded  school,  two  banks  and  two 
newspapers.  Pop.  (1890),  1,801;  (1900),  1,451. 

WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  an  interior  county  of 
Southern  Illinois,  east  of  St.  Louis ;  is  drained  by 
the  Kaskaskia  River  and  the  Elkhorn,  Beaucoup 
and  Muddy  Creeks;  was  organized  in  1818,  and 
has  an  area  of  540  square  miles.  The  surface  is 
diversified,  well  watered  and  timbered.  The 
soil  is  of  variable  fertility.  Corn,  wheat  and 
oats  are  the  chief  agricultural  products.  Manu- 
facturing is  carried  onto  some  extent,  among 
the  products  being  agricultural  implements, 
flour,  carriages  and  wagons.  The  most  impor- 
tant town  is  Nashville,  which  is  also  the  county- 
seat.  Population  (1890),  19,262;  (1900),  19,526. 
Washington  was  one  of  the  fifteen  counties  into 
which  Illinois  was  divided  at  the  organization  of 
the  State  Government,  being  one  of  the  last 
three  created  during  the  Territorial  period — the 
other  two  being  Franklin  and  Union. 

WASHINGTON  HEIGHTS,  a  village  of  Cook 
County,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
and  the  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  Railways,  12  miles  southwest  of  Chicago ; 
has  a  graded  school,  female  seminary,  military 
school,  a  car  factory,  several  churches  and  a 
newspaper.  Annexed  to  City  of  Chicago,  1890. 

WATAGA,  a  village  of  Knox  County,  oh  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  8  miles 
northeast  of  Galesburg.  Population  (1900),  545. 
WATERLOO,  the  county-seat  and  chief  town 
of  Monroe  County,  on  the  Illinois  Division  of  the 
Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad,  24  miles  east  of  south 
from  St.  Louis.  The  region  is  chiefly  agricultural, 
but  underlaid  with  coal.  Its  industries  embrace 
two  flour  mills,  a  plow  factory,  distillery,  cream- 
ery, two  ice  plants,  and  some  minor  concerns. 
The  city  has  municipal  water  and  electric  light 
plants,  four  churches,  a  graded  school  and  two 
newspapers.  Pop.  (1890),  1,860;  (1900)  2,114. 


WATERMAN,  Arba  Nelson,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  at  Greensboro,  Orleans  County,  Vt., 
Feb.  3,  1836.  After  receiving  an  academic  edu- 
cation and  teaching  for  a  time,  he  read  law  at 
Montpelier  and,  later,  passed  through  the  Albany 
Law  School.  In  1861  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  removed  to  Joliet,  111.,  and  opened  an  office. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  One  Hun- 
dredth Illinois  Volunteers,  serving  with  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland  for  two  years,  and 
being  mustered  out  in  August,  1864,  with  the 
rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  On  leaving  the 
army,  Colonel  Waterman  commenced  practice  in 
Chicago.  In  1873-74  he  represented  the  Eleventh 
Ward  in  the  City  Council.  In  1887  he  was  elected 
to  the  bench  of  the  Cook  County  Circuit  Court, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1891  and,  again,  in  1897.  In 
1890  he  was  assigned  as  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Appellate  Court. 

WATSEKA,  the  county-seat  of  Iroquois  County, 
situated  on  the  Iroquois  River,  at  the  mouth  of 
Sugar  Creek,  and  at  the  intersection  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Eastern  Illinois  and  the  Toledo,  Peoria  & 
Western  Railroads,  77  miles  south  of  Chicago,  46 
miles  north  of  Danville  and  14  miles  east  of 
Gilman.  It  has  flour-mills,  brick  and  tile  works 
and  foundries,  besides  several  churches,  banks,  a 
graded  school  and  three  weekly  newspapers. 
Artesian  well  water  is  obtained  by  boring  to  the 
depth  of  100  to  160  feet,  and  some  forty  flowing 
streams  from  these  shafts  are  in  the  place.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  2,017;  (1900),  2,505. 

WATTS,  Amos,  jurist,  was  born  in  St.  Clair 
County,  111.,  Oct.  25,  1821,  but  removed  to  Wash- 
ington County  in  boyhood,  and  was  elected  County 
Clerk  in  1847,  '49  and  '53,  and  State's  Attorney 
for  the  Second  Judicial  District  in  1856  and  '60 ; 
then  became  editor  and  proprietor  of  a  news- 
paper, later  resuming  the  practice  of  law,  and,  in 
1873,  was  elected  Circuit  Judge,  remaining  in 
office  until  his  death,  at  Nashville,  111.,  Dec.  6, 
1888. 

WAUKEGAN,  the  county-seat  and  principal 
city  of  Lake  County,  situated  en  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan  and  on  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad,  about  36  miles  north  by  west 
from  Chicago,  and  50  miles  south  of  Milwaukee; 
is  also  the  northern  terminus  of  the  Elgin,  Joliet 
&  Eastern  Railroad  and  connected  by  electric 
lines  with  Chicago  and  Fox  Lake.  Lake  Michigan 
is  about  80  miles  wide  opposite  this  point. 
Waukegan  was  first  known  as  "Little  Fort," 
from  the  remains  of  an  old  fort  that  stood  on  its 
site.  The  principal  part  of  the  city  is  built  on  a 
bluff,  which  rises  abruptly  to  the  height  of  about 


580 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


fifty  feet.  Between  the  bluff  and  the  shore  is  a 
flat  tract  about  400  yards  wide  which  is  occupied 
by  gardens,  dwellings,  warehouses  and  manu- 
factories. The  manufactures  include  steel- wire, 
refined  sugar,  scales,  agricultural  implements, 
brass  and  iron  products,  sash,  doors  and  blinds, 
leather,  beer,  etc. ;  the  city  has  paved  streets,  gas 
and  electric  light  plants,  three  banks,  eight  or 
ten  churches,  graded  and  high  schools  and  two 
newspapers.  A  large  trade  in  grain,  lumber,  coal 
and  dairy  products  is  carried  on.  Pop.  (1890), 
4,915;  (1900), -9,426. 

WAUKEGAN  &  SOUTHWESTERN  RAIL- 
WAY. (See  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  Railway.) 

WAYERLY,  a  city  in  Morgan  County,  18  miles 
southeast  of  Jacksonville,  on  the  Jacksonville  & 
St.  Louis  and  the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis 
Railroads.  It  was  originally  settled  by  enter- 
prising emigrants  from  New  England,  whose 
descendants  constitute  a  large  proportion  of  the 
population.  It  is  the  center  of  a  rich  agricultural 
region,  has  a  fine  graded  school,  six  or  seven 
churches,  two  banks,  two  newspapers  and  tile 
works.  Population  (1880),  1,124;  (1890),  1,337; 
(1900),  1,573. 

WAYNE,  (Gen.)  Anthony,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Chester  County,  Pa.,  Jan.  1,  1745,  of  Anglo-Irish 
descent,  graduated  as  a  Surveyor,  and  first  prac- 
ticed his  profession  in  Nova  Scotia.  During  the 
years  immediately  antecedent  to  the  Revolution 
he  was  prominent  in  the  colonial  councils  of  his 
native  State,  to  which  he  had  returned  in  1767, 
where  he  became  a  member  of  the  "Committee  of 
Safety."  On  June  3,  1776,  he  was  commissioned 
Colonel  of  the  Fourth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania 
troops  in  the  Continental  army,  and,  during  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  was  conspicuous  for  his 
courage  and  ability  as  a  leader.  One  of  his  most 
daring  and  successful  achievements  was  the  cap- 
ture of  Stony  Point,  m  1779,  when — the  works 
having  been  carried  and  Wayne  having  received, 
what  was  supposed  to  be,  his  death-wound — he 
entered  the  fort,  supported  by  his  aids.  For  this 
service  he  was  awarded  a  gold  medal  by  Con- 
gress. He  also  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
investiture  and  capture  of  Yorktown.  In  October, 
1783,  he  was  brevetted  Major-General.  In  1784 
lie  was  elected  to  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature. 
A  few  years  later  he  settled  in  Georgia,  which 
State  he  represented  in  Congress  for  seven 
months,  when  his  seat  was  declared  vacant  after 
contest.  In  April,  1792,  he  was  confirmed  as 
General-in-Chief  of  the  United  States  Army,  on 
nomination  of  President  Washington.  His  con- 
nection with  Illinois  history  began  shortly  after 


St.  Clair's  defeat,  when  he  led  a  force  into  Ohio 
(1783)  and  erected  a  stockade  at  Greenville, 
which  he  named  Fort  Recovery ;  his  object  being 
to  subdue  the  hostile  savage  tribes.  In  this  he 
was  eminently  successful  and,  on  August  3, 
1793,  after  a  victorious  campaign,  negotiated  the 
Treaty  of  Greenville,  as  broad  in  its  provisions  as 
it  was  far-reaching  in  its  influence.  He  was  a 
daring  fighter,  and  although  Washington  called 
him  "prudent,"  his  dauntlessness  earned  for  him 
the  sobriquet  of  "Mad  Anthony."  In  matters  of 
dress  he  was  punctilious,  and,  on  this  account, 
he  was  sometimes  dubbed  "Dandy  Wayne."  He 
was  one  of  the  few  white  officers  whom  all  the 
Western  Indian  tribes  at  once  feared  and  re- 
spected. They  named  him  "Black  Snake"  and 
"Tornado."  He  died  at  Presque  Isle  near  Erie, 
Dec.  15,  1796.  Thirteen  years  afterward  his 
remains  were  removed  by  one  of  his  sons,  and 
interred  in  Badnor  churchyard,  in  his  native 
county.  The  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society 
erected  a  marble  monument  over  his  grave,  and 
appropriately  dedicated  it  on  July  4  of  the  same 
year. 

WAYNE  COUNTY,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of 
the  State ;  has  an  area  of  720  square  miles ;  was 
organized  in  1819,  and  named  for  Gen.  Anthony 
Wayne.  The  county  is  watered  and  drained  by 
the  Little  Wabash  and  its  branches,  notably  the 
Skillet  Fork.  At  the  first  election  held  in  the 
county,  only  fifteen  votes  were  cast.  Early  life 
was  exceedingly  primitive,  the  first  settlers 
pounding  corn  into  meal  with  a  wooden  pestle, 
a  hollowed  stump  being  used  as  a  mortar.  The 
first  mill  erected  (of  the  antique  South  Carolina 
pattern)  charged  25  cents  per  bushel  for  grinding. 
Prairie  and  woodland  make  up  the  surface,  and 
the  soil  is  fertile.  Railroad  facilities  are  furnished 
by  the  Louisville,  Evansville  &  St.  Louis  and  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  (Southwestern)  Railroads. 
Corn,  oats,  tobacco,  wheat,  hay  and  wool  are  the 
chief  agricultural  products.  Saw  mills  are  numer- 
ous and  there  are  also  carriage  and  wagon  facto- 
ries. Fairfield  is  the  county-seat.  Population 
(1880),  21,291;  (1890),  23,806;  (1900),  27,626. 

WEAS,  THE,  a  branch  of  the  Miami  tribe  of 
Indians.  They  called  themselves  "We-wee- 
hahs, "  and  were  spoken  of  by  the  French  as  "Oui- 
at-a-nons"  and  "Oui-as."  Other  corruptions  of 
the  name  were  common  among  the  British  and 
American  colonists.  In  1718  they  had  a  village 
at  Chicago,  but  abandoned  it  through  fear  of 
their  hostile  neighbors,  the  Chippewas  and  Potta- 
watomies.  The  Weas  were,  at  one  time,  brave 
and  warlike ;  but  their  numbers  were  reduced  by 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


58i 


constant  warfare  and  disease,  and,  in  the  end, 
debauchery  enervated  and  demoralized  them. 
They  were  removed  west  of  the  Mississippi  and 
given  a  reservation  in  Miami  County,  Kan.  This 
they  ultimately  sold,  and,  under  the  leadership 
of  Baptiste  Peoria,  united  with  their  few  remain- 
ing brethren  of  the  Miamis  and  with  the  remnant 
of  the  Ill-i-ni  under  the  title  of  the  "confederated 
tribes,"  and  settled  in  Indian  Territory.  (See  also 
Miamis;  Piankeshaws.) 

WEBB,  Edwin  B.,  early  lawyer  and  politician, 
was  born  about  1802,  came  to  the  vicinity  of 
Carmi,  White  County,  111.,  about  1828  to  1830, 
and,  still  later,  studied  law  at  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity. He  held  the  office  of  Prosecuting 
Attorney  of  White  County,  and,  in  1834,  was 
elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  General 
Assembly,  serving,  by  successive  re-elections, 
until  1842,  and,  in  the  Senate,  from  1842  to  '46. 
During  his  service  in  the  House  he  was  a  col- 
league and  political  and  personal  friend  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  opposed  the  internal 
improvement  scheme  of  1837,  predicting  many 
of  the  disasters  which  were  actually  realized  a 
few  years  later.  He  was  a  candidate  for  Presi- 
dential Elector  on  the  Whig  ticket,  in  1844  and 
'48,  and,  in  1852,  received  the  nomination  for 
Governor  as  the  opponent  of  Joel  A.  Matteson, 
two  years  later,  being  an  unsuccessful  candidate 
for  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  opposition  to 
Judge  W.  B.  Scates.  While  practicing  law  at 
Carmi,  he  was  also  a  partner  of  his  brother  in 
the  mercantile  business.  Died,  Oct.  14,  1858,  in 
the  56th  year  of  his  age. 

WEBB,  Henry  Livingston,  soldier  and  pioneer 
(an  elder  brother  of  James  Watson  Webb,  a  noted 
New  York  journalist),  was  born  at  Claverack, 
N.  Y.,  Feb.  6,  1795;  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1812,  came  to  Southern  Illinois  in  1817, 
and  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of 
America  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio ;  was  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Fourth  and  Eleventh  General 
Assemblies,  a  Major  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  and 
Captain  of  volunteers  and,  afterwards,  Colonel  of 
regulars,  in  the  Mexican  War.  In  1860  he  went 
to  Texas  and  served,  for  a  time,  in  a  semi -mili- 
tary capacity  under  the  Confederate  Govern- 
ment; returned  to  Illinois  in  1869,  and  died,  at 
Makanda,  Oct.  5,  1876. 

WEBSTER,  Fletcher,  lawyer  and  soldier,  was 
born  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H. ,  July  23,  1813 ;  gradu- 
ated at  Harvard  in  1833,  and  studied  law  with 
his  father  (Daniel  Webster) ;  in  1837,  located  at 
Peru,  111.,  where  he  practiced  three  years.  His 
father  having  been  appointed  Secretary  of  State 


in  1841,  the  son  became  his  private  secretary, 
was  also  Secretary  of  Legation  to  Caleb  Gushing 
(Minister  to  China)  in  1843,  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature  in  1847,  and  Surveyor 
of  the  Port  of  Boston,  1850-61;  the  latter  year 
became  Colonel  of  the  Twelfth  Massachusetts 
Volunteers,  and  was  killed  in  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  August  30,  1862. 

WEBSTER,  Joseph  Dana,  civil  engineer  and 
soldier,  was  born  at  Old  Hampton,  N.  H., 
August  25,  1811.  He  graduated  from  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1832,  and  afterwards  read 
law  at  Newburyport,  Mass.  His  natural  incli- 
nation was  for  engineering,  and,  after  serv- 
ing for  a  time  in  the  Engineer  and  War  offices, 
at  Washington,  was  made  a  United  States  civil 
engineer  (1835)  and,  on  July  7,  1838,  entered  the 
army  as  Second  Lieutenant  of  Topographical 
Engineers.  He  served  through  the  Mexican 
War,  was  made  First  Lieutenant  in  1849,  and 
promoted  to  a  captaincy,  in  March,  1853.  Thir- 
teen months  later  he  resigned,  removing  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  made  his  permanent  home,  and 
soon  after  was  identified,  for  a  time,  with  the 
proprietorship  of  "The  Chicago  Tribune."  He 
was  President  of  the  commission  that  perfected 
the  Chicago  sewerage  system,  and  designed  and 
executed  the  raising  of  the  grade  of  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  city  from  two  to  eight  feet,  whole 
blocks  of  buildings  being  raised  by  jack  screws, 
while  new  foundations  were  inserted.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  tendered  his  serv- 
ices to  the  Government  and  superintended  the 
erection  of  the  fortifications  at  Cairo,  111.,  and 
Paducah,  Ky.  On  April  7,  1861,  he  was  com- 
missioned Paymaster  of  Volunteers,  with  the 
rank  of  Major,  and,  in  February,  1862,  Colonel  of 
the  First  Illinois  Artillery.  For  several  months 
he  was  chief  of  General  Grant's  staff,  participat- 
ing in  the  capture  of  Forts  Donelson  and  Henry, 
and  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  in  the  latter  as  Chief 
of  Artillery.  In  October,  1862,  the  War  Depart- 
ment detailed  him  to  make  a  survey  of  the  Illi 
nois  &  Michigan  Canal,  and,  the  following  month, 
he  was  commissioned  Brigadier-General  of 
Volunteers,  serving  as  Military  Governor  of  Mem- 
phis and  Superintendent  of  military  railroads. 
He  was  again  chief  of  staff  to  General  Grant 
during  the  Vicksburg  campaign,  and,  from  1864 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  occupied  the  same 
relation  to  General  Sherman.  He  was  bre vetted 
Major-General  of  Volunteers,  March  13, 1865,  but, 
resigning  Nov.  6,  following,  returned  to  Chicago, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  From 
1869  to  1872  he  was  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue 


582 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


there,  and,  later,  Assistant  United  States  Treas- 
urer, and,  in  July,  1872,  was  appointed  Collector 
of  Internal  Revenue.  Died,  at  Chicago,  March 
12,  1876. 

WELCH,  William  R.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Jessamine  County,  Ky.,  Jan.  22,  1828, 
educated  at  Transylvania  University,  Lexington, 
graduating  from  the  academic  department  in 
1847,  and,  from  the  law  school,  in  1851.  In  1864  he 
removed  to  Carlinville,  Macoupin  County,  111., 
which  place  he  made  his  permanent  home.  In 
1877  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Fifth 
Circuit,  and  re-elected  in  1879  and  '85.  In  1884 
he  was  assigned  to  the  bench  of  the  Appellate 
Court  for  the  Second  District.  Died,  Sept.  1, 
1888. 

WELDON,  Lawrence,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
United  States  Court  of  Claims,  Washington, 
D.  C.,  was  born  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  in 
1829;  while  a  child,  removed  with  his  jparents  to 
Madison  County,  and  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  the  local  academy  and  at  Wittenberg 
College,  Springfield,  in  the  same  State ;  read  law 
with  Hon.  R.  A.  Harrison,  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Ohio  bar,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1854,  meanwhile,  in  1852-53,  having  served  as  a 
clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at 
Columbus.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Illinois,  locat- 
ing at  Clinton,  DeWitt  County,  where  he  engaged 
in  practice ;  in  1860  was  elected  a  Representative 
in  the  Twenty-second  General  Assembly,  was 
also  chosen  a  Presidential  Elector  the  same  year, 
and  assisted  in  the  first  election  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  the  Presidency.  Early  in  1861  he 
resigned  his  seat  in  the  Legislature  to  accept  the 
position  of  United  States  District  Attorney  for 
the  Southern  District  of  Illinois,  tendered  him  by 
President  Lincoln,  but  resigned  the  latter  office 
in  1866  and,  the  following  year,  removed  to 
Bloomington,  where  he  continued  the  practice  of 
his  profession  until  1883,  when  he  was  appointed, 
by  President  Arthur,  an  Associate  Justice  of  the 
United  States  Court  of  Claims  at  Washington — 
a  position  which  he  still  (1899)  continues  to  fill. 
Judge  Weldon  is  among  the  remaining  few  who 
rode  the  circuit  and  practiced  law  with  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. From  the  time  of  coming  to  the  State  in 
1854  to  1860,  he  was  one  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  most 
intimate  traveling  companions  in  the  old 
Eighth  Circuit,  which  extended  from  Sangamon 
County  on  the  west  to  Vermilion  on  the  east,  and 
of  which  Judge  David  Davis,  afterwards  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  and  United 
States  Senator,  was  the  presiding  Justice.  The 
Judge  holds  in  his  memory  many  pleasant  remi- 


niscences of  that  day,  especially  of  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  District,  where  he  was  accustomed 
to  meet  the  late  Senator  Voorhees,  Senator  Mc- 
Donald and  other  leading  lawyers  of  Indiana,  as 
well  as  the  historic  men  whom  he  met  at  the 
State  capital. 

WELLS,  Albert  W.,  lawyer  and  legislator,  was 
born  at  Woodstock,  Conn.,  May  9,  1839,  and 
enjoyed  only  such  educational  and  other  advan- 
tages as  belonged  to  the  average  New  England 
boy  of  that  period.  During  his  boyhood  his 
family  removed  to  New  Jersey,  where  he  attended 
an  academy,  later,  graduating  from  Columbia 
College  and  Law  School  in  New  York  City,  and 
began  practice  with  State  Senator  Robert  Allen 
at  Red  Bank,  N.  J.  During  the  Civil  War  he 
enlisted  in  a  New  Jersey  regiment  and  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  resuming  his  profes- 
sion at  the  close  of  the  war.  Coming  west  in 
1870,  he  settled  in  Quincy,  111.,  where  he  con- 
tinued practice.  In  1886  he  was  elected  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  from  Adams  County, 
as  a  Democrat,  and  re-elected  two  years  later. 
In  1890  he  was  advanced  to  the  Senate,  where, 
by  re-election  in  1894,  he  served  continuously 
until  his  death  in  office,  March  5,  1897.  His 
abilities  and  long  service — covering  the  sessions 
of  the  Thirty-fifth  to  the  Fortieth  General  Assem- 
blies— placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  Democratic 
side  of  the  Senate  during  the  latter  part  of  his 
legislative  career. 

WELLS,  William,  soldier  and  victim  of  the 
Fort  Dearborn  massacre,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
about  1770.  When  a  boy  of  12,  he  was  captxired 
by  the  Miami  Indians,  whose  chief,  Little  Turtle, 
adopted  him,  giving  him  his  daughter  in  mar- 
riage when  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  highly 
esteemed  by  the  tribe  as  a  warrior,  and,  in  1790, 
was  present  at  the  battle  where  Gen.  Arthur  St. 
Clair  was  defeated.  He  then  realized  that  he 
was  fighting  against  his  own  race,  and  informed 
his  father-in-law  that  he  intended  to  ally  himself 
with  the  whites.  Leaving  the  Miamis,  he  made 
his  way  to  General  Wayne,  who  made  him  Cap- 
tain of  a  company  of  scouts.  After  the  treaty  of 
Greenville  (1795)  he  settled  on  a  farm  near  Fort 
Wayne,  where  he  was  joined  by  his  Indian  wife. 
Here  he  acted  as  Indian  Agent  and  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  In  1812  he  learned  of  the  contemplated 
evacuation  of  Fort  Dearborn,  and,  at  the  head  of 
thirty  Miamis,  he  set  out  for  the  post,  his  inten- 
tion being  to  furnish  a  body-guard  to  the  non- 
combatants  on  their  proposed  march  to  Fort 
Wayne.  On  August  13,  he  marched  out  of  the 
fort  with  fifteen  of  his  dusky  warriors  behind 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


583 


him,  the  remainder  bringing  up  the  rear.  Before 
a  mile  and  a  half  had  been  traveled,  the  party  fell 
into  an  Indian  ambuscade,  and  an  indiscrimi- 
nate massacre  followed.  (See  Fort  Dearborn.') 
The  Miamis  fled,  and  Captain  Wells'  body  was 
riddled  with  bullets,  his  head  cut  off  and  his 
heart  taken  out.  He  was  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Heald, 
wife  of  the  commander  of  Fort  Dearborn. 

WELLS,  William  Harvey,  educator,  was  born 
in  Tolland,  Conn.,  Feb.  27,  1812;  lived  on  a  farm 
until  17  years  old,  attending  school  irregularly, 
but  made  such  progress  that  he  became  succes- 
sively a  teacher  in  the  Teachers'  Seminary  at 
Andover  and  Newburyport,  and,  finally,  Principal 
of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Westfield,  Mass. 
In  1856  he  accepted  the  position  of  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Schools  for  the  city  of  Chicago, 
serving  till  1864,  when  he  resigned.  He  was  an 
organizer  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Teachers' 
Association,  one  of  the  first  editors  of  "The 
Massachusetts  Teacher"  and  prominently  con- 
nected with  various  benevolent,  educational  and 
learned  societies ;  was  also  author  of  several  text- 
books, and  assisted  in  the  revision  of  "Webster's 
Unabridged  Dictionary."  Died,  Jan.  21,  1885. 

WENONA,  city  on  the  eastern  border  of  Mar- 
shall County,  20  miles  south  of  La  Salle,  has 
zinc  works,  public  and  parochial  schools,  a 
weekly  paper,  two  banks,  and  five  churches.  A 
good  quality  of  soft  coal  is  mined  here.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  911;  (1890),  1,053;  (1900),  1,486. 

WENTWORTH,  John,  early  journalist  and 
Congressman,  was  born  at  Sandwich,  N.  H., 
March  5,  1815,  graduated  from  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege in  1836,  and  came  to  Chicago  the  same  year, 
where  he  became  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Demo- 
crat," which  had  been  established  by  John  Cal- 
houn  three  years  previous.  He  soon  after  became 
proprietor  of  "The  Democrat,"  of  which  he  con- 
tinued to  be  the  publisher  until  it  was  merged 
into  "The  Chicago  Tribune,"  July  24,  1864.  He 
also  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois 
bar  in  1841.  He  served  in  Congress  as  a  Demo- 
crat from  1843  to  1851,  and  again  from  1853  to 
1855,  but  left  the  Democratic  party  on  the  repeal 
of  the  Missouri  Compromise.  He  was  elected 
Mayor  of  Chicago  in  1857,  and  again  in  1860, 
during  his  incumbency  introducing  a  number  of 
important  municipal  reforms ;  was  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1862,  and  twice 
served  on  the  Board  of  Education.  He  again 
represented  Illinois  in  Congress  as  a  Republican 
from  1865  to  1867 — making  fourteen  years  of 
service  in  that  body.  In  1872  he  joined  in  the 
Greeley  movement,  but  later  renewed  his  alle- 


giance to  the  Republican  party.  In  1878  Mr.  Went- 
worth  published  an  elaborate  genealogical  work 
in  three  volumes,  entitled  "History  of  the  Went- 
worth  Family."  A  volume  of  "Congressional 
Reminiscences"  and  two  by  him  on  "Early  Chi- 
cago, ' '  published  in  connection  with  the  Fergus 
Historical  Series,  contain  some  valuable  informa- 
tion on  early  local  and  national  history.  On 
account  of  his  extraordinary  height  he  received 
the  sobriquet  of  "Long  John,"  by  which  he  was 
familiarly  known  throughout  the  State.  Died, 
in  Chicago,  Oct.  16,  1888. 

WEST,  Edward  M.,  merchant  and  banker,  was 
born  in  Virginia,  May  2,  1814;  came  with  his 
father  to  Illinois  in  1818 ;  in  1829  became  a  clerk 
in  the  Recorder's  office  at  Edwardsville,  also 
served  as  deputy  postmaster,  and,  in  1833,  took  a 
position  in  the  United  States  Land  Office  there. 
Two  years  later  he  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  he  prosecuted  over  thirty  years — 
meanwhile  filling  the  office  of  County  Treasurer, 
ex-officio  Superintendent  of  Schools,  and  Delegate 
to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847.  In  1867, 
in  conjunction  with  W.  R.  Prickett,  he  established 
a  bank  at  Edwardsville,  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected until  his  death,  Oct.  31,  1887.  Mr.  West 
officiated  frequently  as  a  "local  preacher"  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  in  which  capacity  he  showed 
much  ability  as  a  public  speaker. 

WEST,  Mary  Allen,  educator  and  philanthro- 
pist, was  born  at  Galesburg,  111.,  July  31,  1837; 
graduated  at  Knox  Seminary  in  1854  and  taught 
until  1873,  when  she  was  elected  County  Super- 
intendent of  Schools,  serving  nine  years.  She 
took  an  active  and  influential  interest  in  educa- 
tional and  reformatory  movements,  was  for  two 
years  editor  of  "Our  Home  Monthly,"  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  also  a  contributor  to  other  journals, 
besides  being  editor-in-chief  of  "The  Union  Sig- 
nal," Chicago,  the  organ  of  the  Woman's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union — in  which  she  held  the 
position  of  President ;  was  also  President,  in  the 
latter  days  of  her  life,  of  the  Illinois  Woman's 
Press  Association  of  Chicago,  that  city  having 
become  her  home  in  1885.  In  1892,  Miss  West 
started  on  a  tour  of  the  world  for  the  benefit  of 
her  health,  but  died  at  Tokio,  Japan,  Dec.  1,  1892. 
WESTERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  INSANE, 
an  institution  for  the  treatment  of  the  insane, 
located  at  Watertown,  Rock  Island  County,  in 
accordance  with  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly, 
approved,  May  22,  1895.  The  Thirty-ninth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  made  an  appropriation  of  $100,000 
for  the  erection  of  fire-proof  buildings,  while 
Rock  Island  County  donated  a  tract  of  400  acres 


584 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  land  valued  at  $40, 000.  The  site  selected  by  the 
Commissioners,  is  a  commanding  one  overlooking 
the  Mississippi  River,  eight  miles  above  Rock 
Island,  and  five  and  a  half  miles  from  Moline,  and 
the  buildings  are  of  the  most  modern  style  of  con- 
struction. Watertown  is  reached  by  two  lines  of 
railroad — the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  and 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy — besides  the 
Mississippi  River.  The  erection  of  buildings  was 
begun  in  1896,  and  they  were  opened  for  the 
reception  of  patients  in  1898.  They  have  a  ca- 
pacity for  800  patients. 

WESTERN  MILITARY  ACADEMY,  an  insti- 
tution located  at  Upper  Alton,  Madison  County, 
incorporated  in  1892;  has  a  faculty  of  eight  mem- 
bers and  reports  eighty  pupils  for  1897-98,  with 
property  valued  at  $70,000.  The  institution  gives 
instruction  in  literary  and  scientific  branches, 
besides  preparatory  and  business  courses. 

WESTERN  NORMAL  COLLEGE,  located  at 
Bushnell,  McDonough  County;  incorporated  in 
1888.  It  is  co-educational,  has  a  corps  of  twelve 
instructors  and  reported  500  pupils  for  1897-98, 
300  males  and  200  females. 

WESTERN  SPRINGS,  a  village  of  Cook 
County,  and  residence  suburb  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago, on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rail- 
road, 15  miles  west  of  the  initial  station. 
Population  (1890),  451;  (1900),  662. 

WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 
located  in  Chicago  and  controlled  by  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church.  It  was  founded  in  1883 
through  the  munificence  of  Dr.  Tolman  Wheeler, 
and  was  opened  for  students  two  years  later.  It 
has  two  buildings,  of  a  superior  order  of  archi- 
tecture— one  including  the  school  and  lecture 
rooms  and  the  other  a  dormitory.  A  hospital 
and  gymnasium  are  attached  to  the  latter,  and  a 
school  for  boys  is  conducted  on  the  first  floor  of 
the  main  building,  which  is  known  as  Wheeler 
Hall.  The  institution  is  under  the  general  super- 
vision of  Rt.  Rev.  William  E.  McLaren,  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Illinois. 

WESTFIELD,  village  of  Clark  County,  on  Gin., 
Ham.  &  Dayton  R.  R. ,  10  m.  s  -e.  of  Charleston ; 
seat  of  Westfield  College;  has  a  bank,  five 
churches  and  two  newspapers.  Pop.  (1900),  820. 

WEST  SALEM,  a  town  of  Edwards  County,  on 
the  Peoria-Evansville  Div.  111.  Cent.  R.  R.,  12 
miles  northeast  of  Albion;  has  a  bank  and  a 
weekly  paper.  Pop.  (1890),  476;  (1900),  700. 

WETHERELL,  Emma  Abbott,  vocalist,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  DP/?,.  9,  1849;  in  her  childhood 
attracted  attention  while  singing  with  her  father 
(a  poor  musician)  in  hotels  and  on  the  streets  in 


Chicago,  Peoria  and  elsewhere;  at  18  years  of 
age,  went  to  New  York  to  study,  earning  her  way 
by  giving  concerts  en  route,  and  receiving  aid 
and  encouragement  from  Clara  Louisa  Kellogg; 
in  New  York  was  patronized  by  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  and  others,  and  aided  in  securing  the 
training  of  European  masters.  Compelled  to  sur- 
mount many  obstacles  from  poverty  and  other 
causes,  her  after  success  in  her  profession  was 
phenomenal.  Died,  during  a  professional  tour, 
at  Salt  Lake  City,  Jan.  5,  1891.  Miss  Abbott 
married  her  manager,  Eugene  Wetherell,  who 
died  before  her. 

WHEATON,  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of  Du 
Page  County,  situated  on  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway,  25  miles  west  of  Chicago.  Agri- 
culture and  stock-raising  are  the  chief  industries 
in  the  surrounding  region.  The  city  owns  a  new 
water- works  plant  (costing  $60,000)  and  has  a 
public  library  valued  at  $75,000,  the  gift  of  a 
resident,  Mr.  John  Quincy  Adams;  has  a  court 
house,  electric  light  plant,  sewerage  and  drainage 
system,  seven  churches,  three  graded  schools, 
four  weekly  newspapers  and  a  State  bank. 
Wheaton  is  the  seat  of  Wheaton  College  (which 
see).  Population  (1880),  1,160;  (1890),  1,622; 
(1900),  2,345. 

WHEATON  COLLEGE,  an  educational  insti- 
tution located  at  Wheaton,  Du  Page  County,  and 
under  Congregational  control.  It  was  founded 
in  1853,  as  the  Illinois  Institute,  and  was  char- 
tered under  its  present  name  in  1860.  Its  early 
existence  was  one  of  struggle,  but  of  late  years  it 
has  been  established  on  a  better  foundation,  in 
1898  having  $54, 000  invested  in  productive  funds, 
and  property  aggregating  $136,000.  The  faculty 
comprises  fifteen  professors,  and,  in  1898,  there 
were  321  students  in  attendance.  It  is  co-edu- 
cational and  instruction  is  given  in  business  and 
preparatory  studies,  as  well  as  the  fine  arts, 
music  and  classical  literature. 

WHEELER,  David  Hilton,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  clergy- 
man, was  born  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  19,  1829; 
graduated  at  Rock  River  Seminary,  Mount 
Morris,  in  1851;  edited  "The  Carroll  County 
Republican"  and  held  a  professorship  in  Cornell 
College,  Iowa,  (1857-61) ;  was  United  States  Con- 
sul at  Geneva,  Switzerland,  (1861-66) ;  Professor  of 
English  Literature  in  Northwestern  University 
(1867-75);  edited  "The  Methodist"  in  New  York, 
seven  years,  and  was  President  of  Allegheny 
College  (1883-87);  received  the  degree  of  D.D. 
from  Cornell  College  in  1867,  and  that  of  LL.D. 
from  the  Northwestern  University  in  1881.  He 
is  the  author  of  "Brigandage  in  South  Italy" 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


585 


(two  volumes,  1864)  and  "By -Ways  of  Literature" 
(1883),  besides  some  translations. 

WHEELER,  Hamilton  K.,  ex-Congressman, 
was  born  at  Ballston,  N.  Y.,  August  5,  1848,  but 
emigrated  with  his  parents  to  Illinois  in  1852; 
remained  on  a  farm  until  19  years  of  age,  his 
educational  advantages  being  limited  to  three 
months'  attendance  upon  a  district  school  each 
year.  In  1871,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Kankakee,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  prac- 
tice. In  1884  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  Six- 
teenth District  in  the  State  Senate,  where  he 
served  on  many  important  committees,  being 
Chairman  of  that  on  the  Judicial  Department. 
In  1892  he  was  elected  Representative  in  Con- 
gress from  the  Ninth  Illinois  District,  on  the 
Republican  ticket. 

WHEELING,  a  town  on  the  northern  border  of 
Cook  County,  on  the  Wisconsin  Central  Railway. 
Population  (1890),  811;  (1900),  331. 

WHISTLER,  (Maj.)  John,  soldier  and  builder 
of  the  first  Fort  Dearborn,  was  born  in  Ulster,  Ire- 
land, about  1756 ;  served  under  Burgoyne  in  the 
Revolution,  and  was  with  the  force  surrendered 
by  that  officer  at  Saratoga,  in  1777.  After  the 
peace  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  settled  at 
Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  entered  the  United  States 
Army,  serving  at  first  in  the  ranks  and  being 
severely  wounded  in  the  disastrous  Indian  cam- 
paigns of  1791.  Later,  he  was  promoted  to  a 
captaincy  and,  in  the  summer  of  1803,  sent  with 
his  company,  to  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan, 
where  he  constructed  the  first  Fort  Dearborn 
within  the  limits  of  the  present  city  of  Chicago, 
remaining  in  command  until  1811,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Captain  Heald.  He  received  the 
brevet  rank  of  Major,  in  1815  was  appointed 
military  store- keeper  at  Newport,  Ky . ,  and  after- 
wards at  Jefferson  Barracks,  near  St.  Louis, 
where  he  died,  Sept.  3,  1829.  Lieut.  William 
Whistler,  his  son,  who  was  with  his  father,  for  a 
time,  in  old  Fort  Dearborn — but  transferred,  in 
1809,  to  Fort  Wayne — was  of  the  force  included 
in  Hull's  surrender  at  Detroit  in  1812.  After 
his  exchange  he  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy,  to 
the  rank  of  Major  in  1826  and  to  a  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nelcy in  1845,  dying  at  Newport,  Ky.,  in  1863. 
James  Abbott  McNiel  Whistler,  the  celebrated,  - 
but  eccentric  artist  of  that  name,  is  a  grandson 
of  the  first  Major  Whistler. 

WHITE,  George  E.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
in  Massachusetts  in  1848 ;  after  graduating,  at  the 
age  of  16,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Fifty- 
seventh  Massachusetts  Veteran  Volunteers,  serv- 
ing under  General  Grant  in  the  campaign 


against  Richmond  from  the  battle  of  the  Wilder- 
ness until  the  surrender  of  Lee.  Having  taken  a 
course  in  a  commercial  college  at  Worcester, 
Mass.,  in  1867  he  came  to  Chicago,  securing  em- 
ployment in  a  lumber  yard,  but  a  year  later 
began  business  on  his  own  account,  which  he  has 
successfully  conducted.  In  1878  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate,  as  a  Republican,  from  one  of 
the  Chicago  Districts,  and  re-elected  four  years 
later,  serving  in  that  body  eight  years.  He 
declined  a  nomination  for  Congress  in  1884,  but 
accepted  in  1894,  and  was  elected  for  the  Fifth 
District,  as  he  was  again  in  1896,  but  was 
defeated,  in  1898,  by  Edward  T.  Noonan,  Demo- 
crat. 

WHITE,  Horace,  journalist,  was  born  at  Cole- 
brook,  N.  H.,  August  10,  1834;  in  1853  graduated 
at  Beloit  College,  Wis.,  whither  his  father  had 
removed  in  1837 ;  engaged  in  journalism  as  city 
editor  of  "The  Chicago  Evening  Journal,"  later 
becoming  agent  of  the  Associated  Press,  and,  in 
1857,  an  editorial  writer  on  "The  Chicago  Trib- 
une," during  a  part  of  the  war  acting  as  its 
Washington  correspondent.  He  also  served,  in 
1856,  as  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Kansas 
National  Committee,  and,  later,  as  Secretary  of 
the  Republican  State  Central  Committee.  In 
1864  he  purchased  an  interest  in  "The  Tribune," 
a  year  or  so  later  becoming  editor-in-chief,  but 
retired  in  October,  1874  After  a  protracted 
European  tour,  he  united  with  Carl  Schurz  and 
E.  L.  Godkin  of  "The  Nation,"  in  the  purchase 
and  reorganization  of  "The  New  York  Evening 
Post,"  of  which  he  is  now  editor-in-chief. 

WHITE,  Julius,  soldier,  was  born  in  Cazen- 
ovia,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  29,  1816;  removed  to  Illinois 
in  1836,  residing  there  and  in  Wisconsin,  where 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  1849 ;  in 
1861  was  made  Collector  of  Customs  at  Chicago, 
but  resigned  to  assume  the  colonelcy  of  the 
Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteers,  which  he 
commanded  on  the  Fremont  expedition  to  South- 
west Missouri.  He  afterwards  served  with  Gen- 
eral Curtiss  in  Arkansas,  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Pea  Ridge  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Brigadier-General.  He  was  subsequently 
assigned  to  the  Department  of  the  Shenandoah, 
but  finding  his  position  at  Marti nsburg,  W.  Va., 
untenable,  retired  to  Harper's  Ferry,  voluntarily 
serving  under  Colonel  Miles,  his  inferior  in  com- 
mand. When  this  post  was  surrendered  (Sept. 
15,  1862),  he  was  made  a  prisoner,  but  released 
under  parole ;  was  tried  by  a  court  of  inquiry  at 
his  own  request,  and  acquitted,  the  court  finding 
that  he  had  acted  with  courage  and  capability. 


686 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


He  resigned  in  1864,  and,  in  March,  1865,  was 
brevetted  Major-General  of  Volunteers.  Died, 
at  Evanston,  May  12,  1890. 

WHITE  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southeastern 
quarter  of  the  State,  and  bounded  on  the  east  by 
the  Wabash  River ;  was  organized  in  1816,  being 
the  tenth  county  organized  during  the  Territorial 
period:  area,  500  square  miles.  The  county  is 
crossed  by  three  railroads  and  drained  by  the 
Wabash  and  Little  Wabash  Rivers.  The  surface 
consists  of  prairie  and  woodland,  and  the  soil  is, 
for  the  most  part,  highly  productive.  The  princi- 
pal agricultural  products  are  corn,  wheat,  oats, 
potatoes,  tobacco,  fruit,  butter,  sorghum  and 
wool.  The  principal  industrial  establishments 
are  carriage  factories,  saw  mills  and  flour  mills. 
Carmi  is  the  county -seat.  Other  towns  are  En- 
field,  Grayville  and  Norris  City.  Population 
(1880),  23,087;  (1890),  25,005;  (1900),  25,386. 

WHITEHALL,  a  city  in  Greene  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroads,  65  miles 
north  of  St.  Louis  and  24  miles  south-southwest 
of  Jacksonville;  in  rich  farming  region;  has 
stoneware  and  sewer-pipe  factories,  foundry  and 
machine  shop,  flour  mill,  elevators,  wagon  shops, 
creamery,  water  system,  sanitarium,  heating, 
electric  light  and  power  system,  nurseries  and 
fruit-supply  houses,  and  two  poultry  packing 
houses;  also  has  five  churches,  a  graded  school, 
two  banks  and  three  newspapers — one  daily.  Pop- 
ulation (1890),  1,961;  (1900),  2,030. 

WHITEHOUSE,  Henry  John,  Protestant  Epis 
copal  Bishop,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  August 
19,  1803;  graduated  from  Columbia  College  in 
1821,  and  from  the  (New  York)  General  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  in  1824.  After  ordination  he  was 
rector  of  various  parishes  in  Pennsylvania  and 
New  York  until  1851,  when  he  was  chosen  Assist- 
ant Bishop  of  Illinois,  succeeding  Bishop  Chase 
in  1852.  In  1867,  by  invitation  of  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  he  delivered  the  opening  sermon 
before  the  Pan-Anglican  Conference  held  in 
England.  During  this  visit  he  received  the 
degree  of  D.D.  from  Oxford  University,  and  that 
of  LL.D.  from  Cambridge.  His  rigid  views  as  a 
churchman  and  a  disciplinarian,  were  illustrated 
in  his  prosecution  of  Rev.  Charles  Edward 
Cheney,  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the 
Reformed  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  a  brilliant 
orator  and  a  trenchant  and  unyielding  controver- 
sialist. Died,  in  Chicago,  August  10,  1874. 

WHITESIDE  COUNTY,  in  the  northwestern 
portion  of  the  State  bordering  on  the  Mississippi 
River;  created  by  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  in 


1836,  and  named  for  Capt.  Samuel  Whiteside,  a 
noted  Indian  fighter ;  area,  700  square  miles.  The 
surface  is  level,  diversified  by  prairies  and  wood- 
land, and  the  soil  is  extremely  fertile.  .The 
county-seat  was  first  fixed  at  Lyndon,  then  at 
Sterling,  and  finally  at  Morrison,  its  present 
location.  The  Rock  River  crosses  the  county 
and  furnishes  abundant  water  power  for  numer- 
ous factories,  turning  out  agricultural  imple- 
ments, carriages  and  wagons,  furniture,  woolen 
goods,  flour  and  wrapping  paper.  There  are  also 
distilling  and  brewing  interests,  besides  saw  and 
planing  mills.  Corn  is  the  staple  agricultural 
product,  although  all  the  leading  cereals  are 
extensively  grown.  The  principal  towns  are 
Morrison,  Sterling,  Fulton  and  Rock  Falls.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  30,885;  (1890),  30.854;  (1900),  34.710. 

WHITESIDE,  William,  pioneer  and  soldier  of 
the  Revolution,  emigrated  from  the  frontier  of 
North  Carolina  to  Kentucky,  and  thence,  in  1793, 
to  the  present  limits  of   Monroe   County,    111., 
erecting  a  fort  between  Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia, 
which    became    widely    known    as    "Whiteside 
Station."    He  served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
and  was  active  in  organizing  the  militia  during 
the  War  of  1812-14,  dying  at  the  old  Station  in 
1815. — John  (Whiteside),  a  brother  of  the  preced- 
ing, and  also  a  Revolutionary  soldier,   came  to 
Illinois  at  the  same  time,  as  also  did  William  B. 
and  Samuel,  sons  of   the    two  brothers,  respec- 
tively.    All  of  them  became  famous  as  Indian 
fighters.     The  two  latter  served  as  Captains  of 
companies  of   "Rangers"    in  the  War  of  1812, 
Samuel  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Rock  Island 
in  1814,  and  contributing  greatly  to  the  success 
of  the  day.     During  the  Black  Hawk  War  (1832) 
he    attained     the    rank    of     Brigadier- General. 
Whiteside  County  was  named  in  his  honor.     He 
made  one  of  the  earliest  improvements  in  Ridge 
Prairie,  a  rich  section  of  Madison  County,  and 
represented  that  county  in    the    First    General 
Assembly.     William  B.  served  as  Sheriff  of  Madi- 
son County  for  a  number  of  years.  —  John  D. 
(Whiteside),    another  member  of    this   historic 
family,  became  very  prominent,   serving  in  the 
lower  House  of  the  Seventh,  Eighth,  Ninth  and 
Fourteenth  General  Assemblies,  and  in  the  Sen- 
ate of  the  Tenth,   from  Monroe  County;   was  a 
Presidential    Elector    in    1836,    State    Treasurer 
(1837-41)  and  a   member  of  the  State  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1847.    General  Whiteside,  as 
he  was  known,  was  the  second  of  James  Shields 
in  the  famous  Shields  and  Lincoln  duel  (so-called) 
in  1842,  and,  as  such,  carried  the  challenge  of  the 
former  to  Mr.  Lincoln.     (See  Diiels. ) 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


587 


WHITING,  Lorenzo  D.,  legislator,  was  born 
in  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  17,  1819;  came  to 
Illinois  in  1838,  but  did  not  settle  there  perma- 
nently until  1849,  when  he  located  in  Bureau 
County.  He  was  a  Representative  from  that 
county  in  the  Twenty-sixth  General  Assembly 
(1869),  and  a  member  of  the  Senate  continuously 
from  1871  to  1887,  serving  in  the  latter  through 
eight  General  Assemblies.  Died  at  his  home 
near  Tiskilwa,  Bureau  County,  111.,  Oct.  10, 
1889. 

WHITING,  Richard  H.,  Congressman,  was 
born  at  West  Hartford,  Conn.,  June  17,  1826,  and 
received  a  common  school  education.  In  1862  he 
was  commissioned  Paymaster  in  the  Volunteer 
Army  of  the  Union,  and  resigned  in  1866.  Hav- 
ing removed  to  Illinois,  he  was  appointed  Assist- 
ant Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  Fifth 
Illinois  District,  in  February,  1870,  and  so  contin- 
ued until  the  abolition  of  the  office  in  1873.  On 
retiring  from  the  Assessorship  he  was  appointed 
Collector  of  Internal  Revenue,  and  served  until 
March  4,  1875,  when  he  resigned  to  take  his  seat 
as  Republican  Representative  in  Congress  from 
the  Peoria  District,  to  which  he  had  been  elected 
in  November,  1874.  After  the  expiration  of  his 
term  he  held  no  public  office,  but  was  a  member 
of  the  Republican  National  Convention  of  1884. 
Died,  at  the  Continental  Hotel,  in  New  York 
City,  May  24,  1888. 

WHITNEY,  James  W.,  pioneer  lawyer  and 
early  teacher,  known  by  the  nickname  of  "Lord 
Coke";  came  to  Illinois  in  Territorial  days  (be- 
lieved to  have  been  about  1800) ;  resided  for  some 
time  at  or  near  Edwardsville,  then  became  a 
teacher  at  Atlas,  Pike  County,  and,  still  later,  the 
first  Circuit  and  County  Clerk  of  that  county. 
Though  nominally  a  lawyer,  he  had  little  if  any 
practice.  He  acquired  the  title,  by  which  he  was 
popularly  known  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  by 
his  custom  of  visiting  the  State  Capital,  during 
the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly,  when 
he  would  organize  the  lobbyists  and  visit- 
ors about  the  capital — of  which  there  were  an 
unusual  number  in  those  days — into  what  was 
called  the  "Third  House."  Having  been  regu- 
larly chosen  to  preside  under  the  name  of 
"Speaker  of  the  Lobby,"  he  would  deliver  a  mes- 
sage full  of  practical  hits  and  jokes,  aimed  at 
members  of  the  two  houses  and  others,  which 
would  be  received  with  cheers  and  laughter. 
The  meetings  of  the  "Third  House,"  being  held 
in  the  evening,  were  attended  by  many  members 
and  visitors  in  lieu  of  other  forms  of  entertain- 
ment. Mr.  Whitney's  home,  in  his  latter  years, 


was  at    Pittsfield.     He    resided    for   a  time  at 
Quincy.     Died,  Dec.  13,  1860,  aged  over  80  years. 

WHITTEMORE,  Floyd  K.,  State  Treasurer,  is 
a  native  of  New  York,  came  at  an  early  age,  with 
his  parents,  to  Sycamore,  111. ,  where  he  was  edu- 
cated in  the  high  school  there.  He  purposed 
becoming  a  lawyer,  but,  on  the  election  of  the 
late  James  H.  Beveridge  State  Treasurer,  in  1864, 
accepted  the  position  of  clerk  in  the  office. 
Later,  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  banking 
house  of  Jacob  Bunn  in  Springfield,  and,  on  the 
organization  of  the  State  National  Bank,  was 
chosen  cashier  of  that  Institution,  retaining  the 
position  some  twenty  years.  After  the  appoint- 
ment of  Hon.  John  R.  Tanner  to  the  position  of 
Assistant  Treasurer  of  the  United  States,  at  Chi- 
cago, in  1892,  Mr.  Whittemore  became  cashier  in 
that  office,  and,  in  1865,  Assistant  State  Treas- 
rure  under  the  administration  of  State  Treasurer 
Henry  Wulff.  In  1898  he  was  elected  State 
Treasurer,  receiving  a  plurality  of  43,450  over 
his  Democratic  opponent. 

WICKERSHAM,  (Col.)  Dudley,  soldier  and 
merchant,  was  born  in  Woodford  County,  Ky., 
Nov.  22,  1819;  came  to  Springfield,  111.,  in  1843, 
and  served  as  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers  (Col.  E.  D.  Baker's)  through 
the  Mexican  War.  On  the  return  of  peace  he 
engaged  in  the  dry-goods  trade  in  Springfield, 
until  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Tenth  Regi- 
ment Illinois  Cavalry,  serving,  first  as  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  and  then  as  Colonel,  until  May,  1864, 
when,  his  regiment  having  been  consolidated 
with  the  Fifteenth  Cavalry,  he  resigned.  After 
the  war,  he  held  the  office  of  Assessor  of  Internal 
Revenue  for  several  years,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  trade.  Died,  in  Springfield, 
August  8,  1898. 

WIDEN,  Raphael,  pioneer  and  early  legislator, 
was  a  native  of  Sweden,  who,  having  been  taken 
to  France  at  eight  years  of  age,  was  educated  for 
a  Catholic  priest.  Coming  to  the  United  States 
in  1815,  he  was  at  Cahokia,  111.,  in  1818,  where, 
during  the  same  year,  he  married  into  a  French 
family  of  that  place.  He  served  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  from  Randolph  County,  in  the 
Second  and  Third  General  Assemblies  (1820-24), 
and  as  Senator  in  the  Fourth  and  Fifth  (1824-28). 
During  his  last  term  in  the  House,  he  was  one  of 
those  who  voted  against  the  pro-slavery  Con- 
vention resolution.  He  died  of  cholera,  at  Kas- 
kaskia,  in  1833. 

WIKE,  Scott,  lawyer  and  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  at  Meadville,  Pa.,  April  6,  1834;  at  4  years 
of  age  removed  with  his  parents  to  Quincy,  111., 


588 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


and,  in  1844,  to  Pike  County.  Having  graduated 
from  Lombard  University,  Galesburg,  in  1857,  he 
began  reading  law  with  Judge  O.  C.  Skinner  of 
Quincy.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858, 
but,  before  commencing  practice,  spent  a  year  at 
Harvard  Law  School,  graduating  there  in  1859. 
Immediately  thereafter  he  opened  an  office  at 
Pittsfield,  111.,  and  has  resided  there  ever  since. 
In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  strong  Democrat. 
He  served  two  terms  in  the  Legislature  (1863-67) 
and,  in  1874,  was  chosen  Representative  from  his 
District  in  Congress,  being  re-elected  in  1888  and, 
again,  in  1890.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Cleveland  Third  Assistant  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  which  position  he  continued 
to  fill  until  March,  1897,  when  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  law  at  Pittsfield.  Died  Jan.  15,  1901 
WILEY,  (Col.)  Benjamin  Ladd,  soldier,  was 
born  in  Smithfield,  Jefferson  County,  Ohio, 
March  25,  1821,  came  to  Illinois  in  1845  and  began 
life  at  Vienna,  Johnson  County,  as  a  teacher. 
In  1846  he  enlisted  for  the  Mexican  War,  as  a 
member  of  the  Fifth  (Colonel  Newby's)  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers,  serving  chiefly  in  New 
Mexico  until  mustered  out  in  1848.  A  year  later 
he  removed  to  Jonesboro,  where  he  spent  some 
time  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  after  which  he 
became  clerk  in  a  store,  meanwhile  assisting  to 
edit  "The  Jonesboro  Gazette"  until  1853;  then 
became  traveling  salesman  for  a  St.  Louis  firm, 
but  later  engaged  in  the  hardware  trade  at 
Jonesboro,  in  which  he  continued  for  several 
years.  In  1856  he  was  the  Republican  candidate 
for  Congress  for  the  Ninth  District,  receiving 
4,000  votes,  while  Fremont,  the  Republican  can- 
didate for  President,  received  only  825  in  the 
same  district.  In  1857  he  opened  a  real  estate 
office  in  Jonesboro  in  conjunction  with  David  L. 
Phillips  and  Col.  J.  W.  Ashley,  with  which  he 
was  connected  until  1860,  when  he  removed  to 
Makanda,  Jackson  County.  In  September,  1861, 
he  was  mustered  in  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry,  later  serving  in  Missouri 
and  Arkansas  under  Generals  Steele  and  Curtiss, 
being,  a  part  of  the  time,  in  command  of  the  First 
Brigade  of  Cavalry,  and,  in  the  advance  on  Vicks- 
burg,  having  command  of  the  right  wing  of 
General  Grant's  cavalry.  Being  disabled  by 
rheumatism  at  the  end  of  the  siege,  he  tendered 
his  resignation,  and  was  immediately  appointed 
Enrolling  Officer  at  Cairo,  serving  in  this  capac- 
ity until  May,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out. 
In  1869  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Palmer 
one  of  the  Commissioners  to  locate  the  Southern 
Illinois  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  served  as 


Secretary  of  the  Board  until  the  institution  was 
opened  at  Anna,  in  May,  1871.  In  1869  he  was 
defeated  as  a  candidate  for  County  Judge  of 
Jackson  County,  and,  in  1872,  for  the  State  Sen- 
ate, by  a  small  majority  in  a  strongly  Democratic 
District;  in  1876  was  the  Republican  candidate 
for  Congress,  in  the  Eighteenth  District,  against 
William  Hartzell,  but  was  defeated  by  only 
twenty  votes,  while  carrying  six  out  of  the  ten 
counties  comprising  the  District.  In  the  latter 
years  of  his  life,  Colonel  Wiley  was  engaged  quite 
extensively  in  fruit-growing  at  Makanda,  Jack- 
son County,  where  he  died,  March  22,  1890. 

WILKIE,  Franc  Bangs,  journalist,  was  born 
in  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  July  2,  1830;  took  a 
partial  course  at  Union  College,  after  which  he 
edited  papers  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  Elgin,  111., 
and  Davenport  and  Dubuque,  Iowa ;  also  serving, 
during  a  part  of  the  Civil  War,  as  the  western 
war  correspondent  of  "The  New  York  Times." 
In  1863  he  became  an  editorial  writer  on  "The 
Chicago  Times,"  remaining  with  that  paper, 
with  the  exception  of  a  brief  interval,  until  1888 
— a  part  of  the  time  as  its  European  correspond- 
ent. He  was  the  author  of  a  series  of  sketches 
over  the  nom  de  plume  of  "Poliuto,"  and  of  a 
volume  of  reminiscences  under  the  title, 
"Thirty-five  Years  of  Journalism,"  published 
shortly  before  his  death,  which  took  place,  April 
12,  1892. 

WILKIN,  Jacob  W.,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  June 
7,  1837 ;  removed  with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  at 
12  years  of  age,  and  was  educated  at  McKendree 
College ;  served  three  years  in  the  War  for  the 
Union;  studied  law  with  Judge  Scholfield  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866.  In  1872,  he  was 
chosen  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and,  in  1879,  elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court  and  re-elected  in  1885 — the  latter  year 
being  assigned  to  the  Appellate  bench  for  the 
Fourth  District,  where  he  remained  until  his 
election  to  the  Supreme  bench  in  1888,  being 
re-elected  to  the  latter  office  in  1897.  His  home 
is  at  Danville. 

WILKINSON,  Ira  0.,  lawyer  and  Judge,  was 
born  in  Virginia  in  1822,  and  accompanied  his 
father  to  Jacksonville  (1835),  where  he  was  edu- 
cated. During  a  short  service  as  Deputy  Clerk  of 
Morgan  County,  he  conceived  a  fondness  for  the 
profession  of  the  law,  and,  after  a  course  of  study 
und^r  Judge  William  Thomas,  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  1847.  Richard  Yates  (afterwards  Gov- 
ernor and  Senator)  was  his  first  partner.  In  1845 
he  removed  to  Rock  Island,  and,  six  years  later, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


589 


was  elected  a  Circuit  Judge,  being  again  closen 
to  the  same  position  in  1861.  At  the  expiration 
of  his  second  term  he  removed  to  Chicago. 
Died,  at  Jacksonville,  August  24,  1894. 

WILKINSON,  John  P.,  early  merchant,  was 
born,  Dec.  14,  1790,  in  New  Kent  County,  Va., 
emigrated  first  to  Kentucky,  and,  in  1828,  settled 
in  Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business.  Mr.  Wilkinson  was  a  liberal 
friend  of  Illinois  College  and  Jacksonville  Female 
Academy,  of  each  of  which  he  was  a  Trustee 
from  their  origin  until  his  death,  which  occurred, 
during  a  business  visit  to  St.  Louis,  in  December, 
1841. 

WILL,  Conrad,  pioneer  physician  and  early 
legislator,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  June  4,  1778; 
about  1804 removed  to  Somerset  County  Pa.,  and, 
in  1813,  to  Kaskaskia,  111.  He  was  a  physician 
by  profession,  but  having  leased  the  saline  lands 
on  the  Big  Muddy,  in  the  vicinity  of  what  after- 
wards became  the  town  of  Brownsville,  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  salt,  removing 
thither  in  1815,  and  becoming  one  of  the  founders 
of  Brownsville,  afterwards  the  first  county-seat 
of  Jackson  County.  On  the  Organization  of 
Jackson  County,  in  1816,  he  became  a  member  of 
the  first  Board  of  County  Commissioners,  and,  in 
1818,  served  as  Delegate  from  that  county  in  the 
Convention  which  framed  the  first  State  Consti- 
tution. Thereafter  he  served  continuously  as  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  from  1818  to  '34 — first 
as  Senator  in  the  First  General  Assembly,  then 
as  Representative  in  the  Second,  Third,  Fourth 
and  Fifth,  and  again  as  Senator  in  the  Sixth, 
Seventh,  Eighth  and  Ninth — his  career  being 
conspicuous  for  long  service.  He  died  in  office, 
June  11,  1834.  Dr.  "Will  was  short  of  stature, 
fleshy,  of  jovial  disposition  and  fond  of  playing 
practical  jokes  upon  his  associates,  but  very 
popular,  as  shown  by  his  successive  elections  to 
the  Legislature.  He  has  been  called  "The  Father 
of  Jackson  County."  Will  County,  organized  by 
act  of  the  Legislature  two  years  after  his  death, 
was  named  in  his  honor. 

WILL  COUNTY,  a  northeastern  county,  em- 
bracing 850  square  miles,  named  in  honor  of  Dr. 
Conrad  Will,  an  early  politician  and  legislator. 
Early  explorations  of  the  territory  were  made 
in  1829,  when  white  settlers  were  few.  The  bluff 
west  of  Joliet  is  said  to  have  been  first  occupied 
by  David  and  Benjamin  Maggard.  Joseph 
Smith,  the  Mormon  "apostle,"  expounded  his 
peculiar  doctrines  at  "the  Point"  in  1831.  Sev- 
eral of  the  early  settlers  fled  from  the  country 
during  (or  after)  a  raid  by  the  Sac  Indians. 


There  is  a  legend,  seemingly  well  supported,  to 
the  effect  that  the  first  lumber,  sawed  to  build 
the  first  frame  house  in  Chicago  (that  of  P.  F.  W. 
Peck),  was  sawed  at  Plainfield.  Will  County, 
originally  a  part  of  Cook,  was  separately  erected 
in  1836,  Joliet  being  made  the  county-seat. 
.Agriculture,  quarrying  and  manufacturing  are 
the  chief  industries.  Joliet,  Lockport  and  Wil- 
mington are  the  principal  towns.  Population 
(1880),  53,422;  (1890),  62,007;  (1900),  74,764. 

WILLARD,  Frances  Elizabeth,  teacher  and 
reformer,  was  born  at  Churchville,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
28,  1839,  graduated  from  the  Northwestern 
Female  College  at  Evanston,  111.,  in  1859,  and,  in 
1862,  accepted  the  Professorship  of  Natural 
Sciences  in  that  institution.  During  1866-67  she 
was  the  Principal  of  the  Genessee  Wesleyan 
Seminary.  The  next  two  years  she  devoted  to 
travel  and  study  abroad,  meanwhile  contribut- 
ing to  various  periodicals.  From  1871  to  1874  she 
was  Professor  of  ^Esthetics  in  the  Northwestern 
University  and  dean  of  the  Woman's  College. 
She  was  always  an  enthusiastic  champion  of 
temperance,  and,  in  1874,  abandoned  her  profes- 
sion to  identify  herself  with  the  Woman's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union.  For  five  years  she  was 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  national  body, 
and,  from  1879,  its  President.  While  Secretary 
she  organized  the  Home  Protective  Association, 
and  prepared  a  petition  to  the  Illinois  Legislature, 
to  which  nearly  200,000  names  were  attached, 
asking  for  the  granting  to  women  of  the  right  to 
vote  on  the  license  question.  In  1878  she  suc- 
ceeded her  brother,  Oliver  A.  Willard  (who  had 
died),  as  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Evening  Post," 
but,  a  few  months  later,  withdrew,  and,  in  1882, 
was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  National  Prohibition  party.  In 
1886  she  became  leader  of  the  White  Cross  Move- 
ment for  the  protection  of  women,  and  succeeded 
in  securing  favorable  legislation,  in  this  direc- 
tion, in  twelve  States.  In  1883  she  founded  the 
World's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  and,  in 
1888,  was  chosen  its  President,  as  also  President 
of  the  International  Council  of  Women.  The 
latter  years  of  her  life  were  spent  chiefly  abroad, 
much  of  the  time  as  the  guest  and  co-worker  of 
Lady  Henry  Somerset,  of  England,  during  which 
she  devoted  much  attention  to  investigating  the 
condition  of  women  in  the  Orient.  Miss  Willard 
was  a  prolific  and  highly  valued  contributor  to 
the  magazines,  and  (besides  numerous  pamphlets) 
published  several  volumes,  including  "Nineteen 
Beautiful  Years"  (a  tribute  to  her  sister) ; 
"Woman  in  Temperance";  "How  to  Win,"  and 


590 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


"Woman  in  the  Pulpit."     Died,  in  New  York, 
Feb.  18,  1898. 

WILLARD,  Samuel,  A.M.,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  phy- 
sician and  educator,  was  born  in  Lunenberg, 
Vt,  Dec.  80,  1821— the  lineal  descendant  of  Maj. 
Simon  Willard,  one  of  the  founders  of '  Concord, 
Mass.,  and  prominent  in  "King  Philip's  "War," 
and  of  his  son,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  of  the 
Old  South  Church,  Boston,  and  seventh  President 
of  Harvard  College.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  taken  in  his  infancy  to  Boston,  and,  in  1831, 
to  Carrollton,  111.,  where  his  father  pursued  the 
avocation  of  a  druggist.  After  a  preparatory 
course  at  Shurtleff  College,  Upper  Alton,  in  1886 
he  entered  the  freshman  class  in  Illinois  College 
at  Jacksonville,  but  withdrew  the  following  year,  • 
re-entering  qollege  in  1840  and  graduating  in  the 
class  of  1843,  as  a  classmate  of  Dr.  Newton  Bate- 
man,  afterwards  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  and  President  of  Knox  College,  and 
Rev.  Thomas  K.  Beecher,  now  of  Elmira,  N.  Y. 
The  next  year  he  spent  as  Tutor  in  Illinois  Col- 
lege, when  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  at 
Quincy,  graduating  from  the  Medical  Department 
of  Illinois  College  in  1848.  During  a  part  of  the 
latter  year  he  edited  a  Free-Soil  campaign  paper 
("The  Tribune")  at  Quincy,  and,  later,  "The 
Western  Temperance  Magazine"  at  the  same 
place.  In  1849  he  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  St.  Louis,  but  the  next  year  removed 
to  Collinsville,  111. ,  remaining  until  1857,  when  he 
took  charge  of  the  Department  of  Languages  in 
the  newly  organized  State  Normal  University  at 
Normal.  The  second  year  of  the  Civil  War  (1862) 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Ninety-seventh 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  but  was  soon  after 
commissioned  as  Surgeon  with  the  rank  of  Major, 
participating  in  the  campaigns  in  Tennessee  and 
in  the  first  attack  upon  Vicksburg.  Being  dis- 
abled by  an  attack  of  paralysis,  in  February,  1863, 
he  was  compelled  to  resign,  when  he  had  suffici- 
ently recovered  accepting  a  position  in  the  office 
of  Provost  Marshal  General  Oakes,  at  Spring- 
field, where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  then  became  Grand  Secretary  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd-Fellows  for  the  State 
of  Illinois — a  position  which  he  had  held  from 
1856  to  1862 — remaining  under  his  second  appoint- 
ment from  1865  to  '69.  The  next  year  he  served 
as  Superintendent  of  Schools  at  Springfield, 
meanwhile  assisting  in  founding  the  Springfield 
public  library,  and  serving  as  its  first  librarian. 
In  1870  he  accepted  the  professorship  of  History 
in  the  West  Side  High  School  of  Chicago, 
which,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  (1884-86), 


he  continued  to  occupy  for  more  than  twenty- 
five  years,  retiring  in  1898.  In  the  meantime, 
Dr.  Willard  has  been  a  laborious  literary  worker, 
having  been,  for  a  considerable  period,  editor,  or 
assistant-editor,  of  "The  Illinois  Teacher,"  a  con- 
tributor to  "The  Century  Magazine"  and  "The 
Dial"  of  Chicago,  besides  having  published  a 
"Digest  of  the  Laws  of  Odd  Fellowship"  in  six- 
teen volumes,  begun  while  he  was  Grand  Secre- 
tary of  the  Order  in  1864,  and  continued  in  1872 
and  '82;  a  "Synopsis  of  History  and  Historical 
Chart,"  covering  the  period  from  B.  C.  800 
to  A.  D.  1876 — of  which  he  has  had  a  second 
edition  in  course  of  preparation.  Of  late  years 
he  has  been  engaged  upon  a  "Historical  Diction- 
ary of  Names  and  Places,"  which  will  include 
some  12,000  topics,  and  which  promises  to  be  the 
most  important  work  of  his  life.  Previous  to  the 
war  he  was  an  avowed  Abolitionist  and  operator 
on  the  "Underground  Railroad,"  who  made  no 
concealment  of  his  opinions,  and,  on  one  or  two 
occasions,  was  called  to  answer  for  them  in 
prosecutions  under  the  "Fugitive  Slave  Act." 
(See  "Underground  Railroad.")  His  friend 
and  classmate,  the  late  Dr.  Batemar;,  says  of 
him:  "Dr.  Willard  is  a  sound  thinker;  a  clear 
and  forcible  writer;  of  broad  and  accurate 
scholarship;  conscientious,  genial  and  kindly, 
and  a  most  estimable  gentleman." 

WILLIAMS,  Archibald,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Ky.,  June  10, 
1801 ;  with  moderate  advantages  but  natural 
fondness  for  study,  he  chose  the  profession  of 
law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Tennessee 
in  1828,  coming  to  Quincy,  111.,  the  following 
year.  He  was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly 
three  times — serving  in  the  Senate  in  1832-36,  and 
in  the  House,  1836-40 ;  was  United  States  District 
Attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois,  by 
appointment  of  President  Taylor,  1849-53;  was 
twice  the  candidate  of  his  party  (the  Whig)  for 
United  States  Senator,  and  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  in  1861,  United  States  District 
Judge  for  the  State  of  Kansas.  His  abilities  and 
high  character  were  widely  recognized.  Died, 
in  Quincy,  Sept.  21,  1863 — His  son,  John  H.,  an 
attorney  at  Quincy,  served  as  Judge  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  1879-85. — Another  son,  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, was  twice  elected  Attorney-General  of 
Kansas. 

WILLIAMS,  Erastus  Smith,  lawyer  and  ju- 
rist, was  born  at  Salem,  N.  Y.,  May  22,  1821.  In 
1842  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where,  after  reading 
law,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1844.  In  1854 
he  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery,  which 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


591 


office  he  filled  until  1863,  when  he  was  elected  a 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County. 
After  re-election  in  1870  he  became  Chief  Justice, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  heard  most  of  the  cases  on 
the  equity  side  of  the  court.  In  1879  he  was  a 
candidate  for  re-election  as  a  Republican,  but 
was  defeated  with  the  party  ticket.  After  his 
retirement  from  the  bench  he  resumed  private 
practice.  Died,  Feb.  24,  1884. 

WILLIAMS,  James  R.,  Congressman,  was 
born  in  White  County,  111.,  Dec.  27,  1850,  at  the 
age  of  25  graduated  from  the  Indiana  State  Uni- 
versity, at  Bloomington,  and,  in  1876,  from  the 
Union  College  of  Law,  Chicago,  since  then  being 
an  active  and  successful  practitioner  at  Carmi. 
In  1880  he  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery  and 
served  two  years.  From  1882  to  1886  he  was 
County  Judge.  In  1892  he  was  a  nominee  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  for  Presidential  Elector. 
He  was  elected  to  represent  the  Nineteenth  Illi- 
nois District  in  the  Fifty-first  Congress  at  a 
special  election  held  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned 
by  the  death  of  R.  W.  Townshend,  was  re-elected 
in  1890  and  1892,  but  defeated  by  Orlando  Burrell 
(Republican)  for  re-election  in  the  newly  organ- 
ized Twentieth  District  in  1894.  In  1898  he  was 
again  a  candidate  and  elected  to  the  Fifty-sixth 
Congress. 

WILLIAMS,  John,  pioneer  merchant,  was 
born  in  Bath  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  11,  1808;  be- 
tween 14  and  16  years  of  age  was  clerk  in  a  store 
in  his  native  State;  then,  joining  his  parents, 
who  had  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in  a  part  of 
Sangamon  (now  Menard)  County,  111.,  he  found 
employment  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  Major  Elijah 
lies,  at  Springfield,  whom  he  succeeded  in  busi- 
ness at  the  age  of  22,  continuing  it  without  inter- 
ruption until  1880.  In  1856  Mr.  Williams  was 
the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress  in  the 
Springfield  District,  and,  in  1861,  was  appointed 
Commissary-General  for  the  State,  rendering 
valuable  service  in  furnishing  supplies  for  State 
troops,  in  camps  of  instruction  and  while  proceed- 
ing to  the  field,  in  the  first  years  of  the  war ;  was 
also  chief  officer  of  the  Illinois  Sanitary  Commis- 
sion for  two  years,  and,  as  one  of  the  intimate 
personal  friends  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  was  chosen  to 
accompany  the  remains  of  the  martyred  President, 
from  Washington  to  Springfield,  for  burial. 
Liberal,  enterprising  and  public-spirited,  his  name 
was  associated  with  nearly  every  public  enter- 
prise of  importance  in  Springfield  during  his 
business  career — being  one  of  the  founders,  and, 
for  eleven  years  President,  of  the  First  National 
Bank;  a  chief  promoter  in  the  construction  of 


what  is  now  the  Springfield  Division  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad,  and  the  Springfield  and 
Peoria  line;  a  Director  of  the  Springfield  Iron 
Company ;  one  of  the  Commissioners  who  con- 
structed the  Springfield  water-works,  and  an 
officer  of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association, 
from  1865  to  his  death,  May  29,  1890. 

WILLIAMS,  Norman,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Woodstock,  Vt.,  Feb.  1,  1833,  being  related,  on 
both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides,  to  some  of 
the  most  prominent  families  of  New  England. 
He  fitted  for  college  at  Union  Academy,  Meriden, 
and  graduated  from  the  University  of  Vermont 
in  the  class  of  1855.  After  taking  a  course  in 
the  Albany  Law  School  and  with  a  law  firm  in 
his  native  town,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
both  New  York  and  Vermont,  removed  to  Chi- 
cago in  1858,  and,  in  1860,  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  King,  Kales  &  Williams,  still  later 
forming  a  partnership  with  Gen.  John  L.  Thomp- 
son, which  ended  with  the  death  of  the  latter  in 
1888.  In  a  professional  capacity  he  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Com- 
pany, and  was  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Directors ; 
also  assisted  in  organizing  the  Western  Electric 
Company,  and  was  prominently  identified  with 
the  Chicago  Telephone  Company  and  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company.  In  1881  he  served  as 
the  United  States  Commissioner  to  the  Electrical 
Exposition  at  Paris.,  In  conjunction  with  his 
brother  (Edward  H.  Williams)  he  assisted  in 
founding  the  public  library  at  Woodstock,  Vt., 
which,  in  honor  of  his  father,  received  the  name 
of  "The  Norman  Williams  Public  Library." 
With  Col.  Huntington  W.  Jackson  and  J.  Mc- 
Gregor Adams,  Mr.  Williams  was  named,  in  the 
will  of  the  late  John  Crerar,  as  an  executor  of  the 
Crerar  estate  and  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Crerar  Public  Library,  and  became  its  first  Presi- 
dent ;  was  also  a  Director  of  the  Chicago  Pub- 
lic Library,  and  trustee  of  a  number  of  large 
estates.  Mr.  Williams  was  a  son-in-law  of  the 
late  Judge  John  D.  Caton,  and  his  oldest  daughter 
became  the  wife  of  Major-General  Wesley  Mer- 
ritt,  a  few  months  before  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  Hampton  Beach,  N.  H.,  June  19,  1899 
— his  remains  being  interred  in  his  native  town 
of  Woodstock,  Vt. 

WILLIAMS,  Robert  Ebenezer,  lawyer,  born 
Dec.  3,  1825,  at  Clarksville,  Pa.,  his  grandfathers 
on  both  sides  being  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary 
War.  In  1830  his  parents  removed  to  Washing- 
ton in  the  same  State,  where  in  boyhood  he 
worked  as  a  mechanic  in  his  father's  shop, 
attending  a  common  school  in  the  winter  until 


592 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


he  reached  the  age  of  17  years,  when  he  entered 
Washington  College,  remaining  for  more  than  a 
year.  He  then  began  teaching,  and,  in  1845 
went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  pursued  the  business 
of  a  teacher  for  four  years.  Then  he  entered 
Bethany  College  in  West  Virginia,  at  the  same 
time  prosecuting  his  law  studies,  but  left  at  the 
close  of  his  junior  year,  when,  having  been 
licensed  to  practice,  he  removed  to  Clinton, 
Texas.  Here  he  accepted,  from  a  retired  lawyer, 
the  loan  of  a  law  library,  which  he  afterwards 
purchased;  served  for  two  years  as  State's  Attor- 
ney, and,  in  1856,  came  to  Bloomington,  111., 
where .  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  Much  of  his  time  was 
devoted  to  practice  as  a  railroad  attorney,  espe- 
cially in  connection  with  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroads,  in  which  he 
acquired  prominence  and  wealth.  He  was  a  life- 
long Democrat  and,  in  1868,  was  the  unsuccessful 
candidate  of  his  party  for  Attorney-General  of 
the  State.  The  last  three  years  of  his  life  he  had 
been  in  bad  health,  dying  at  Bloomington,  Feb. 
15,  1899. 

WILLIAMS,  Samuel,  Bank  President,  was  born 
in  Adams  County,  Ohio,  July  11,  1820;  came  to 
Winnebago  County,  III,  in  1835,  and,  in  1842, 
removed  to  Iroquois  County,  where  he  held  vari- 
ous local  offices,  including  that  of  County  Judge, 
to  which  he  was  elected  in  1861.  During  his 
later  years  he  had  been  President  of  the  Watseka 
Citizens'  Bank.  Died,  June  16,  1896. 

WILLIAMSON,  Rollin  Samuel,  legislator  and 
jurist,  was  born  at  Cornwall,  Vt.,  May  23,  1839. 
At  the  age  of  14  he  went  to  Boston,  where  he 
began  life  as  a  telegraph  messenger  boy.  In 
two  years  he  had  become  a  skillful  operator,  and, 
as  such,  was  employed  in  various  offices  in  New 
England  and  New  York.  In  1857  he  came  to 
Chicago  seeking  employment  and,  through  the 
fortunate  correction  of  an  error  on  the  part  of 
the  receiver  of  a  message,  secured  the  position  of 
operator  and  station  agent  at  Palatine,  Cook 
County.  Here  he  read  law  during  his  leisure 
time  without  a  preceptor,  and,  in  1870,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  The  same  year  he  was 
elected  to  the  lower  House  of  the  General 
Assembly  and,  in  1872,  to  the  Senate.  In  1880  he 
was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Superior  Court  of 
Cook  County,  and,  in  1887,  was  chosen  a  Judge 
of  the  Cook  County  Circuit  Court.  Died,  Au- 
gust 10,  1889. 

WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  State,  originally  set  off  from  Franklin  and 
organized  in  1839.  The  county  is  well  watered, 


the  principal  streams  being  the  Big  Muddy  and 
the  South  Fork  of  the  Saline.  The  surface  is 
undulating  and  the  soil  fertile.  The  region  was 
originally  well  covered  with  forests.  All  the 
cereals  (as  well  as  potatoes)  are  cultivated,  and 
rich  meadows  encourage  stock-raising.  Coal  and 
sandstone  underlie  the  entire  county.  Area,  440 
square  miles;  population  (1880),  19,324:  (1890) 
22,226;  (1900),  27,796. 

WILLIAMSVILLE,  village  of  Sangamon  Coun- 
ty, on  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  12  miles  north 
of  Springfield ;  has  a  bank,  elevator,  3  churches, 
a  newspaper  and  coal-mines.  Pop.  (1900),  573. 

WILLIS,  Jonathan  Clay,  soldier  and  former 
Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commissioner,  was  born 
in  Sumner  County,  Tenn. ,  June  27,  1826 ;  brought 
to  Gallatin  County,  111.,  in  1834,  and  settled  at 
Golconda  in  1843;  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Pope 
County  in  1856,  removed  to  Metropolis  in  1859, 
and  engaged  in  the  wharf -boat  and  commission 
business.  He  entered  the  service  as  Quarter- 
master of  the  Forty -eighth  Illinois  Volunteers  in 
1861,  but  was  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of 
injuries,  in  1863 ;  was  elected  Representative  ir> 
the  Twenty-sixth  General  Assembly  (1868), 
appointed  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  in  1869, 
and  Railway  and  Warehouse  Commissioner  in 
1892,  as  the  successor  of  John  R.  Tanner,  serving 
until  1893. 

WILMETTE,  a  village  in  Cook  County,  14  miles 
north  of  Chicago,  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  a  handsome  suburb  of  Chicago  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan;  principal  streets  paved 
and  shaded  with  fine  forest  trees;  has  public 
library  and  good  schools.  Pop.  (1900),  2,300. 

WILMINGTON,  a  city  of  Will  County,  on  the 
Kankakee  River  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road, 53  miles  from  Chicago  and  15  south-south- 
west of  Joliet;  has  considerable  manufactures, 
two  National  banks,  a  graded  school,  churches 
and  one  newspaper.  Wilmington  is  the  location 
of  the  Illinois  Soldiers'  Widows'  Home.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  1,576;  (1900),  1,420. 

WILSON,  Charles  Lush,  journalist,  was  born 
in  Fairfield  County,  Conn.,  Oct.  10,  1818,  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  at  an  academy 
in  his  native  State,  and,  in  1835,  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, entering  the  employment  of  his  older 
brothers,  who  were  connected  with  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  at  Joliet. 
His  brother,  Richard  L. ,  having  assumed  charge 
of  "The  Chicago  Daily  Journal"  (the  successor 
of  "The  Chicago  American"),  in]1844,  Charles  L. 
took  a  position  in  the  office,  ultimately  securing 
a  partnership,  which  continued  until  the  death 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


593 


of  his  brother  in  1856,  when  he  succeeded  to  the 
ownership  of  the  paper.  Mr.  Wilson  was  an 
ardent  friend  and  supporter  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
for  the  United  States  Senate  in  1858,  but,  in  1860, 
favored  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Seward  for  the 
Presidency,  though  earnestly  supporting  Mr.  Lin- 
coln after  his  nomination.  In  1861  he  was 
appointed  Secretary  of  the  American  Legation  at 
London,  serving  with  the  late  Minister  Charles 
Francis  Adams,  until  1864,  when  he  resigned  and 
resumed  his  connection  with  "The  Journal."  In 
1875  his  health  began  to  fail,  and  three  years 
later,  having  gone  to  San  Antonio,  Tex. ,  in  the 
hope  of  receiving  benefit  from  a  change  of  cli- 
mate, he  died  in  that  city,  March  9,  1878. — 
Richard  Lush  (Wilson),  an  older  brother  of  the 
preceding,  the  first  editor  and  publisher  of  "The 
Chicago  Evening  Journal,"  the  oldest  paper  of 
consecutive  publication  in  Chicago,  was  a  native 
of  New  York.  Coming  to  Chicago  with  his 
brother  John  L.,  in  1834,  they  soon  after  estab- 
lished themselves  in  business  on  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  then  in  course  of  construction. 
In  1844  he  took  charge  of  "The  Chicago  Daily 
Journal"  for  a  publishing  committee  which  had 
purchased  the  material  of  "The  Chicago  Ameri- 
can," but  soon  after  became  principal  proprietor. 
In  April,  1847,  while  firing  a  salute  in  honor  of 
the  victory  of  Buena  Vista,  he  lost  an  arm  and 
was  otherwise  injured  by  the  explosion  of  the  can- 
non. Early  in  1849,  he  was  appointed,  by  Presi- 
dent Taylor,  Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
but,  having  failed  of  confirmation,  was  compelled 
to  retire  in  favor  of  a  successor  appointed  by 
Millard  Fillmore,  eleven  months  later.  Mr. 
Wilson  published  a  little  volume  in  1842  entitled 
"A  Trip  to  Santa  Fe,"  and,  a  few  years  later, 
a  story  of  travel  under  the  title,  "Short  Ravel- 
lings  from  a  Long  Yarn."  Died,  December,  1856. 
— John  Lush  (Wilson),  another  brother,  also  a 
native  of  New  York,  came  to  Illinois  in  1834,  was 
afterwards  associated  with  his  brothers  in  busi- 
ness, being  for  a  time  business  manager  of  "The 
Chicago  Journal;"  also  served  one  term  as  Sher- 
iff of  Cook  County.  Died,  in  Chicago,  April  18, 


WILSON,  Isaac  Grant,  jurist,  was  born  at 
Middlebury,  N.  Y.,  April  26,  1817,  graduated 
from  Brown  University  in  1838,  and  the  same 
year  came  to  Chicago,  whither  his  father's 
family  had  preceded  him  in  1835.  After  reading 
law  for  two  years,  he  entered  the  senior  class  at 
Cambridge  (Mass.)  Law  School,  graduating  in 
1841.  In  August  of  that  year  he  opened  an 
office  at  Elgin,  and,  for  ten  years  "rode  the  cir- 


cuit." In  1851  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of 
the  Thirteenth  Judicial  Circuit  to  fill  a  vacancy, 
and  re-elected  for  a  full  term  in  1855,  and  again 
in  '61.  In  November  of  the  latter  year  he  was 
commissioned  the  first  Colonel  of  the  Fifty- 
second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  but  resigned, 
a  few  weeks  later,  and  resumed  his  place  upon 
the  bench.  From  1867  to  1879  he  devoted  him- 
self to  private  practice,  which  was  largely  in 
the  Federal  Courts.  In  1879  he  resumed  his  seat 
upon  the  bench  (this  time  for  the  Twelfth  Cir- 
cuit), and  was  at  once  designated  as  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Appellate  Court  at  Chicago,  of 
which  tribunal  he  became  Chief  Justice  in  1881. 
In  1885  he  was  re-elected  Circuit  Judge,  but  died, 
about  the  close  of  his  term,  at  Geneva,  June  8, 
1891. 

WILSON,  James  Grant,  soldier  and  author, 
was  born  at  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  April  28,  1832, 
and,  when  only  a  year  old,  was  brought  by  his 
father,  William  Wilson,  to  America.  The  family 
settled  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  where  James 
Grant  was  educated  at  College  Hill  and  under 
private  teachers.  After  finishing  his  studies  he 
became  his  father's  partner  in  business,  but,  in 
1855,  went  abroad,  and,  shortly  after  his  return, 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  founded  the  first 
literary  paper  established  in  the  Northwest.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  he  disposed  of  his 
journal  to  enlist  in  the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Cavalry, 
of  which  he  was  commissioned  Major  and  after- 
wards promoted  to  the  colonelcy.  In  August, 
1863,  while  at  New  Orleans,  by  advice  of  General 
Grant,  he  accepted  a  commission  as  Colonel  of 
the  Fourth  Eegiment  United  States  Colored 
Cavalry,  and  was  assigned,  as  Aid-de-camp,  to 
the  staff  of  the  Commander  of  the  Department  of 
the  Gulf,  filling  this  post  until  April,  1865. 
When  General  Banks  was  relieved,  Colonel  Wil- 
son was  brevetted  Brigadier-General  and  placed 
in  command  at  Port  Hudson,  resigning  in  July, 
1865,  since  which  time  his  home  has  been  in  New 
York.  He  is  best  known  as  an  author,  having 
published  numerous  addresses,  and  being  a  fre- 
quent contributor  to  American  and  European 
magazines.  Among  larger  works  which  he  has 
written  or  edited  are  "Biographical  Sketches  of 
Illinois  Officers";  "Love  in  Letters";  "Life  of 
General  U.  S.  Grant";  "Life  and  Letters  of 
Fitz  Greene  Halleck";  "Poets  and  Poetry  of 
Scotland";  "Bryant  and  His  Friends",  and 
"Appleton's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography." 

WILSON,  James  Harrison,  soldier  and  mili- 
tary engineer,  was  born  near  Shawneetown,  111., 
Sept.  2,  1837.  His  grandfather,  Alexander  Wil- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


son,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Illinois,  and 
his  father  (Harrison  Wilson)  was  an  ensign  dur- 
ing the  War  of  1812  and  a  Captain  in  the  Black 
Hawk  War.  His  brother  (Bluford  Wilson) 
served  as  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  Volun- 
teers during  the  Civil  War,  and  as  Solicitor  of  the 
United  States  Treasury  during  the  "whisky  ring" 
prosecutions.  James  H.  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  at  McKendree  College,  and 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1860,  and 
being  assigned  to  the  Topographical  Engineer 
Corps.  In  September,  1861,  he  was  promoted  to 
a  First  Lieutenancy,  then  served  as  Chief  Topo- 
graphical Engineer  of  the  Port  Royal  expedition 
until  March,  1862;  was  afterwards  attached  to 
the  Department  of  the  South,  being  present  at 
the  bombardment  of  Fort  Pulaski;  was  Aid-de- 
camp to  McClellan,  and  participated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  South  Mountain  and  Antietam ;  was  made 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  Volunteers  in  November, 
1862;  was  Chief  Topographical  Engineer  and 
Inspector-General  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
until  October,  1863,  being  actively  engaged  in 
the  operations  around  Vicksburg;  was  made 
Captain  of  Engineers  in  May,  1863,  and  Brigadier- 
General  of  Volunteers,  Oct.  31,  following.  He 
also  conducted  operations  preliminary  to  the 
battle  of  Chattanooga  and  Missionary  Ridge,  and 
for  the  relief  of  Knoxville.  Later,  he  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  Third  Division  of  the  cavalry 
corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  serving  from 
May  to  August,  1864,  under  General  Sheridan. 
Subsequently  he  was  transferred  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Mississippi,  where  he  so  distinguished 
himself  that,  on  April  20,  1865,  he  was  made 
Major-General  of  Volunteers.  In  twenty-eight 
days  he  captured  five  fortified  cities,  twenty - 
three  stands  of  colors,  288  guns  and  6,820  prison- 
ers— among  the  latter  being  Jefferson  Davis.  He 
was  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  service  in 
January,  1866,  and,  on  July  28,  following,  was 
commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Thirty- 
fifth  United  States  Infantry,  being  also  brevetted 
Major-General  in  the  regular  army.  On  Dec.  31, 
1870,  he  returned  to  civil  life,  and  was  afterwards 
largely  engaged  in  railroad  and  engineering  oper- 
ations, especially  in  West  Virginia.  Promptly 
after  the  declaration  of  war  with  Spain  (1898) 
General  Wilson  was  appointed,  by  the  President, 
Major-General  of  Volunteers,  serving  until  its 
close.  He  is  the  author  of  "China:  Travels  and 
Investigations  in  the  Middle  Kingdom" ;  "Life  of 
Andrew  J.  Alexander";  and  the  "Life  of  Gen. 
U.  S.  Grant,"  in  conjunction  with  Charles  A. 


Dana.  His  home,  in  recent  years,  has  been  in 
New  York. 

WILSON,  John  M.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1802,  graduated  at 
Bowdoin  College  in  1824 — the  classmate  of  Frank- 
lin Pierce  and  Nathaniel  Hawthorne ;  studied  law 
in  New  Hampshire  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1835, 
locating  at  Joliet;  removed  to  Chicago  in  1841, 
where  he  was  the  partner  of  Norman  B.  Judd, 
serving,  at  different  periods,  as  attorney  of  the 
Chicago  &  Rock  Island,  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michi- 
gan Southern  and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railways;  was  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  of  Cook  County,  1853-59,  when  he  became 
Presiding  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Chicago, 
serving  until  1868.  Died,  Dec.  7,  1883. 

WILSON,  John  P.,  lawyer,  was  born  in  White- 
side  County,  111.,  July  3,  1844;  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Knox  College,  Galesburg, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1865;  two  years 
later  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Chicago,  and 
speedily  attained  prominence  in  his  profession. 
During  the  World's  Fair  period  he  was  retained 
as  counsel  by  the  Committee  on  Grounds  and 
Buildings,  and  was  prominently  connected,  as 
counsel  for  the  city,  with  the  Lake  Front  litiga- 
tion. 

WILSON,  Robert  L.,  early  legislator,  was  born 
in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  Sept.  11,  1805,  taken 
to  Zanesville,  Ohio,  in  1810,  graduated  at  Frank- 
lin College  in  1831,  studied  law  and,  in  1833, 
removed  to  Athens  (now  in  Menard  County),  111. ; 
was  elected  Representative  in  1836,  and  was  one 
of  the  members  from  Sangamon  County,  known 
as  the  "Long  Nine,"  who  assisted  in  securing  the 
removal  of  the  State  Capital  to  Springfield.  Mr. 
Wilson  removed  to  Sterling,  Whiteside  County, 
in  1840,  was  elected  five  times  Circuit  Clerk  and 
served  eight  years  as  Probate  Judge.  Immedi- 
ately after  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  he  enlisted  as 
private  in  a  battalion  in  Washington  City  under 
command  of  Cassius  M.  Clay,  for  guard  duty 
until  the  arrival  of  the  Seventh  New  York  Regi- 
ment. He  subsequently  assisted  in  raising 
troops  in  Illinois,  was  appointed  Paymaster  by 
Lincoln,  serving  at  Washington,  St.  Louis,  and, 
after  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  at  Springfield — being 
mustered  out  in  November,  1865.  Died,  in  White- 
side  County,  1880. 

WILSON,  Robert  S.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  at  Montrose,  Susquehanna  County,  Pa. ,  Nov. 
6,  1812;  learned  the  printer's  art,  then  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Allegheny 
County,  about  1833;  in  1836  removed  to  Ann 
Arbor,  Mich. ,  where  he  served  as  Probate  Judge 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


595 


and  State  Senator ;  in  1850  came  to  Chicago,  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  Recorder's  Court  in  1853, 
and  re-elected  in  1858,  serving  ten  years,  and 
proving  "a  terror  to  evil-doers."  Died,  at  Law- 
rence, Mich.,  Dec.  23,  1882. 

WILSON,  William,  early  jurist,  was  born  in 
Loudoun  County,  Va.,  April  27,  1794;  studied  law 
with  Hon.  John  Cook,  a  distinguished  lawyer, 
and  minister  to  France  in  the  early  part  of  the 
century;  in  1817  removed  to  Kentucky,  soon  after 
came  to  Illinois,  two  years  later  locating  in  White 
County,  near  Carmi,  which  continued  to  be  his 
home  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  1819 
he  was  appointed  Associate  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  as  successor  to  William  P. 
Foster,  who  is  described  by  Governor  Ford  as 
"a  great  rascal  and  no  lawyer,"  and  who  held 
office  only  about  nine  months.  Judge  Wilson 
was  re-elected  to  the  Supreme  bench,  as  Chief- 
Justice,  in  1825,  being  then  only  a  little  over  30 
years  old,  and  held  office  until  the  reorganization 
of  the  Supreme  Court  under  the  Constitution  of 
1848 — a  period  of  over  twenty-nine  years,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  Judge  Browne's,  the  long- 
est term  of  service  in  the  history  of  the  court. 
He  died  at  his  home  in  White  County,  April  29, 
1857.  A  Whig  in  early  life,  he  allied  himself 
with  the  Democratic  party  on  the  dissolution  of 
the  former.  Hon.  James  C.  Conkling,  of  Spring- 
field, says  of  him,  "as  a  writer,  his  style  was  clear 
and  distinct;  as  a  lawyer,  his  judgment  was 
sound  and  discriminating." 

WINCHESTER,  a  city  and  county-seat  of  Scott 
County,  founded  in  1839,  situated  on  Big  Sandy 
Creek  and  on  the  line  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington 
&  Quincy  Railroad,  29  miles  south  of  Beardstown 
and  84  miles  north  by  west  of  St.  Louis.  While 
the  surrounding  region  is  agricultural  and  largely 
devoted  to  wheat  growing,  there  is  some  coal 
mining.  Winchester  is  an  important  shipping- 
point,  having  three  grain  elevators,  two  flouring 
mills,  and  a  coal  mine  employing  fifty  miners. 
There  are  four  Protestant  and  one  Catholic 
church,  a  court  house,  a  high  school,  a  graded 
school  building,  two  banks  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers. Population  (1880),  1,626;  (1890),  1,542; 
(1900),  1,711. 

WINDSOR,  a  city  of  Shelby  County  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  and  the  Wabash  Railways,  11  miles  north- 
east of  Shelby  ville.  Population  (1880),  768; 
(1890),  888;  (1900),  866. 

WINES,  Frederick  Howard,  clergyman  and 
sociologist,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  April 
0,  1838,  graduated  at  Washington  (Pa.)  College 


in  1857,  and,  after  serving  as  tutor  there  for  a 
short  time,  entered  Princeton  Theological  Semi- 
nary, but  was  compelled  temporarily  to  discon- 
tinue his  studies  on  account  of  a  weakness  of 
the  eyes.  The  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis  licensed 
him  to  preach  in  1860,  and,  in  1862,  he  was  com- 
missioned Hospital  Chaplain  in  the  Union  army. 
During  1862-64  he  was  stationed  at  Springfield, 
Mo.,  participating  in  the  battle  of  Springfield  on 
Jan.  8,  1863,  and  being  personally  mentioned  for 
bravery  on  the  field  in  the  official  report.  Re- 
entering  the  seminary  at  Princeton  in  1864,  he 
graduated  in  1865,  and  at  once  accepted  a  call  to 
the  pulpit  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Springfield,  111.,  which  he  filled  for  four  years. 
In  1869  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the  newly 
created  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Public  Chari- 
ties of  Illinois,  in  which  capacity  he  continued 
until  1893,  when  he  resigned.  For  the  next  four 
years  he  was  chiefly  engaged  in  literary  work,  in 
lecturing  before  universities  on  topics  connected 
with  social  science,  in  aiding  in  the  organization 
of  charitable  work,  and  in  the  conduct  of  a 
thorough  investigation  into  the  relations  between 
liquor  legislation  and  crime.  At  an  early  period 
he  took  a  prominent  part  in  organizing  the 
various  Boards  of  Public  Charities  of  the  United 
States  into  an  organization  known  as  the  National 
Conference  of  Charities  and  Corrections,  and,  at 
the  Louisville  meeting  (1883),  was  elected  its 
President.  At  the  International  Penitentiary 
Congress  at  Stockholm  (1878)  he  was  the  official 
delegate  from  Illinois.  On  his  return,  as  a  result 
of  his  observations  while  abroad,  he  submitted 
to  the  Legislature  a  report  strongly  advocating 
the  construction  of  the  Kankakee  Hospital  for 
the  Insane,  then  about  to  be  built,  upon  the 
"detached  ward"  or  "village"  plan,  a  departure 
from  then  existing  methods,  which  marks  an  era 
in  the  treatment  of  insane  in  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Wines  conducted  the  investigation  into  the 
condition  and  number  of  the  defective,  depend- 
ent and  delinquent  classes  throughout  the  coun- 
try, his  report  constituting  a  separate  volume 
under  the  "Tenth  Census,"  and  rendered  a  simi- 
lar service  in  connection  with  the  eleventh 
census  (1890).  In  1887  he  was  elected  Secretary 
of  the  National  Prison  Association,  succeeding  to 
the  post  formerly  held  by  his  father,  Enoch  Cobb 
Wines,  D.D.,  LL.D.  After  the  inauguration  of 
Governor  Tanner  in  1897,  he  resumed  his  former 
position  of  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Public 
Charities,  remaining  until  1899,  when  he  again 
tendered  his  resignation,  having  received  the 
appointment  to  the  position  of  Assistant  Director 


596 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  the  Twelfth  Census,  which  he  now  holds.  He 
is  the  author  of  "Crime  and  Reformation"  (1895) ; 
of  a  voluminous  series  of  reports ;  also  of  numer- 
ous pamphlets  and  brochures,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  "The  County  Jail  System;  An 
Argument  for  its  Abolition"  (1878) ;  "The  Kanka- 
kee  Hospital"  (1882) ;  "Provision  for  the  Insane 
in  the  United  States"  (1885);  "Conditional 
Liberation,  or  the  Paroling  of  Prisoners"  (1886), 
and  "American  Prisons  in  the  Tenth  Census" 
(1888). 

WINES,  Walter  B.,  lawyer  (brother  of  Freder- 
ick H.  Wines),  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct. 
10,  1848,  received  his  primary  education  at  Willis- 
ton  Academy,  East  Hamnton,  Mass.,  after  which 
he  entered  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  taking  a 
classical  course  and  graduating  there.  He  after- 
wards became  a  student  in  the  law  department 
of  Columbia  College,  N.  Y.,  graduating  in  1871, 
being  -admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year  and 
commencing  practice  in  New  York  City.  In  1879 
he  came  to  Springfield,  111. ,  and  was,  for  a  time, 
identified  with  the  bar  of  that  city.  Later,  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  been  engaged 
in  literary  and  journalistic  work. 

WINNEBAGO  COUNTY,  situated  in  the 
"northern  tier,"  bordering  on  the  Wisconsin 
State  line ;  was  organized,  under  an  act  passed  in 
1836,  from  La  Salle  and  Jo  Daviess  Counties,  and 
has  an  area  of  552  square  miles.  The  county  is 
drained  by  the  Rock  and  Pecatonica  Rivers. 
The  surface  is  rolling  prairie  and  the  soil  fertile. 
The  geology  is  simple,  the  quaternary  deposits 
being  underlaid  by  the  Galena  blue  and  buff 
limestone,  adapted  for  building  purposes.  All 
the  cereals  are  raised  in  abundance,  the  chief 
product  being  corn.  The  Winnebago  Indians 
(who  gave  name  to  the  county)  formerly  lived 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Rock  River,  and  the  Potta- 
watomies  on  the  east,  but  both  tribes  removed 
westward  in  1835.  (As  to  manufacturing  inter- 
ests, see  RocJcford.)  Population  (1880),  30,505; 
(1890),  39,938;  (1900),  47,845 

WINNEBAGO  WAR.  The  name  given  to  an 
Indian  disturbance  which  had  its  origin  in  1827, 
during  the  administration  of  Gov.  Ninian 
Edwards.  The  Indians  had  been  quiet  since  the 
conclusion  of  the  War  of  1812,  but  a  few  isolated 
outrages  were  sufficient  to  start  terrified  "run- 
ners" in  all  directions.  In  the  northern  portion 
of  the  State,  from  Galena  to  Chicago  (then  Fort 
Dearborn)  the  alarm  was  intense.  The  meagre 
militia  force  of  the  State  was  summoned  and 
volunteers  were  called  for.  Meanwhile,  600 
United  States  Regular  Infantry,  under  command 


of  Gen.  Henry  Atkinson,  put  in  an  appearance. 
Besides  the  infantry,  Atkinson  had  at  his  disposal 
some  130  mounted  sharpshooters.  The  origin  of 
the  disturbance  was  as  follows:  The  Winne- 
bagoes  attacked  a  band  of  Cliippewas,  who  were 
(by  treaty)  under  Government  potection,  several 
of  the  latter  being  killed.  For  participation  in 
this  offense,  four  Winnebago  Indians  were  sum- 
marily apprehended,  surrendered  to  the  Chippe- 
was  and  shot.  Meanwhile,  some  dispute  had 
arisen  as  to  the  title  of  the  lands,  claimed  by  the 
Winnebagoes  in  the  vicinity  of  Galena,  which 
had  been  occupied  by  white  miners.  Repeated 
acts  of  hostility  and  of  reprisal,  along  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  intensified  mutual  distrust.  A  gather- 
ing of  the  Indians  around  two  keel-boats,  laden 
with  supplies  for  Fort  Snelling,  which  had 
anchored  near  Prairie  du  Chien  and  opposite  a 
Winnebago  camp,  was  regarded  by  the  whites  as 
a  hostile  act.  Liquor  was  freely  distributed,  and 
there  is  historical  evidence  that  a  half-dozen 
drunken  squaws  were  carried  off  and  shamefully 
maltreated.  Several  hundred  warriors  assembled 
to  avenge  the  deception  which  had  been  practiced 
upon  them.  They  laid  in  ambush  for  the  boats 
on  their  return  trip.  The  first  passed  too  rapidly 
to  be  successfully  assailed,  but  the  second 
grounded  and  was  savagely,  yet  unsuccessfully, 
attacked.  The  presence  of  General  Atkinson's 
forces  prevented  an  actual  outbreak,  and,  on  his 
demand,  the  great  Winnebago  Chief,  Red  Bird, 
with  six  other  leading  men  of  the  tribe,  sur- 
rendered themselves  as  hostages  to  save  their 
nation  from  extermination.  A  majority  of  these 
were,  after  trial,  acquitted.  Red  Bird,  however, 
unable  to  endure  confinement,  literally  pined  to 
death  in  prison,  dying  on  Feb.  16,  1828.  He  is 
described  as  having  been  a  savage  of  superior 
intelligence  and  noble  character.  A  treaty  of 
peace  was  concluded  with  the  Winnebagoes  in  a 
council  held  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  a  few  months 
later,  but  the  affair  seems  to  have  produced  as 
much  alarm  among  the  Indians  as  it  did  among 
the  whites.  (For  Winnebago  Indians  see  page  576. ) 

WINNETKA,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway,  16i^  miles 
north  of  Chicago.  It  stands  eighty  feet  above 
the  level  of  Lake  Michigan,  has  good  schools 
(being  the  seat  of  the  Winnetka  Institute),  sev- 
eral churches,  and  is  a  popular  residence  town. 
Population  (1880),  584;  (1890),  1,079;  (1900),  1,833. 

WINSTON,  Frederick  Hampton,  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Liberty  County,  Ga.,  Nov.  20,  1830,  was 
brought  to  Woodford  County,  Ky.,  in  1835,  left 
an  orphan  at  12,  and  attended  the  common 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


597 


schools  until  18,  when,  returning  to  Georgia,  he 
engaged  in  cotton  manufacture.  He  finally 
began  the  study  of  law  with  United  States  Sena- 
tor W.  C.  Dawson,  and  graduated  from  Harvard 
Law  School  in  1852 ;  spent  some  time  in  the  office 
of  W.  M.  Evarts  in  New  York,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1853,  where  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Norman  B.  Judd, 
afterwards  being  associated  with  Judge  Henry 
W.  Blodgett;  served  as  general  solicitor  of  the 
Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern,  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort 
Wayne  &  Chicago  Railways — remaining  with  the 
latter  twenty  years.  In  1885  he  was  appointed, 
by  President  Cleveland,  Minister  to  Persia,  but 
resigned  the  following  year,  and  traveled  exten- 
sively in  Russia,  Scandinavia  and  other  foreign 
countries.  Mr.  Winston  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Democratic  National  Conventions  of  1868,  '76  and 
'84 ;  first  President  of  the  Stock  Yards  at  Jersey 
City,  for  twelve  years  President  of  the  Lincoln 
Park  Commission,  and  a  Director  of  the  Lincoln 
National  Bank. 

WISCONSIN  CENTRAL  LINES.  The  Wiscon- 
sin Central  Company  was  organized,  June  17, 
1887,  and  subsequently  acquired  the  Minnesota, 
St.  Croix  &  Wisconsin,  the  Wisconsin  &  Minne- 
sota, the  Chippewa  Falls  &  Western,  the  St. 
Paul  &  St.  Croix  Falls,  the  Wisconsin  Central,  the 
Penokee,  and  the  Packwaukee  &  Montebello  Rail- 
roads, and  assumed  the  leases  of  the  Milwaukee 
&  Lake  Winnebago  and  the  Wisconsin  &  Minne- 
sota Roads.  On  July  1,  1888,  the  company  began 
to  operate  the  entire  Wisconsin  Central  system, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Wisconsin  Central 
Railroad  and  the  leased  Milwaukee  &  Lake  Win- 
nebago, which  remained  in  charge  of  the  Wis- 
consin Central  Railroad  mortgage  trustees  until 
Nov.  1,  1889,  when  these,  too,  passed  under  the 
control  of  the  Wisconsin  Central  Company.  The 
Wisconsin  Central  Railroad  Company  is  a  re- 
organization (Oct.  1,  1879)  of  a  company  formed 
Jan.  1,  1871.  The  Wisconsin  Central  and  the 
Wisconsin  Central  Railroad  Companies,  though 
differing  in  name,  are  a  financial  unit;  the 
former  holding  most  of  the  first  mortgage  bonds 
of  the  latter,  and  substantially  all  its  notes,  stocks 
and  income  bonds,  but,  for  legal  reasons  (such  as 
the  protection  of  land  titles),  it  is  necessary  that 
separate  corporations  be  maintained.  On  April 
1,  1890,  the  Wisconsin  Central  Company  executed 
a  lease  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  but  this 
was  set  aside  by  the  courts,  on  Sept.  27,  1893,  for 
non-payment  of  rent,  and  was  finally  canceled. 
On  the  same  day  receivers  were  appointed  to 


insure  the  protection  of  all  interests.  The  total 
mileage  is  415.46  miles,  of  which  the  Company 
owns  258.90 — only  .10  of  a  mile  in  Illinois.  A 
line,  58.10  miles  in  length,  with  8.44  miles  of 
side-track  (total,  66.54  miles),  lying  wholly  within 
the  State  of  Illinois,  is  operated  by  the  Chicago  & 
Wisconsin  and  furnishes  the  allied  line  an  en- 
trance into  Chicago. 

WITHROW,  Thomas  F.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Virginia  in  March,  1833,  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Ohio  in  childhood,  attended  the  Western 
Reserve  College,  and,  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  taught  school  and  worked  as  a  printer, 
later,  editing  a  paper  at  Mount  Vernon.  In  1855 
he  removed  to  Janesville,  Wis. ,  where  he  again 
engaged  in  journalistic  work,  studied  law,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Iowa  in  1857,  settled  at 
Des  Moines  and  served  as  private  secretary  of 
Governors  Lowe  and  Kirkwood.  In  1860  he 
became  Supreme  Court  Reporter;  served  as 
Chairman  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Com- 
mittee in  1863  and,  in  1866,  became  associated 
with  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  in  the  capacity  of 
local  attorney,  was  made  chief  law  officer  of  the 
Company  in  1873,  and  removed  to  Chicago,  and, 
in  1890,  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  General 
Counsel.  Died,  in  Chicago,  Feb.  3,  1893. 

WOLCOTT,  (Dr.)  Alexander,  early  Indian 
Agent,  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  Feb. 
14,  1790;  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1809, 
and,  after  a  course  in  medicine,  was  commis- 
sioned, in  1812,  Surgeon's  Mate  in  the  United 
States  Army.  In  1820  he  was  appointed  Indian 
Agent  at  Fort  Dearborn  (now  Chicago),  as  suc- 
cessor to  Charles  Jouett — the  first  Agent — who 
had  been  appointed  a  United  States  Judge  in 
Arkansas.  The  same  year  he  accompanied  Gen- 
eral Lewis  Cass  and  Henry  Schoolcraft  on  their 
tour  among  the  Indians  of  the  Northwest;  was 
married  in  1823  to  Ellen  Marion  Kinzie,  a 
daughter  of  Col.  John  Kinzie,  the  first  perma- 
nent settler  of  Chicago ;  in  1825  was  appointed  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Peoria  County,  which 
then  included  Cook  County;  was  a  Judge  of 
Election  in  1830,  and  one  of  the  purchasers  of  a 
block  of  ground  in  the  heart  of  the  present  city 
of  Chicago,  at  the  first  sale  of  lots,  held  Sept.  27, 
1830,  but  died  before  the  close  of  the  year.  Dr. 
Wolcott  appears  to  have  been  a  high-minded  and 
honorable  man,  as  well  as  far  in  advance  of  the 
mass  of  pioneers  in  point  of  education  and  intel- 
ligence. 

WOMAN'S  MEDICAL  COLLEGE  OF  CHI- 
CAGO.  (See  Northwestern  University  Woman's 
Medical  School.) 


698 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


WOMAN  SUFFRAGE.     (See  Suffrage.) 

WOOD,  Benson,  lawyer  and  Congressman,  was 
born  in  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  in  1839;  re- 
ceived a  common  school  and  academic  education ; 
at  the  age  of  20  came  to  Illinois,  and,  for  two 
years,  taught  school  in  Lee  County.  He  then 
enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  an  Illinois  regiment, 
attaining  the  rank  of  Captain  of  Infantry ;  after 
the  war,  graduated  from  the  Law  Department  of 
the  old  Chicago  University,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Twenty-eighth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  (1872)  and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  National  Conventions  of  1876  and 
1888 ;  also  served  as  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Effing- 
ham,  where  he  now  resides.  In  1894  he  was 
elected  to  the  Fifty-fourth  Congress  by  the 
Republicans  of  the  Nineteenth  District,  which  has 
uniformly  returned  a  Democrat,  and,  in  office, 
proved  himself  a  most  industrious  and  efficient 
member.  Mr.  Wood  was  defeated  as  a  candidate 
for  re-election  in  1896. 

WOOD,  John,  pioneer,  Lieutenant-Governor 
and  Governor,  was  born  at  Moravia,  N.  Y.,  Dec. 
20,  1798 — his  father  being  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
who  had  served  as  Surgeon  and  Captain  in  the 
army.  At  the  age  of  21  years  young  "Wood  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  settling  in  what  is  now  Adams 
County,  and  building  the  first  log-cabin  on  the  site 
of  the  present  city  of  Quincy.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  upper  house  of  the  Seventeenth  and  Eight- 
eenth General  Assemblies,  and  was  elected  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor  in  1859  on  the  same  ticket  with 
Governor  Bissell,  and  served  out  the  unexpired 
term  of  the  latter,  who  died  in  office.  (See  Bis- 
sell, William  H. )  He  was  succeeded  by  Richard 
Yates  in  1861.  In  February  of  that  year  he  was 
appointed  one  of  the  five  Commissioners  from 
Illinois  to  the  "Peace  Conference"  at  Wash- 
ington, to  consider  methods  for  averting 
civil  war.  The  following  May  he  was  appointed 
•  Quartermaster-General  for  the  State  by  Governor 
Yates,  and  assisted  most  efficiently  in  fitting  out 
the  troops  for  the  field.  In  June,  1864,  he  was 
commissioned  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty -seventh  Illinois  Volunteers  (100-days'  men) 
and  mustered  out  of  service  the  following  Sep- 
tember. Died,  at  Quincy,  June  11,  1880.  He 
was  liberal,  patriotic  and  public-spirited.  His 
fellow-citizens  of  Quincy  erected  a  monument  to 
his  memory,  which  was  appropriately  dedicated, 
July  4,  1883. 

WOODFORD  COUNTY,  situated  a  little  north 
of  the  center  of  the  State,  bounded  on  the  west 
by  the  Illinois  River ;  organized  in  1841 ;  area, 


540  square  miles.  The  surface  is  generally  level, 
except  along  the  Illinois  River,  the  soil  fertile 
and  well  watered.  The  county  lies  in  the  north- 
ern section  of  the  great  coal  field  of  the  State. 
Eureka  is  the  county -seat.  Other  thriving  cities 
and  towns  are  Metamora,  Minonk,  El  Paso  and 
Roanoke.  Corn,  oats,  wheat,  potatoes  and  barley 
are  the  principal  crops.  The  chief  mechanical 
industries  are  flour  manufacture,  carriage  and 
wagon-making,  and  saddlery  and  harness  work. 
Population  (1890),  21,429;  (1900),  21,822. 

WOODHULL,  a  village  of  Henry  County,  on 
Keithsburg  branch  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  15  miles  west  of  Galva;  has  a  bank, 
electric  lights,  waterworks,  brick  and  tile  works, 
six  churches  and  weekly  paper.  Pop.  (1900),  774. 

WOODMAN,  Charles  W.,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Aalborg,  Denmark,  March  11, 
1844;  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  country,  but  took  to  the  sea  in  1860, 
following  the  life  of  a  sailor  until  1863,  when, 
coming  to  Philadelphia,  he  enlisted  in  the  Gulf 
Squadron  of  the  United  States.  After  the  war, 
he  came  to  Chicago,  and,  after  reading  law  for 
some  time  in  the  office  of  James  L.  High,  gradu- 
ated from  the  Law  Department  of  the  Chicago 
University  in  1871.  Some  years  later  he  was 
appointed  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  some  of  the 
lower  courts,  and,  in  1881,  was  nominated  by  the 
Judges  of  Cook  County  as  one  of  the  Justices  of 
the  Peace  for  the  city  of  Chicago.  In  1894  he 
became  the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress 
from  the  Fourth  District  and  was  elected,  but 
failed  to  secure  a  renomination  in  1896.  Died,  in 
Elgin  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  March  18,  1898. 

WOODS,  Robert  Mann,  was  born  at  Greenville, 
Pa.,  April  17,  1840;  came  with  his  parents  to  Illi- 
nois in  1842,  the  family  settling  at  Barry,  Pike 
County,  but  subsequently  residing  at  Pittsfield, 
Canton  and  Galesburg.  He  was  educated  at 
Knox  College  in  the  latter  place,  which  was  his 
home  from  1849  to  '58;  later,  taught  school  in 
Iowa  and  Missouri  until  1861,  when  he  went  to 
Springfield  and  began  the  study  of  law  with 
Milton  Hay  and  Shelby  M.  Cullom.  His  law 
studies  having  been  interrupted  by  the  Civil 
War,  after  spending  some  time  in  the  mustering 
and  disbursing  office,  he  was  promoted  by  Gov- 
ernor Yates  to  a  place  in  the  executive  office, 
from  which  he  went  to  the  field  as  Adjutant  of 
the  Sixty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  known  as  the 
"Yates  Sharp-Shooters. "  After  participating, 
with  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  he  took  part  in  the  "March  to  the 
Sea,"  and  the  campaign  in  the  Carolinas,  includ- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


599 


ing  the  siege  of  Savannah  and  the  forcing  of  the 
Salkahatchie,  where  he  distinguished  himself,  as 
also  in  the  taking  of  Columbia,  Fayetteville, 
Cheraw,  Raleigh  and  Bentonville.  At  the  latter 
place  he  had  a  horse  shot  under  him  and  won  the 
brevet  rank  of  Major  for  gallantry  in  the  field, 
having  previously  been  commissioned  Captain  of 
Company  A  of  his  regiment.  He  also  served  on 
the. staffs  of  Gens.  Giles  A.  Smith,  Benjamin  F. 
Potts,  and  William  W.  Belknap,  and  was  the  last 
mustering  officer  in  General  Sherman's  army. 
In  1867  Major  Woods  removed  to  Chicago,  where 
he  was  in  business  for  a  number  of  years,  serving 
as  chief  clerk  of  Custom  House  construction 
from  1872  to  1877.  In  1879  he  purchased  "The 
Daily  Republican"  at  Joliet,  which  he  conducted 
successfully  for  fifteen  years.  While  connected 
with  "The  Republican, "  he  served  as  Secretary  of 
the  Illinois  Republican  Press  Association  and  in 
various  other  positions. 

Major  Woods  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  whose  birth-place 
was  in  Illinois.  (See  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic; also  Stephenson,  Dr.  B.  F.)  When  Dr. 
Stephenson  (who  had  been  Surgeon  of  the  Four- 
teenth Illinois  Infantry),  conceived  the  idea  of 
founding  such  an  order,  he  called  to  his  assist- 
ance Major  Woods,  who  was  then  engaged  in 
writing  the  histories  of  Illinois  regiments  for  the 
Adjutant-General's  Report.  The  Major  wrote 
the  Constitution  and  By-laws  of  the  Order,  the 
charter  blanks  for  all  the  reports,  etc.  The  first 
official  order  bears  his  name  as  the  first  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  Order,  as  follows : 

HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  ILLINOIS 
GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.,  APRIL  1,  1866. 
GENERAL  ORDERS  I 

No.  1.  (  The  following  named  officers   are  hereby 

appointed  and  assigned  to  duty  at  these  headquarters.    They 
will  be  obeyed  and  respected  accordingly: 
Colonel  Jules  C.  Webber,  A.D.C.  and  Chief  of  Staff. 
Colonel  John  M.  Snyder,  Quartermaster-General. 
Major  Robert  M.  Woods,  Adjutant-General. 
Captain  John  A.  Lightfoot,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 
Captain  John  S.  Phelps,  Aid-de-Camp. 
By  order  of  B.  P.  Stephenson,  Department  Commander. 

ROBERT  M.  WOODS, 

Adjutant-General. 

Major  Woods  afterwards  organized  the  various 
Departments  in  the  West,  and  it  has  been  con- 
ceded that  he  furnished  the  money  necessary  to 
carry  on  the  work  during  the  first  six  months  of 
the  existence  of  the  Order.  He  has  never 
accepted  a  nomination  or  run  for  any  political 
office,  but  is  now  engaged  in  financial  business  in 
Joliet  and  Chicago,  with  his  residence  in  the 
former  place. 


WOODSOtf,  David  Meade,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Jessamine  County,  Ky.,  May  18, 
1806;  was  educated  in  private  schools  and  at 
Transylvania  University,  and  read  law  with  his 
father.  He  served  a  term  in  the  Kentucky  Legis- 
lature in  1832,  and,  in  1834,  removed  to  Illinois, 
settling  at  Carrollton,  Greene  County.  In  1839 
he  was  elected  State's  Attorney  and,  in  1840,  a 
member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature, 
being  elected  a  second  time  in  1868.  In  1843  he 
was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Congress  in  the 
Fifth  District,  but  was  defeated  by  Stephen.A. 
Douglas.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Conventions  of  1847  and  1869-70.  In  1848  he  was 
elected  a  Judge  of  the  First  Judicial  Circuit, 
remaining  in  office  until  1867.  Died,  in  1877. 

WOODSTOCK,  the  county-seat  of  McHenry 
County,  situated  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway,  about  51  miles  northwest  of  Chicago 
and  32  miles  east  of  Rockford.  It  contains  a 
court  house,  eight  churches,  four  banks,  three 
newspaper  offices,  foundry  and  machine  shops, 
planing  mills,  canning  works,  pickle,  cheese  and 
butter  factories.  The  Oliver  Typewriter  Factory 
is  located  here;  the  town  is  also  the  seat  of  the 
Todd  Seminary  for  boys.  Population  (1890), 
1,683;  (1900),  2,502. 

WORCESTER,  Linus  E.,  State  Senator,  was 
born  in  Windsor,  Vt.,  Dec.  5,  1811,  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  State  and  at 
Chester  Academy,  came  to  Illinois  in  1836,  and, 
after  teaching  three  years,  entered  a  dry-goods 
store  at  Whitehall  as  clerk,  later  becoming  a 
partner.  He  was  also  engaged  in  various  other 
branches  of  business  at  different  times,  including 
the  drug,  hardware,  grocery,  agricultural  imple- 
ment and  lumber  business.  In  1843  he  was 
appointed  Postmaster  at  Whitehall,  serving 
twelve  years ;  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1847,  served  as  County  Judge  for 
six  years  from  1853,  and  as  Trustee  of  the  Insti- 
tution for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  at  Jacksonville, 
from  1859,  by  successive  reappointments,  for 
twelve  years.  In  1856  he  was  elected,  as  a  Demo- 
crat, to  the  State  Senate,  to  succeed  John  M. 
Palmer,  resigned ;  was  re-elected  in  1860,  and,  at 
the  session  of  1865,  was  one  of  the  five  Demo- 
cratic members  of  that  body  who  voted  for  the 
ratification  of  the  Emancipation  Amendment  of 
the  National  Constitution.  He  was  elected 
County  Judge  a  second  time,  in  1863,  and  re- 
elected  in  1867,  served  as  delegate  to  the  Demo- 
cratic National  Convention  of  1876,  and,  for  more 
than  thirty  years,  was  one  of  the  Directors  of  the 
Jacksonville  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 


600 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Railroad,  serving  from  the  organization  of  the 
corporation  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Oct. 
19,  1891. 

W  OR  DEN,  a  village  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Wabash  and  the  Jacksonville,  Louisville  &  St. 
Louis  Railways,  32  miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis. 
Population  (1890),  522;  (1900),  544 

WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION.  An 
exhibition  of  the  scientific,  liberal  and  mechan- 
ical arts  of  all  nations,  held  at  Chicago,  between 
May  1  and  Oct.  31,  1893.  The  project  had  its 
inception  in  November,  1885,  in  a  resolution 
adopted  by  the  directorate  of  the  Chicago  Inter- 
State  Exposition  Company.  On  July  6,  1888,  the 
first  well  denned  action  was  taken,  the  Iroquois 
Club,  of  Chicago,  inviting  the  co-operation  of  six 
other  leading  clubs  of  that  city  in  "securing  the 
location  of  an  international  celebration  at  Chi- 
cago of  the  400th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of 
America  by  Columbus."  In  July,  1889,  a  decisive 
step  was  taken  in  the  appointment  by  Mayor 
Cregier,  under  resolution  of  the  City  Council,  of 
a  committee  of  100  (afterwards  increased  to  256) 
citizens,  who  were  charged  with  the  duty  of 
promoting  the  selection  of  Chicago  as  the  site  for 
the  Exposition.  New  York,  Washington  and  St. 
Louis  were  competing  points,  but  the  choice  of 
Congress  fell  upon  Chicago,  and  the  act  establish- 
ing the  World's  Fair  at  that  city  was  signed  by 
President  Harrison  on  April  25,  1890.  Under  the 
requirements  of  the  law,  the  President  appointed 
eight  Commissioners-at-large,  with  two  Commis- 
sioners and  two  alternates  from  each  State  and 
Territory  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  Col. 
George  R.  Davis,  of  Chicago,  was  elected  Direc- 
tor-General by  the  body  thus  constituted.  Ex- 
Senator  Thomas  M.  Palmer,  of  Michigan,  was 
chosen  President  of  the  Commission  and  John  T. 
Dickinson,  of  Texas,  Secretary.  This  Commis- 
sion delegated  much  of  its  power  to  a  Board  of 
Reference  and  Control,  who  were  instructed  to 
act  with  a  similar  number  appointed  by  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition.  The  latter 
organization  was  an  incorporation,  with  a  direc- 
torate of  forty-five  members,  elected  annually  by 
the  stockholders.  Lyman  J.  Gage,  of  Chicago, 
was  the  first  President  of  the  corporation,  and 
was  succeeded  by  W.  T.  Baker  and  Harlow  N. 
Higinbotham. 

In  addition  to  these  bodies,  certain  powers  were 
vested  in  a  Board  of  Lady  Managers,  composed 
of  two  members,  with  alternates,  from  each 
State  and  Territory,  besides  nine  from  the  city 
of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Potter  Palmer  was  chosen 
President  of  the  latter.  This  Board  was  particu: 


larly  charged  with  supervision  of  women's  par- 
ticipation in  the  Exposition,  and  of  the  exhibits 
of  women's  work. 

The  supreme  executive  power  was  vested  in 
the  Joint  Board  of  Control.  The  site  selected 
was  Jackson  Park,  in  the  South  Division  of  Chi- 
cago, with  a  strip  connecting  Jackson  and 
Washington  Parks,  known  as  the  "Midway 
Plaisance, "  which  was  surrendered  to  "conces- 
sionaires" who  purchased  the  privilege  of  giving 
exhibitions,  or  conducting  restaurants  or  selling- 
booths  thereon.  The  total  area  of  the  site  was 
633  acres,  and  that  of  the  buildings — not  reckon- 
ing those  erected  by  States  other  than  Illinois, 
and  by  foreign  governments — was  about  200 
acres.  When  to  this  is  added  the  acreage  of  the 
foreign  and  State  buildings,  the  total  space 
under  roof  approximated  250  acres.  These  fig- 
ures do  not  include  the  buildings  erected  by 
private  exhibitors,  caterers  and  venders,  which 
would  add  a  small  percentage  to  the  grand  total. 
Forty-seven  foreign  Governments  made  appropri- 
ations for  the  erection  of  their  own  buildings  and 
other  expenses  connected  with  official  represen- 
tation, and  there  were  exhibitors  from  eighty-six 
nations.  The  United  States  Government  erected 
its  own  building,  and  appropriated  $500,000  to 
defray  the  expenses  of.  a  national  exhibit,  besides 
$2,500,000  toward  the  general  cost  of  the  Exposi- 
tion. The  appropriations  by  foreign  Governments 
aggregated  about  $6,500,000,  and  those  by  the 
States  and  Territories,  $6,120,000— that  of  Illinois 
being  $800,000.  The  entire  outlay  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  Company,  up  to  March  31, 
1894,  including  the  cost  of  preliminary  organiza- 
tion, construction,  operating  and  post-Exposition 
expenses,  was  $27,151,800.  This  is,  of  course, 
exclusive  of  foreign  and  State  expenditures, 
which  would  swell  the  aggregate  cost  to  nearly 
$45,000,000.  Citizens  of  Chicago  subscribed 
$5,608,206  toward  the  capital  stock  of  the  Exposi- 
tion Company,  and  the  municipality,  $5,000,000, 
which  was  raised  by  the  sale  of  bonds.  (See 
Thirty-sixth  General  Assembly.) 

The  site,  while  admirably  adapted  to  the  pur- 
pose, was,  when  chosen,  a  marshy  flat,  crossed 
by  low  sand  ridges,  upon  which  stood  occasional 
clumps  of  stunted  scrub  oaks.  Before  the  gates 
of  the  great  fair  were  opened  to  the  public,  the 
entire  area  had  been  transformed  into  a  dream  of 
beauty.  Marshes  had  been  drained,  filled  in  and 
sodded ;  driveways  and  broad  walks  constructed ; 
artificial  ponds  and  lagoons  dug  and  embanked, 
and  all  the  highest  skill  of  the  landscape  garden- 
er's art  had  been  called  into  play  to  produce 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


601 


varied  and  striking  effects.  But  the  task  had 
been  a  Herculean  one.  There  were  seventeen 
principal  (or,  as  they  may  be  called,  depart- 
mental) buildings,  all  of  beautiful  and  ornate 
design,  and  all  of  vast  size.  They  were  known 
as  the  Manufacturers'  and  Liberal  Arts,  the 
Machinery,  Electrical,  Transportation,  Woman's, 
Horticultural,  Mines  and  Mining,  Anthropolog- 
ical, Administration,  Aft  Galleries,  Agricultural, 
Art  Institute,  Fisheries,  Live  Stock,  Dairy  and 
Forestry  buildings,  and  the  Music  Hall  and  Ca- 
sino. Several  of  these  had  large  annexes.  The 
Manufacturers'  Building  was  the  largest.  It  was 
rectangular  (1687x787  feet),  having  a  ground 
area  of  31  acres  and  a  floor  and  gallery  area  of 
44  acres.  Its  central  chamber  was  1280x380 
feet,  with  a  nave  107  feet  wide,  both  hall  and 
nave  being  surrounded  by  a  gallery  50  feet  wide. 
It  was  four  times  as  large  as  the  Roman  Coliseum 
and  three  times  as  large  as  St.  Peter's  at  Rome; 
17,000,000  feet  of  lumber,  13,000,000  pounds  of 
steel,  and  2,000,000  pounds  of  iron  had  been  used 
in  its  construction,  involving  a  cost  of  §1,800,000. 

It  was  originally  intended  to  open  the  Exposi- 
tion, formally,  on  Oct.  21,  1892,  the  quadri-centen- 
nial  of  Columbus'  discovery  of  land  on  the 
Western  Hemisphere,  but  the  magnitude  of  the 
undertaking  rendered  this  impracticable.  Con- 
sequently, while  dedicatory  ceremonies  were  held 
on  that  day,  preceded  by  a  monster  procession  and 
followed  by  elaborate  pyrotechnic  displays  at 
night,  May  1,  1893,  was  fixed  as  the  opening  day 
— the  machinery  and  fountains  being  put  in  oper- 
ation, at  the  touch  of  an  electric  button  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland,  at  the  close  of  a  short  address. 
The  total  number  of  admissions  from  that  date 
to  Oct.  31,  was  27,530,460— the  largest  for  any 
single  day  being  on  Oct.  9  (Chicago  Day)  amount- 
ing to  761,944.  The  total  receipts  from  all  sources 
(including  National  and  State  appropriations, 
subscriptions,  etc.),  amounted  to  $28,151,168.75, 
of  which  $10,626,330.76  was  from  the  sale  of  tick 
ets,  and  §3,699,581.43  from  concessions.  The 
aggregate  attendance  fell  short  of  that  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  of  1889  by  about  500,000,  while 
the  receipts  from  the  sale  of  tickets  and  con- 
cessions exceeded  the  latter  by  nearly  §5,800,000. 
Subscribers  to  the  Exposition  stock  received  a 
return  of  ten  per  cent  on  the  same. 

The  Illinois  building  was  the  first  of  the  State 
buildings  to  be  completed.  It  was  also  the 
largest  and  most  costly,  but  was  severely  criti- 
cised from  an  architectural  standpoint.  The 
exhibits  showed  the  internal  resources  of  the 
State,  as  well  as  the  development  of  its  govern- 


mental system,  and  its  progress  in  civilization 
from  the  days  of  the  first  pioneers.  The  entire 
Illinois  exhibit  in  the  State  building  was  under 
charge  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  who 
devoted  one-tenth  of  the  appropriation,  and  a  like 
proportion  of  floor  space,  to  the  exhibition  of  the 
work  of  Illinois  women  as  scientists,  authors, 
artists,  decorators,  etc.  Among  special  features 
of  the  Illinois  exhibit  were :  State  trophies  and 
relics,  kept  in  a  fire-proof  memorial  hall ;  the  dis- 
play of  grains  and  minerals,  and  an  immense 
topographical  map  (prepared  at  a  cost  of  §15,000), 
drafted  on  a  scale  of  two  miles  to  the  inch,  show- 
ing the  character  and  resources  of  the  State,  and 
correcting  many  serious  cartographical  errors 
previously  undiscovered. 

WORTHEN,  Amos  Henry,  scientist  and  State 
Geologist,  was  born  at  Bradford,  Vt.,  Oct.  31, 
1813,  emigrated  to  Kentucky  in  1834,  and,  in  1836, 
removed  to  Illinois,  locating  at  Warsaw.  Teach- 
ing, surveying  and  mercantile  business  were  his 
pursuits  until  1842,  when  he  returned  to  the 
East,  spending  two  years  in  Boston,  but  return- 
ing to  Warsaw  in  1844.  His  natural  predilections 
were  toward  the  natural  sciences,  and,  after 
coming  west,  he  devoted  most  of  his  leisure  time 
to  the  collection  and  study  of  specimens  of 
mineralogy,  geology  and  conchology.  On  the 
organization  of  the  geological  survey  of  Illinois 
in  1851,  he  was  appointed  assistant  to  Dr.  J.  G. 
Norwood,  then  State  Geologist,  and,  in  1858,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  office,  having  meanwhile  spent 
three  years  as  Assistant  Geologist  in  the  first  Iowa 
survey.  As  State  Geologist  he  published  seven 
volumes  of  reports,  and  was  engaged  upon  the 
eighth  when  overtaken  by  death,  May  6,  1888. 
These  reports,  which  are  as  comprehensive  as 
they  are  voluminous,  have  been  reviewed  and 
warmly  commended  by  the  leading  scientific 
periodicals  of  this  country  and  Europe.  In  1877 
field  work  was  discontinued,  and  the  State  His- 
torical Library  and  Natural  History  Museum  were 
established,  Professor  Worthen  being  placed  in 
charge  as  curator.  He  was  the  author  of  various 
valuable  scientific  papers  and  member  of  numer- 
ous scientific  societies  in  this  country  and  in 
Europe. 

WORTHINGTON,  Nicholas  Ellsworth,  ex-Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Brooke  County,  W.  Va., 
March  30,  1836,  and  completed  his  education  at 
Allegheny  College,  Pa.,  studied  Law  at  Morgan- 
town,  Va.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860. 
He  is  a  resident  of  Peoria,  and,  by  profession,  a 
lawyer;  was  County  Superintendent  of  Schools 
of  Peoria  County  from  1868  to  1872,  and  a  mem- 


602 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


ber  of  the  State  Board  of  Education  from  1869  to 
1872.  In  1882  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  as  a 
Democrat,  from  the  Tenth  Congressional  District, 
and  re-elected  in  1884.  In  1886  he  was  again  a 
candidate,  but  was  defeated  by  his  Republican 
.opponent,  Philip  Sidney  Post.  He  was  elected 
Circuit  Judge  of  the  Tenth  Judicial  District  in 
1891,  and  re-elected  in  1897.  In  1894  he  served 
upon  a  commission  appointed  by  President  Cleve- 
land, to  investigate  the  labor  strikes  of  that  year 
at  Chicago. 

WRIGHT,  John  Stephen,  manufacturer,  was 
born  at  Sheffield,  Mass.,  July  16,  1815;  came  to 
Chicago  in  1832,  with  his  father,  who  opened  a 
store  in  that  city ;  in  1837,  at  his  own  expense, 
built  the  first  school  building  in  Chicago ;  in  1840 
established  "The  Prairie  Farmer,"  which  he  con- 
ducted for  many  years  in  the  interest  of  popular 
education  and  progressive  agriculture.  In  1852 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  Atkins'  self- 
raking  reaper  and  mower,  was  one  of  the  pro- 
moters of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  and  the 
Illinois  Central  Railways,  and  wrote  a  volume 
entitled,  "Chicago:  Past,  Present  and  Future," 
published  in  1870.  Died,  in  Chicago,  Sept.  26,  1874. 

WTJLFF,  Henry,  ex-State  Treasurer,  was  born 
in  Meldorf,  Germany,  August  24,  1854;  came  to 
Chicago  in  1863,  and  began  his  political  career  as 
a  Trustee  of  the  town  of  Jefferson.  In  1866  he 
was  elected  County  Clerk  of  Cook  County,  and 
re-elected  in  1890 ;  in  1894  became  the  Republican 
nominee  for  State  Treasurer,  receiving,  at  the 
November  election  of  that  year,  the  unprece- 
dented plurality  of  133,427  votes  over  his  Demo- 
cratic opponent. 

WYANET,  a  town  of  Bureau  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railways, 
7  miles  southwest  of  Princeton.  Population 
(1890),  670;  (1900),  902. 

WYLIE,  (Rev.)  Samuel,  domestic  missionary, 
born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  America  in  boyhood ; 
was  educated  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Reformed 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  ordained  in  1818. 
Soon  after  this  he  came  west  as  a  domestic  mis- 
sionary and,  in  1820,  became  pastor  of  a  church 
at  Sparta,  111. ,  where  he  remained  until  his  death, 
March  20,  1872,  after  a  pastorate  of  52  years. 
During  his  pastorate  the  church  sent  out  a  dozen 
colonies  to  form  new  church  organizations  else- 
where. He  is  described  as  able,  eloquent  and 
scholarly. 

WYMAN,  (Col.)  John  B.,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  July  12,  1817,  and  educated  in  the 


schools  of  that  State  until  14  years  of  age,  when 
he  became  a  clerk  in  a  clothing  store  in  his  native 
town  of  Shrewsbury,  later  being  associated  with 
mercantile  establishments  in  Cincinnati,  and 
again  in  his  native  State.  From  1846  to  1850  he 
was  employed  successively  as  a  clerk  in  the  car 
and  machine  shops  at  Springfield,  Mass. ,  then  as 
Superintendent  of  Construction,  and,  later,  as  con- 
ductor on  the  New  York  &  New  Haven  Railroad , 
finally,  in  1850,  becoming  Superintendent  of  the 
Connecticut  River  Railroad.  In  1852  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, assisting  in  the  survey  and  construction  of 
the  line  under  Col.  R.  B.  Mason,  the  Chief  Engi- 
neer, and  finally  becoming  Assistant  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Northern  Division.  He  was  one 
of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  town  of  Amboy, 
in  Lee  County,  and  its  first  Mayor,  also  serving 
a  second  term.  Having  a  fondness  for  military 
affairs,  he  was  usually  connected  with  some  mili- 
tary organization — while  in  Cincinnati  being 
attached  to  a  company,  of  which  Prof.  O.  M. 
Mitchell,  the  celebrated  astronomer  (afterwards 
Major-General  Mitchell),  was  Captain.  After 
coming  to  Illinois  he  became  Captain  of  the  Chi- 
cago Light  Guards.  Having  left  the  employ  of 
the  Railroad  in  1858,  he  was  in  private  business 
at  Amboy  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  in 
1861.  As  Assistant- Adjutant  General,  by  appoint- 
ment of  Governor  Yates,  he  rendered  valuable 
service  in  the  early  weeks  of  the  war  in  securing 
arms  from  Jefferson  Barracks  and  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  three-months'  regiments.  Then, 
having  organized  the  Thirteenth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry — the  first  organized  in  the  State 
for  the  three  years'  service — he  was  commis- 
sioned its  Colonel,  and,  in  July  following,  entered 
upon  the  duty  of  guarding  the  railroad  lines  in 
Southwest  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  The  follow- 
ing year  his  regiment  was  attached  to  General 
Sherman's  command  in  the  first  campaign 
against  Vicksburg.  On  the  second  day  of  the 
Battle  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  he  fell  mortally 
wounded,  dying  on  the  field,  Dec.  28,  1862.  Colo- 
nel Wyman  was  one  of  the  most  accomplished 
and  promising  of  the  volunteer  soldiers  sent  to 
the  field  from  Illinois,  of  whom  so  many  were 
former  employes  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road. 

WYOMING,  a  town  of  Stark  County,  31  miles 
north-northwest  from  Peoria,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Peoria  branch  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the 
Rushville  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railway ;  has  two  high  schools,  churches, 
two  banks,  flour  mills,  water-works,  machine 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


shop,  and  two  weekly  newspapers.     Coal  is  mined 
here.     Pop.  (1890),  1,116;  (1900),  1,277. 

XEIVIA,  a  village  of  Clay  County,  on  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroad,  87  miles 
east  of  St.  Louis.  Population  (1900),  800. 

YATES  CITY,  a  village  of  Knox  County,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Peoria  Division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  with  the  Rushville 
branch,  23  miles  southeast  of  Galesburg.  The 
town  has  banks,  a  coal  mine,  telephone  exchange, 
school,  churches  and  a  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890), 
687;  (1900),  650. 

YATES,  Henry,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Caroline 
County,  Va.,  Oct.  29,  1786 — being  a  grand-nephew 
of  Chief  Justice  John  Marshall ;  removed  to  Fa- 
yette  County,  Ky.,  where  he  located  and  laid  out 
the  town  of  Warsaw,  which  afterwards  became 
the  county-seat  of  Gallatin  County.  In  1831  he 
removed  to  Sangamon  County,  111. ,  and,  in  1832, 
settled  at  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Berlin, 
which  he  laid  out  the  following  year,  also  laying 
out  the  town  of  New  Berlin,  a  few  years  later,  on 
the  line  of  the  Wabash  Railway.  He  was  father 
of  Gov.  Richard  Yates.  Died,  Sept.  13,  1865.— 
Henry  (Yates),  Jr.,  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born 
at  Berlin,  111.,  March  7,  1835 ;  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising at  New  Berlin ;  in  1862,  raised  a  company 
of  volunteers  for  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixth 
Regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  was  appointed  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel and  brevetted  Colonel  and  Briga- 
dier-General. He  was  accidentally  shot  in  1863, 
and  suffered  sun-stroke  at  Little  Rock,  from 
which  he  never  fully  recovered.  Died,  August 
3,  1871. 

YATES,  Richard,  former  Governor  and  United 
States  Senator,  was  born  at  Warsaw,  Ky.,  Jan. 
18,  1815,  of  English  descent.  In  1831  he  accom- 
panied his  father  to  Illinois,  the  family  settling 
first  at  Springfield  and  later  at  Berlin,  Sangamon 
County.  He  soon  after  entered  Illinois  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1835,  and  subse- 
quently read  law  with  Col.  John  J.  Hardin,  at 
Jacksonville,  which  thereafter  became  his  home. 
In  1842  he  was  elected  Representative  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  from  Morgan  County,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1844,  and  again  in  1848.  In  1850  he 
was  a  candidate  for  Congress  from  the  Seventh 
District  and  elected  over  Maj.  Thomas  L.  Harris, 
the  previous  incumbent,  being  the  only  Whig 
Representative  in  the  Thirty-second  Congress 
from  Illinois.  Two  years  later  he  was  re-elected 
over  John  Calhoun,  but  was  defeated,  in  1854, 
by  his  old  opponent,  Harris.  He  was  one  of  the 


most  vigorous  opponents  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill  in  the  Thirty-third  Congress,  and  an  early 
participant  in  the  movement  for  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party  to  resist  the  further 
extension  of  slavery,  being  a  prominent  speaker, 
on  the  same  platform  with  Lincoln,  before  the 
first  Republican  State  Convention  held  at  Bloom- 
ington,  in  May,  1856,  and  serving  as  one  of  the 
Vice-Presidents  of  that  body.  In  1860  he  was 
elected  to  the  executive  chair  on  the  ticket 
headed  by  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency, 
and,  by  his  energetic  support  of  the  National 
administration  in  its  measures  for  the  suppression 
of  the  Rebellion,  won  the  sobriquet  of  "the  Illi- 
nois War-Governor."  In  1865  he  was  elected 
United  States  Senator,  serving  until  1871.  He 
died  suddenly,  at  St.  Louis,  Nov.  27,  1873,  while 
returning  from  Arkansas,  whither  he  had  gone, 
as  a  United  States  Commissioner,  by  appointment 
of  President  Grant,  to  inspect  a  land-subsidy 
railroad.  He  was  a  man  of  rare  ability,  earnest- 
ness of  purpose  and  extraordinary  personal  mag- 
netism, as  well  as  of  a  lofty  order  of  patriotism. 
His  faults  were  those  of  a  nature  generous, 
impulsive  and  warm-hearted. 

YORKVILLE,  the  county-seat  of  Kendall 
County,  on  Fox  River  and  Streator  Division  of 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  12  miles 
southwest  of  Aurora;  on  interurban  electric  line; 
has  water-power,  electric  lights,  a  bank,  churches 
and  weekly  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890)  375 ;  (1900), 413. 

YOUNG,  Brig'liam,  Mormon  leader,  was  born 
at  Whittingham,  Vt.,  June  1,  1801,  joined  the 
Mormons  in  1831  and,  the  next  year,  became  asso- 
ciated with  Joseph  Smith,  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and, 
in  1835,  an  "apostle."  He  accompanied  a  con- 
siderable body  of  that  sect  to  Independence,  Mo. , 
but  was  driven  out  with  them  in  1837,  settling 
for  a  short  time  at  Quincy,  111.,  but  later  remov- 
ing to  Nauvoo,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  foun- 
ders. On  the  assassination  of  Smith,  in  1844,  he 
became  the  successor  of  the  latter,  as  head  of  the 
Mormon  Church,  and,  the  following  year,  headed 
the  exodus  from  Illinois,  which  finally  resulted  in 
the  Mormon  settlement  in  Utah.  His  subsequent 
career  there,  where  he  was  appointed  Governor 
by  President  Fillmore,  and,  for  a  time,  success- 
fully defied  national  authority,  is  a  matter  of 
national  rather  than  State  history.  He  remained 
at  the  head  of  the  Mormon  Church  until  his 
death  at  Salt  Lake  City,  August  29,  1877. 

YOUNG,  Richard  Montgomery,  United  States 
Senator,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1796,  studied 
law  and  removed  to  Jonesboro,  111. ,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1817;  served  in  the  Second 


604 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


General  Assembly  (1820-22)  as  Representative 
from  Union  County ;  was  a  Circuit  Judge,  1825-27 ; 
Presidential  Elector  in  1828 ;  Circuit  Judge  again, 
1829-37 ;  elected  United  States  Senator  in  1837  as 
successor  to  W.  L.  D.  Evving,  serving  until  1843, 
when  he  was  commissioned  Justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  but  resigned  in  1847  to  become 
Commissioner  of  the  General  Laud  Office  at 
"Washington.  During  the  session  of  1850-51,  he 
served  as  Clerk  of  the  National  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. Died,  in  an  insane  asylum,  in  Wash- 
ington, in  1853. 

YOUNG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION, 
first  permanently  organized  at  Chicago,  in  1858, 
although  desultory  movements  of  a  kindred  char- 
acter had  previously  been  started  at  Peoria, 
Quincy,  Chicago  and  Springfield,  some  as  early 
as  1854.  From  1858  to  1872,  various  associations 
were  formed  at  different  points  throughout  the 
State,  which  were  entirely  independent  of  each 
other.  The  first  effort  looking  to  union  and 
mutual  aid,  was  made  in  1872,  when  Robert 
Weidensall,  on  behalf  of  the  International  Com- 
mittee, called  a  convention,  to  meet  at  Blooming- 
ton,  November  6-9.  State  conventions  have  been 
held  annually  since  1872.  In  that  of  1875,  steps 
were  taken  looking  to  the  appointment  of  a 
State  Secretary,  and,  in  1876,  Charles  M.  Morton 
assumed  the  office.  Much  evangelistic  work  was 
done,  and  new  associations  formed,  the  total 
number  reported  at  the  Champaign  Convention, 
in  1877,  being  sixty -two.  After  one  year's  work 
Mr.  Morton  resigned  the  secretaryship,  the  office 
remaining  vacant  for  three  years.  The  question 
of  the  appointment  of  a  successor  was  discussed 
at  the  Decatur  Convention  in  1879,  and,  in  April, 
1880,  I.  B.  Brown  was  made  State  Secretary,  and 
has  occupied  the  position  to  the  present  time 
(1899).  At  the  date  of  his  appointment  the 
official  figures  showed  sixteen  associations  in  Illi- 
nois, with  a  total  membership  of  2,443,  and  prop- 
erty valued  at  $126,500,  including  building  funds, 
the  associations  at  Chicago  and  Aurora  owning 
buildings.  Thirteen  officers  were  employed, 
none  of  them  being  in  Chicago.  Since  1880  the 
work  has  steadily  grown,  so  that  five  Assistant 
State  Secretaries  are  now  employed.  In  1886,  a 
plan  for  arranging  the  State  work  under  depart- 
mental administration  was  devised,  but  not  put 
in  operation  until  1890.  The  present  six  depart- 
ments of  supervision  are:  General  Supervision, 
in  charge  of  the  State  Secretary  and  his  Assist- 
ants; railroad  and  city  work;  counties  and 
towns;  work  among  students;  corresponding 
membership  department,  and  office  work.  The 


two  last  named  are  under  one  executive  head, 
but  each  of  the  others  in  charge  of  an  Assistant 
Secretary,  who  is  responsible  for  its  development 
The  entire  work  is  under  the  supervision  of  a 
State  Executive  Committee  of  twenty-seven 
members,  one-third  of  whom  are  elected  annually. 
Willis  H.  Herrick  of  Chicago  has  been  its  chair- 
man for  several  years.  This  body  is  appointed 
by  a  State  convention  composed  of  delegates 
from  the  local  Associations.  Of  these  there  were, 
in  October,  1898,  116,  with  a  membership  of 
15,888.  The  value  of  the  property  owned  was 
$2,500,000.  Twenty-two  occupy  their  own  build- 
ings, of  which  five  are  for  railroad  men  and  one 
for  students.  Weekly  gatherings  for  young  men 
numbered  248,  and  there  are  now  representatives 
or  correspondents  in  665  communities  where  no 
organization  has  been  effected.  Scientific  phys- 
ical culture  is  made  a  feature  by  40  associations, 
and  educational  work  has  been  largely  developed. 
The  enrollment  in  evening  classes,  during  1898-99, 
was  978.  The  building  of  the  Chicago  branch 
(erected  in  1893)  is  the  finest  of  its  class  in  the 
world.  Recently  a  successful  association  has 
been  formed  among  coal  miners,  and  another 
among  the  first  grade  boys  of  the  Illinois  State 
Reformatory,  while  an  extensive  work  has  been 
conducted  at  the  camps  of  the  Illinois  National 
Guard. 

ZANE,  Charles  S.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  born 
in  Cumberland  County,  N.  J.,  March  2,  1831,  of 
English  and  New  England  stock.  At  the  age  of 
19  he  emigrated  to  Sangamon  County,  111.,  for  a 
time  working  on  a  farm  and  at  brick-making. 
From  1852  to  '55  he  attended  McKendree  College) 
but  did  not  graduate,  and,  on  leaving  college, 
engaged  in  teaching,  at  the  same  time  reading 
law.  In  1857  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
commenced  practice  at  Springfield.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  elected  City  Attorney.  He  had 
for  partners,  at  different  times,  William  H. 
Herndon  (once  a  partner  of  Abraham  Lincoln) 
and  Senator  Shelby  M.  Cullom.  In  1873  he  was 
elected  a  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the  Fifth 
Judicial  Circuit,  and  was  re-elected  in  1879.  In 
1883  President  Arthur  appointed  him  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  Utah,  where  he  has  since  resided,  though 
superseded  by  the  appointment  of  a  successor  by 
President  Cleveland.  At  the  first  State  elec- 
tion in  Utah,  held  in  November,  1895,  he  was 
chosen  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  new  Commonwealth,  but  was  defeated 
for  re-election,  by  his  Democratic  opponent,  in 
1898. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


The  following  matter,  received  too  late  for  insertion  in  the  body  of  this  work,  is  added  in  the  form  of  a  supplement. 


COGHLAJV,  (Capt.)  Joseph  Bullock,  naval 
officer,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and,  at  the  age  of 
15  years,  came  to  Illinois,  living  on  a  farm  for  a 
time  near  Carlyle,  in  Clinton  County.  In  1860  he 
was  appointed  by  his  uncle,  Hon.  Philip  B. 
Fouke — then  a  Representative  in  Congress  from 
the  Belleville  District — to  the  Naval  Academy  at 
Annapolis,  graduating  in  1863,  and  being  pro- 
moted through  the  successive  grades  of  Ensign, 
Master,  Lieutenant,  Lieutenant-Commander,  and 
Commander,  and  serving  upon  various  vessels 
until  Nov.  18,  1893,  when  he  was  commissioned 
Captain  and,  in  1897,  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  battleship  Raleigh,  on  the  Asiatic  Station. 
He  was  thus  connected  with  Admiral  Dewey's 
squadron  at  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish- Ameri- 
can War,  and  took  a  conspicuous  and  brilliant  part 
in  the  affair  in  Manila  Bay,  on  May  1, 1898,  which 
resulted  in  the  destruction  of  the  Spanish  fleet. 
Captain  Coghlan's  connection  with  subsequent 
events  in  the  Philippines  was  in  the  highest 
degree  creditable  to  himself  and  the  country. 
His  vessel  (the  Raleigh)  was  the  first  of  Admiral 
Dewey's  squadron  to  return  home,  coming  by 
way  of  the  Suez  Canal,  in  the  summer  of  1899,  he 
and  his  crew  receiving  an  immense  ovation  on 
their  arrival  in  New  York  harbor. 

CRANE,  (Rev.)  James  Lyons,  clergyman, 
army  chaplain,  was  born  at  Mt.  Eaton,  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  August  30,  1823,  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Cincinnati  in 

1841,  and,  coming  to  Edgar  County,  Illinois,  in 

1842,  attended  a  seminary  at  Paris  some  three 
years.     He  joined  the  Illinois  Conference  in  1846, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  Danville  circuit,  after- 
wards presiding  over  charges  at  Grandview,  Hills- 
boro,  Alton,  Jacksonville,  and  Springfield— at  the 
last  two  points   being  stationed    two   or    more 
times,  besides  serving  as  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Paris,  Danville,  and  Springfield  Districts.     The 
importance  of  the  stations  which  he  filled  during 
his  itinerant  career  served  as  evidence  of  his 
recognized  ability  and  popularity  as  a  preacher. 


In  July,  1861,  he  was  appointed  Chaplain  of  the 
Twenty-first  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  at 
that  time  commanded  by  Ulysses  S.  Grant  as 
Colonel,  and,  although  he  remained  with  the 
regiment  only  a  few  months,  the  friendship  then 
established  between  him  and  the  future  com- 
mander of  the  armies  of  the  Union  lasted  through 
their  lives.  This  was  shown  by  his  appointment 
by  President  Grant,  in  1869,  to  the  position  of 
Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Springfield,  which  came 
to  him  as  a  personal  compliment,  being  re- 
appointed  four  years  afterwards  and  continuing 
in  office  eight  years.  After  retiring  from  tho 
Springfield  postoffice,  he  occupied  charges  at 
Island  Grove  and  Shelby  ville,  his  death  occurring 
at  the  latter  place,  July  29,  1879,  as  the  result  of 
an  attack  of  paralysis  some  two  weeks  previous. 
Mr.  Crane  was  married  in  1847  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Mayo,  daughter  of  Col.  J.  Mayo — a  prominent 
citizen  of  Edgar  County,  at  an  early  day — his 
wife  surviving  him  some  twenty  years.  Rev. 
Charles  A.  Crane  and  Rev.  Frank  Crane,  pastors 
of  prominent  Methodist  churches  in  Boston  and ' 
Chicago,  are  sons  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

DAWES,  Charles  Gates,  Comptroller  of  the 
Treasury,  was  born  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  August  27, 
1865;  graduated  from  Marietta  College  in  1884, 
and  from  the  Cincinnati  Law  School  in  1886; 
worked  at  civil  engineering  during  his  vacations, 
finally  becoming  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Toledo  & 
Ohio  Railroad.  Between  1887  and  1894  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Lincoln,  Neb., 
but  afterwards  became  interested  in  the  gas  busi- 
ness in  various  cities,  including  Evanston,  111., 
which  became  his  home.  In  1896  he  took  a  lead- 
ing part  in  securing  instructions  by  the  Republi- 
can State  Convention  at  Springfield  in  favor  of 
the  nomination  of  Mr.  McKinley  for  the  Presi- 
dency, and  during  the  succeeding  campaign 
served  as  a  member  of  the  National  Republican 
Committee  for  the  State  of  Illinois.  Soon  after 
the  accession  of  President  McKinley,  he  was 
appointed  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury,  a  position 


605 


606 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   ILLINOIS. 


which  he  now  holds.  Mr.  Dawes  is  the  son  of 
R.  B.  Dawes,  a  former  Congressman  from  Ohio, 
and  the  great-grandson  of  Manasseh  Cutler,  who 
was  an  influential  factor  in  the  early  history  of 
the  Northwest  Territory,  and  has  been  credited 
with  exerting  a  strong  influence  in  shaping  and 
securing  the  adoption  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787. 

DISTIN,  (Col.)  William  L.,  former  Depart- 
ment Commander  of  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic for  the  State  of  Illinois,  was  born  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Feb.  9,  1843,  his  father  being  of 
English  descent,  while  his  maternal  grandfather 
was  a  Colonel  of  the  Polish  Lancers  in  the  army 
of  the  first  Napoleon,  who,  after  the  exile  of  his 
leader,  came  to  America,  settling  in  Indiana. 
The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  settled  at 
Keokuk,  Iowa,  where  the  son  grew  to  manhood 
and  in  February,  1863,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Seventeenth  Iowa  Infantry,  having  been  twice 
rejected  previously  on  account  of  physical  ail- 
ment. Soon  after  enlistment  he  was  detailed  for 
provost-marshal  duty,  but  later  took  part  with 
his  regiment  in  the  campaign  in  Alabama.  He 
served  for  a  time  in  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps, 
under  Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  was  subsequently 
detailed  for  duty  on  the  Staff  of  General  Raum, 
and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Resaca  and 
Tilton,  Ga.  Having  been  captured  in  the  latter, 
he  was  imprisoned  successively  at  Jacksonville 
(Ga.),  Montgomery,  Savannah,  and  finally  at 
Andersonville.  From  the  latter  he  succeeded  in 
effecting  his  escape,  but  was  recaptured  and 
returned  to  that  famous  prison-pen.  Having 
escaped  a  second  time  by  assuming  the  name  of 
a  dead  man  and  bribing  the  guard,  he  was  again 
captured  and  imprisoned  at  various  points  in  Mis- 
sissippi until  exchanged  about  the  time  of  the 
assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  He  was  then 
so  weakened  by  his  long  confinement  and  scanty 
fare  that  he  had  to  be  carried  on  board  the 
steamer  on  a  stretcher.  At  this  time  he  narrowly 
escaped  being  on  board  the  steamer  Sultana, 
which  was  blown  up  below  Cairo,  with  2,100 
soldiers  on  board,  a  large  proportion  of  whom  lost 
their  lives.  After  being  mustered  out  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa,  June  28,  1865,  he  was  employed  for  a 
time  on  the  Des  Moines  Valley  Railroad,  and  as  a 
messenger  and  route  agent  of  the  United  States 
Express  Company.  In  1872  he  established  him- 
self in  business  in  Quincy,  111.,  in  which  he 
proved  very  successful.  Here  he  became  prom- 
inent in  local  Grand  Army  circles,  and,  in  1890, 
was  unanimously  elected  Commander  of  the 
Department  of  Illinois.  Previous  to  this  he  had 
been  an  officer  of  the  Illinois  National  Guard,  and 


served  as  Aid-de-Camp,  with  the  rank  of 
Colonel,  on  the  staff  of  Governors  Hamilton, 
Oglesby  and  Fifer.  In  1897  Colonel  Distin  was 
appointed  by  President  McKinley  Surveyor-Gen- 
eral for  the  Territory  of  Alaska,  a  position  which 
(1899)  he  still  holds. 

DUMMER,  Henry  E.,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Hallowell,  Maine,  April  9,  1808,  was  educated  in 
Bowdoin  College,  graduating  there  in  the  class  of 
1827,  after  which  he -took  a  course  in  law  at  Cam- 
bridge Law  School,  and  was  soon  after  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Then,  having  spent  some  two  years 
in  his  native  State,  in  1832  he  removed  to  Illinois, 
settling  first  in  Springfield,  where  he  remained  six 
years,  being  for  a  part  of  the  time  a  partner  of 
John  T.  Stuart,  who  afterwards  became  the  first 
partner  in  law  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Mr.  Dum- 
mer  had  a  brother,  Richard  William  Dummer, 
who  had  preceded  him  to  Illinois,  living  for  a 
time  in  Jacksonville.  In  1838  he  removed  to 
Beardstown,  Cass  County,  which  continued  to  be 
his  horne  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
During  his  residence  there  he  served  as  Alder- 
man, City  Attorney  and  Judge  of  Probate  for 
Cass  County ;  also  represented  Cass  County  in  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1847,  and,  in  1860, 
was  elected  State  Senator  in  the  Twenty-second 
General  Assembly,  serving  four  years.  Mr. 
Dummer  was  an  earnest  Republican,  and  served 
that  party  as  a  delegate  for  the  State-at-large  to 
the  Convention  of  1864,  at  Baltimore,  which 
nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency  a 
second  time.  In  1864  he  removed  to  Jackson- 
ville, and  for  the  next  year  was  the  law  partner 
of  David  A.  Smith,  until  the  death  of  the  latter 
in  1865.  In  the  summer  of  1878  Mr.  Dummer 
went  to  Mackinac,  Mich.,  in  search  of  health,  but 
died  there  August  12  of  that  year. 

ECKELS,  James  H.,  ex-Comptroller  of  the 
Currency,  was  born  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage  at 
Princeton,  111.,  Nov.  22,  1858,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  the  high  school  of  his 
native  town,  graduated  from  the  Law  School  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1881,  and  the  following  year 
began  practice  at  Ottawa,  111.  Here  he  con- 
tinued in  active  practice  until  1893,  when  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Cleveland  Comptroller  of 
the  Currency,  serving  until  May  1,  1898,  when  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  Com- 
mercial National  Bank  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Eckels 
manifested  such  distinguished  ability  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  Comptroller  that  he 
received  the  notable  compliment  of  being 
retained  in  office  by  a  Republican  administration 
more  than  a  year  after  the  retirement  of  Presi- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


607 


dent  Cleveland,  while  his  selection  for  a  place  at 
the  head  of  one  of  the  leading  banking  institu- 
tions of  Chicago  was  a  no  less  marked  recognition 
of  his  abilities  as  a  financier.  He  was  a  Delegate 
from  the  Eleventh  District  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  at  Chicago  in  1892,  and 
repiesented  the  same  district  in  the  Gold  Demo- 
cratic Convention  at  Indianapolis  in  1896,  and 
assisted  in  framing  the  platform  there  adopted — 
which  indicated  his  views  on  the  financial  ques- 
tions involved  in  the  campaign  of  that  year. 

FIELD,  Daniel,  early  merchant,  was  born  in 
Jefferson  County,  Kentucky,  Nov.  30,  1790,  and 
settled  at  Golconda,  111.,  in  1818,  dying  there  in 
1855.  He  was  a  man  of  great  enterprise,  engaged 
in  merchandising,  and  became  a  large  land- 
holder, farmer  and  stock-grower,  and  an  extensive 
shipper  of  stock  and  produce  to  lower  Mississippi 
markets.  He  married  Elizabeth  Dailey  of 
Charleston,  Ind.,  and  raised  a  large  family  of 
children,  one  of  whom,  Philip  D.,  became  Sheriff» 
while  another,  John,  was  County  Judge  of  Pope 
County.  His  daughter,  Maria,  married  Gen. 
Green  B.  Raum,  who  became  prominent  as  a 
soldier  during  the  Civil  War  and,  later,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress  and  Commissioner  of  Internal 
Revenue  and  Pension  Commissioner  in  Wash- 
ington. 

FIELD,  Green  B.,  member  of  a  pioneer  family, 
was  born  within  the  present  limits  of  the  State  of 
Indiana  in  1787,  served  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
War  of  1812,  was  married  in  Bourbon  County, 
Kentucky,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Cogswell,  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  Joseph  Cogswell,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and,  in  1817,  removed  to 
Pope  County,  Illinois,  where  he  laid  off  the  town 
of  Golconda,  which  became  the  county-seat.  He 
served  as  a  Representative  from  Pope  County  in 
the  First  General  Assembly  (1818-20),  and  was 
the  father  of  Juliet  C.  Field,  who  became  the 
wife  of  John  Raum;  of  Edna  Field,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Tarlton  Dunn,  and  of  Green  B.  Field,  who 
was  a  Lieutenant  in  Third  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers  during  the  Mexican  War.  Mr.  Field 
was  the  grandfather  of  Gen.  Green  B.  Raum, 
mentioned  in  the  preceding  paragraph.  He  died 
of  yellow  fever  in  Louisiana  in  1823. 

GALE,  Stephen  Francis,  first  Chicago  book- 
seller and  a  railway  promoter,  was  born  at 
Exeter,  N.  H. ,  March  8,  1812 ;  at  15  years  of  age 
became  clerk  in  a  leading  book-store  in  Boston ; 
came  to  Chicago  in  1835,  and  soon  afterwards 
opened  the  first  book  and  stationery  establish- 
ment in  that  city,  which,  in  after  years,  gained 
an  extensive  trade.  In  1842  the  firm  of  S.  F. 


Gale  &  Co.  was  organized,  but  Mr.  Gale,  having 
become  head  of  the  Chicago  Fire  Department, 
retired  from  business  in  1845.  As  early  as  1846 
he  was  associated  with  W  m.  B.  Ogden  and  John 
B.  Turner  in  the  steps  then  being  taken  to  revive 
the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  (now  a 
part  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern),  and,  in 
conjunction  with  these  gentlemen,  became 
responsible  for  the  means  to  purchase  the  charter 
and  assets  of  the  road  from  the  Eastern  bond- 
holders. Later,  he  engaged  in  the  construction 
of  the  branch  road  from  Turner  Junction  to 
Aurora,  became  President  of  the  line  and  ex- 
tended it  to  Mendota  to  connect  with  the  Illinois 
Central  at  that  Point.  These  roads  afterwards 
became  a  part  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  line.  A  number  of  years  ago  Mr.  Gale 
returned  to  his  old  home  in  New  Hampshire, 
where  he  has  since  resided. 

HAY,  John,  early  settler,  came  to  the  region  of 
Kaskaskia  between  1790  and  1800,  and  became  a 
prominent  citizen  of  St.  Clair  County.  He  was 
selected  as  a  member  of  the  First  Legislative 
Council  of  Indiana  Territory  for  St.  Clair  County 
in  1805.  In  1809  he  was  appointed  Clerk  of  the 
Common  Pleas  Court  of  St.  Clair  County,  and 
was  continued  in  office  after  the  organization  of 
the  State  Government,  serving  until  his  death  at 
Belleville  in  1845. 

HAYS,  John,  pioneer  settler  of  Northwest  Ter- 
ritory, was  a  native  of  New  York,  who  came  to 
Cahokia,  in  the  "Illinois  Country,"  in  1793,  and 
lived  there  the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  early 
life  had  been  spent  in  the  fur-trade  about  Macki- 
nac,  in  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  region  and  about 
the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  During  the  War 
of  1812  he  was  able  to  furnish  Governor  Edwards 
valuable  information  in  reference  to  the  Indians 
in  the  Northwest.  He  filled  the  office  of  Post- 
master at  Cahokia  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was 
Sheriff  of  St.  Clair  County  from  1798  to  1818. 

MOULTON,  (Col.)  George  M.,  soldier  and 
building  contractor,  -was  born  at  Readsburg,  Vt., 
March  15,  1851,  came  early  in  life  to  Chicago,  and 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  By  pro- 
fession he  is  a  contractor  and  builder,  the  firm  of 
which  he  is  a  member  having  been  connected 
with  the  construction  of  a  number  of  large  build-  ' 
ings,  including  some  extensive  grain  elevators. 
Colonel  Moulton  became  a  member  of  the  Second 
Regiment  Illinois  National  Guard  in  June,  1884, 
being  elected  to  the  office  of  Major,  which  he 
retained  until  January,  1893,  when  he  was 
appointed  Inspector  of  Rifle  Practice  on  the  staff 
of  General  Wheeler.  A  year  later  he  was  com- 


608 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


missioned  Colonel  of  the  regiment,  a  position 
which  he  occupied  at  the  time  of  the  call  by  the 
President  for  troops  to  serve  in  the  Spanish- 
American  War  in  April,  1898.  He  promptly 
answered  the  call,  and  was  sworn  into  the  United 
States  service  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  early 
in  May.  The  regiment  was  almost  immediately 
ordered  to  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  remaining  there 
and  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  until  early  in  December, 
when  it  was  transferred  to  Havana,  Cuba.  Here 
he  was  soon  after  appointed  Chief  of  Police  for 
the  city  of  Havana,  remaining  in  office  until  the 
middle  of  January,  1899,  when  he  returned  to  his 
regiment,  then  stationed  at  Camp  Columbia,  near 
the  city  of  Havana.  In  the  latter  part  of  March 
he  returned  with  his  regiment  to  Augusta,  Ga.. 
where  it  was  mustered  out,  April  26,  1899,  one 
year  from  the  date  of  its  arrival  at  Springfield. 
After  leaving  the  service  Colonel  Moulton 
resumed  his  business  as  a  contractor. 

SHERMAN,  Lawrence  Y.,  legislator  and 
Speaker  of  the  Forty -first  General  Assembly,  was 
born  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  Nov.  6,  1858 ;  at  3 
years  of  age  came  to  Illinois,  his  parents  settling 
at  Industry,  McDonough  County.  When  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  10  years  he  went  to  Jasper 
County,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  in  the  law 


department  of  McKendree  College,  graduating 
from  the  latter,  and,  in  1881,  located  at  Macomb, 
McDonough  County.  Here  he  began  his  career 
by  driving  a  team  upon  the  street  in  order  to 
accumulate  means  enabling  him  to  devote  his 
entire  attention  to  his  chosen  profession  of  law. 
He  soon  took  an  active  interest  in  politics,  was 
elected  County  Judge  in  1886,  and,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term,  formed  a  partnership  with 
George  D.  Tunnicliffe  and  D.  G.  Tunnicliffe, 
ex-Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  In  1894  he  was 
a  candidate  for  the  Republican  nomination  for 
Representative  in  the  General  Assembly,  but 
withdrew  to  prevent  a  split  in  the  party;  was 
nominated  and  elected  in  1896,  and  re-elected  in 
1898,  and,  at  the  succeeding  session  of  the 
Forty-first  General  Assembly,  was  nominated 
by  the  Republican  caucus  and  elected  Speaker, 
as  he  was  again  of  the  Forty -second  in  1901. 

VINYABD,  Philip,  early  legislator,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1800,  came  to  Illinois  at  an 
early  day,  and  settled  in  Pope  County,  which  he 
represented  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  Thirteenth 
and  Fourteenth  General  Assemblies.  He  married 
Miss  Matilda  McCoy,  the  daughter  of  a  prominent 
Illinois  pioneer,  and  served  as  Sheriff  of  Pope 
County  for  a  number  of  years.  Died,  at  Gol- 
conda,  in  1862. 


SUPPLEMENT   NO.   II. 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR,  THE.  The  episode 
known  in  history  under  the  name  of  "The  Black 
Hawk  War,"  was  the  most  formidable  conflict 
between  the  whites  and  Indians,  as  well  as  the 
most  far-reaching  in  its  results,  that  ever  oc- 
curred upon  the  soil  of  Illinois.  It  takes  its 
name  from  the  Indian  Chief,  of  the  Sac  tribe, 
Black  Hawk  (Indian  name,  Makatai  Meshekia- 
kiak,  meaning  "Black  Sparrow  Hawk"),  who 
was  the  leader  of  the  hostile  Indian  band  and  a 
principal  factor  in  the  struggle.  Black  Hawk 
had  been  an  ally  of  the  British  during  the  War 
of  1812-15,  served  with  Tecumseh  •when  the  lat- 
ter fell  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames  in  1813,  and, 
after  the  war,  continued  to  maintain  friendly  re- 
lations with  his  "British  father."  The  outbreak 


in  Illinois  had  its  origin  in  the  construction 
put  upon  the  treaty  negotiated  by  Gen.  William 
Henry  Harrison  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians 
on  behalf  of  the  United  States  Government,  No- 
vember 3,  1804,  under  which  the  Indians  trans- 
ferred to  the  Government  nearly  15,000,000  acres 
of  land  comprising  the  region  lying  between  the 
Wisconsin  River  on  the  north,  Fox  River  of  Illi- 
nois on  the  east  and  southeast,  and  the  Mississippi 
on  the  west,  for  which  the  Government  agreed  to 
pay  to  the  confederated  tribes  less  than  $2, 500  in 
goods  and  the  insignificant  sum  of  §1,000  per  an- 
num in  perpetuity.  While  the  validity  of  the 
treaty  was  denied  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  on  the 
ground  that  it  had  originally  been  entered  into  by 
their  chiefs  under  duress,  while  held  as  prisoners 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


609 


under  a  charge  of  murder  at  Jefferson  Barracks, 
during  which  they  had  been  kept  in  a  state  of  con- 
stant intoxication,  it  had  been  repeatedly  reaf- 
firmed by  parts  or  all  of  the  tribe,  especially  in 
1815,  in  1816,  in  1822  and  in  1823,  and  finally  recog- 
nized by  Black  Hawk  himself  in  1831.  The  part  of 
the  treaty  of  1804  which  was  the  immediate  cause 
of  the  disagreement  was  that  which  stipulated 
that,  so  long  as  the  lands  ceded  under  it  remained 
the  property  of  the  United  States  (that  is,  should 
not  be  transferred  to  private  owners),  '  'the  Indians 
belonging  to  the  said  tribes  shall  enjoy  the  priv- 
ilege of  living  or  hunting  upon  them."  Al- 
though these  lands  had  not  been  put  upon  the 
market,  or  even  surveyed,  as  "squatters"  multi- 
plied in  this  region  little  respect  was  paid  to  the 
treaty  rights  of  the  Indians,  particularly  with 
reference  to  those  localities  where,  by  reason  of 
fertility  of  the  soil  or  some  other  natural  advan- 
tage, the  Indians  had  established  something  like 
permanent  homes  and  introduced  a  sort  of  crude 
cultivation.  This  was  especially  the  case  with 
reference  to  the  Sac  village  of  "Saukenuk"  on 
the  north  bank  of  Rock  River  near  its  mouth, 
where  the  Indians,  when  not  absent  on  the  chase, 
had  lived  for  over  a  century,  had  cultivated 
fields  of  corn  and  vegetables  and  had  buried  their 
dead.  In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  it  is 
estimated  that  some  five  hundred  families  had 
been  accustomed  to  congregate  here,  making  it 
the  largest  Indian  village  in  the  West.  As  early 
as  1823  the  encroachments  of  squatters  on  the 
rights  claimed  by  the  Indians  under  the  treaty 
of  1804  began ;  their  fields  were  taken  possession 
of  by  the  intruders,  their  lodges  liurned  and  their 
women  and  children  whipped  and  driven  away 
during  the  absence  of  the  men  on  their  annual 
hunts.  The  dangers  resulting  from  these  con- 
flicts led  Governor  Edwards,  as  early  as  1828,  to 
demand  of  the  General  Government  the  expul- 
sion of  the  Indians  from  Illinois,  which  resulted 
in  an  order  from  President  Jackson  in  1829  for 
their  removal  west  of  the  Mississippi.  On  appli- 
cation of  Col.  George  Davenport,  a  trader  of 
much  influence  with  the  Indians,  the  time  was 
extended  to  April  1,  1830.  During  the  preceding 
year  Colonel  Davenport  and  the  firm  of  Davenport 
and  Farnham  bought  from  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment most  of  the  lands  on  Rock  River  occupied 
by  Black  Hawk's  band,  with  the  intention,  as  has 
been  claimed,  of  permitting  the  Indians  to  remain. 
This  was  not  so  understood  by  Black  Hawk,  who 
was  greatly  incensed,  although  Davenport  offered 
to  take  other  lands  from  the  Government  in  ex- 
change or  cancel  the  sale  —  an  arrangement  to 


which  President  Jackson  would  not  consent.  On 
their  return  in  the  spring  of  1830,  the  Indians 
found  whites  in  possession  of  their  village.  Pre- 
vented from  cultivating  their  fields,  and  their 
annual  hunt  proving  unsuccessful,  the  following 
winter  proved  for  them  one  of  great  hardship. 
Black  Hawk,  having  made  a  visit  to  his  ' '  British 
father"  (the  British  Agent)  at  Maiden,  Canada, 
claimed  to  have  received  words  of  sympathy  and 
encouragement,  which  induced  him  to  determine 
to  regain  possession  of  their  fields.  In  this  he 
was  encouraged  by  Neapope,  his  second  in  com- 
mand, and  by  assurance  of  support  from  White 
Cloud,  a  half  Sac  and  half  Winnebago —  known 
also  as  "  The  Prophet "  —  whose  village  (Prophet's? 
Town)  was  some  forty  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  Rock  River,  and  through  whom  Black  Hawk 
claimed  to  have  received  promises  of  aid  in  guns, 
ammunition  and  provisions  from  the  British* 
The  reappearance  of  Black  Hawk's  band  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  old  haunts,  in  the  spring  of  1831, 
produced  a  wild  panic  among  the  frontier  settlers. 
Messages  were  hurried  to  Governor  Reynolds, 
who  had  succeeded  Governor  Edwards  in  De- 
cember previous,  appealing  for  protection  against 
the  savages.  The  Governor  issued  a  call  for  700 
volunteers  "  to  remove  the  band  of  Sac  Indians  " 
at  Rock  Island  beyond  the  Mississippi.  Al- 
though Gen.  E.  P.  Gaines  of  the  regular  army, 
commanding  the  military  district,  thought  the 
regulars  sufficiently  strong  to  cope  with  the  situa- 
tion, the  Governor's  proclamation  was  responded 
to  by  more  than  twice  the  number  called  for. 
The  volunteers  assembled  early  in  June,  1831,  at 
Beardstown,  the  place  of  rendezvous  named  in 
the  call,  and  having  been  organized  into  two  regi- 
ments under  command  of  Col.  James  D.  Henry  and 
Col.  Daniel  Lieb,  with  a  spy  battalion  under  Gen. 
Joseph  Duncan,  marched  across  the  country  and, 
after  effecting  a  junction  with  General  Gaines' 
regulars,  appeared  before  Black  Hawk's  village  on 
the  25th  of  June.  In  the  meantime  General 
Gaines,  having  learned  that  the  Pottawatomies, 
Winnebagos  and  Kickapoos  had  promised  to  join 
the  Sacs  in  their  uprising,  asked  the  assistance  of 
the  battalion  of  mounted  men  previously  offered 
by  Governor  Reynolds.  The  combined  armies 
amounted  to  2,500  men,  while  the  fighting  force 
of  the  Indians  was  300.  Finding  himself  over- 
whelmingly outnumbered,  Black  Hawk  withdrew 
under  cover  of  night  to  the  west  side  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. After  burning  the  village,  General  Gaines 
notified  Black  Hawk  of  his  intention  to  pursue 
and  attack  his  band,  which  had  the  effect  to 
bring  the  fugitive  chief  to  the  General's  head- 


CIO 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


quarters,  where,  on  June  30,  a  new  treaty  was 
entered  into  by  which  he  bound  himself  and  his 
people  to  remain  west  of  the  Mississippi  unless 
permitted  to  return  by  the  United  States.  This 
ended  the  campaign,  and  the  volunteers  returned 
to  their  homes,  although  the  affair  had  produced 
an  intense  excitement  along  the  whole  frontier, 
and  involved  a  heavy  expense. 

The  next  winter  was  spent  by  Black  Hawk  and 
his  band  on  the  site  of  old  Fort  Madison,  in  the 
present  State  of  Iowa.  Dissatisfied  and  humil- 
iated by  his  repulse  of  the  previous  year,  in  disre- 
gard of  his  pledge  to  General  Gaines,  on  April  6, 
1832,  at  the  head  of  500  warriors  and  their  fam- 
ilies, he  again  crossed  the  Mississippi  at  Yel- 
low Banks  about  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Oquawka,  fifty  miles  below  Rock  Island,  with  the 
intention,  as  claimed,  if  not  permitted  to  stop  at 
his  old  village,  to  proceed  to  the  Prophet's  Town 
and  raise  a  crop  with  the  Winnebagoes.  Here  he 
was  met  by  The  Prophet  with  renewed  assurances 
of  aid  from  the  Winnebagoes,  which  was  still 
further  strengthened  by  promises  from  the  Brit- 
ish Agent  received  through  a  visit  by  Neapope  to 
Maiden  the  previous  autumn.  An  incident  of  this 
invasion  was  the  effective  warning  given  to  the 
white  settlers  by  Shabona,  a  friendly  Ottawa 
chief,  which  probably  had  the  effect  to  prevent 
a  widespread  massacre.  Besides  the  towns  of 
Galena  and  Chicago,  the  settlements  in  Illinois 
north  of  Fort  Clark  (Peoria)  were  limited  to  some 
thirty  families  on  Bureau  Creek  with  a  few 
cabins  at  Hennepin,  Peru,  LaSalle,  Ottawa,  In- 
dian Creek,  Dixon,  Kellogg's  Grove,  Apple  Creek, 
and  a  few  other  points.  Gen.  Henry  Atkinson, 
commanding  the  regulars  at  Fort  Armstrong 
(Rock  Island),  having  learned  of  the  arrival  of 
Black  Hawk  a  week  after  he  crossed  the  Missis- 
sippi, at  once  took  steps  to  notify  Governor  Rey- 
nolds of  the  situation  with  a  requisition  for  an 
adequate  force  of  militia  to  cooperate  with  the 
regulars.  Under  date  of  April  16,  1832,  the  Gov- 
ernor issued  his  call  for  '  'a  strong  detachment  of 
militia,"  to  meet  by  April  22,  Beardstown  again 
being  named  as  a  place  of  rendezvous.  The  call 
resulted  in  the  assembling  of  a  force  which  was 
organized  into  four  regiments  under  command  of 
Cols.  John  DeWitt,  Jacob  Fry,  John  Thomas  and 
Samuel  M.  Thompson,  together  with  a  spy  bat- 
talion under  Maj.  James  D.  Henry,  an  odd  bat- 
talion under  Maj.  Thomas  James  and  a  foot 
battalion  under  Maj.  Thomas  Long.  To  these  were 
subsequently  added  two  independent  battalions 
of  mounted  men,  under  command  of  Majors 
Isaiah  Stillman  and  David  Bailey,  which  were 


finally  consolidated  as  the  Fifth  Regiment  under 
command  of  Col.  James  Johnson.  The  organiza- 
tion of  the  first  four  regiments  at  Beardstown 
was  completed  by  April  27,  and  the  force  under 
command  of  Brigadier-General  Whiteside  (but 
accompanied  by  Governor  Reynolds,  who  was 
allowed  pay  as  Major  General  by  the  General 
Government)  began  its  march  to  Fort  Armstrong, 
arriving  there  May  7  and  being  mustered  into  the 
Uni  ted  States  service.  Among  others  accompany- 
ing the  expedition  who  were  then,  or  afterwards 
became,  noted  citizens  of  the  State,  were  Vital 
Jarrot,  Adjutant-General;  Cyrus  Edwards,  Ord- 
nance Officer;  Murray  McConnel,  Staff  Officer, 
and  Abraham  Lincoln,  Captain  of  a  company  of 
volunteers  from  Sangamon  County  in  the  Fourth 
Regiment.  Col.  Zachary  Taylor,  then  commander 
of  a  regiment  of  regulars,  arrived  at  Fort  Arm- 
strong about  the  same  time  with  reinforcements 
from  Fort  Leaven  worth  and  Fort  Crawford.  The 
total  force  of  militia  amounted  to  1,935  men,  and 
of  regulars  about  1,000.  An  interesting  story  is 
told  concerning  a  speech  delivered  to  the  volun- 
teers by  Colonel  Taylor  about  this  time.  After 
reminding  them  of  their  duty  to  obey  an  order 
promptly,  the  future  hero  of  the  Mexican  War 
added:  "  The  safety  of  all  depends  upon  the  obe- 
dience and  courage  of  all.  You  are  citizen  sol- 
diers; some  of  you  may  fill  high  offices,  or  even  be 
Presidents  some  day — but  not  if  you  refuse  to  do 
your  duty.  Forward,  march!"  A  curious  com- 
mentary upon  this  speech  is  furnished  in  the  fact 
that,  while  Taylor  himself  afterwards  became 
President,  at  least  one  of  his  hearers — a  volunteer 
who  probably  then  had  no  aspiration  to  that  dis- 
tinction (Abraham  Lincoln) — reached  the  same 
position  during  the  most  dramatic  period  in  the 
nation's  history. 

Two  days  after  the  arrival  at  Fort  Armstrong, 
the  advance  up  Rock  River  began,  the  main  force 
of  the  volunteers  proceeding  by  land  under  Gen- 
eral Whiteside,  while  General  Atkinson,  with 
400  regular  and  300  volunteer  foot  soldiers,  pro- 
ceeded by  boat,  carrying  with  him  the  artillery, 
provisions  and  bulk  of  the  baggage.  Whiteside, 
advancing  by  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  was  the 
first  to  arrive  at  the  Prophet's  Town,  which, 
finding  deserted,  he  pushed  on  to  Dixon's  Ferry 
(now  Dixon),  where  he  arrived  May  12.  Here  he 
found  the  independent  battalions  of  Stillman  and 
Bailey  with  ammunition  and  supplies  of  which 
Whiteside  stood  in  need.  The  mounted  battalions 
under  command  of  Major  Stillman,  having  been 
sent  forward  by  Whiteside  as  a  scouting  party, 
left  Dixon  on  the  13th  and,  on  the  afternoon  of 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


611 


the  next  day,  went  into  camp  in  a  strong  position 
near  the  mouth  of  Sycamore  Creek.  As  soon  dis- 
covered, Black  Hawk  was  in  camp  at  the  same 
time,  as  he  afterwards  claimed,  with  about  forty 
of  his  braves,  on  Sycamore  Creek,  three  miles 
distant,  while  the  greater  part  of  his  band  were  en- 
camped with  the  more  war-like  faction  of  the  Pot- 
tawatomies  some  seven  miles  farther  north  on  the 
Kishwaukee  River.  As  claimed  by  Black  Hawk 
in  his  autobiography,  having  been  disappointed  in 
his  expectation  of  forming  an  alliance  with  the 
Winnebagoes  and  the  Pottawatomies,  he  had  at 
this  juncture  determined  to  return  to  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi.  Hearing  of  the  arrival  of 
Stillman's  command  in  the  vicinity,  and  taking 
it  for  granted  that  this  was  the  whole  of  Atkin- 
son's command,  he  sent  out  three  of  his  young 
men  with  a  white  flag,  to  arrange  a  parley  and 
convey  to  Atkinson  his  offer  to  meet  the  latter  in 
council.  These  were  captured  by  some  of  Still- 
man's band  regardless  of  their  flag  of  truce,  while 
a  party  of  five  other  braves  who  followed  to  ob- 
serve the  treatment  received  by  the  flagbearers, 
were  attacked  and  two  of  their  number  killed,  the 
the  other  three  escaping  to  their  camp.  Black 
Hawk  learning  the  fate  of  his  truce  party  was 
aroused  to  the  fiercest  indignation.  Tearing  the 
flag  to  pieces  with  which  he  had  intended  to  go 
into  council  with  the  whites,  and  appealing  to  his 
followers  to  avenge  the  murder  of  their  comrades, 
he  prepared  for  the  attack.  The  rangers  num- 
bered 275  men,  while  Black  Hawk's  band  has  been 
estimated  at  less  than  forty.  As  the  rangers 
caught  sight  of  the  Indians,  they  rushed  forward 
in  pell-mell  fashion.  Retiring  behind  a  fringe 
of  bushes,  the  Indians  awaited  the  attack.  As 
the  rangers  approached,  Black  Hawk  and  his 
party  rose  up  with  a  war  whoop,  at  the  same  time 
opening  fire  on  their  assailants.  The  further 
history  of  the  affair  was  as  much  of  a  disgrace  to 
Stillman's  command  as  had  been  their  desecra- 
tion of  the  flag  of  truce.  Thrown  into  panic  by 
their  reception  by  Black  Hawk's  little  band,  the 
rangers  turned  and,  without  firing  a  shot,  began 
the  retreat,  dashing  through  their  own  camp  and 
abandoning  everything,  which  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Indians.  An  attempt  was  made  by  one  or 
two  officers  and  a  few  of  their  men  to  check  the 
retreat,  but  without  success,  the  bulk  of  the  fu- 
gitives continuing  their  mad  rush  for  safety 
through  the  night  until  they  reached  Dixon, 
twenty-five  miles  distant,  while  many  never 
stopped  until  they  reached  their  homes,  forty 
or  fifty  miles  distant.  The  casualties  to  the 
rangers  amounted  to  eleven  killed  and  two 


wounded,  while  the  Indian  loss  consisted  of  two 
spies  and  one  of  the  flag-bearers,  treacherously 
killed  near  Stillman's  camp.  This  ill-starred  af- 
fair, which  has  passed  into  history  as  "Stillman's 
defeat, "  produced  a  general  panic  along  the  fron- 
tier by  inducing  an  exaggerated  estimate  of  the 
strength  of  the  Indian  force,  while  it  led  Black 
Hawk  to  form  a  poor  opinion  of  the  courage  of 
the  white  troops  at  the  same  time  that  it  led  to 
an  exalted  estimate  of  the  prowess  of  his  own 
little  band — thus  becoming  an  important  factor 
in  prolonging  the  war  and  in  the  bloody  massacres 
which  followed.  Whiteside,  with  his  force  of 
1,400  men,  advanced  to  the  scene  of  the  defeat 
the  next  day  and  buried  the  dead,  while  on  the 
19th,  Atkinson,  with  his  force  of  regulars,  pro- 
ceeded up  Rock  River,  leaving  the  remnant  of 
Stillman's  force  to  guard  the  wounded  and  sup- 
plies at  Dixon.  No  sooner  had  he  left  than  the 
demoralized  fugitives  of  a  few  days  before  de- 
serted their  post  for  their  homes,  compelling  At- 
kinson to  return  for  the  protection  of  his  base  of 
supplies,  while  Whiteside  was  ordered  to  follow 
the  trail  of  Black  Hawk  who  had  started  up  the 
Kishwaukee  for  the  swamps  about  Lake  Kosh- 
konong,  nearly  west  of  Milwaukee  within  the 
present  State  of  Wisconsin. 

At  this  point  the  really  active  stage  of  the 
campaign  began.  Black  Hawk,  leaving  the 
women  and  children  of  his  band  in  the  fastnesses 
of  the  swamps,  divided  his  followers  into  two 
bands,  retaining  about  200  under  his  own  com- 
mand, while  the  notorious  half-breed,  Mike  Girty, 
led  a  band  of  one  hundred  renegadePottawatomies. 
Returning  to  the  vicinity  of  Rock  Island,  he 
gathered  some  recruits  from  the  Pottawatomies 
and  Winnebagoes,  and  the  work  of  rapine  and 
massacre  among  the  frontier  settlers  began.  One 
of  the  most  notable  of  these  was  the  Indian 
Creek  Massacre  in  LaSalle  County,  about  twelve 
miles  north  of  Ottawa,  on  May  21,  when  sixteen 
persons  were  killed  at  the  Home  of  William 
Davis,  and  two  young  girls — Sylvia  and  Rachel 
Hall,  aged,  respectively,  17  and  15  years — were 
carried  away  captives.  The  girls  were  subse- 
quently released,  having  been  ransomed  for  $2,000 
in  horses  and  trinkets  through  a  Winnebago 
Chief  and  surrendered  to  sub-agent  Henry 
Gratiot,  Great  as  was  the  emergency  at  this 
juncture,  the  volunteers  began  to  manifest  evi- 
dence of  dissatisfaction  and,  claiming  that  they 
had  served  out  their  term  of  enlistment,  refused 
to  follow  the  Indians  into  the  swamps  of  Wis 
consin.  As  the  result  of  a  council  of  war,  the 
volunteers  were  ordered  to  Ottawa,  where  they 


612 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


were  mustered  out  on  May  28,  by  Lieut.  Robt. 
Anderson,  afterwards  General  Anderson  of  Fort 
Sumter  fame.  Meanwhile  Governor  Reynolds  had 
issued  his  call  (with  that  of  1831  the  third,)  for 
2,000  men  to  serve  during  the  war.  Gen. 
Winfield  Scott  was  also  ordered  from  the  East 
with  1,000  regulars  although,  owing  to  cholera 
breaking  out  among  the  troops,  they  did  not 
arrive  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  campaign.  The 
rank  and  file  of  volunteers  responding  under  the 
new  call  was  3,148,  with  recruits  and  regulars 
then  in  Illinois  making  an  army  of  4,000.  Pend- 
ing the  arrival  of  the  troops  under  the  new  call, 
and  to  meet  an  immediate  emergency,  300  men 
were  enlisted  from  the  disbanded  rangers  for  a 
period  of  twenty  days,  and  organized  into  a 
regiment  under  command  .of  Col.  Jacob  Fry, 
with  James  D.  Henry  as  Lieutenant  Colonel  and 
John  Thomas  as  Major.  Among  those  who  en- 
listed as  privates  in  this  regiment  were  Brig.- 
Gen.  Whiteside  and  Capt.  Abraham  Lincoln.  A 
regiment  of  five  companies,  numbering  195  men, 
from  Putnam  County  under  command  of  Col. 
John  Strawn,  and  another  of  eight  companies 
from  Vermilion  County  under  Col.  Isaac  R. 
Moore,  were  organized  and  assigned  to  guard 
duty  for  a  period  of  twenty  days. 

The  new  volunteers  were  rendezvoused  at  Fort 
Wilbourn,  nearly  opposite  Peru,  June  15,  and 
organized  into  three  brigades,  each  consisting  of 
three  regiments  and  a  spy  battalion.  The  First 
Brigade  (915  strong)  was  placed  under  command 
of  Brig. -Gen.  Alexander  Posey,  the  Second 
under  Gen.  Milton  K.  Alexander,  and  the  third 
under  Gen.  James  D.  Henry.  Others  who  served 
as  officers  in  some  of  these  several  organizations, 
and  afterwards  became  prominent  in  State  his- 
tory, were  Lieut. -Col.  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  of  the 
Vermilion  County  regiment ;  John  A.  McClern- 
and,  on  the  staff  of  General  Posey ;  Maj.  John 
Dement ;  then  State  Treasurer ;  Stinson  H.  Ander- 
son, afterwards  Lieutenant-Governor;  Lieut.- 
Gov.  Zadoc  Casey;  Maj.,  William  McHenry; 
Sidney  Breese  (afterwards  Judge  of  the  State 
Supreme  Court  and  United  States  Senator) ;  W. 
ii.  D.  Ewing  (as  Major  of  a  spy  battalion,  after- 
wards United  States  Senator  and  State  Auditor) ; 
Alexander  W.  Jenkins  (afterwards  Lieutenant- 
Governor)  ;  James  W.  Semple  (afterwards  United 
States  Senator) ;  and  William  WTeatherford  (after- 
wards a  Colonel  in  the  Mexican  War),  and  many 
more.  Of  the  Illinois  troops,  Posey's  brigade 
was  assigned  to  the  duty  of  dispersing  the  Indians 
between  Galena  and  Rock  River,  Alexander's  sent 
to  intercept  Black  Hawk  up  the  Rock  River, 


while  Henry's  remained  with  Gen.  Atkinson  at 
Dixon.  During  the  next  two  weeks  engage- 
ments of  a  more  or  less  serious  character  were 
had  on  the  Pecatonica  on  the  southern  border  of 
the  present  State  of  Wisconsin ;  at  Apple  River 
Fort  fourteen  miles  east  of  Galena,  which  was 
successfully  defended  against  a  force  under  Black 
Hawk  himself,  and  at  Kellogg's  Grove  the  next 
day  (June  25),  when  the  same  band  ambushed 
Maj.  Dement's  spy  battalion,  and  came  near  in- 
flicting a  defeat,  which  was  prevented  by 
Dement's  coolness  and  the  timely  arrival  of  re- 
inforcements. In  the  latter  engagement  the 
whites  lost  five  killed  besides  47  horses  which  had 
been  tethered  outside  their  lines,  the  loss  of  the 
Indians  being  sixteen  killed.  Skirmishes  also 
occurred  with  varying  results,  at  Plum  River 
Fort,  Burr  Oak  Grove,  Sinsiniwa  and  Blue 
Mounds — the  last  two  within  the  present  State  of 
Wisconsin. 

Believing  the  bulk  of  the  Indians  to  be  camped 
in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Koshkonong,  General 
Atkinson  left  Dixon  June  27  with  a  combined 
force  of  regulars  and  volunteers  numbering  2,600 
men — the  volunteers  being  under  the  command 
of  General  Henry.  They  reached  the  outlet  of  the 
Lake  July  2,  but  found  no  Indians,  being  joined 
two  days  later  by  General  Alexander's  brigade,  and 
on  the  6th  by  Gen.  Posey's.  From  here  the  com- 
mands of  Generals  Henry  and  Alexander  were 
sent  for  supplies  to  Fort  Winnebago,  at  the  Port- 
age of  the  Wisconsin ;  Colonel  Ewing,  with  the 
Second  Regiment  of  Posey's  brigade  descending 
Rock  River  to  Dixon,  Posey  with  the  remainder, 
going  to  Fort  Hamilton  for  the  protection  of 
settlers  in  the  lead-mining  region,  while  Atkin- 
son, advancing  with  the  regulars  up  Lake  Koshko- 
nong, began  the  erection  of  temporary  fortifica- 
tions on  Bark  River  near  the  site  of  the  present 
village  of  Fort  Atkinson.  At  Fort  Winnebago 
Alexander  and  Henry  obtained  evidence  of  the 
actual  location  of  Black  Hawk's  camp  through 
Pierre  Poquette,  a  half-breed  scout  and  trader 
in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company, 
whom  they  employed  with  a  number  of  Winne- 
bagos  to  act  as  guides.  From  this  point  Alex- 
ander's command  returned  to  General  Atkinson's 
headquarters,  carrying  with  them  twelve  day's 
provisions  for  the  main  army,  while  General 
Henry's  (600  strong),  with  Major  Dodge's  battalion 
numbering  150,  with  an  equal  quantity  of  supplies 
for  themselves,  started  under  the  guidance  of 
Poquette  and  his  Winnebago  aids  to  find  Black 
Hawk's  camp.  Arriving  on  the  18th  at  the 
Winnebago  village  on  Rock  River  where  Black 


HISTOBICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


613 


Hawk  and  his  band  had  been  located,  their  camp 
was  found  deserted,  the  Winiiebagos  insisting 
that  they  had  gone  to  Cranberry  ( now  Horicon) 
Lake,  a  half-day's  march  up  the  river.  Messen- 
gers were  immediately  dispatched  to  Atkinson's 
headquarters,  thirty-five  miles  distant,  to  ap- 
prise him  of  this  fact.  When  they  had  proceeded 
about  half  the  distance,  they  struck  a  broad, 
fresh  trail,  which  proved  to  be  that  of  Black 
Hawk's  bund  headed  westward  toward  the  Mis- 
sissippi. The  guide  having  deserted  them  in 
order  to  warn  his  tribesmen  that  further  dis- 
sembling to  deceive  the  whites  as  to 
the  whereabouts  of  the  Sacs  was  use- 
less, the  messengers  were  compelled  to  follow 
him  to  General  Henry's  camp.  The  discovery  pro- 
duced the  wildest  enthusiasm  among  the  volun- 
teers, and  from  this  time-events  followed  in  rapid 
succession.  Leaving  as  far  as  possible  all  incum- 
brances  behind,  the  pursuit  of  the  fugitives  was 
begun  without  delay,  the  troops  wading  through 
swamps  sometimes  in  water  to  their  armpits. 
Soon  evidence  of  the  character  of  the  flight  the 
Indians  were  making,  in  the  shape  of  exhausted 
horses,  blankets,  and  camp  equipage  cast  aside 
along  the  trail,  began  to  appear,  and  straggling 
bands  of  Winnebagos,  who  had  now  begun  to 
desert  Black  Hawk,  gave  information  that  the 
Indians  were  only  a  few  miles  in  advance.  On 
the  evening  of  the  20th  of  July  Henry's  forces 
encamped  at  "The  Four  Lakes,"  the  present 
site  of  the  city  of  Madison,  Wis. ,  Black  Hawk's 
force  lying  in  ambush  the  same  night  seven  or 
eight  miles  distant.  During  the  next  afternoon 
the  rear-guard  of  the  Indians  under  Neapope  was 
overtaken  and  skirmishing  continued  until  the 
bluffs  of  the  Wisconsin  were  reached.  Black 
Hawk's  avowed  object  was  to  protect  the  passage 
of  the  main  body  of  his  people  across  the  stream. 
The  loss  of  the  Indians  in  these  skirmishes  has 
been  estimated  at  40  to  68,  while  Black  Hawk 
claimed  that  it  was  only  six  killed,  the  loss  of 
the  whites  being  one  killed  and  eight  wounded. 
During  the  night  Black  Hawk  succeeded  in 
placing  a  considerable  number  of  the  women  and 
children  and  old  men  on  a  raft  and  in  canoes 
obtained  from  the  Winnebagos,  and  sent  them 
down  the  river,  believing  that,  as  non-combat- 
ants, they  would  be  permitted  by  the  regulars 
to  pass  Fort  Crawford,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wis- 
consin, undisturbed.  In  this  he  was  mistaken. 
A  force  sent  from  the  fort  under  Colonel  Ritner  to 
intercept  them,  fired  mercilessly  upon  the  help- 
less fugitives,  killing  fifteen  of  their  number, 
while  about  fifty  were  drowned  and  thirty-two 


women  and  children  made  prisoners.  The  re- 
mainder, escaping  into  the  woods,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions died  from  starvation  and  exposure,  or 
were  massacred  by  their  enemies,  the  Menomi- 
nees,  acting  under  white  officers.  During  the 
night  after  the  battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights,  a 
loud,  shrill  voice  of  some  one  speaking  in  an  un- 
known tongue  was  heard  in  the  direction  where 
Black  Hawk's  band  was  supposed  to  be.  This 
caused  something  of  a  panic  in  Henry's  camp,  as 
it  was  supposed  to  come  from  some  one  giving 
orders  for  an  attack.  It  was  afterwards  learned 
that  the  speaker  was  Neapope  speaking  in  the 
Winnebago  language  in  the  hope  that  he  might 
be  heard  by  Poquette  and  the  Winnebago  guides. 
He  was  describing  the  helpless  condition  of  his 
people,  claiming  that  the  war  had  been  forced 
upon  them,  that  their  women  and  children  were 
starving!  and  that,  if  permitted  peacefully  to  re- 
cross  the  Mississippi,  they  would  give  no  further 
trouble.  Unfortunately  Poquette  and  the  other 
guides  had  left  for  Fort  Winnebago,  so  that  no 
one  was  there  to  translate  Neapope's  appeal  and 
it  failed  of  its  object. 

General  Henry 's  force  having  discovered  that  the 
Indians  had  escaped — Black  Hawk  heading  with 
the  bulk  of  his  warriors  towards  the  Mississippi — 
spent  the  next  and  day  night  on  the  field,  but  on 
the  following  day  (July  23)  started  to  meet  General 
Atkinson,  who  had,  in  the  meantime,  been  noti- 
fied of  the  pursuit.  The  head  of  their  columns 
met  at  Blue  Mounds,  the  same  evening,  a  com- 
plete junction  between  the  regulars  and  the 
volunteers  being  effected  at  Helena,  a  deserted 
village  on  the  Wisconsin.  Here  by  using  the 
logs  of  the  desei'ted  cabins  for  rafts,  the  army 
crossed  the  river  on  the  27th  and  the  28th  and  the 
pursuit  of  black  Hawk's  fugitive  band  was  re- 
newed. Evidence  of  their  famishing  condition 
\vas  found  in  the  trees  stripped  of  bark  for  food; 
the  carcasses  of  dead  ponies,  with  here  and  there 
the  dead  body  of  an  Indian. 

On  August  1,  Black  Hawk's  depleted  and  famish- 
ing band  reached  the  Mississippi  two  miles  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Bad  Ax,  an  insignificant 
stream,  and  immediately  began  trying  to  cross 
the  river ;  but  having  only  two  or  three  canoes, 
the  work  was  slow.  About  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  the  steam  transport,  "Warrior,"  ap- 
peared on  the  scene,  having  on  board  a  score  of 
regulars  and  volunteers,  returning  from  a  visit 
to  the  village  of  the  Sioux  Chief,  Wabasha,  to 
notify  him  that  his  old  enemies,  the  Sacs,  were 
headed  in  that  direction.  Black  Hawk  raised  the 
white  flag  in  token  of  surrender  P  but  the  officer 


614 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


in  command  claiming  that  he  feared  treachery  or 
an  ambush,  demanded  that  Black  Hawk  should 
come  on  board.  This  he  was  unable  to  do,  as  he 
had  no  canoe.  After  waiting  a  few  minutes  a 
murderous  fire  of  canister  and  musketry  was 
opened  from  the  steamer  on  the  few  Indians  on 
shore,  who  made  such  feeble  resistance  as  they 
were  able.  The  result  was  the  killing  of  one 
white  man  and  twenty-three  Indians.  After  this 
exploit  the  "Warrior"  proceeded  to  Prairie  du 
Chien,  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  distant,  for  fuel. 
During  the  night  a  few  more  of  the  Indians 
crossed  the  river,  but  Black  Hawk,  seeing  the 
hopelessness  of  further  resistance,  accompanied 
by  the  Prophet,  and  taking  with  him  a  party  of 
ten  warriors  and  thirty -five  squaws  and  children, 
fled  in  the  direction  of  "the  dells"  of  the  Wis- 
consin. On  the  morningof  the  3d  General  Atkinson 
arrived  within  four  or  five  miles  of  the  Sac 
position.  Disposing  his  forces  with  the  regulars 
and  Colonel  Dodge's  rangersin  the  center, the  brig- 
ades of  Posey  and  Alexander  on  the  right  and 
Henry's  on  the  left,  he  began  the  pursuit,  but 
was  drawn  by  the  Indian  decoys  up  the  river 
from  the  place  where  the  main  body  of  the 
Indians  were  trying  to  cross  the  stream.  This 
had  the  effect  of  leaving  General  Henry  in  the  rear 
practically  without  orders,  but  it  became  the 
means  of  making  his  command  the  prime  factors 
in  the  climax  which  followed.  Some  of  the  spies 
attached  to  Henry's  command  having  accidental- 
ly discovered  the  trail  of  the  main  body  of  the  fu- 
gitives, he  began  the  pursuit  without  waiting  for 
orders  and  soon  found  himself  engaged  with  some 
300  savages,  a  force  nearly  equal  to  his  own.  It 
was  here  that  the  only  thing  like  a  regular  battle 
occurred.  The  savages  fought  with  the  fury  of 
despair,  while  Henry's  force  was  no  doubt  nerved 
to  greater  deeds  of  courage  by  the  insult  which 
they  conceived  had  been  put  upon  them  by  Gen- 
eral Atkinson.  Atkinson,  hearing  the  battle  in 
progress  and  discovering  that  he  was  being  led 
off  on  a  false  scent,  soon  joined  Henry's  force 
with  his  main  army,  and  the  steamer  "  Warrior," 
arriving  from  Prairie  du  Chien,  opened  a  fire  of 
canister  upon  the  pent-up  Indians.  The  battle 
soon  degenerated  into  a  massacre.  In  the  course 
of  the  three  hours  through  which  it  lasted,  it  is  es- 
timated that  150  Indians  were  killed  by  fire  from 
the  troops,  an  equal  number  of  both  sexes  and 
all  ages  drowned  while  attempting  to  cross  the 
river  or  by  being  driven  into  it,  while  about  50 
(chiefly  women  and  children)  were  made  prison- 
ers. The  loss  of  the  whites  was  20  killed  and  13 
wounded.  When  the  "battle"  was  nearing  its 


close  it  is  said  that  Black  Hawk,  having  repented 
the  abandonment  of  his  people,  returned  within 
sight  of  the  battle-ground,  but  seeing  the  slaugh- 
ter in  progress  which  he  was  powerless  to  avert,  he 
turned  and,  with  a  howl  of  rage  and  horror,  fled 
into  the  forest.  About  300  Indians  (mostly  non- 
combatants)  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river  in  a 
condition  of  exhaustion  from  hunger  and  fatigue, 
but  these  were  set  upon  by  the  Sioux  under  Chief 
Wabasha,  through  the  suggestion  and  agency  of 
General  Atkinson,  and  nearly  one-half  their  num- 
ber exterminated.  Of  the  remainder  many  died 
from  wounds  and  exhaustion,  while  still  others 
perished  while  attempting  to  reach  Keokuk's  band 
who  had  refused  to  join  in  Black  Hawk's  desper- 
ate venture.  Of  one  thousand  who  crossed  to  the 
east  side  of  the  river  with  Black  Hawk  in  April, 
it  is  estimated  that  not  more  than  150  survived 
the  tragic  events  of  the  next  four  months. 

General  Scott,  having  arrived  at  Prairie  du  Chien 
early  in  August,  assumed  command  and,  on 
August  15,  mustered  out  the  volunteers  at  Dixon, 
111.  After  witnessing  the  bloody  climax  at  the 
Bad  Axe  of  his  ill-starred  invasion,  Black  Hawk 
fled  to  the  dells  of  the  Wisconsin,  where  he  and 
the  Prophet  surrendered  themselves  to  the  Win. 
nebagos,  by  whom  they  were  delivered  to  the 
Indian  Agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  Having  been 
taken  to  Fort  Armstrong  on  September  21,  he 
there  signed  a  treaty  of  peace.  Later  he  was 
taken  to  Jefferson  Barracks  (near  St.  Louis)  in 
the  custody  of  Jefferson  Davis,  then  a  Lieutenant 
in  the  regular  army,  where  he  was  held  a  captive 
during  the  following  winter.  The  connection  of 
Davis  with  the  Black  Hawk  War,  mentioned  by 
many  historians,  seems  to  have  been  confined  to 
this  act.  In  April,  1833,  with  the  Prophet  and 
Neapope,  he  was  taken  to  Washington  and  then 
to  Fortress  Monroe,  where  they  were  detained  as 
prisoners  of  war  until  June  4,  when  they  were 
released.  Black  Hawk,  after  being  taken  to  many 
principal  cities  in  order  to  impress  him  with  the 
strength  of  the  American  nation,  was  brought  to 
Fort  Armstrong,  and  there  committed  to  the 
guardianship  of  his  rival,  Keokuk,  but  survived 
this  humiliation  only  a  few  years,  dying  on  a 
small  reservation  set  apart  for  him  in  Davis 
County,  Iowa,  October  3,  1838. 

Such  is  the  story  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  the 
most  notable  struggle  with  the  aborigines  in  Illi- 
nois history.  At  its  beginning  both  the  State 
and  national  authorities  were  grossly  misled  by 
an  exaggerated  estimate  of  the  strength  of  Black 
Hawk's  force  as  to  numbers  and  his  plans  for 
recovering  the  site  of  his  old  village,  while 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


615 


Black  Hawk  had  conceived  a  low  estimate  of  the 
numbers  and  courage  of  his  white  enemies,  es- 
pecially after  the  Stillman  defeat.  The  cost  of 
the  war  to  the  State  and  nation  in  money  has  been 
estimated  at  §2,000,000,  and  in  sacrifice  of  life 
on  both  sides  at  not  less  than  1,200.  The  loss  of 
life  by  the  troops  in  irregular  skirmishes,  and  in 
massacres  of  settlers  by  the  Indians,  aggregated 
about  250,  while  an  equal  number  of  regulars 
perished  from  a  visitation  of  cholera  at  the 
various  stations  within  the  district  affected  by 
the  war,  especially  at  Detroit,  Chicago,  Fort 
Armstrong  and  Galena.  Yet  it  is  the  judgment 
of  later  historians  that  nearly  all  this  sacrifice  of 
life  and  treasure  might  have  been  avoided,  but 
for  a  series  of  blunders  due  to  the  blind  or  un- 
scrupulous policy  of  officials  or  interloping  squat- 
ters upon  lands  which  the  Indians  had  occupied 
under  the  treaty  of  1804.  A  conspicious  blunder — 
to  call  it  by  no  harsher  name  —  was 
the  violation  by  Stillman's  command  of  the 
rules  of  civilized  warfare  in  the  attack  made 
upon  Black  Hawk's  messengers,  sent  under 
flag  of  truce  to  request  a  conference  to  settle 
terms  under  which  he  might  return  to  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi — an  act  which  resulted  in 
a  humiliating  and  disgraceful  defeat  for  its 
authors  and  proved  the  first  step  in  actual  war. 
Another  misfortune  was  the  failure  to  understand 
Neapope's  appeal  for  peace  and  permission  for  his 
people  to  pass  beyond  the  Mississippi  the  night 
after  the  battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights;  and  the 
third  and  most  inexcusable  blunder  of  all,  was 
the  refusal  of  the  officer  in  command  of  the 
"Warrior  "  to  respect  Black  Hawk's  flag  of  truce 
and  request  for  a  conference  just  before  the 
bloody  massacre  which  has  gone  into  history 
under  the  name  of  the  ''  battle  of  the  Bad  Axe." 
Either  of  these  events,  properly  availed  of,  would 
have  prevented  much  of  the  butchery  of  that 
bloody  episode  which  has  left  a  stain  upon  the 
page  of  history,  although  this  statement  implies 
no  disposition  to  detract  from  the  patriotism  and 
courage  of  some  of  the  leading  actors  upon  whom 
the  responsibility  was  placed  of  protecting  the 
frontier  settler  from  outrage  and  massacre.  One 
of  the  features  of  the  war  was  the  bitter  jealousy 
engendered  by  the  unwise  policy  pursued  by 
General  Atkinson  towards  some  of  the  volun- 
teers— especially  the  treatment  of  General  James 
D.  Henry,  •who,  although  subjected  to  repeated 
slights  and  insults,  is  regarded  by  Governor  Ford 
and  others  as  the  real  hero  of  the  war.  Too 
brave  a  soldier  to  shirk  any  responsibility  and 
too  modest  to  exploit  his  own  deeds,  he  felt 


deeply  the  studied  purpose  of  his  superior  to 
ignore  him  in  the  conduct  of  the  campaign — a 
purpose  which,  as  in  the  affair  at  the  Bad  Axe, 
was  defeated  by  accident  or  by  General  Henry's 
soldierly  sagacity  and  attention  to  duty,  although 
he  gave  out  to  the  public  no  utterance  of  com- 
plaint. Broken  in  health  by  the  hardships  and 
exposures  of  the  campaign,  he  went  South  soon 
after  the  war  and  died  of  consumption,  unknown 
and  almost  alone,  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  less 
two  years  later. 

Aside  from  contemporaneous  newspaper  ac- 
counts, monographs,  and  manuscripts  on  file 
in  public  libraries  relating  to  this  epoch  in  State 
history,  the  most  comprehensive  records  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War  are  to  be  found  in  the  "  Life  of 
Black  Hawk,"  dictated  by  himself  (1834) ;  Wake- 
field's  "History  of  the  War  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Sac  and  Fox  Nations"  (1834); 
Drake's"  Life  of  Black  Hawk"  (1854);  Ford's 
"History  of  Illinois"  (1854);  Reynolds'  "Pio- 
neer History  of  Illinois;  and  "My  Own  Times"; 
Davidson  &  Stuve's  and  Moses'  Histories  of  Illi- 
nois ;  Blanchard's  "  The  Northwest  and  Chicago" ; 
Armstrong's  "  The  Sauks  and  the  Black  Hawk 
War,"  and  Eeuben  G.  Thwaite's  "Story  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War"  (1892.) 

CHICAGO  HEIGHTS,  a  village  in  the  southern 
part  of  Cook  County,  twenty -eight  miles  south  of 
the  central  part  of  Chicago,  on  the  Chicago  & 
Eastern  Illinois,  the  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  and 
the  Michigan  Central  Railroads ;  is  located  in  an 
agricultural  region,  but  has  some  manufactures 
as  well  as  good  schools — also  has  one  newspaper. 
Population  (1900),  5,100. 

GRANITE,  a  city  of  Madison  Couuty,  located 
five  miles  north  of  St.  Louis  on  the  lines  of  the 
Burlington;  the  Chicago  &  Alton;  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis;  Chicago,  Peoria 
&  St.  Louis  (Illinois),  and  the  Wabash  Railways. 
It  is  adjacent  to  the  Merchants'  Terminal  Bridge 
across  the  Mississippi  and  has  considerable  manu- 
facturing and  grain-storage  business;  has  two 
newspapers.  Population  (1900),  3,122. 

HARLEM,  a  village  of  Proviso  Township,  Cook 
County,  and  suburb  of  Chicago,  on  the  line  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  nine  miles 
west  of  the  terminal  station  at  Chicago.  Harlem 
originally  embraced  the  village  of  Oak  Park,  now 
a  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  but,  in  1884,  was  set 
off  and  incorporated  as  a  village.  Considerable 
manufacturing  is  done  here.  Population  (1900), 
4,085. 

HARVEY,  a  city  of  Cook  County,  and  an  im- 
portant manufacturing  suburb  of  the  city  of  Chi- 


616 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


cago,  three  miles  southwest  of  the  southern  city 
limits.  It  is  on  the  line  of  the  Illinois  Central 
and  the  Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk  Railways,  and 
has  extensive  manufactures  of  harvesting,  street 
and  steam  railway  machinery,  gasoline  stoves, 
enameled  ware,  etc. ;  also  has  one  newspaper  and 
ample  school  facilities.  Population  (1900),  5,395. 

IOWA  CENTRAL  RAILWAY,  a  railway  line 
having  its  principal  termini  at  Peoria,  111.,  and 
Manly  Junction,  nine  miles  north  of  Mason  City, 
Iowa,  with  several  lateral  branches  making  con- 
nections with  Centerville,  Newton,  State  Center, 
Story  City,  Algona  and  Northwood  in  the  latter 
State.  The  total  length  of  line  owned,  leased 
and  operated  by  the  Company,  officially  reported 
in  1899,  was  508.98  miles,  of  which  89.76  miles- 
including  3.5  miles  trackage  facilities  on  the 
Peoria  &  Pekin  Union  between  Iowa  Junction 
and  Peoria — were  in  Illinois.  The  Illinois  divi- 
sion extends  from  Keithsburg — where  it  enters 
the  State  at  the  crossing  of  the  Mississippi — to 
Peoria. — (HISTORY.)  The  Iowa  Central  Railway 
Company  was  originally  chartered  as  the  Central 
Railroad  Company  of  Iowa  and  the  road  com- 
pleted in  October,  1871.  In  1873  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  a  receiver  and,  on  June  4,  1879,  was 
reorganized  under  the  name  of  the  Central  Iowa 
Railway  Company.  In  May,  1883,  this  company 
purchased  the  Peoria  &  Farmington  Railroad, 
which  was  incorporated  into  the  main  line,  but 
defaulted  and  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver 
December  1,  1886;  the  line  was  sold  under  fore- 
closure in  1887  and  1888,  to  the  Iowa  Central 
Railway  Company,  -which  had  effected  a  new 
organization  on  the  basis  of  $11, 000, 000  common 
stock,  $6,000,000  preferred  stock  and  §1,379,625 
temporary  debt  certificates  convertible  into  pre- 
ferred stock,  and  $7,500,000  first  mortgage  bonds. 
The  transaction  was  completed,  the  receiver  dis- 
charged and  the  road  turned  over  to  the  new 
company,  May  15, 1889. — (FINANCIAL).  The  total 
capitalization  of  the  road  in  1899  was  $21,337,558, 
of  which  $14,159,180  was  in  stock,  $6,650,095  in 
bonds  and  $528, 283  in  other  forms  of  indebtedness. 
The  total  earnings  and  income  of  the  line  in  Illi- 
nois for  the  same  year  were  $532,568,  and  the  ex- 
penditures $566, 333. 

SPARTA,  a  city  of  Randolph  County,  situated 
on  the  Centralia  &  Chester  and  the  Mobile  & 
Ohio  Railroads,  twenty  miles  northwest  of  Ches- 
ter and  fifty  miles  southeast  of  St.  Louis.  It  has 


a  number  of  manufacturing  establishments,  in- 
cluding plow  factories,  a  woolen  mill,  a  cannery 
and  creameries;  also  has  natural  gas.  The  first 
settler  was  James  McClurken,  from  South  Caro- 
lina, who  settled  here  in  1818.  He  was  joined  by 
James  Armour  a  few  years  later,  who  bought 
land  of  McClurken,  and  together  they  laid  out 
a  village,  which  first  received  the  name  of  Co- 
lumbus. About  the  same  time  Robert  G.  Shan- 
non, who  had  been  conducting  a  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  the  vicinity,  located  in  the  town  and 
became  the  first  Postmaster.  In  1839  the  name 
of  the  town  was  changed  to  Sparta.  Mr.  McClur- 
ken, its  earliest  settler,  appears  to  have  been  a 
man  of  considerable  enterprise,  as  he  is  credited 
with  having  built  the  first  cotton  gin  in  this  vi- 
cinity, besides  still  later,  erecting  saw  and  flour 
mills  and  a  woolen  mill.  Sparta  was  incorporated 
as  a  village  in  1837  and  in  1859  as  a  city.  A  col- 
ony of  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church  (Covenanters  or  "Seceders'')  established 
at  Eden,  a  beautiful  site  about  a  mile  from 
Sparta,  about  1822,  cut  an  important  figure  in 
the  history  of  the  latter  place,  as  it  became  the 
means  of  attracting  here  an  industrious  and 
thriving  population.  At  a  later  period  it  became 
one  of  the  most  important  stations  of  the  "Under- 
ground Railroad"  (so  called)  in  Illinois  (which 
see).  The  population  of  Sparta  (1890)  was  1,979; 
(1900),  2,041. 

TOLUCA,  a  city  of  Marshall  County  situated 
on  the  line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
Railroad,  18  miles  southwest  of  Streator.  It  is  in 
the  center  of  a  rich  agricultural  district ;  has  the 
usual  church  and  educational  facilities  of  cities 
of  its  rank,  and  two  newspapers.  Population 
(1900),  2,629. 

WEST  HAMMOND,  a  village  situated  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  Thornton  Township,  Cook 
County,  adjacent  to  Hammond,  Ind. ,  from  which 
it  is  separated  by  the  Indiana  State  line.  It  is  on 
the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  one  mile  south  of 
the  Chicago  City  limits,  and  has  convenient  ac- 
cess to  several  other  lines,  including  the  Chicago 
&  Erie;  New  York,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis,  and 
Western  Indiana  Railroads.  Like  its  Indiana 
neighbor,  it  is  a  manufacturing  center  of  much 
importance,  was  incorporated  as  a  village  in 
1892,  and  has  grown  rapidly  within  the  last  few 
years,  having  a  population,  according  to  the  cen- 
sus of  1900,  of  2,935. 


COOK  COUNTY 


Cook   County. 


PREFACE. 


The  Historical  Encyclopedia  of  Illinois,  first  published  in  1900  under  the  edit- 
orship of  two  competent  men  especially  well  versed  in  State  history,  has  since 
passed  through  two  revisions  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  it  up  to  date.  As  its 
name  implies,  the  work  presents  an  epitome  of  Illinois  history,  in  reference  to 
which  it  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  a  standard  authority,  the  price  of  this 
issue,  in  one  volume,  being  $12.50. 

The  special  Cook  County  edition,  now  issued,  was  undertaken  only  with  the 
promise  that,  in  addition  to  the  Historical  Encyclopedia  of  the  State,  it  was 
intended  to  embrace  a  biographical  department  open  to  patrons  of  the  work,  the 
whole  to  be  delivered  to  subscribers  in  two  volumes,  at  $15.00  per  set,  accord- 
ing to  printed  and  signed  agreements. 

As  the  sale  of  this  special  edition  progressed,  there  arose  an  urgent  demand 
for  a  concise,  but  comprehensive,  outline  of  Chicago  and  Cook  County  history, 
with  the  various  townships  of  the  latter,  and  especially  embracing  certain  instances, 
or  object  lessons,  illustrative  of  the  wondrous  strides  of  development  witnessed  in 
Chicago  business  and  municipal  history.  Following  the  history  of  Chicago's 
original  discovery  by  the  early  French  explorers,  and  its  gradual  growth  from  a 
trading  station  and  a  frontier  military  post  to  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the 
Northwest,  these  instances  (which  are  indicative  of  the  general  development)  are 
presented  in  special  articles  descriptive  of  the  past  and  the  present— the  "then 
and  the  now"— of  the  "Union  Stock  Yards,"  the  "Postal  Service,"  the  "Fire 
Department,"  "Municipal  Lighting,"  "Water  Service,"  "Railway  Progress," 
"Parks  and  Boulevards,"  etc.,  with  a  condensed  history  of  the  city,  county  and 
townships — all  being  additions  to  what  was  promised  at  the  outset,  and  all  accom- 
plished at  a  large  expenditure  of  time  and  money  on  the  part  of  the  publishers, 
but  without  any  additional  cost  to  the  patrons  of  the  work. 

The  contracts  entered  into  between  the  publishers  of  this  work  and  its  pat- 
rons provides  that  the  volumes  shall  "be  delivered  within  a  fair  and  reasonable 
time  after  publication, "  at  which  time  payment  therefor  becomes  due.  It  is  appar- 
ent, therefore,  that  the  interest  of  the  publishers  lies  in  as  early  a  publication  and 
delivery  as  practicable,  while  the  interest  of  the  patrons  has  been  subserved  by 
postponement  of  the  completion  of  the  work  consequent  upon  the  length  of  time 
occupied  in  collection  of  added  material  for,  and  the  addition  of  much  valuable 
history  not  promised,  thereby  increasing  its  scope  and  value  beyond  what  was 
contemplated  in  the  original  plan,  but  without  added  cost  to  the  subscribers. 

While  these  volumes  are  the  result  of  human  endeavor  with  human  limita- 
tions, and  while  perfection  will  not  be  claimed  for  them,  they  are  submitted  in 
the  hope  that  they  will  be  found  to  possess  an  intrinsic  value  which  will  be 
accorded  due  recognition,  and  that  future  generations  will  render  to  them  a  just 
meed  of  appreciation  for  the  preservation  of  a  large  amount  of  family  and  in- 
dividual history,  of  which  they  are  the  repository. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


Cook  County. 

INDEX. 

CHAPTER  I. 
.  EXPLORATION  AND  DISCOVERY. 

Jean  Nicolet  Discovers  Lake  Michigan — Conjectures  as  to  Extent  of  His 
Explorations— The  Parrot  Expedition— The  Locality  of  Chicago  Visited 
by  White  Men— Arrival  of  Joliet  and  Marquette— Discovery  of  Illinois 
River — The  Kaskaskias — Marquette 's  Second  Visit — Spends  the  Win- 
ter on  the  Chicago  River — Returns  North  by  the  Eastern  Shore  of 
Lake  Michigan— His  Death 617-621 

CHAPTER  II. 
PERIOD    OF   FRENCH    OCCUPATION. 

French  Traders  and  Missionaries  in  the  "Illinois  Country"— Arrival  of  La- 
Salle— Discoveries  of  the  Great  Explorer— The  Henry  M.  Stanley  of 
His  Age— Disaster  of  "The  Griffon"— Henry  de  Tonty— LaSalle 
Reaches  the  Illinois  by  Way  of  the  Kankakee— The  Story  of  Fort 
Creve-Coeur— LaSalle  Explores  the  Mississippi  to  Its  Mouth— Louisi- 
ana is  Named — Fort  St.  Louis  Erected  on  "Starved  Rock" — Tragic 
Fate  of  the  Great  Explorer— Uncertainty  About  Location  of  the  First 
Chicago  River  621-623 

CHAPTER  III. 
CHICAGO. 

Early  French  Fortifications— "Fort  Chicagou"  Mentioned  by  Tonty  in 
1685— Remains  of  an  Early  Fortification  in  Palos  Township— Indian 
and  Other  Relics  Found  in  That  Vicinity— Fort  Guarie  on  the  North 
Branch — First  Catholic  Mission  at  the  Village  of  the  Kaskaskias — 
Missionaries  Who  Followed  Marquette  and  Allouez— A  Jesuit  Mission 
Established  at  Chicago  as  Early  as  1699— Visit  of  St.  Cosme— Missions 
Between  Lake  Ontario  and  the  Mississippi  623-625 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  PERIOD  OF  PARTIAL  ECLIPSE. 

Removal  of  the  French  Mission  on  the  Upper  Illinois  to  Kaskaskia— En- 
trance to  the  Mississippi  Valley  Changed  to  the  Gulf  Coast— Country 
South  of  the  Illinois  River  Becomes  Part  of  Louisiana, — Chicago  Re- 
gion Still  Attached  to  Canada— Visit  of  Charlevoix— Early  Indian  Oc- 
cupants—A French-Indian  Battle  on  Illinois  Soil— Chicago  in  the 
Eighteenth  Century  , 625-627 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 

CHAPTER  V. 
STO'RY    O'F   A   LAND   DEAL. 

First  Transaction  Affecting  Chicago  Real  Estate— Principal  Part  of  North- 
ern Illinois  Bought  for  Five  Shillings  and  Certain  "Goods  and  Mer- 
chandise"— Cession  of  Lands  by  the  Indians  Under  Treaty  of  Green- 
ville—Tract Six  Miles  Square  at  Mouth  of  Chicago  River  Ceded  to  the 
United  States  Government— Site  of  Early  French  Fort  in  Doubt. .  .  .  627-629 

CHAPTER  VI. 
SETTLEMENT  OF  CHICAGO. 

Chicago's  First  Permanent  Settler  a  San  Domingo  Negro— Colonel  de 
Peyster's  Description  of  Jean  Baptiste  Pointe  de  Saible— Chicago  Then 
Known  as  "Eschikagou" — Le  Mai,  a  French  Trader,  Succeeds  Pointe 
de  Saible— Other  Early  Settlers— Antoine  Ouilmette  Comes  in  1790— 
Chicago  Previous  to  the  Building  of  Fort  Dearborn 629-630 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  FIRST  FORT  DEARBORN. 

Building  of  the  First  Fort  Begun  by  Captain  Whistler  in  1803— Loca- 
tion and  Description  of  the  Original  Fortress— Arrival  of  the  Kinzie 
Family — Other  Newcomers — The  Kinzies  Occupy  the  Le  Mai  Cabin — 
Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott  and  Gen.  David  Hunter — Charles  Jouett,  Indian 
Agent  and  "Chicago's  First  Lawyer"— Mrs.  J.  H.  Kinzie 's  "Waubun" 
—A  Precursor  of  Disaster— The  Hardscrabble  Massacre  630-634 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
FORT  DEARBORN  MASSACRE. 

Beginning  of  War  of  1812— General  Hull  Orders  Evacuation  of  Fort  Dear- 
born—Statement of  Captain  Heald— A  Story  of  Indian  Treachery— 
Location  of  the  Great  Tragedy — Incidents  of  the  Bloody  Affair  as  Re- 
lated in  Mrs.  Kinzie 's  "Waubun" — Magnanimous  Conduct  of  Chief 
Black  Partridge— The  Story  of  Mrs.  Helm— Valor  of  Capt.  William 
Wells  and  His  Tragic  Fate 634-637 

CHAPTER  IX. 
AFTER    THE    MASSACRE. 

The  Kinzie  Family  in  Peril — Appearance  of  "Sauganash"  on  the  Scene — 
Fort  Dearborn  Burned— The  Kinzies  Take  Refuge  at  St.  Joseph— 
Lieutenant  Helm  Released  Through  the  Influence  of  Black  Partridge — 
Some  Prominent  Actors — Sketches  of  the  Noted  Half -Breeds,  Alexan- 
der Robinson  and  Billy  Caldwell  ("Sauganash")— Black  Partridge 
Again  Proves  His  Humanity— Ungrateful  Treatment  of  This  Noble 
"Man  of  the  Woods."..  .  637-639 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 

CHAPTER  X. 
THE  SECOND  FORT  DEARBORN. 

Four  Years  of  Arrested  Development — Fort  Dearborn  in  Desolaition — Its 
Restoration  Begun  in  1816 — Burial  of  Victims  of  the  Massacre — List 
of  Commandants— A  New  Immigration  Sets  in— The  Kinzies  Among 
the  First  to  Arrive— Other  Notable  Arrivals— The  Clybourns,  Gal- 
loways, Heacock,  Etc.— A  Fire  in  Fort  Dearborn— The  "Winnebago 
Scare." 639.643 

CHAPTER  XI. 
CHICAGO  IN  EMBRYO. 

Varied  Orthography  of  the  Name  Chicago — Reputed  Origin  of  the  Name 
—Some  Early  Impressions  of  the  Future  Great  Metropolis— As  Seen 
by  Judge  Storrow,  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  Schoolcraft,  Professor  Keat- 
ing and  Others — Early  Mail  Facilities — Some  Pioneer  Hotels  and  Their 
History— Fernando  Jones '  Account  of  the  Origin  of  the  Name  Chicago  643-648 

CHAPTER  XII. 
CIVIL   GOVERNMENT. 

Conditions  Under  French  Occupation — Northern  Illinois  Attached  to  Can- 
ada as  Part  of  New  France— Effect  of  the  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark 
Expedition — Territory  Northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  Organized— Ordi- 
nance of  1787 — Its  Far-reaching  Influence  on  Illinois  and  General  His- 
tory—Territorial and  County  History— Cook  County  Organized— First 
Election  and  First  County  Officers 648-650 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  CREATIVE  PERIOD. 

Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal— Feasibility  of  the  Enterprise  Recognized 
by  Early  Explorers — Effect  on  the  Development  of  Chicago — Survey  of 
Government  Lands  About  the  Mouth  of  Chicago  River  in  1821— Chi- 
cago Village  Platted  in  1830— First  Sale  of  Village  Lots— Chicago  Be- 
comes a  County-Seat  in  1831 — Payment  of  Indian  Annuities — Promi- 
nent Men  Who  Became  Citizens  in  That  Year  651-653 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
SOME  INDIAN  HISTORY. 

The  Black  Hawk  War  Episode— Receipt  of  the  News  in  Chicago  and 
Preparations  for  Defense— Service  Rendered  by  Chief  Shabona,  Billy 
Caldwell  and  Alexander  Robinson— Refugees  Seek  Safety  in  Fort 
Dearborn — Organization  of  Volunteers — Gen.  Scott's  Troops  Attacked 
by  Cholera— The  Indian  Treaty  of  1833— Description  of  the  Event  by 
an  English  Traveler 653-655 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 

CHAPTER  XV. 
CHICAGO   IN   DEVELOPMENT.      • 

An  Era  of  Progress  After  the  Black  Hawk  War— Early  Business  and  Pro- 
fessional Men— Growth  in  1833— "A  Village  of  Pike  County"  in  1823 
—  Chicago  Incorporated  as  a  Town  in  1833— Establishment  of  the  First 
Newspaper— Chicago  in  1833-1837— The  "Land  Craze"— Some  Con- 
temporaneous Descriptions  of  the  Place— Incorporated  as  a  City— 
—Financial  Revulsion  of  1837— Growth  in  Area  and  Population  from 
1837  to  1900..  ...  .  655-658 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
RAILWAY  PROGRESS. 

Chicago  as  a  Railway  Center— The  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  the  Pioneer 
Line— Principal  Lines  Now  Operating  — Street  Railway  History— Sur- 
face and  Elevated  Lines— Inter-urban  Trolley  Roads— The  Fox  River 
Valley  System— Chicago  &  Joliet  Line 659-661 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
POLITICAL. 

Chicago  as  a  Political  Center— National  Political  Conventions— Nomina- 
tion of  Lincoln  in  1860 — Other  Notable  Conventions —Citizens  of  Cook 
County  Who  Have  Held  State  Offices— Cook  County  Citizens  in  the 
Councils  of  the  Nation — United  States  Senators  and  Representatives  in 
Congress — Present  Representation  (1904)  in  Congress — Legislative  Dis- 
tricts in  Cook  County 662-664 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
PARKS  AND  BOULEVARDS. 

General  History— Beginning  of  the  Park  System— First  Park  Named  for 
the  Martyred  President— Statistics  of  Cost  and  Area  of  Park  Systems 
in  the  Three  Several  Divisions — Projected  Parks  on  -  the  Des  Plaines 
and  Calumet  Rivers.  .  .  664-669 


,  CHAPTER  XIX. 

NOTABLE  EVENTS. 

Republican  National  Convention  of  1860— The  Camp  Douglas  Conspiracy 
—  Some  of  Its  Principal  Actors — Exposure  and  Defeat — The  Conflagra- 
tion of  1871— Vast  Destruction  of  Property  and  Homes— Area  Burned 
Over— Relief  Measures— The  Haymarket  Massacre— Conviction  and 
Punishment  of  the  Conspirators— Labor  Strikes— Heavy  Losses  of  Em- 
ployers and  Employed 669-677 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 

CHAPTER  XX. 
LOCAL    CHRONOLOGY. 

One  Hundred  Years  of  Local  History— Enumeration  of  Most  Important 
Events  in  the  History  of  Chicago  from  the  Founding  of  Fort  Dear- 
born in  1803  to  1904 677-679 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
OLD  SETTLERS'  ORGANIZATIONS. 

Characteristics  of  Chicago's  Early  Settlers— Problems  They  Had  to  Meet 
—Chicago  Historical  Society— Its  Object,  History  and  Membership- 
First  Old  Settlers'  Society— Calumet  Club  Old  Settlers'  Reunions- 
Pioneers  of  Chicago— Pioneers'  Sons  and  Daughters'  Society— List  of 
Members— The  Sons  of  Chicago— Old  Time  Printers'  Association— Old 
Settlers'  Club  of  Williams  Street— German  Old  Settlers'  Picnic 679-700 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
STOCK  YARDS  HISTORY. 

First  Slaughter  House  in  Chicago — Origin  and  Development  of  the  Pack- 
ing Industry— The  Founders  and  Promoters  of  the  Business— Early 
Stock  Yards— Organization  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards1— Phenomenal 
Growth  of  the  Packing  and  Live-Stock  Trade — Description  of  Build- 
ings and  Grounds— Banking  Institutions— Statistics  for  Different  Years 
—Past  and  Present  Officers— International  Live-Stock  Expositions, 
1900-1904  700-713 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
CHICAGO    GRAIN    TRADE. 

An  Example  of  Marvelous  Development— Progress  of  Fifty  Years— The 
Chicago  Board  of  Trade— State  Laws  Regulating  Warehouses  and 
Grain  Inspection— List  of  Inspectors  and  Registrars— Chicago  Stand- 
ard of  Inspection  Widely  Accepted — History  of  Elevator  System — A 
Chicago  Grain  Elevator  and  Its  Operation  Described — Grain  Trade  Sta- 
tistics—1900  a  Record  Breaking  Year 713-716 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
EDUCATIONAL-Y.  M.  C.  A.  ORGANIZATION. 

Chicago  Manual  Training  School— Its  Origin  and  Object— Work  Accom- 
plished in  Twenty-odd  Years  of  Its  History — Number  of  Graduates — 
Merged  With  the  University  of  Chicago — Armour  Technological  School 
—Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Illinois— Its  History  of  Fifty 
Years— Present  Strength  and  Status  of  the  Organization— Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Building  in  Chicago 717-720 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 

CHAPTER   XXV. 
LIBRARIES. 

The  Chicago  Public  Library— An  Outgrowth  of  the  Great  Fire  of  1871— 
Thomas  Hughes,  the  English  Author,  a  Leader  in  the  Movement— His- 
tory of  the  Library  Building— Statistics  for  the  Year  1904— Chi- 
cago Historical  Library — Its  Origin  and  History — Newberry  Library- 
John  Crerar  Library — Evanston  Free  Public  Library  720-726 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 
CHICAGO   POSTOFFIOE. 

Pioneer  Mail  Service — How  Letters  Were  Brought  to  Fort  Dearborn  in 
1817— The  First  Postoffice  in  Chicago  Established  in  1831— Picture 
of  First  Office— Growth  of  Business  in  Seventy-two  Years— Volume  of 
Business  in  1903 — Personal  Sketches  of  Postmasters — New  Postoffice 
Building— Number  of  Employes  and  Heads  of  Departments— Statis- 
tics of  Business  for  Year  Ending  June  30,  1904 726-733 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
CHICAGO  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

* 

History  of  Origin  and  Progress  of  Fire  Department — First  Volunteer 
Fire  Company  Organized  in  1832— Early  Methods  of  Fighting  Fires 
—First  Chicago  Fire  in  1834— Loss  Contrasted  with  the  Fire  of  1871 
—Early  Volunteer  Fire  Organizations— List  of  Chief  Engineers— Paid 
Fire  Department  Organized  in  1859— Chief  Marshals,  1859-1904— 
Present  Organization  of  Department — Outfit  and  Value  of  Fire  Appa- 
ratus, Buildings  and  Other  Property— The  Fire-Boat  Service— A  Great 
Fire  Tragedy— The  Iroquois  Theater  Disaster  of  December  30,  1903— 
History  of  the  Fire  Alarm  Service. . .: 733-740 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
MUNICIPAL   LIGHTING. 

First  Attempt  at  Illumination  at  Old  Fort  Dearborn — Progress  of  One 
Hundred  Years— From  the  Pine-Knot  to  the  Electric  Light  System- 
Electric  Lighting  Introduced  in  1887— History  and  Equipment  of  Cen- 
tral Stations— Aggregate  Cost  of  the  Entire  Municipal  Lighting  Sys- 
tem—Police and  Fire  Alarm  Telegraph  Service  741-744 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
CHICAGO  WATER  SERVICE. 

Early  Conditions  as  to  the  Chicago  Water  Supply — Public  Well  Dug  in 
1834 — First  Pumping  Station  and  Reservoir  Constructed  in  1840 — 
New  Water  Works  Set  in  Operation  in  1854 — The  System  Adopted  and 
the  First  Two-Mile  Tunnel  Completed  in  1867— Other  Tunnels  Con- 
structed—Present Condition  of  the  Chicago  Water  System 744-747 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
HEALTH   DEPARTMENT-FREE   BATHS. 

History  of  the  Chicago  Health  Department— The  Cholera  Epidemic  of 
1832— First  Health  Board  Appointed  in  1833— Changes  in  the  System 
—List  of  Members  of  Different  Health  Boards— Public  Baths— Chica- 
go the  First  City  in  the  World  to  Establish  a  System  of  Free  Baths- 
Carter  H.  Harrison  Bath  House  Opened  in  1894— Other  Bathing  Sta- 
tions—Beneficial Effect  of  the  System  on  the  Public  Health— McKinley 
Park  Swimming  Pool 747-750 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
HARBORS,   FERRIES  AND   BRIDGES. 

First  White  Visitors  to  the  Chicago  River — Importance  of  a  Harbor  at 
Chicago  Attracts  Attention  m  1814— Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  and 
Chicago  Harbor  Twin  Enterprises— First  Step  in  Improvement  of 
Calumet  Harbor  and  River  Begun  in  1870— Rank  of  Chicago  as  a 
Maritime  Port— History  of  Ferries  and  Bridges— First  Ferry  Estab- 
lished in  1829— Advance  from  the  Indian  Canoe  to  the  Bascule 
Bridge  750-754 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
DRAINAGE    AND    SEWERAGE. 

First  Attempt  to  Organize  a  Drainage  and  Sewerage  System  for  Chicago 
in  1847 — Drainage  and  Sewerage  Commissions  Appointed  in  1852 
and  1855— The  Sewerage  Commission  Gives  Place  to  a  Board  of  Public 
Works  in  1861— Changes  of  the  Last  Fifty  Years— Extent  and  Cost  of 
System — The  Drainage  Canal — Its  History  and  Extent — Cost  of  the 
Work  over  $45,000,000 755-758 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
CHICAGO  CENTENNIAL  JUBILEE. 

Celebration  of  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Founding  of  Fort  Dear- 
born—Marvelous Progress  of  a  Hundred  Years— Representatives  of  In- 
dian Tribes  Take  Part  in  the  Exercises— Historical  Tablets— Brilliant 
Fireworks  Display— Industrial  Parade— Reunion  of  Old  Settlers 758-765 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
GENERAL  REVIEW. 

Business  Conditions — Notable  City  Improvements  in  1904 — Financial  and 
Trade  Conditions — Live  Stock  Business — Grain  Trade — Board  of  Trade 
Affairs— Insurance  Business— Theatrical  Matters— The  New  City  Char- 
ter Question— Practical  Unanimity  on  the  Subject  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature—Results Anticipated  in  Another  Year  765-770 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
CEMETERIES. 

Early  Chicago  Cemeteries— Locations  of  South  and  North  Side  Burial 
Grounds  Prior  to  1840— First  Chicago  City  Cemetery  Now  Part  of  Lin- 
coln Park— Further  Burials  There  Prohibited  in  1859— Rose  Hill  Cem- 
etery Dedicated  July  28,  1859 770-771 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
TOWNSHIP  HISTORY. 

Cook  County  First  Divided  Into  Precincts  — Township  Organization  in  1850 
— Successive  Reorganizations  and  Present  List  of  Townships — Popula- 
tion by  Townships  in  1900—  Townships  Embraced  in  City  of  Chi- 
cago—Individual History  of  Townships  Outside  the  City  of  Chicago— 
Barrington,  Bloom  and  Bremen — Calumet  and  Worth  Townships — City 
of  Blue  Island — Cicero,  Berwyn  and  Oak  Park  Townships — Elk  Grove 
Township— Evanston  Township  and  City  --  Hanover  --  Lament— Ley- 
den— Lyons  and  Stickney  Townships—  Maine  —  New  Trier  —  Niles— 
Northfield — Norwood  Park — Orland — Palatine  -  Palos  —  Proviso  — 
Rich— Riverside  Township  and  Village — Schaumburg— Thornton  Town- 
ship—Harvey City— Other  Towns  and  Villages  -  -  Wheeling  Township 
and  Arlington  Heights  Village .  . .  : 771-801 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
BIOGRAPHICAL. 

The  Part  of  Biography  in  General  History— Citizens  of  Cook  County— 
Personal  Sketches  Arranged  in  Encyclopedic  Order — (These  Being  Ar- 
ranged Alphabetically,  no  List  of  Names  of  Individual  Subjects  is 
Here  Deemed  Necessary.) 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Portraits  and  Illustrations. 


Adler,  Peter  (Biography  803) 804 

Along  Sheridan  Road — On  the  Boulevards 758 

Ashby,  James  H.  (Biography  810) 700 

Belfield,  Henry  H.  (Biography  820) 720 

Best,  John  E.  (Biography  822) 796 

Board  of  Trade  Building,  Chicago 277 

Bradwell,  James  B.  (Biography  58) 618 

Brintnall,  Solva  (Biography  834) ' 702 

Brosseau,  Zenophile  P.  (Biography  835) 716 

Burned  District— Chicago  Fire  1871. ., 27(5 

Busse,  William  (Biography  842) 780 

Chase,  Charles  C.  (Biography  849) 624 

Chase,  Horace  G.  (Biography  848) 620 

Chase,  Samuel  B.  (Biography  850) 622 

Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences 394 

Chicago  Historical  Society  Building 394 

Chicago  Manual  Training  Building — University  of  Chicago 718 

Chicago   Public   Buildings 395 

Chicago  Thoroughfares 740 

Crawford,  Andrew    (Biography  859) 626 

Day  after  Chicago  Fire 92 

Dixon,  Arthur   (Biography  865) 628 

Early  Historic  Scenes,  Chicago 170 

Early  Historic  Scenes,  Chicago  (No.  2) 171 

Eberhart,  John  F.  (Biography  873) 630 

Farwell,  John  V.   (Biography  878) 632 

First  Post  Office— where  kept 728 

Fitzwilliam,  Francis  J.    (Biography  880) 634 

Fort  Dearborn— View  from  the  West  (1808 246 

Fort  Dearborn— View  from  Southeast(  1808) 247 

Fort  Dearborn   (1853) 247 

Gale,  Daniel  W.  (Biography  885) 884 

Gale,  Stephen  F.   (Biography  886) 636 

George,  John  B.   (Biography  888) 888 

Goodall,  Harvey  L.   (Biography  891) 704 

Goodrich,  Adams  A.  (Biography  893) 640 

Grannis,  William  C.  D.  (Biography  894) 638 

Halsted,  Henry  S.   (Biography  898) . 660 

Hammer,  D.  Harry  (Biography  899) 646 

Harless,  Thomas  H.  (Biography  900) 668 

Harris,  James  H.  (Biography  902) 798 

Hastings,  Lewis  R.  (Biography  903) 706 

Hayward,  Henry  J.  (Biography  1030) 662 

Head,  Franklin  H.  (Biography  904) 652 

Healy.  James  J.   (Biography  905) 664 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 

Herendeen,  Charles  (Biography  907) 658 

Hervey,  Robert  (Biography  910) 666 

Hibbard,  William  G.   (Biography  911) 650 

Hoffman,  Peter  M.   (Biography  912) 784 

Honore,  Henry  H.   (Biography  914) 654 

Hotz,  Christoph   (Biography  916) 644 

Hoyt,  W.  M.  (Biography  919) 648 

Kurd,  Harvey  B.   (Biography  240) 642 

Hutchinson,  Jonas  (Biography  923) 656 

Illinois  State  Building,  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  1893 601 

Johnson,  William  0.  (Biography  925) 926 

Jones,  Daniel  A.   (Biography  926) 670 

Jones,  Fernando    (Biography  928) 678 

Jones,  George  P.   (Biography  929) 672 

Jones,  William  (Biography  309) 676 

Lincoln  Park  Vistas 752 

Mathews,  Thomas  (Biography  945) 944 

Map  of  Grounds,  World's  Columbian  Exposition,    1893 600 

McCausland,  Samuel  G.  (Biography  946) 708 

McCormick   Seminary,    Chicago 362 

McKnight,  George  F.  (Biography  949) 680 

Monuments  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago 90 

Monuments  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago 206 

Monuments  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago 207 

Moore,  Charles  E.  (Biography  953) 954 

Newberry   Library,   Chicago 394 

Otis,  Joseph  E.    (Biography  965) 682 

Palmer,  Potter  (Biography  966) 684 

Peck,  Ferdinand  W.   (Biography  970) 686 

Philbrick,  George  A.  (Biography  975) 688 

Porter,    Rogers    (Biography    978) 978 

Powell,  M.  W.   (Biography  979) 690 

Rappal,  Frederick  J.  and  Sons  (Biography  986) 714 

Runyan,  Eben  F.   (Biography  986) 692 

Scenes  in  South  Park 746 

Senne,  Henry  C.  (Biography  993) 786 

Sexton,  Patrick  J.  (Biography  993) 694 

Staples,  Mason  L.   (Biography  1000) 788 

Stebbins,  Henry  S.  (Biography  1000) 1000 

Swenie,  Denis  J.   (Biography   (1005) 734 

Tatham,  Robert  L.    (Biography  1007) 696 

Turner,  Charles  C.    (Biography  1013) 1012 

U.  S.  Government  Building— Chicago  Postoffice (Frontispiece  Vol.  II.) 

University  of  Chicago 363 

Van  Norman,  George  B.   (Biography  1014)    710 

Views  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago 91 

Watkins,  Elias  T.   (Biography  1018) 1018 

Wood,  Samuel  E.    (Biography  1027) -. 712 

World's  Fair  Buildings 764 

Yates,  H.  H.   (Biography  1028) 1028 

Young,  Frank  W.   (Biography  1028) 698 


HISTORY   OP   COOK   COUNTY. 

[Part  of  Special  Local  Edition  of  Historical  Encyclopedia  of  Illinois.] 


CHAPTER   I. 


EXPLORATION  AND   DISCOVERY. 


JEAN  NICOLET  DISCOVERS  LAKE  MICHIGAN CONJEC- 
TURES   AS    TO    EXTENT    OF    HIS    EXPLORATIONS 

THE  PEUROT  EXPEDITION THE  LOCALITY  OF  CHI- 
CAGO VISITED  BY  WHITE  MEN — ARRIVAL  OF  JOL- 
EET  AND  MARQUETTE — DISCOVERY  OF  ILLINOIS 
RIVER — THE  KASKASKIAS — MARQUETTE'S  SEC- 
OND VISIT — SPENDS  THE  WINTER  ON  THE  CHI- 
CAGO RIVER — RETURNS  NORTH  BY  THE  EASTERN 
SHORE  OF  LAKE  MICHIGAN— HIS  DEATH. 

Although  Cook  County,  as  a  political  division, 
ranks  in  the  class  of  younger  counties  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  there  is  evidence  that  it  was, 
in  all  probability,  the  first  section  comprised 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  State  to  be 
visited  by  white  men.  The  spirit  of  exploration 
directed  towards  the  region  about  the  great 
lakes,  had  received  a  strong  impulse  among  the 
early  French  settlers  at  Quebec,  under  the 
vigorous  administration  of  Samuel  de  Cham- 
plain  in  the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, and,  according  to  the  "Jesuit  Relations," 
Jean  Nicolet,  one  of  Champlain's  trusted  pupils, 
in.  company  with  two  missionaries,  Fathers 
Brebeuf  and  Daniel,  reached  the  northern  and 
western  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  as  early  as 
1634.  He  thus  became  the  discoverer  of  Lake 
Michigan,  and,  having  entered  Green  Bay, 
ascended  the  Fox  River  of  Wisconsin  to  the 
617—1 


portage  of  the  Wisconsin  River,  anticipating 
the  expedition  of  Joliet  and  Marquette  by 
nearly  forty  years.  It  is  even  claimed  by  some 
authorities  (especially  by  Shea  and  Parkman) 
that  Nicolet  reached  the  Mississippi  and  sailed 
some  distance  down  that  stream,  though  this  is 
discredited  in  other  quarters.  There  seems  to 
be  more  conclusive  evidence  that  he  extended 
his  explorations  southward  into  the  present  lim- 
its of  Illinois,  although  the  exact  locality 
reached  is  uncertain.  It  seems  highly  probable, 
however,  that  in  his  soiithward  march  he  may 
have  approached  the  western  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan,  and  this  would  have  brought  him  to 
the  vicinity  of  Chicago.  The  career  of  this 
intrepid  explorer  was  cut  short  by  drowning, 
near  Quebec,  in  1642. 

In  the  years  following  the  Nicolet  expedition, 
which  reached  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  at  the  foot 
of  Lake  Superior,  the  activity  of  the  warlike 
Iroquois  prevented  the  advance  of  the  Jesuit 
missionaries  and  their  fellow  explorers  in  the 
northwestern  lake  region,  and  it  was  not  until 
1658  that  two  other  celebrated  French  explorers, 
Radisson  and  his  brother-in-law,  Medard  Chou- 
art  (known  also  as  Groseilliers),  reached  the 
southwestern  shore  of  Lake  Superior  and  win- 
tered at  La  Pointe,  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is 
now  Ashland,  Wis.  It  is  claimed  that  Radisson 
and  Groseilliers  penetrated  as  far  west  as  the 
Mississippi,  and  even  descended  that  river  a 
long  distance.  They  were  followed  by  Nicholas 
Perrot  who,  between  1670  and  1690,  spent  much 
time  in  explorations  about  the  junction  of  Lakes 
Michigan,  Huron  and  Superior,  and  followed 
the  example  of  Nicolet  by  visiting  the  Fox 
River  valley  in  Wisconsin.  He  also  took  a 


6i8 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


prominent  part  in  the  conference  between  the 
French  and  a  number  of  native  tribes  held  at 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  on  June  14,  1671,  acting  as  the 
principal  interpreter  on  that  occasion.  It  has 
also  been  claimed  that  he  extended  his  explora- 
tions to  the  Mississippi  and  made  the  first  dis- 
covery of  lead  in  the  vicinity  of  -Galena. 
Charlevoix,  who  visited  this  region  in  1679  and 
1700,  also  credits  Perrot  with  having  advanced 
as  far  south  as  Chicago,  which  he  mentions  by 
name  and  describes  as  situated  "at  the  lower 
end  of  Lake  Michigan  where  the  Miamis  then 
were."  While  this  would  seem  to  leave  no  doubt 
that  Perrot  visited  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan 
at  that  early  day,  it  by  no  means  determines 
the  fact  that  the  locality  mentioned  by  the 
name  of  "Chicago"  was  the  same  as  that  of  the 
city  of  to-day,  as  three  other  rivers  were  known 
by  the  name  of  Chicago,  with  somewhat  different 
spellings,  about  that  time,  viz.:  The  St.  Joseph, 
the  Grand  Calumet  and  the  Des  Plaines.  Besides 
this,  it  is  claimed  that  the  Miamis  were  never 
located  on  the  present  site  of  Chicago,  but  that 
they  did  have  a  settlement  about  the  mouth  of 
the  St.  Joseph,  at  the  southeast  border  of  the 
lake. 

This  brings  us  to  what  has  been  universally 
accepted  as  the  best  authenticated — if  not  the 
first — visit  of  French  explorers  to  the  locality 
now  known  as  Chicago.  This  was  accomplished 
through  the  expedition  set  on  foot  by  Jean 
Talon,  the  French  Intendant  of  Canada,  and 
authorized  by  Count  de  Frontenac,  the  Gover- 
nor, under  the  command  of  Louis  Joliet,  who 
had  already  spent  some  years  in  an  official 
exploration  of  the  copper-mine  region  of  Lake 
Superior.  The  object  of  this  expedition  was  to 
explore  the  Mississippi  River  and,  by  fol- 
lowing its  course,  settle  the  question  regard- 
ing the  location  of  its  mouth,  which  was  then 
believed  to  be  on  the  border  of  the  "South 
Sea"  (or  Gulf  of  California),  thus  opening  a 
highway  across  the  continent  to  Eastern  Asia. 
Joliet  left  Quebec  in  the  fall  of  1872,  and,  hav- 
ing spent  the  winter  at  Michilimackinac  (Mack- 
inac),  on  the  17th  of  May  following,  set  out 
from  the  mission  of  St.  Ignace  in  company  with 
Jacques  Marquette,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  and 
five  other  Frenchmen,  with  two  birch  bark 
canoes  and  a  meager  stock  of  provisions,  in 
search  of  the  great  river.  Father  Marquette, 
having  spent  the  preceding  three  or  four  years 
among  the  Indians  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  at 
La  Pointe  on  the  southwest  shore  of  Lake 


Superior,  besides  being  zealously  devoted  to 
missionary  work  in  which  he  had  been  engaged, 
was  especially  well  fitted  to  act  as  an  interpre- 
ter and  win  the  favor  of  the  Indians  whom 
they  were  likely  to  encounter.  The  expedition 
having  passed  through  Green  Bay  and  Lake 
Winnebago,  entered  the  Fox  River  of  Wisconsin, 
which  they  ascended  under  the  direction  of 
Indian  guides  to  the  portage  connecting  with 
the  Wisconsin.  Then,  transferring  their 
canoes  to  the  Wisconsin,  they  descended  that 
stream  to  its  mouth,  entering  the  Mississippi 
on  June  17,  1673.  Continuing  their  journey 
down  the  latter  stream  for  one  month,  they 
are  believed  by  some  to  have  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Arkansas  River,  while  others 
maintain  that  they  did  not  proceed  farther 
south  than  a  short  distance  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio,  when,  their  course  having  been 
arrested  by  a  tribe  of  Indians  known  as  the 
Mausopelas,  they  turned  back.  In  the  absence 
of  definite  information  as  to  distances  traveled 
and  points  passed,  the  absolute  solution  of  this 
question  at  this  day  seems  impossible,  though 
there  are  strong  reasons  tending  to  sustain  the 
latter  view.  An  incident  of  the  journey  south- 
ward was  the  startling  surprise  given  to  Mar- 
quette and  his  fellow-voyagers  at  the  sight  of 
what  was  supposed  to  be  a  painting  on  the  face 
of  the  cliff,  a  short  distance  above  where  the 
city  of  Alton  now  stands.  This  picture,  whether 
a  work  of  aboriginal  art  or  produced  by  natu- 
ral seams  in  the  rock,  was  vividly  described  by 
Marquette  in  his  journal,  and  was  widely  known 
in  the  first  half  of  the  last  century  under  the 
name  of  "The  Piasa  Bird,"  but  has  wholly 
disappeared  within  the  last  generation  before 
the  quarryman  and  the  advances  of  civilization. 
(See  "Piasa  Bird,  Legend  of  The." — His. 
Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.)  Other  noteworthy  points 
passed  in  this  historic  voyage  included  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri  River,  to  which  Mar  - 
quette  gave  the  name  of  the  Pekitanoui;  the 
site  of  the  present  city  of  St.  Louis  and  that  of 
Old  Kaskaskia,  which,  within  the  next  half 
century,  became  the  seat  of  power  for  the 
French  possessions  west  and  south  of  the  great 
lakes. 

Retracing  their  course  from  the  lower  Mis- 
sissippi, Joliet  and  his  companions  entered  the 
river  Illinois,  which  they  ascended,  making  a 
stop  of  three  days,  en  route,  at  the  village  of 
the  Peorias  about  where  the  city  of  Peoria  now 
stands,  and  later  at  the  "Illinois  Town  of  the 


H1STOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


619 


Kaskaskias,"  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Utica  in  LaSalle  County.  This  local- 
ity, as  it  will  be  seen  later,  eventually  became 
the  seat  of  French  power  in  the  "Illinois  Coun- 
try" for  some  twenty  years,  as  well  as  the  cen- 
ter of  a  large  Indian  population.  According  to 
the  statement  of  Marquette,  having  promised  to 
"return  and  instruct"  them,  he  and  his  com- 
panions were  escorted  hy  a  chief  and  a  number 
of  his  tribe  to  the  shore  of  the  "Lac  des  Illi- 
nois," as  Lake  Michigan  was  then  called,  whence 
they  continued  their  journey  to  Green  Bay, 
arriving  there  about  the  close  of  September. 
The  journey  was  made  from  the  "Town  of  the 
Kaskaskias,"  by  ascending  the  Illinois  and  the 
Des  Plaines  rivers  to  the  point  where  the  port- 
age was  made  to  the  Chicago  River.  The  iden- 
tity of  the  stream  referred  to  under  this  name 
has  been  matter  of  considerable  discussion, 
and  has  given  rise  to  some  diversity  of  opinion. 
While  the  earlier  historians,  including  Shea, 
Parkman,  and  others,  have  generally  accepted 
the  theory  that  it  was  the  Chicago  River  of 
to-day,  and  that  Joliet  and  his  companions  were 
the  first  white  men  to  stand  on  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Chicago,  this  has  been  quest- 
tioned  by  later  authors.  One  reason  for  this 
doubt  grows  out  of  the  fact,  already  alluded  to, 
that  between  1670  and  1700  there  were  three 
other  rivers  which  bore  the  name  of  "The  Chi- 
cago"— the  St.  Joseph,  the  Grand  Calumet  and 
the  Des  Plaines.  For  reasons  which  seem  to 
have  considerable  weight,  a  number  of  later 
students  of  this  period — including  the  late  Prof. 
Albert  D.  Hager,  former  Secretary  of  the  Chi- 
cago Historical  Society — have  maintained  that 
the  river  by  which  Joliet  and  his  party  entered 
Lake  Michigan  was  the  Grand  Calumet.  The 
only  point  upon  which  there  would  seem  to  be 
no  doubt  is  the  fact  that  these  explorers,  who 
were  the  first  to  leave  a  written  record  of  their 
visit  to  this  region,  reached  Lake  Michigan 
near  its  southern  limit  late  in  the  summer  of 
1673.  Whether  that  was  by  the  Chicago  Rher 
of  to-day  or  by  some  stream  which  then  bore 
that  name,  there  seems  absolutely  no  doubt  that 
it  was  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  present 
city  or  Chicago,  if  not  upon  its  site. 

On  October  25,  1674,  Father  Marquette,  accom- 
panied by  two  French  boatmen,  started  from 
Green  Bay  with  the  intention  of  carrying  out 
his  plan,  determined  upon  during  his  visit  of 
the  previous  year,  of  establishing  a  mission 
among  the  Illinois  Indians.  As  he  kept  a  jour- 


nal of  his  travels  during  this  period,  a  transla- 
tion of  which  was  published  nearly  fifty  years 
ago,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  tracing  his  journey 
from  Green  Bay  along  the  western  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan  to  its  head,  and  identifying  many  of 
the  points  at  which  he  and  his  companions 
camped  for  the  night  or  made  brief  stops.  The 
journey  occupied  about  a  month.  On  the  20th 
of  November  he  mentions  having  "cabined" 
(camped)  in  great  discomfort  on  account  of 
the  wind  and  cold  at  "the  Bluffs,"  which  is 
believed  to  have  been  "Lake  Bluff,"  now  known 
as  Lake  Forest,  about  thirty  miles  north  of 
Chicago.  In  the  entry  for  the  next  day  he 
speaks  of  having  had  "hard  enough  work  to 
make  a  river"  (which  was  necessary  in  order 
to  effect  a  landing,  especially  in  stormy 
weather)  and  find  a  camping  ground.  Here 
they  were  detained  three  days.  From  the 
description  given  of  the  mouth  of  this  river, 
and  the  time  occupied  in  reaching  it  from  "the 
Bluffs,"  there  would  appear  to  be  strong  reason 
for  believing  that  it  was  the  Chicago  River  of 
to-day.  One  reason  for  this  conclusion  is  the 
fact  that  he  mentions  the  "large  sand-banks 
off  the  shore,"  which  was  a  peculiarity  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Chicago  River  when  it  became 
known  to  white  men  at  the  beginning  of  the 
last  century.  Under  date  of  November  27th, 
the  journal  makes  mention  of  the  "hard  work 
to  get  out  of  the  river,"  after  which  they  "made 
about  three  leagues"  (approximately  seven  and 
a  half  English  miles),  where  they  were  detained 
by  the  wind  for  the  remainder  of  the  month. 
On  December  1st,  the  party  made  another  start, 
and,  after  meeting  many  difficulties  on  account 
of  the  weather,  on  the  4th  they  appear  to  have 
reached  what  Marquette  calls  "Portage  River" 
— for  the  reason,  no  doubt,  that  it  was  the  chan- 
nel by  which  a  portage  was  obtained  to  the  Des 
Plaines.  This  stream  was  found  frozen  over, 
and,  after  drawing  their  boats  up  this  river  on 
the  ice  two  leagues  (about  five  miles),  in  view 
of  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  making  further 
progress,  and  Marquette's  continued  illness,  it 
was  decided  to  winter  there.  Here  again  arises 
the  question  as  to  the  identity  of  the  stream 
where  Marquette  wintered.  That  it  was  on 
the  same  stream  by  which  he  entered  Lake 
Michigan  from  the  south  on  his  first  visit  is  evi- 
dent from  an  entry  in  his  journal  a  few  weeks 
later,  which  will  be  referred  to  farther  on  in 
this  history.  It  has  been  claimed  that  the 
cabin  which  he  occupied  belonged  to  two  French 


620 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


traders  who  had  preceded  Marquette  on  his 
second  visit  here,  and  the  generally  accepted 
theory  has  been  that  it  was  situated  on  the 
South  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River  about  what 
was  known  as  "Lee's  place,"  or  "Hardscrabble," 
in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century.  Professor 
Hager,  who  has  already  been  quoted,  is  of  the 
opinion,  however,  that  the  "Portage  River" 
mentioned  by  Marquette  was  the  Little  Calu- 
met, and  that  the  location  of  his  cabin  may 
have  been  on  or  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is 
known  as  "Indian  Ridge"  and  near  Calumet 
Lake.  While  this  question  is  of  interest  chiefly 
in  a  speculative  sense,  there  is  abundant  evi- 
dence, as  already  shown,  not  only  that  both 
rivers  were  known  by  the  name  of  the  "Chick- 
agou,"  but  that  both  were  used  for  securing  a 
portage  to  the  Des  Plaines. 

During  his  stay  on  "Portage  River,"  Mar- 
quette was  visited  by  a  number  of  Indians  who 
brought  him  provisions,  and  by  a  French  sur- 
geon, who  came  from  a  village  eighteen  leagues 
(about  45  miles)  distant,  where  there  was 
another  Frenchman  named  Pierre  Moreau — 
these  two  men  being  reputed  owners  of  the 
cabin  which  Marquette  occupied.  The  exact 
locality  of  the  village  mentioned  by  Marquette 
is  unknown,  although  it  has  been  conjectured 
that  it  may  have  been  about  where  the  city  of 
Joliet  now  is,  as  it  appears  that  it  was  on  the 
way  to  the  village  of  the  Kaskaskias,  which 
Marquette  had  set  out  to  reach.  On  March  29, 
1675,  Marquette  and  his  companions  were  com- 
pelled to  break  camp  on  account  of  a  sudden 
flood  caused  by  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  and  a 
consequent  gorge  in  the  stream  on  which  they 
were  located.  This  appears  to  have  flooded  the 
surrounding  country,  and  Marquette  and  his 
party,  having  placed  their  property  in  trees 
above  the  reach  of  the  flood,  sought  a  camping 
place  on  some  hillocks  in  the  vicinity.  On  the 
30th  they  started  to  complete  the  portage  to  the 
Des  Plaines,  which  they  reached  the  next  day 
at  a  point  of  which  he  speaks  in  his  journal  as 
the  same  where  "we  began  our  portage  more 
than  eighteen  months  ago" — that  is  to  say,  on 
the  journey  of  himself  and  Joliet  from  the  vil- 
lage of  the  Kaskaskias  en  route  to  Mackinac 
during  the  summer  of  1673.  In  his  entry  of 
April  1st,  at  this  point,  he  speaks  of  the  French 
village  (which  they  hoped  to  reach  the  next 
day),  as  still  fifteen  leagues  distant,  though 
they  were  detained  here  by  contrary  winds  until 
the  6th,  at  which  date  his  journal  breaks  off. 


Father  Dablon,  the  Superior  of  Marquette,  in 
his  report  of  the  labors  of  the  latter,  claims 
that  the  devoted  missionary  reached  the  village 
of  the  Kaskaskias  in  eleven  days  after  breaking 
camp  at  Portage  River — which  would  have  made 
the  date  of  his  arrival  at  the  Indian  village 
April  8th — and  gives  a  detailed  account  of  his 
work  in  founding  there  the  "Mission  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception."  If  this  statement  is 
correct,  Marquette's  stay  must  have  been  very 
brief;  for,  only  a  few  days  later,  admonished 
by  his  failing  health,  we  find  him  and  his  two 
faithful  companions  on  their  return  towards  the 
mission  of  St.  Ignace,  which  he  hoped  to  reach 
in  time  to  end  his  life  there,  although  his 
hope  was  not  to  be  realized.  Dablon  says  he 
traveled  thirty  leagues  (about  80  miles)  to  the 
lake  "upon  whose  waters  he  had  to  journey 
nearly  100  leagues  by  an  unknown  route 
whereon  he  had  never  traveled  before."  This 
evidently  refers  to  the  route  by  the  lake,  and 
there  is  nothing  in  this  inconsistent  with  the 
assumption  that  his  return  to  the  lake  was  by 
the  same  route  over  which  he  had  recently 
traveled  to  reach  the  Des  Plaines.  If  this  had 
been  upon  the  Calumet,  it  would  seem  to  be  but 
natural  that,  finding  himself  near  the  southern 
end  of  the  lake,  the  idea  may  have  occurred  to 
him  of  endeavoring  to  reach  St.  Ignace  "by  an 
unknown  route,"  as  Father  Dablon  expresses 
it,  along  the  eastern  shore,  believing  this  to  be 
the  shortest  route  to  his  destination  (St. 
Ignace),  whether  that  was  at  that  time  on 
Mackinac  Island  or  on  the  north  shore  of  the 
Straits  of  that  name — which  the  late  John  G. 
Shea  confesses  to  be  a  matter  of  doubt.  As 
for  Marquette  himself,  he  has  left  no  record 
over  his  own  name  of  this  part  of  his  journey, 
the  last  entry  in  his  journal  bearing  the  date 
of  his  arrival  at  the  Des  Plaines  on  his  way 
to  the  village  of  the  Kaskaskias.  On  the  18th 
of  May — forty-two  days  after  this  last  record 
by  his  o«vn  hand — this  zealous  missionary  and 
famous  discoverer  breathed  his  last  in  camp 
on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake  at  the  mouth 
of  what  is  now,  in  honor  of  his  memory,  called 
the  Marquette  River,  about  where  the  town 
of  Ludington,  Mich.,  now  stands.  While,  as 
has  already  been  shown,  there  is  doubt  as  to 
the  exact  locality  on  which  he  camped  during 
his  two  visits  to  this  region,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  he  left  the  first  written  description  of  the 
country  embraced  in  what  is  now  known  as 
Cook  County,  and  his  name  will  always  be  inti- 


American  Buy* Rib  Co  Ckc 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


621 


mately  associated  with  this  most  interesting 
and  romantic  period  in  the  history  of  Chicago. 
( See  Joliet,  Louis,  and  Marguette,  Jacques, — 
Hist.  Encyc.  of  III.  Vol.  I.) 


CHAPTER  II. 


PERIOD    OF    FRENCH    OCCUPATION. 


FRENCH  TRADERS  AND  MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  "ILLI- 
NOIS COUNTRY" — ARRIVAL  OF  LASALLE — DIS- 
COVERIES OF  THE  GREAT  EXPLORER THE  HENRY 

M.  STANLEY  OF  HIS  AGE — DISASTER  OF  "THE 
GRIFFON" — HENRY  DE  TONTY — LASALLE  REACHES 

THE  ILLINOIS  BY  WAY  OF  THE  KANKAKEE THF. 

STOBY  OF  FORT  CREVE-COEUR — LASALLE  EXPLORES 
THE  MISSISSIPPI  TO  ITS  MOUTH — LOUISIANA  IS 

NAMED FORT  ST.  LOTUS  ERECTED  ON  "STARVED 

ROCK" — TRAGIC  FATE  OF  THE  GREAT  EXPLORER — 
UNCERTAINTY  ABOUT  LOCATION  OF  THE  FIRST 
CHICAGO  RIVER. 

During  the  five  years'  interval  immediately 
following  Marquette's  second  visit  to  the  Illi- 
nois Country,  there  would  seem  to  be  no  doubt 
that  this  region  was  roamed  over  by  many 
French  traders,  hunters  and  missionaries  from 
Canada  and  the  locality  about  Mackinac  and 
Green  Bay.  Among  the  missionary  class  the 
most  noteworthy  visitor  was  Father  Allouez, 
who  had  been  engaged  in  missionary  work 
about  Green  Bay  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
who,  in  1677,  came  to  the  village  of  the  Kaskas- 
kias  to  complete  the  work  undertaken  by  Mar- 
quette,  two  years  earlier,  by  founding  a  mis- 
sion there.  He  is  reputed  to  have  been  met  by 
a  delegation  of  Illinois  Indians  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Chicago  River,  and  conducted  to  his 
destination,  as  well  as  to  have  spent  two  years 
there  between  1678  and  1680,  and  again  visited 
Chicago  in  1684,  when  there  was  a  French  fort 
in  this  vicinity  under  command  of  Col.  Duran- 
taye.  The  actual  location  of  this  fort,  however, 
is  matter  of  uncertainty,  but  will  be  touched 
upon  later. 

The  most  important  arrival  following  the 
visit  of  Marquette  and  Joliet  was  that  of  Robert 
Cavelier,  Sieur  de  LaSalle,  who  became  for  a 
time,  under  the  authority  of  the  King  of  France, 


the  virtual  proprietor  of  the  "Illinois  Country," 
and  did  more  to  attract  attention  to  that  region 
and  open  it  up  to  the  knowledge  of  the  rest  of 
the  world  than  all  of  his  predecessors.  This 
celebrated  explorer  is  credited  by  some  histori- 
ans— especially  by  his  biographer,  Pierre  Mar- 
gry — with  having  reached  the  Illinois  and  Mis- 
sissippi Rivers  by  way  of  the  Chicago  portage, 
as  early  as  1670,  thus  preceding  Marquette's 
first  visit  by  three  years.  Although  this  theory 
is  accepted  in  part  by  the  historian  Parkman, 
Mr.  Shea  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  "Chicaugou" 
River  reached  by  LaSalle,  at  this  time,  was  the 
St.  Joseph  of  Michigan.  There  is,  however,  a 
lack  of  documentary  evidence  to  sustain  the 
assumption  of  M.  Margry,  who  bases  his  con- 
clusion upon  reported  conversations  with 
LaSalle  previous  to  1678  and  a  letter  from  a 
niece  of  LaSalle's  written  nearly  eighty  years 
after  his  reputed  visit  to  Illinois.  However 
much  or  little  credence  may  be  given  to  this 
story  of  LaSalle's  early  arrival  in  this  region, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  importance  of  the 
discoveries  made  by  this  greatest  of  French 
explorers,  or  of  the  fact  that  the  most  thor- 
ough explorations,  not  only  of  the  Illinois  Coun- 
try but  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  by  any  single 
man  up  to  this  period,  were  those  undertaken  by 
him.  In  a  certain  sense  he  may  be  regarded  as 
the  Henry  M.  Stanley  of  his  age.  What  the 
latter  accomplished  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago  in  penetrating  into  the  heart  of  the  "Dark 
Continent,"  LaSalle,  by  his  explorations 
through  the  heart  of  the  American  Continent, 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  far  towards  the  Rio 
Grande  in  the  southwest,  including  the  discov- 
ery of  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  accom- 
plished in  the  face  of  greater  obstacles  than 
Stanley  had  to  encounter  and  with  inferior 
resources. 

Beginning  his  career  as  an  explorer  in  1669, 
there  is  ground  for  believing  that  LaSalle  was 
the  first  Frenchman  to  reach  the  Ohio  River, 
which  he  did  from  Canada,  descending  that 
stream,  as  claimed  by  some,  to  the  falls  below 
Louisville,  and  by  others  to  its  mouth.  During 
the  next  ten  years  he  made  extensive  excursions 
to  the  south  and  into  the  lake  region  of  the 
West,  with  three  voyages  to  his  native  France 
for  the  purpose  of  procuring  supplies  and 
obtaining  grants  from  the  crown.  In  1679  he 
constructed  and  launched  on  the  Niagara  River, 
above  the  falls,  the  first  vessel  larger  than  the 
Indian  canoe  to  navigate  the  lakes.  With  this 


622 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


vessel  (named  "The  Griffon")  loaded  with  sup- 
plies and  men  for  his  expedition,  he  made  the 
voyage  from  the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Erie  to 
Green  Bay,  arriving  at  the  latter  in  September. 
"The  Griffon,"  having  discharged  its  cargo  on 
one  of  the  islands  at  the  entrance  of  Green  Bay, 
was  reloaded  with  furs  and  sent  back  to  Canada, 
with  instructions  to  return  with  another  cargo 
of  supplies  and  join  LaSalle  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Michigan,  but  was  never  heard  of  again. 
Among  those  accompanying  LaSalle  on  this 
expedition  was  Henry  de  Tonty,  who  had  joined 
LaSalle  in  France,  and  finally  became  his  sec- 
ond in  command.  On  the  day  "The  Griffon" 
sailed  on  its  return  to  Niagara,  LaSalle  left 
Green  Bay  at  the  head  of  a  party  of  seventeen 
men  (including  three  priests)  in  four  canoes, 
for  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  River  at  the 
head  of  Lake  Michigan.  Following  the  west- 
ern shore  of  the  lake  and  passing  by  the  site  of 
Chicago,  he  arrived  at  his  destination  on  Novem- 
ber 1st,  expecting  there  to  meet  Tonty,  who  had 
been  ordered  to  proceed  from  Mackinac  with 
another  party  by  the  eastern  shore.  The  arrival 
of  Tonty's  party  was  delayed,  however,  some 
twenty  days,  LaSalle  occupying  the  interval  in 
erecting  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  the  "Fort  of  the 
Miamis" — the  river  having  received  its  name 
from  the  Miami  Indians,  then  settled  on  its 
banks.  Tonty's  party  having  finally  arrived, 
on  December  3d,  LaSalle  set  out  with  eight 
canoes  and  thirty-three  men  to  ascend  the  St. 
Joseph  to  the  portage  from  that  stream  to  the 
Theakiki  (Kankakee),  leaving  four  men  at  the 
fort  as  a  guard,  and  to  await  the  expected 
arrival  of  "The  Griffon."  The  portage  was 
finally  effected  from  the  vicinity  of  the  present 
village  of  South  Bend,  Ind.,  requiring  the  trans- 
portation of  canoes  and  baggage  overland  a  dis- 
tance of  four  miles.  Having  again  embarked, 
this  time  on  the  waters  of  the  Kankakee,  the 
party  descended  that  stream  to  the  Illinois,  and, 
by  the  latter,  to  the  village  of  the  Kaskaskias, 
which  had  been  visited  by  Joliet  and  Marquette 
in  1673.  Their  arrival  here  was  on  January 
1,  1680,  but  finding  the  village  deserted,  they 
proceeded  to  that  of  the  Peorias  on  Peoria 
Lake  (then  called  Pimiteoui),  where  they 
arrived  on  January  4th.  Here  LaSalle  made 
his  first  extended  stop  and  began  the  erection 
of  a  fort  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake  near  its 
foot,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  "Fort  Creve- 
Coeur"  (Broken-Heart),  and  also  began  the 


construction  of  a  boat,  with  which  he  expected 
to  explore  the  Mississippi  River  to  its  mouth. 
Being  in  want  of  material  to  complete  his  ves- 
sel, which  he  had  hoped  to  receive  by  "The 
Griffon,"  on  March  2d,  accompanied  by  four 
Frenchmen  and  one  Indian,  he  started  on  his 
return  to  Canada  by  way  of  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Joseph,  leaving  Tonty,  with  the  rest  of  his 
party,  at  Creve-Coeur.  Before  leaving  he  dis- 
patched Michael  Accault  and  Father  Hennepin, 
by  way  of  the  Illinois,  to  the  Mississippi  with 
instructions  to  ascend  the  latter  to  the  region 
occupied  by  the  Sioux.  (See  Accault  and  Hen- 
nepin,— Hist.  Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.)  Soon  after 
LaSalle's  departure,  the  bulk  of  the  party  left 
at  Fort  Creve-Coeur  mutinied  during  the  tem- 
porary absence  of  Tonty  on  a  visit  to  the  vil- 
lage of  the  Kaskaskias,  burned  the  fort,  and 
returning  on  their  way  to  Canada  by  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Joseph,  subjected  the  fort  there  to  a 
like  fate.  Tonty,  finding  himself  deserted  by 
all  but  five  of  his  party,  made  his  way  back  to 
Green  Bay  and  spent  the  next  winter  among  the 
Pottawatomies.  LaSalle,  after  being  detained 
in  Canada  for  several  months  by  a  succession  of 
reverses,  started  on  his  return  west  by  way  of 
Mackinac,  arriving  at  the  fort  at  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Joseph  early  in  November  and,  later 
descending  the  Illinois,  saw  the  havoc  wrought 
by  the  mutineers  at  Creve-Coeur.  Having  spent 
the  following  winter  at  Fort  St.  Joseph,  in  the 
spring  he  proceeded  to  Mackinac,  where  he  met 
Tonty  and  Father  Membre,  who  had  belonged  to 
the  expedition  of  1680.  After  another  trip  to 
Canada,  in  which  he  was  accompanied  by  Tonty, 
the  latter  part  of  December,  1681,  found  him 
again  at  Fort  St.  Joseph.  Making  the  portage 
by  way  of  what  he  called  "the  Chicago  River" 
(where  Tonty  had  preceded  him)  to  the  Des 
Plaines,  he  entered  upon  his  third  descent  of 
the  Illinois,  making  a  part  of  the  journey  upon 
the  ice  and  arriving  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Illinois  with  the  Mississippi,  February  6,  1682. 
With  a  few  companions  he  and  Tonty  continued 
their  course  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi, 
where  they  arrived  April  9,  1682,  and  took 
formal  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name 
of  the  King  of  France,  giving  to  it  the  name  of 
Louisiana.  The  fourth  and  last  visit  of  LaSalle 
was  made  in  December  of  the  same  year,  where 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  realiza- 
tion of  his  dream  of  a  fortress  on  the  summit 
of  "Starved  Rock,"  the  erection  of  which  had 
been  begun  by  Tonty  a  few  months  previous. 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


623 


Here  he  remained  during  the  remainder  of  the 
winter  and  the  following  summer,  but  going  to 
France  before  the  close  of  the  year,  entered 
upon  the  scheme  of  founding  a  colony  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  which  ended  so  disas- 
trously in  his  death  by  treachery  at  the  hands 
of  some  of  his  own  followers,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Trinity  River  in  Texas,  March  19th,  1687. 
While  the  career  of  this  great  explorer,  who  did 
so  much  to  open  up  Illinois  and  the  Mississippi 
Valley  to  Europe  in  the  last  quarter  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  belongs  rather  to  general 
and  State  history  than  to  that  of  Chicago  and 
COOK  County,  it  still  has  a  deep  interest  for 
Chicagoans  in  view  of  its  influence  upon  events 
which  tended  to  make  Chicago  the  entrepot  and 
focal  point  of  those  seeking  entrance,  at  that 
early  day,  to  the  region  known  as  the  "Illinois 
Country."  There  seems  little  reason  for  doubt 
that,  at  some  time — probably  more  than  once 
— during  his  later  visits  to  Illinois,  this  ambi- 
tious and  indefatigable  explorer  stood  on  the 
site  of  the  present  city  of  Chicago,  as  he  cer- 
tainly saw  it  on  his  several  voyages  up  and 
down  the  lake  past  its  shores.  (See  LaSalle, 
Reni  Robert  Cavclier,  Sieur  de;  Tonty,  Henri 
de;  Fort  St.  Louis,  and  Starved  Rock. — Hist. 
Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.)  In  all  probability  Tonty, 
who  made  his  headquarters  at  Fort  St.  Louis 
— while  making  extensive  excursions  throughout 
the  West,  including  one  in  1686  as  far  south  as 
the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  in  search  of  LaSalle 
— not  unfrequently  had  occasion  to  visit  the  site 
of  the  present  city  of  Chicago,  especially  on  his 
journeys  to  Mackinac.  The  confusion  as  to  the 
identity  of  the  Chicago  River  (or  "Chikagoue," 
as  it  is  spelled  on  some  of  the  French  maps  of 
that  time)  still  remains  unsolved,  as  there  is 
conclusive  evidence  that  the  name  was  applied 
to  the  portage  leading  from  the  St.  Joseph  to 
the  Kankakee,  as  well  as  that  between  the  Calu- 
met and  the  Des  Plaines.  The  frequent  men- 
for  many  years  after  the  death  of  LaSalle — 
tion,  by  early  French  explorers,  of  the  Miami 
Indians  about  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River, 
also  militates  against  the  theory  that  the  river, 
best  known  at  that  time  by  that  name,  was 
the  Chicago  River  of  to-day,  as  there  is  abund- 
ant evidence  that  the  territory  occupied  by  the 
Miamis  did  not  extend  beyond  the  southern 
point  of  Lake  Michigan;  whereas,  the  western 
shore  was  occupied  by  the  Mascoutins  and  the 
Pottawatomies,  with  occasionally  wandering 
bands  of  the  Kickapoos  and  Winnebagos. 


CHAPTER  III. 


CHICAGO. 


EARLY    FKENCH   FORTIFICATIONS — "FORT   CHICAGOU" 

MENTIONED  BY  TONTY  IN  1685 REMAINS  OF  AN 

EARLY     FORTIFICATION     IN     PALOS     TOWNSHIP 

INDIAN    AND      OTHER      RELICS    FOUND    IN      THAT 

VICINITY FORT   GUARIE  ON  THE  NORTH   BRANCH 

FIRST   CATHOLIC    MISSION   AT  THE  VILLAGE  OF 

THE      KASKASKIAS MISSIONARIES      WHO      FOL- 
LOWED    MARQUETTE     AND     ALLOUEZ A     JESUIT 

MISSION  ESTABLISHED  AT  CHICAGO  AS  EARLY  AS 

1699 VISIT  OF   ST.   COSME — MISSIONS   BETWEEN 

LAKE  ONTARIO   AND  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

The  earliest  evidence  of  the  existence  of  a 
French  fort  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  is  con- 
tained in  the  following  entry  in  a  report  by 
Tonty  of  a  trip  made,  in  1685,  from  Mackinac 
— whither  he  had  gone  to  obtain  information 
regarding  LaSalle — to  his  headquarters  at  Fort 
St.  Louis.  The  Tonty  record  says: 

"I  embarked,  therefore,  (at  Mackinac)  for 
the  Illinois,  on  St.  Andrew's  Day  (Oct.  30th, 
1685);  but  being  stopped  by  the  ice,  I  was 
obliged  to  leave  my  canoe  and  to  proceed  by 
land.  After  going  one  hundred  and  twenty 
leagues  (about  275  miles),  I  arrived  at  the 
fort  of  Chicago,  where  M.  de  la  Durantaye 
commanded,  and  from  thence  I  came  to  Fort 
St.  Louis,  where  I  arrived  the  middle  of  Janu- 
ary (1686)." 

There  is  no  definite  information  as  to  the 
locality  of  this  fort  or  when  it  was  erected.  It 
has  been  conjectured,  however,  that  it  had  been 
established  during  the  previous  year,  when 
Durantaye  had  been  called,  with  a  force  of 
sixty  Frenchmen  from  Mackinac,  to  assist 
Tonty  in  resisting  an  expected  attack  by  the 
Iroquois  upon  Fort  St.  Louis.  It  would  seem 
reasonable  to  presume  that  the  necessity  for 
the  establishment  of  this  fort,  as  a  way  station 
near  Lake  Michigan,  should  have  been  sug- 
gested by  this  expedition,  and  have  been  fol- 
lowed out  on  Durantaye's  return.  The  belief 
has  been  expressed  in  some  quarters  that  the 
location  of  this  fort  was  at  the  junction  of  the 
North  and  South  Branches  of  the  Chicago  River, 
while  others  have  maintained  that  it  was  at  the 


624 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


portage  between  the  Calumet  and  the  Des 
Plaines.  Whether  relating  to  the  old  Fort  of 
Durantaye  or  some  other  structure,  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  a  paper  contributed,  some 
twenty  years  ago,  by  Dr.  V.  A.  Boyer,  of  Chi- 
cago, to  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  will 
have  a  deep  interest  for  the  student  of  local 
history.  In  this  paper  Dr.  Boyer  says: 

"I  have  many  times  visited,  when  on  hunt- 
ing excursions,  the  remains  of  an  old  fort 
located  in  the  town  of  Pajos,  Cook  County, 
111.,  at  the  crossing  of  the  old  'sag1  trail, 
which  crossed  the  Ausagaunashkee  swamp, 
and  was  the  only  crossing  east  of  the  Des 
Plaines  River  prior  to  the  building  of  the 
Archer  bridge  in  1836.  The  remains  of  the 
fort,  situated  north  of  'the  sag1  and  near 
the  crossing,  were  on  the  elevated  timber 
land  commanding  a  view  of  the  surrounding 
country,  and,  as  a  military  post,  would  well 
command  and  guard  the  crossing.  ...  I  have 
never  been  able  to  find  any  account  of  this 
fort  in  any  historical  work.  I  first  saw  it  in 
1833,  and  since  then  have  visited  it  often  in 
company  with  other  persons.  ...  I  feel  sure 
it  was  not  built  during  the  Sac  War,  from  its 
appearance.  ...  It  seems  probable  that  it 
was  the  work  of  French  fur-traders  or 
explorers,  as  there  were  trees  a  century  old 
growing  in  its  environs.  It  was  evidently  the 
work  of  an  enlightened  people,  skilled  in  the 
science  of  warfare.  ...  As  a  strategic  point, 
it  most  completely  commanded  the  surround- 
ing country  and  the  crossing  of  the  swamp  or 
'sag.' " 

The  location  of  this  ancient  structure  is 
described  as  having  been  in  the  western  part  of 
Section  15  in  the  Town  of  Palos,  about  five 
miles  east  of  the  "Sag  Bridge,"  and  three 
miles  in  a  southeasterly  direction  from  the  Des 
Plaines.  As  the  Des  Plaines  River  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  seventeenth  century  was  known 
as  the  "Chicagou,"  and  the  neck  of  land  between 
that  river  and  the  streams  falling  into  the  Lake 
as  the  "Chicago  Portage,"  it  would  not  seem 
unreasonable  to  assume  that  the  "Fort  of  Chi- 
cagou," mentioned  by  Tonty  as  commanded  by 
Durantaye  in  1685,  may  have  been  located  at 
the  spot  described  by  Dr.  Boyer.  Capt.  A.  T. 
Andreas,  in  his  "History  of  Early  Chicago," 
referring  to  Dr.  Boyer's  paper,  says:  "It  is 
reported  that  near  that  place,  and  near  the 
point  where  'the  Sag'  enters  the  Des  Plaines, 


many  relics  of  Indians  and  those  evidently 
made  by  a  more  civilized  people  have  been 
found."  . 

As  to  other  early  fortifications,  there  is  a 
tradition  that  a  fort  or  stockade,  erected  by  an 
early  French  trader  named  Gaurie,  stood  on  the 
North  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century-  This  man 
Guarie  gave  name  to  this  part  of  the  Chicago 
River — it  being  popularly  known  at  an  early 
day  as  Garay  (or  Guarie)  Creek.  There  were 
probably  other  like  structures  in  the  vicinity 
erected  for  the  storage  and  protection  of  furs 
and  goods  intended  for  traffic  with  the  Indians. 

While  the  mission  founded — or  at  least  pro- 
jected— by  Marquette,  and  afterwards  placed  in 
charge  of  Father  Allouez,  at  the  village  of  the 
Kaskaskias,  was  undoubtedly  the  first  estab- 
lished in  Illinois,  it  is  no  doubt  true  that, 
within  the  next  few  years,  the  Chicago  portage 
became  a  familiar  locality  to  the  missionaries 
seeking  to  reach  the  Illinois  and  other  Indian 
tribes  farther  south  and  west.  Among  those 
who  followed  Marquette  and  Allouez  in  this 
region  may  be  mentioned  the  names  of  Gravier, 
Rasle,  Bineteau,  Pinet,  Limoges,  Marest,  Ber- 
gier,  Membre,  Douay,  Ribourde,  St.  Cosme, 
Montigny,  Davion  and  De  La  Source,  repre- 
senting both  the  Jesuit  organizations  and  their 
rivals,  the  Recollects.  There  is  evidence  that 
there  was  a  Jesuit  mission  here  as  early  as  1699 
— possibly  a  year  earlier — as  it  was  definitely 
mentioned  by  St.  Cosme  in  connection  with  a 
visit  he  made  to  this  region  in  the  latter  year. 
Although  this  mission  is  spoken  of  as  having 
been  located  "at  Chicagou,"  yet  owing  to  the 
confusion  in  the  use  of  this  name,  its  actual 
location  is  still  left  in  doubt.  St.  Cosme,  who 
has  furnished  the  record  of  this  visit,  says  that 
he  left  Mackinac  on  September  14th,  1699,  in 
company  with  De  Tonty  and  three  other  mis- 
sionaries, De  Montigny,  Davion  and  De  La 
Source — besides  De  Vincennes,  and  a  number  of 
companions  who  contemplated  a  visit  to  the  St. 
Joseph  and  the  country  of  the  Miamis.  On  the 
7th  of  October,  they  arrived  at  the  Indian  vil- 
lage of  "Melwarik"  (Milwaukee),  and  three 
days  later  were  at  Kipiwaki,  now  identified  as 
Racine,  intending  to  ascend  the  Kipiwaki  (Root) 
River  to  the  portage  from  that  stream  to  the 
Fox  River  of  Illinois.  Finding  a  lack  of  water, 
he  says  they  were  "obliged  to  take  the  route  to 
Chicagou."  Leaving  Racine  on  the  17th,  they 
were  delayed  by  rough  weather  for  several 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


625 


days,  arriving  on  the  21st,  within  half  a  league 
of  their  destination,  when,  in  consequence  of  a 
sudden  storm,  they  were  compelled  to  land  and 
walk  the  remainder  of  the  distance.  St.  Cosme 
— whose  account  is  in  the  form  of  a  letter 
addressed  to  the  Bishop  of  Quebec — says  of  his 
visit: 

"We  went  by  land,  M.  DeMontigny,  Davion 
and  myself,  to  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Jesuit 
Fathers,  our  people  staying  with  the  bag- 
gage. We  found  there  Rev.  Father  Pinet  and 
Rev.  Father  Bineteau,  who  had  recently  come 
in  from  the  Illinois  and  were  slightly  sick.  I 
cannot  explain  to  you,  Monseigneur,  with 
what  cordiality  and  marks  of  esteem  these 
Rev.  Jesuit  Fathers  received  and  caressed  us 
during  the  time  that  we  had  the  consolation 
of  staying  with  them.  The  house  is  built  on 
the  banks  of  the  small  lake,  having  the  lake 
on  one  side  and  a  fine  large  prairie  on  the 
other.  The  Indian  village  is  of  over  150  cab-' 
ins,  and  one  league  on  the  river  there  is 
another  village  almost  as  large.  They  are 
both  of  the  Miamis.  Rev.  Father  Pinet  makes 
it  his  ordinary  residence  except  in  winter, 
when  the  Indians  all  go  hunting,  and  which 
he  goes  and  spends  at  the  Illinois." 

This  was  one  of  thirty-five  missions  said  to 
be  in  existence  at  this  period  between  Frontenac 
(at  the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario)  and  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi;  and  its  location  is  assumed, 
in  some  quarters,  to  have  been  on  the  east  side 
of  Mud  Lake  near  the  head  of  the  South  Branch 
of  the  Chicago  River.  Yet  this  theory  is  appar- 
ently as  doubtful  as  was  the  location  of  Mar- 
quette's  cabin  at  the  Chicago  portage  in  the 
winter  of  1674-75.  The  only  thing  which  can  be 
assumed  with  reasonable  certainty  is,  that  the 
site  of  the  Jesuit  mission  of  1699  was  near  the 
southwestern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  on  the 
route  usually  followed  by  travelers,  at  that  day, 
in  reaching  the  Des  Plaines  from  the  Lake;  and 
there  is  nothing  inconsistent  in  the  description 
given  by  St.  Cosme  of  its  location,  with  ^  the 
theory  that  it  was  on  the  Calumet  or  Wolf  Lake. 
An  additional  reason  for  this  conclusion  is  the 
fact  that  St.  Cosme  speaks  of  this  mission  as 
located  at  or  near  a  village  of  the  Miamis,  with 
another  village  of  the  same  tribe  a  league 
distant;  whereas,  it  is  claimed  by  early  explor- 
ers that  the  settlements  of  these  Indians  did 
not  extend  on  the  west  beyond  the  southern 
shore  of  the  Lake. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


PERIOD    OF    PARTIAL    ECLIPSE. 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  FRENCH  MISSION  ON  THE  UPPER 
ILLINOIS  TO  KASKASKIA — ENTRANCE  TO  THE 
MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY  CHANGED  TO  THE  GULF 

COAST COUNTRY   SOUTH  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  RIVEB 

BECOMES   PART   OF   LOUISIANA— CHICAGO  REGION 

STILL  ATTACHED  TO  CANADA VISIT  OF   CHARLE- 

VOIX — EARLY     INDIAN     OCCUPANTS A     FRENCH- 
INDIAN    BATTLE   ON    ILLINOIS    SOIL CHICAGO   IN 

THE    EIGHTEENTH   CENTURY. 

With  the  removal  of  the  principal  French 
mission  from  the  first  Kaskaskia,  on  the  Upper 
Illinois,  to  the  more  modern  village  of  the 
same  name  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia 
River,  in  1700,  and  the  establishment  at  the 
latter  of  whatever  civil  or  colonial  government 
existed  in  the  Illinois  Country  for  two-thirds  of 
a  century,  the  region  about  the  mouth  of  the 
Chicago  River  ceased  to  occupy  the  prominence 
it  had  previously  maintained  as  the  gateway 
from  Canada  to  the  Mississippi  Valley.  This 
result  was  hastened  by  the  settlements,  within 
the  same  period,  about  the  mouth  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  the  increased  frequency  of  communi- 
cation between  the  French  villages  about  Kas- 
kaskia with  the  settlements  on  the  Gulf  Coast 
by  way  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Accordingly 
little  note  was  taken  by  chroniclers  of  the  time, 
for  nearly  a  century,  of  the  region  about  where 
Chicago  now  stands.  Nevertheless  the  name 
Chicago,  with  its  varied  orthography,  continued 
to  be  recognized  on  the  various  maps  issued 
during  the  eighteenth  century,  including  the 
Senex  map  (1710),  the  De  Lisle  map  (1718), 
the  Poples  map  (1733),  the  Bowen  maps  (1752 
and  1774),  the  D'Anville  map  (1755),  the  Du 
Pratz  map  (1757),  the  Bowles  and  Winter- 
botham  maps  (1783),  and  the  Carey  map 
(1801).  The  place  also  received  occasional 
mention,  during  this  period,  from  the  few 
traders  and  travelers  who  visite'd  this  region 
at  long  intervals.  Father  Pinet,  whom  St. 
Cosme  found  at  the  Chicago  mission  in  1699, 
died  at  his  post  in  1704,  although  the  mission 
was  maintained  for  a  number  of  years,  possibly 
as  late  as  1712,  as  it  is  mentioned  in  a  letter 


626 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


written  from  Kaskaskia  by  Father  Marest  dur- 
ing that  year.  It  was  during  the  year  just 
mentioned  that  the  "Illinois  Country,"  as  far 
north  as  the  Illinois  River,  was  attached  by  the 
French  Government  to  Louisiana  for  govern- 
mental purposes,  while  the  lake  region  was  left 
in  nominal  connection  with  Canada.  Thus  the 
locality  about  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan,  owing 
to  its  distance  from  the  center  of  governmental 
authority,  was  left  practically  without  any 
organized  government,  and  was  probably  sel- 
dom, if  ever,  visited  by  any  representative  of 
the  Canadian  Government.  The  absorption  of 
interest  on  the  part  of  the  French  nation  in  the 
establishment  and  development  of  colonies  on 
the  Mississippi,  and,  at  a  later  date,  by  the  wars 
with  the  Iroquois,  which  threatened  French 
supremacy  in  all  the  Northwest,  left  the  region 
about  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan  in  practical 
eclipse.  Fort  St.  Louis  (on  Starved  Rock)  was 
abandoned  as  a  military  post  in  1702,  and,  a 
few  years  later,  the  frequent  incursions  of  the 
Iroquois  from  the  east  and  the  Foxes  from  the 
north,  compelled  the  remnant  of  the  Illinois, 
who  had  made  their  headquarters  about  the 
"Rock"  for  so  many  years,  to  join  the  rest  of 
their  tribe  on  the  Mississippi,  while  the  Miamis 
retired  to  the  southcc^t,  leaving  the  region 
about  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan  virtually 
depopulated  of  the  original  occupants  of  the 
soil,  and  even  leading  to  the  abandonment  of 
the  missionary  stations.  Charlevoix,  the 
French  traveler  and  historian,  who  visited  the 
Illinois  Country  in  1721,  says  of  this  period: 
"The  Outagamies  (Foxes)  infested  with  their 
robberies  and  murders  not  only  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Bay  (Green  Bay),  but  almost  all 
the  routes  communicating  with  the  remote 
colonial  posts,  as  well  as  those  leading  from 
Canada  to  Louisiana." 

In  September,  1730,  the  struggle  between  the 
French  and  their  Indian  allies,  on  the  one  side, 
and  the  Foxes,  on  the  other,  came  to  a  crisis  in 
one  of  the  most  bloody  battles  ever  fought  on 
the  soil  of  Illinois,  resulting  in  the  defeat  of  the 
Foxes.  Some  are  of  the  opinion  that  this  con- 
test occurred  on  Fox  River,  near  Piano  in  Ken- 
dall County.  Another  event  of  like  character 
was  a  great  battle  between  the  Illinois  confeder- 
ation and  their  Indian  enemies,  in  1769,  which 
is  said  by  some  authorities  to  have  occurred 
about  where  Blue  Island  now  stands.  This  may 
have  been  the  beginning  or  the  precursor  of  the 
tragedy  which  had  its  climax  at  "Starved 


Rock,"  the  same  year,  when  the  followers  of 
Pontiac,  consisting  of  several  northern  tribes, 
seeking  revenge  for  the  murder  of  their  leader, 
besieged  the  remnant  of  different  bands  of  the 
Illinois  on  "the  Rock"  for  twelve  days,  finally 
capturing  that  stronghold  and  virtually  exter- 
minating its  defenders.  Of  the  outcome  of  that 
famous  struggle,  Moses,  in  his  "History  of  Illi- 
nois," says:  "Only  one,  a  half-breed,  escaped 
to  tell  the  tale.  Their  tragic  fate  and  whitening 
bones,  which  were  to  be  seen  years  afterward 
upon  its  summit,  gave  to  this  noted  location  the 
name  of  the  'Starved  Rock,'  which  it  has  ever 
since  borne."  (See  "Pontiac"  and  "Starved 
Rock,"  Hist.  Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.) 

There  is  a  tradition  that  the  Spaniards,  who 
made  the  march  across  the  Illinois  Country  for 
the  purpose  of  capturing  Fort  St.  Joseph  at  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph's  River,  in  the  present 
State  of  Indiana,  in  1781,  encamped  on  the 
present  site  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  although 
this  would  have  required  a  considerable  diver- 
gence from  a  straight  line  towards  the  point  of 
their  destination.  Captain  Andreas,  in  his 
"History  of  Early  Chicago,"  commenting  upon 
the  isolation  of  Chicago  during  the  eighteenth 
century,  says: 

"After  the  Foxes  came  the  Pottawatomies, 
who  finally  almost  exterminated  the  old  allies 
of  the  French,  and  the  Chicago  route,  for- 
merly so  often  traversed  by  French  mission- 
aries and  traders  on  their  way  to  the  Illinois 
and  Mississippi,  was,  as  before  stated,  for- 
saken, if  not  forgotten.  .  .  .  For  nearly  half 
a  century  the  name  of  Chicago  is  not  men- 
tioned, and  there  is  no  record  of  any  visit 
of  a  white  man  to  the  locality.  Du  Pratz,  an 
old  French  writer  and  a  resident  of  Louisi- 
ana from  1718  to  1734,  says  of  the  'Chicagou' 
and  Illinois  route  in  1757:  'Such  as  come 
from  Canada,  and  have  business  only  in  Illi- 
nois, pass  that  way  yet;  but  such  as  want  to 
go  directly  to  the  sea,  go  down  the  river  of 
the  Wabache  to  the  Ohio,  and  from  thence  into 
the  Mississippi.'  He  predicts  also  that,  unless 
'some  curious  person  shall  go  to  the  north  of 
the  Illinois  in  search  of  mines,'  where  they 
are  said  to  be  in  great  numbers  and  very 
rich,  that  region  'will  not  soon  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  French.' " 

The  "mines"  referred  to  were,  no  doubt,  those 
belonging  to  what  was  known  as  the  "Galena 
Lead  Mine  Region"  in  the  early  part  of  the  last 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


627 


century,  of  the  character  and  richness  of  which 
the  French  had  probably  received  exaggerated 
reports  from  the  Indians. 


CHAPTER  V. 


STORY   OF  A  LAND  DEAL. 


FIRST  TRANSACTION  AFFECTING  CHICAGO  REAL 
ESTATE — PRINCIPAL  PART  OF  NORTHERN  ILLINOIS 
BOUGHT  FOR  FIVE  SHILLINGS  AND  CERTAIN 
"GOODS  AND  MERCHANDISE" — CESSION  OF  LANDS 
BY  THE  INDIANS  UNDER  TREATY  OF  GREENVILLE 
— TRACT  SIX  MILKS  SQUARE  AT  MOUTH  OF  CHI- 
CAGO RIVER  CEDED  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  GOV- 
ERNMENT— SITE  OF  EARLY  FRENCH  FORT  IN 

DOUBT. 

A  story  of  curious  interest  in  connection  with 
the  early  history  of  Chicago,  relates  to  the 
alleged  purchase  from  the  Indians,  before  the 
Revolutionary  War,  by  one  William  Murray,  of 
a  tract  of  land  embracing  a  large  part  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  including  the  site  of  the  City 
of  Chicago.  According  to  this  story,  as  told  by 
Murray  himself,  his  negotiations  were  conducted 
with  the  chiefs  of  the  several  tribes  of  the  Illi- 
nois Indians,  in  the  presence  of  the  British 
officers  and  authorities  stationed  at  Kaskaskia, 
in  the  summer  of  1773.  Two  tracts  appear  to 
have  been  involved  in  this  transaction,  one  of 
them  (the  northern)  being  described  in  the 
deed,  as  quoted  in  Hurlbut's  "Antiquities  of 
Chicago,"  as  follows: 

"Beginning  at  a  place  or  point  in  a  direct 
line  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri 
River;  thence  up  the  Mississippi  by  the  sev- 
eral courses  thereof  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illi- 
nois River  about  six  leagues,  be  the  same 
more  or  less;  and  then  up  the  Illinois  River 
by  the  several  courses  thereof,  to  Chicagou 
or  Garlick  Creek,  about  ninety  leagues  or 
thereabouts,  be  the  same  more  or  less;  then 
nearly  a  northerly  (probably  westerly) 
course,  in  a  direct  line  to  a  certain  place 
remarkable,  being  the  ground  on  which  an 
engagement  or  battle  was  fought,  about  forty 
or  fifty  years  ago,  between  the  Pewaria 


(Peoria)  and  Renard  (Fox)  Indians,  about 
fifty  leagues,  be  the  same  more  or  less;  thence 
by  the  same  course  in  a  direct  line  to  two 
remarkable  hills  close  together  in  the  middle 
of  a  large  prairie  or  plain  about  fourteen 
leagues,  be  the  same  more  or  less;  thence  a 
north  of  east  course  in  a  direct  line  to  a 
remarkable  spring  known  by  the  Indians  by 
the  name  of  Foggy  Springs,  about  fourteen 
leagues,  be  the  same  more  or  less;  thence  the 
same  course  in  a  direct  line  to  a  great  moun- 
tain to  the  northward  of  the  White  Buffaloe 
plain,  about  fifteen  leagues,  be  the  same  more 
or  less;  thence  nearly  a  southwest  course  in 
a  direct  line  to  the  place  of  beginning  about 
forty  leagues,  be  the  same  more  or  less." 

Making  due  allowance  for  apparent  typo- 
graphical errors  in  points  of  compass  in  this 
pretended  deed,  as  handed  down  to  us  through 
a  period  of  two  and  a  quarter  centuries,  in  spite 
of  an  evident  attempt  to  adhere  to  the  use  of 
specific  legal  terms  then  in  vogue,  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  the  tract  intended  to  be  conveyed  could 
have  been  satisfactorily  traced  at  that  time  or 
any  other:  certainly  such  a  feat  would  be 
impossible  at  the  present  day.  There  may  have 
been  a  purpose  on  the  part  of  the  purchasers, 
however,  in  the  lack  of  definiteness  in  describ- 
ing the  boundaries,  the  chief  object  being  to 
establish  a  sort  of  claim  to  as  large  a  territory 
as  possible.  Almost  the  only  points  now  dis- 
tinctly understood  from  the  so-called  "deed," 
as  given,  are  the  facts  that  the  southern  limit 
of  the  tract  was  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri,  that  it  extended  north  along  the  east 
bank  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Illinois,  and 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  "Garlick  Creek," 
embracing  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Chi- 
cago. Not  the  least  curious  circumstance  in 
connection  with  this  early  land  transaction,  is 
that  the  "consideration"  for  the  transfer  of  this 
tract  is  said  to  have  been  "the  sum  of  five  shil- 
lings, to  them  (the  Indians)  in  hand  paid,"  and 
certain  "goods  and  merchandise."  The  items 
embraced  in  the  "merchandise"  part  of  the 
"consideration"  are  described  as  follows:  "260 
strouds,  250  blankets,  250  shirts,  150  pairs  of 
strouds  and  half-thick  stockings,  150  stroud 
breech-cloths,  500  pounds  of  gunpowder,  4,000 
pounds  of  lead,  one  gross  of  knives,  30  pounds 
of  vermilion,  2,000  gun-flints,  200  pounds  of 
brass  kettles,  200  pounds  of  tobacco,  three  dozen 
gilt  looking-glasses,  one  gross  of  gun-worms, 


628 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


two  gross  of  awls,  one  gross  of  fire-steels,  16 
dozen  of  gartering,  10,000  pounds  of  flour,  500 
bushels  of  Indian  corn,  12  horses,  12  horned 
cattle,  20  bushels  of  salt  and  20  guns" — the 
receipt  whereof  was  acknowledged,  though  it 
is  doubtful  if  the  articles  ever  passed  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  alleged  land  purchasers. 

Out  of  this  curious  transaction  appears  to 
have  grown  the  attempt  to  organize  the  "Illi- 
nois Land  Company,"  composed  of  Englishmen, 
but  later  (in  1780 — the  Revolutionary  War,  in 
the  meantime,  having  been  in  progress  for 
several  years)  reorganized  as  an  American 
company  at  Philadelphia.  This  claim  was 
brought  before  the  Continental  Congress  in 
1781,  in  an  attempt  to  secure  its  recognition 
by  a  proffer  to  cede  the  land  to  the  United 
States  on  condition  that  one-fourth  of  the  claim 
be  reconveyed  to  the  company;  but  it  was  fin- 
ally rejected  on  the  ground  that  private  per- 
sons, without  previous  authority  obtained  from 
the  Government,  could  not  obtain  a  valid  title 
to  lands  from  the  Indians.  Attempts  were 
made  to  revive  the  claim  before  Congress  in 
1792  and  1797,  but  with  the  same  result  as  in 
1781.  (H.  U.  HurlbuVs  "Chicago  Antiquities.") 

The  next  land  transaction  involving  the  title 
to  the  site  of  the  present  City  of  Chicago, 
though  not  embracing  quite  so  large  a  terri- 
tory as  that  claimed  under  the  Murray  pur- 
chase, proved  of  less  questionable  legality  and 
more  permanently  effective.  This  was  the 
result  of  what  is  known  as  the  Greenville 
Treaty,  concluded  on  August  3,  1795,  by  Gen. 
Anthony  Wayne,  with  representatives  of  twelve 
Indian  tribes  then  occupying  most  of  the  Terri- 
tory Northwest  of  the  Ohio  River — being  the 
direct  outcome  of  Gen.  Wayne's  decisive  vic- 
tory gained  over  the  Indians  at  the  Battle  of 
Maumee  Rapids,  in  August  of  the  previous  year. 
The  tribes  especially  interested  in  this  treaty, 
as  it  affected  Illinois  territory,  were  the  Pot- 
tawatomies,  Miamis,  Kickapoos,  Piankeshaws 
and  Kaskaskias,  the  first  named  being  then  the 
principal  claimants  to  land  about  the  south- 
western shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  including  the 
mouth  of  the  Chicago  River.  Among  the  ces- 
sions granted  by  this  treaty  were  sixteen  special 
grants  (or  reservations),  embracing  tracts  vary- 
ing in  area  from  two  to  twelve  miles  square, 
each,  three  of  which  were  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  One  of  these 
related  to  a  tract  six  miles  square  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Chicago  River;  another  to  a  tract  twelve 


miles  square  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  the  Illi- 
nois, and  the  third  to  a  plat  six  miles  square 
embracing  the  fort  and  village  at  the  lower 
end  of  Peoria  Lake,  then  called  Illinois  Lake. 
The  terms  of  the  grant,  as  it  applied  to  the 
tract  about  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River, 
were  as  follows:  "One  piece  of  land  six  miles 
square,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River, 
emptying  into  the  southwest  end  of  Lake  Mich- 
igan, where  a  fort  formerly  stood."  The  fort 
here  referred  to  is  generally  assumed  to  have 
been  that  mentioned  in  the  earlier  part  of  this 
history  as  being  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Durantaye  between  1685  and  1700,  and  there 
was  probably  as  much  doubt  at  the  date  of 
the  Greenville  Treaty  about  its  actual  location 
as  at  the  present  day.  For  reasons  of  policy, 
perhaps,  rather  than  regard  for  the  actual  truth 
of  history,  the  region  about  the  mouth  of  what 
is  now  known  as  the  Chicago  River,  appears 
to  have  been  settled  upon  as  the  location  of  this 
reservation,  and  this  was  accepted  by  the 
Indians,  and  here  the  erection  of  old  Fort  Dear- 
born by  Capt.  William  Whistler  was  begun  in 
1803. 

In  reference  to  the  early  French  fort,  sup- 
posed to  be  the  one  alluded  to  in  the  Treaty 
of  Greenville,  Andreas'  "History'  of  Early  Chi- 
cago" says: 

"What  this  fort  was,  or  by  whom  erected, 
is  now  chiefly  matter  of  conjecture.  In  1718, 
James  Logan,  an  agent  of  Governor  Keith,  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  sent  to  explore  some  of 
the  routes  to  the  Mississippi.  Among  others 
he  reports  as  to  the  route  by  way  of  the  River 
Chicagou  as  follows: 

"  'From  Lake  Huron  they  pass  by  the  Strait 
of  Michilimakina  four  leagues,  being  two  in 
breadth  and  of  a  great  depth,  to  the  Lake  Illi- 
noise;  thence  150  leagues  to  Fort  Miamis,  sit- 
uated at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Chicagou. 
This  fort  is  not  regularly  garrisoned.' 

"About  this  time,  or  shortly  after,  the  fort 
was  probably  entirely  abandoned.  At  all 
events,  at  the  time  of  the  Treaty  of  Green- 
ville, the  oldest  Indians  then  living  had  no 
recollection  of  a  fort  ever  having  been  at  that 
place." 

The  doubtfulness  as  to  the  exact  location  of 
the  fort  mentioned  by  James  Logan,  in  the 
above  quotation  from  his  report,  is  all  the 
greater  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  "Fort  of  the 
Miamis"  was  the  name  given  to  the  first  fort 


Pub   X_  Eng  Chico-gc 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


629 


erected  by  LaSalle,  in  the  winter  of  1679-80,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  River  which,  for 
a  time,  bore  the  name  of  the  "Chicagou."  While 
this  could  scarcely  have  been  the  fort  alluded 
to  by  Logan  in  1718.  it  is  barely  possible  that 
the  name  of  La'Salle's  fort  may  have  been 
transferred  to  that  occupied  by  Durantaye  in 
1685,  and  which  there  is  reason  to  believe  was 
maintained  until  after  1700. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  CHICAGO. 


CHICAGO'S    FIRST    PERMANENT     SETTLER    A    SAN 

DOMINGO       NEGRO COLONEL      DE       PEYSTER'S 

DESCRIPTION  OF  JEAN  BAPTISTE  POINTE  DE 
SAIBLE — CHICAGO  THEN  KNOWN  AS  "ESCHI- 
KACOU" — LE  MAI,  A  FRENCH  TRADER,  SUCCEEDS 

POINTE   DE   SAIBLE OTHER  EARLY   SETTLERS 

ANT01NE  OUILMETTE  COMES  IN  1790 CHICAGO 

PREVIOUS  TO  THE  BUILDING  OF  FORT  DEARBORN. 

Even  at  an  earlier  date  than  the  Treaty  of 
Greenville,  what  has  come  to  be  accepted  as 
the  first  permanent  settlement  had  been  made 
on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Chicago.  The 
name  connected  with  this  important  event  is 
that  of  Jean  Baptiste  Pointe  de  Saible  (or,  as 
written  by  some,  AuSable),  and  his  history 
gives  to  the  circumstance  an  air  of  romance. 
The  earliest  mention  made  of  him  in  history  is 
found  in  a  volume  of  "Miscellanies"  written  by 
Col.  Arent  Schuyler  DePeyster,  a  British  officer, 
who  had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
British  post  at  Mackinac  in  1774,  where  he 
remained  several  years.  In  his  "Miscellanies," 
under  date  of  July  4,  1779,  appears  the  follow- 
ing entry:  "Baptiste  Pointe  de  Saible,  a  hand- 
some negro,  well  settled  at  Eschikagou,  but 
much  in  the  French  interest."  Elsewhere  in 
the  same  volume  Colonel  DePeyster  writes: 
"Eschikagou  is  a  river  and  fort  at  the  head  ot 
Lake  Michigan."  There  is  evidence  that  the 
river  here  referred  to  was  the  Chicago  River 
of  to-day,  and  it  would  seem  that  there  was  a 
fort  of  some  sort  here  at  that  time,  though  its 
character  and  exact  location  are  left  in  doubt. 
From  other  sources  of  information  it  would 


appear  that  Pointe  de  Saible  was  a  native  of  San 
Domingo  who  had  come  to  this  country  before 
or  during  the  early  years  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and,  after  spending  some  time  with  a 
friend  and  fellow-countryman  named  Glamor- 
gan, who  was  a  trader  among  the  Peoria  Indi- 
ans about  Lake  Peoria,  had  come  to  the  locality 
of  Chicago  probably  as  early  as  1778.  It  has 
also  been  assumed  in  some  quarters  that  he 
had  been  a  slave.  However  this  may  have  been, 
his  color  has  suggested  the  facetious  paradox 
that  "the  first  white  settler  of  Chicago  was  a 
negro."  Another  interesting  circumstance 
developed  by  Colonel  DePeyster's  reminiscence 
is  the  fact  that,  among  the  score  or  more  of 
different  spellings  given  to  the  name  of  Chi- 
cago in  the  hundred  years  following  the  visits 
of  Marquette  and  LaSalle,  was  that  of  "Eschi- 
kagou." 

The  story  of  Pointe  de  Saible's  presence  here 
at  this  early  day  is  corroborated  by  the  state- 
ment of  Augustin  Grignon,  obtained  in  the  form 
of  an  interview  in  1857,  and  published  in  the 
third  volume  of  the  "Wisconsin  Historical 
Society's  Collections."  Grignon  belonged  to  a 
pioneer  family  of  Wisconsin,  being  the  grand- 
son of  Sieur  Charles  de  Langlade,  who  is  cred- 
ited with  having  been  the  first  permanent  white 
settler  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  located  about 
1735  after  having  served  in  the  French-Indian 
War.  At  the  time  of  making  this  statement, 
Mr.  Grignon  was  a  resident  of  Butte  des  Morts, 
near  Oshkosh,  Wis.  He  says: 

"At  a  very  early  period  there  was  a  negro 
lived  there  (at  Chicago)  named  Baptiste 
Pointe  de  Saible.  My  brother  Perish  Grig- 
non visited  Chicago  about  1794,  and  told  me 
that  Pointe  de  Saible  was  a  large  man;  that 
he  had  a  commission  for  some  office,  but  for 
what  particular  office,  or  from  what  govern- 
ment, I  cannot  now  recollect.  He  was  a 
trader,  pretty  wealthy  and  drank  freely.  I 
know  not  what  became  of  him." 

All  that  is  known  of  Pointe  de  Saible's  later 
history  is,  that  about  1796  he  sold  or  aban- 
doned his  cabin — which  was  probably  also  his 
headquarters  for  trade  with  the  Pottawatomies 
— when  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  French 
trader  named  LeMai,  Pointe  de  Saible  rejoining 
his  old  friend  and  comrade  Glamorgan,  at 
Peoria,  and  dying  there  soon  after.  There  is 
a  tradition  that,  while  about  Chicago,  he  sought 
to  place  himself  at  the  head  of  the  Potta- 


630 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


watomies  as  their  chief,  but  in  this  was  doomed 
to  disappointment.  His  house,  which  seems 
to  have  been  a  better  building  than  the  ordi- 
nary cabins  of  that  day,  is  said  to  have  been 
constructed  of  "squared  logs,"  and  located  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Chicago  River  about  the 
present  junction  of  Kinzie  and  Pine  streets. 
This  cabin  had  an  important  history.  After 
being  occupied  as  a  home  and  trading  house 
some  eight  years,  it  was  sold  by  LeMai,  in  1804, 
to  John  Kinzie,  who  came  to  this  locality  soon 
after  the  erection  of  Fort  Dearborn,  and  became 
the  first  permanent  settler  of  the  metropolis  of 
the  Northwest.  (See  Pointe  de  Saible — Hist, 
Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.) 

Besides  LeMai,  who  succeeded  Pointe  de 
Saible,  there  appear  to  have  been  settled  about 
the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River,  during  the 
closing  years  of  the  eighteenth  century,  several 
other  white  men,  most,  if  not  all,  of  whom  were 
Indian  traders  with  Indian  wives  and  half-breed 
families.  One  of  these  was  a  French  trader 
named  Guarie,  whose  location  was  on  the  west 
side  of  the  North  Branch  near  its  junction 
with  the  South  Branch,  and  from  whom  the 
former  received  the  name  of  Guarie  (or  Garay) 
Creek,  by  which  it  was  known  about  that  time. 
The  date  of  Guarie's  arrival  and  the  length  of 
his  stay  here  are  unknown.  Another  early 
resident  was  Antoine  Ouilmette,  also  a  trader, 
who,  according  to  his  own  statement,  came  here 
in  1790,  was  here  at  the  date  of  the  Fort  Dear- 
born massacre  of  1812  and  as  late  as  1825. 
In  1839  he  was  living  at  Racine,  Wis.  The 
suburb  known  as  Wilmette,  just  north  of  Evans- 
ton,  with  an  Anglicized  spelling,  was  named  in 
his  honor.  There  was  also  another  Frenchman 
named  Pettell  here  at  this  time,  but  of  whom 
little  is  known.  These  substantially  included 
all  who  were  located  about  the  mouth  of  the 
Chicago  River  at  the  time  the  erection  of 
the  first  Fort  Dearborn  was  begun  in  1803, 
although,  no  doubt,  traders,  trappers  and  explor- 
ers were  accustomed  to  make  brief  sojourns 
here  during  that  period.  The  Hon.  John  Went- 
worth,  who  came  to  Chicago  in  1836  when  the 
history  of  that  era  was  still  fresh  in  the  mem- 
ories of  the  older  settlers,  in  an  address  deliv- 
ered on  occasion  of  the  unveiling  of  a  tablet 
to  mark  the  site  of  the  old  Fort  Dearborn,  said 
of  the  condition  existing  at  Chicago  at  the 
time  work  on  the  fort  was  begun:  "There  were 
then  here  but  four  rude  huts,  or  traders'  cabins, 
occupied  by  white  men,  Canadian  French  with 


Indian  wives."     These  were  doubtless  the  men 
whose  names  have  already  been  quoted. 

During  this  early  period  one  William  Bur- 
nett seems  to  have  been  conducting  an  extensive 
business  among  the  Indians  between  Detroit 
and  Mackinac.  His  headquarters  appear  to 
have  been  at  St.  Joseph,  Michigan,  from  1786 
to  1803,  although  he  is  believed  to  have  located 
in  Michigan  as  early  as  1769.  Like  most  of  the 
Indian  traders  of  his  time  he  had  an  Indian 
wife — the  sister  of  a  prominent  Pottawatomie 
chief — and  reared  a  half-breed  family.  For  a 
part  of  the  time,  probably  as  early  as  1798,  he  is 
reputed  to  have  had  a  storage  or  trading  house 
at  Chicago,  though  earlier  conducting  his  busi- 
ness at  St.  Joseph,  which  was  a  more  promi- 
nent trading  post  than  Chicago.  After  the 
Fort  Dearborn  massacre  in  1812,  Captain  Heald 
(who  had  been  commander  of  the  fort) ,  together 
with  his  wife,  found  a  temporary  refuge  at 
the  home  of  Mr.  Burnett  before  giving  himself 
up  to  the  British  commandant  at  Mackinac. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


STORY  OF  FORT  DEARBORN. 


BUILDING    OF    THE    FIRST    FORT    BEGUN    BY    CAPTAIN 
WHISTLER  IN  1803 — LOCATION  AND  DESCRIPTION 

OF    THE    ORIGINAL    FORTRESS ARRIVAL    OF    THE 

KINZIE  FAMILY OTHER  NEWCOMERS — THE  KIN- 

ZIES  OCCUPY  THE  LEMAI  CABIN — DR.  ALEXANDER 
WOLCOTT  AND  GEN.  DAVID  HUNTER — CHARLES 
JOUETT,  INDIAN  AGENT  AND  "CHICAGO'S  FIRST 

LAWYER" — MRS.  j.  H.  KINZIE'S  "WAUBUN" — A 

PRECURSOR  OF  DISASTER — THE  HARDSCRABBLE 
MASSACRE. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  reser- 
vation of  a  tract  of  land  six  miles  square,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River,  in  accordance 
with  the  terms  of  the  Treaty  of  Greenville,  in 
1795.  Although  this  indicated  the  purpose  of 
the  Government  to  establish  some  sort  of  a 
military  post  here,  and  this  seems  to  have  been 
under  consideration  as  early  as  1798,  it  was  not 
until  1803  that  actual  steps  were  taken  in  that 
direction.  In  the  summer  of  the  latter  year 
Capt.  John  Whistler,  of  the  regular  army,  was 


• 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


631 


ordered  to  proceed  with  his  company  from 
Detroit  to  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River  and 
erect  a  fortification  there.  Captain  Whistler, 
accompanied  by  his  family,  including  his  son, 
Lieut.  William  Whistler,  of  the  same  company, 
and  the  young  wife  of  the  latter  (aged  seven- 
teen years),  bringing  with  him  supplies  for 
the  new  garrison,  made  the  trip  from  Detroit 
on  board  the  United  States  schooner  "Tracy" 
to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph's  River,  and 
thence  by  row-boat  to  Chicago.  The  date  of 
his  arrival  at  the  latter  place  has  been  given 
as  July  4,  1803.  The  remainder  of  the  com- 
pany came  overland  under  command  of  Lieut. 
James  S.  Swearingen.  The  arrival  of  the 
troops,  with  that  of  the  schooner  which  soon 
after  followed  from  St.  Joseph,  was  an  event 
of  deep  interest  to  the  numerous  bands  of 
Indians  either  gathered  about  the  two  or  three 
trading  houses  then  located  here,  or  attracted 
by  the  novel  scenes  they  had  come  to  witness. 
Captain  Whistler  at  once  began  the  construc- 
tion of  the  fort  or  stockade  which  was  neces- 
sary for  the  housing  and  protection  of  his 
troops — the  soldiers,  in  the  absence  of  teams 
of  any  sort,  dragging  the  needed  timbers  from 
the  woods  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  Accord- 
ing to  the  statement  of  the  younger  Mrs.  Whist- 
ler, who  was  a  visitor  in  Chicago  in  1875,  there 
were  here  at  that  time  only  "fouir  rude  huts,  or 
traders'  cabins,  occupied  by  white  men,  Can- 
adian French  with  Indian  wives."  (The  names 
of  the  occupants  of  these  huts  have  already 
been  given  under  the  head  of  "Early  Settlers.") 
The  structure  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Chicago  River,  about  the  foot  of  Michigan  Ave- 
nue opposite  the  south  end  of  the  Rush  Street 
bridge,  and  a  short  distance  west  of  where  the 
river  then  made  a  bend  to  the  southward  before 
entering  the  lake  where  the  foot  of  Madison 
Street  now  is. 

Although  its  construction  was  begun  in  1803, 
the  fort  was  not  completed  until  the  following 
year.  As  originally  constructed  it  consisted  of 
two  block-houses  located  at  opposite  angles 
(.northwestern  and  southeastern)  of  a  strong 
wooden  stockade,  with  the  commandant's  head- 
quarters on  the  east  side  of  the  quadrangle, 
soldiers'  barracks  on  the  west,  and  magazine, 
contractor's  (or  sutler's)  store  and  general 
store-house  on  the  north — the  whole  built  of 
logs,  and  all,  except  the  block-houses  which 
commanded  the  outside  of  the  stockade,  being 
entirely  within  the  enclosure.  There  were  two 


main  entrances — one  on  the  south  or  land  side, 
and  the  other  on  the  north  or  water  side,  where 
a  sunken  road  led  down  to  the  river,  giving 
access  to  the  water  without  exposure  to  a 
besieging  force  from  without.  The  armament 
consisted  of  three  pieces  of  light  artillery, 
besides  the  small  arms  in  the  hands  of  the 
soldiers  constituting  the  garrison.  Captain 
Whistler  remained  in  command  of  the  garri- 
son until  the  early  part  of  1811,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Capt.  Nathan  Heald.  There  has 
been  some  discussion  regarding  the  name  which 
the  post  first  received,  yet  there  seems  to  be  no 
doubt  that  it  was  first  named  Fort  Dearborn,  in 
honor  of  Gen.  Henry  Dearborn,  who  was  Secre- 
tary of  War  at  the  time  it  was  constructed ;  and 
this  was  the  name  by  which  it  was  known  at 
the  time  of  the  massacre  and  its  destruction  by 
the  Indians  in  1812 — an  event  which  will  be 
the  subject  of  comment  later  on  in  this  narra-. 
tive.  (See  Whistler,  John,  and  Fort  Dearborn 
—Hist.  Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.) 

The  most  important  event  in  local  history 
about  Chicago,  following  the  establishment  of 
the  garrison  at  Fort  Dearborn,  was  the  arrival 
here,  in  the  early  spring  of  1804,  of  John  Kin- 
zie,  who  had  previously  been  engaged  in  trade 
with  the  Indians  at  Detroit  and,  later  on,  about 
St.  Joseph,  Mich.  Mr.  Kinzie  had  learned  the 
trade  of  a  silver-smith  in  his  youth  at  Quebec, 
and  had  made  himself  useful  to  the  Indians  in 
repairing  their  guns  and  trinkets,  besides 
becoming  widely  known  as  a  popular  trader. 
He  was  known  among  the  Indians  by  the  name 
of  "Shaw-nee-aw-kee"  (The  "Silver-man") 
which,  at  a  later  date,  descended  to  his  son, 
Col.  John  H.  Kinzie,  who,  in  the  early  '30s, 
was  Sub-Agent  for  the  Winnebago  Indians,  with 
headquarters  at  Fort  Winnebago,  Wis.  (See 
Kinzie,  John,  and  Kinzie,  John  Harris. — Hist. 
Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.)  The  elder  Kinzie 
brought  with  him  his  family  consisting  of  his 
wife  and  the  son  just  named,  the  latter  an 
infant  less  than  one  year  old.  The  maiden 
name  of  Mrs.  Kinzie  was  Eleanor  Lytle,  but  at 
the  date  of  her  marriage  to  Kinzie  (about  1800) 
she  was  the  widow  of  a  British  officer  named 
McKillip,  who  had  been  killed  by  accident  at 
Fort  Defiance,  in  the  present  State  of  Ohio,  in 
1794.  On  his  removal  to  Fort  Dearborn,  Mr. 
Kinzie  purchased  from  the  French  trader,  Le 
Mai,  the  cabin  originally  occupied  by  Pointe  de 
Saible,  located  on  the  north  shore  of  the  Chi- 
cago River  opposite  the  fort.  Here  he  followed 


632 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


his  vocation  as  a  silversmith,  sutler  for  Fort 
Dearborn  and  trader  among  the  Indians,  in 
after  years  becoming  an  agent  of  the  American 
Fur  Company,  organized  in  the  early  part  of 
the  last  century  by  John  Jacob  Astor.  A  mem- 
ber of  Mr.  Kinzie's  own  family  has  been  quoted' 
as  authority  for  the  statement  that  he  had  the 
position  of  sutler  when  he  came  to  Fort  Dear- 
born, which  is  highly  probable,  as  he  appears  to 
have  been  an  intimate  friend  of  Captain  Whist- 
ler, and  at  a  later  date,  had  a  son  of  the  latter 
as  a  partner  in  business. 

The  Pointe  de  Saible  and  LeMai  cabin,  hav- 
ing been  improved  and  enlarged,  became  widely 
known  throughout  the  Northwest  as  "The 
Kinzie  Mansion,"  and  many  men  of  national 
reputation  were  entertained  there  during  the 
first  quarter  of  the  century.  The  fact  that 
Mr.  Kinzie  continued  to  be  a  resident  of  the 
vicinity  for  the  remainder  of  his  life — except 
for  a  few  years  following  the  Fort  Dearborn 
massacre — and  reared  here  a  family  who  were 
prominently  identified  with  Chicago  history 
after  the  place  became  a  city,  won  for  him  the 
title  of  the  first  permanent  white  settler  of 
Chicago.  Besides  the  elder  son,  John  H.  Kin- 
zie, already  named,  who  was  born  at  Sandwich, 
Canada,  in  1803,  his  descendants  included  Ellen 
Marion  Kinzie,  born  in  December,  1805 — after- 
wards became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Alexander  Wol- 
cott,  for  many  years  Indian  Agent  at  Chicago; 
Maria  Indiana  Kinzie,  born  in  1807 — became  the 
wife  of  Gen.  David  Hunter,  a  distinguished 
soldier  of  the  Civil  War;  and  Robert  Allen  Kin- 
zie, born  at  Fort  Dearborn  in  1810.  Mrs.  Juli- 
ette A.  (Magill)  Kinzie,  the  gifted  author  of 
early  reminiscences  of  Chicago  and  the  North- 
west under  the  title  of  "Waubun,"  was  the  wife 
of  Col.  John  H.  Kinzie,  to  whom  she  was  mar- 
ried at  Middletown,  Conn.,  in  1830,  going  imme- 
diately to  Fort  Winnebago,  Wis.,  where,  as 
already  stated,  he  had  charge  of  the  Indian 
Agency. 

In  the  eight  years  following  the  erection  of 
P'ort  Dearborn  there  were  few  changes  of 
which  any  record  has  been  preserved,  although 
there  is  reason  to  suppose  that  there  were  the 
usual  excitements  incident  to  life  about  a  fron- 
tier military  station,  varied  only  by  communica- 
tion, at  long  intervals,  with  the  older  settle- 
ments, and  not  infrequent  visits  from  noisy 
bands  of  Indians  who  came  to  trade,  but 
remained  to  carry  on  their  drunken  revels. 
Doubtless  there  were  few  arrivals  of  white 


men  during  this  period,  except  of  those 
employed  in  some  official  capacity,  or  of  traders 
seeking  to  extend  their  traffic  with  the  Indians. 
Among  the  former  class  was  Charles  Jouett, 
who  had,  been  educated  as  a  lawyer  in  Virginia, 
but  came  to  Detroit  in  1802  to  serve  as  Indian 
Agent  by  appointment  of  President  Jefferson, 
and,  three  years  later  (1805),  was  transferred 
in  the  same  capacity,  to  Fort  Dearborn,  remain- 
ing until  1811,  when  he  resigned.  The  year 
previous  to  the  rebuilding  of  Fort  Dearborn  in 
1816,  Mr.  Jouett  resumed  his  old  position  as 
Indian  Agent  at  Chicago,  but  about  1820  again 
resigned  and,  for  a  time,  was  Judge  of  the 
United  States  Court  for  the  Territory  of 
Arkansas.  In  consequence  of  his  training  as  a 
lawyer  he  has  been  accredited  the  honor  of 
being  "Chicago's  first  lawyer,"  though  it  is 
doubtful  if,  apart  from  his  official  duties  as 
Indian  Agent,  his  legal  qualifications  were  ever 
called  into  requisition.  Mr.  Jouett  took  a 
prominent  part  in  negotiating  several  impor- 
tant treaties  with  the  Indians  during  his'  con- 
nection with  the  agency  at  Detroit  and  that 
at  Chicago.  The  first  Agency  Building — or 
"United  States  Factory,"  as  it  was  also  called 
— occupied  by  Mr.  Jouett,  is  said  to  have  stood 
west  of  the  fort  and  just  outside  of  the  palisade. 
It  is  believed  to  have  been  erected  about  1810, 
and  is  described  by  Mrs.  Kinzie  in  "Waubun" 
as  "an  old-fashioned  log-building,  with  a  hall 
running  through  the  center,  and  one  large  room 
on  each  side.  Piazzas  extended  the  whole  length 
of  the  building  in  front  and  rear." 

On  Mr.  Jouett's  return  to  Chicago  in  1815 
he  occupied  quarters  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river  about  where  the  freight  depot  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  Railroad  now  stands.  His 
house  is  believed  to  have  been  in  existence 
before  the  massacre.  At  a  later  date  another 
building  for  the  Agency  was  erected  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  latter,  and  this 
became  somewhat  famous  under  the  name  of 
"Cobweb  Castle,"  but  was  never  occupied  by 
Mr.  Jouett.  (See  Jouett,  Charles. — Hist.  Encyc. 
of  III.,  Vol.  I.) 

During  this  period  (i.  e.,  between  1804  and 
1812)  two  other  settlers  are  known  to  have  been 
located  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Dearborn.  One 
of  these  was  John  Burns,  who  occupied  a  cabin 
on  the  north  side  west  of  the  Ouilmette  home, 
and  was  living  there  with  his  family  a  few 
months  before  the  massacre.  The  Burns  house 
is  conjectured  to  have  been  the  one  occupied  by 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


633 


Mr.  Jouett  as  an  Agency  building  on  the  re-es- 
tablishment of  the  Agency  here  in  1815.  The 
other  new  settler  was  one  Charles  Lee,  who  is 
believed  to  have  come  soon  after  the  establish- 
ment of  Fort  Dearborn,  and  erected  a  cabin  on 
the  lake  shore  near  the  fort,  where  he  resided 
with  his  family.  Lee  had  begun  to  open  a  farm 
on  the  South  Branch,  some  four  miles  from  its 
mouth,  about  where  Bridgeport  stood  at  a  later 
day,  but  now  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of 
Chicago.  This  farm,  at  an  early  day,  bore  the 
name  of  "Lee's  place,"  and  later  was  known  as 
"Hardscrabble." 

It  was  at  this  place  during  the  spring  of  1812 
that  occurred  an  event  which  proved  a  pre- 
curser  of  the  disaster  which  was  to  follow,  a 
few  months  later,  at  Fort  Dearborn.  What  has 
been  generally  accepted  as  a  substantially  accu- 
rate history  of  this  affair  has  been  given  by 
Mrs.  Kinzie,  in  her  story  entitled  "Waubun." 
On  the  date  of  this  event  there  happened  to  be 
at  Lee's  place  three  men  and  a  boy — one  of  the 
former  being  Liberty  White,  the  manager,  and 
the  latter  the  son  of  Mr.  Lee.  Mrs.  Kinzie's 
story  runs  as  follows : 

"In  the  afternoon  (April  6,  1812),  a  party 
of  ten  or  twelve  Indians,  dressed  and  painted, 
arrived  at  the  Lee  house,  and,  according  to 
their  custom,  entered  and  seated  themselves 
without  ceremony.  Something  in  their 
appearance  and  manner  excited  the  suspicions 
of  one  of  the  family,  a  Frenchman  (named 
Debou),  who  remarked:  'I  don't  like  the 
looks  of  these  Indians — they  are  none  of  our 
folks.  .  .  .  They  are  not  Pottawato- 
mies.'  Another  of  the  family,  a  discharged 
soldier,  said  to  the  boy:  'If  this  is  the  case, 
we  had  better  get  away  if  we  can.  Say  noth- 
ing, but  do  as  you  see  me  do.' 

"As  the  afternoon  was  far  advanced,  the 
soldier  walked  leisurely  towards  the  canoes 
tied  near  the  bank.  The  Indians  asked  where 
he  was  going.  He  pointed  to  the  cattle  which 
were  standing  among  the  haystacks  on  the 
opposite  bank,  and  made  signs  that  they  must 
go  and  fodder  them,  and  then  they  would 
return  and  get  their  supper.  He  got  into 
one  canoe  and  the  boy  into  the  other.  .  .  . 
When  they  gained  the  opposite  side  they 
pulled  some  hay  for  the  cattle  .  .  .  and 
when  they  had  gradually  made  a  circuit  so 
that  their  movements  were  concealed  by  the 
haystacks,  they  took  to  the  woods  and  made 


for  the  fort.  They  had  run  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  when  they  heard  the  discharge  of  two 
guns  successively.  .  .  .  They  stopped 
not  nor  stayed  until  they  arrived  opposite 
Burns'  place  (about  the  State  Street  bridge), 
where  they  called  across  to  warn  the  family 
of  the  danger,  and  then  hastened  on  to  the 
fort.  .  .  . 

"A  party  of  soldiers,  consisting  of  a  cor- 
poral and  six  men,  had,  that  afternoon, 
obtained  leave  to  go  up  the  river  to  fish.  They 
had  not  returned  when  the  fugitives  from 
Lee's  place  arrived  at  the  fort.  .  .  .  The 
commanding  officer  ordered  a  cannon  to  be 
fired  to  warn  them  of  their  danger.  Hearing 
the  signal,  they  took  the  hint,  put  out  their 
torches  and  dropped  down  the  river  toward 
the  garrison  as  silently  as  possible.  .  .  . 
When  the  fishing  party  reached  Lee's  place 
it  was  proposed  to  stop  and  warn  the  inmates. 
.  .  .  All  was  still  as  death  around  the 
house.  They  groped  their  way  along  and, 
as  the  corporal  jumped  over  the  small  enclos- 
ure, he  placed  his  hand  on  the  dead  body  of 
a  man.  By  the  sense  of  touch  he  soon  ascer- 
tained that  the  head  was  without  a  scalp  and 
was  otherwise  mutilated.  The  faithful  dog 
of  the  murdered  man  stood  guarding  the 
remains  of  his  master.  They  retreated  to 
their  canoes  and  reached  the  fort  unmolested 
about  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  The  next 
morning  a  party  of  citizens  and  soldiers  vol- 
unteered to  go  to  Lee's  place.  .  .  .  The 
body  of  Mr.  White  was  found  pierced  by  two 
balls  and  with  eleven  stabs  in  the  breast. 
The  Frenchman  lay  dead  with  his  dog  still 
beside  him.  Their  bodies  were  brought  to 
the  fort  and  buried  in  its  immediate  vicinity. 

"It  was  subsequently  ascertained  from  trad- 
ers out  in  the  Indian  country,  that  the  per- 
petrators of  this  bloody  deed  were  a  party 
of  Winnebagos  who  had  come  into  this  neigh- 
borhood to  'take  some  white  scalps..'  Their 
plan  had  been  to  proceed  down  the  river 
from  Lee's  place  and  kill  every  white  man 
without  the  walls  of  the  fort.  Hearing,  how- 
ever, the  report  of  the  cannon,  and  not  know- 
ing what  it  portended,  they  thought  it  best 
to  remain  satisfied  with  this  one  exploit,  and 
forthwith  retreated  to  their  homes  on  Rock 
River." 

This   affair   produced   general   alarm   among 
the  inhabitants  outside  of  the  fort,   consisting 


634 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


chiefly  of  a  few  discharged  soldiers  and  a  few 
traders  with  their  half-breed  families,  who  now 
entrenched  themselves  in  the  Agency  House 
near  the  fort.  No  immediate  attack  was  made, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  the  appearance  of 
skulking  parties  of  Indians  in  the  vicinity,  for 
the  purpose  of  picking  off  straggling  soldiers 
or  stealing  horses,  no  hostile  demonstration 
against  the  fort  occurred  for  over  three  months. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


FORT  DEARBORN  MASSACRE. 


BEGINNING  OF  WAR  OF  1812 GENERAL  HULL  ORDERS 

EVACUATION  OF  FORT  DEARBORN STATEMENT  OF 

CAPTAIN  HEALD— A  STORY  OF  INDIAN  TREACH- 
ERY  LOCATION  OF  THE  GREAT  TRAGEDY: — INCI- 
DENTS OF  THE  BLOODY  AFFAIR  AS  RELATED  IN 
MRS.  KINZIE'S  "WAUBUN" — MAGNANIMOUS 
CONDUCT  OF  CHIEF  BLACK  PARTRIDGE — THE 

STORY  OF  MRS.  HELM VALOR  OF  CAPT.  WILLIAM 

WELLS  AND  HIS  TRAGIC  FATE. 

Before  the  close  of  the  summer  of  1812 
occurred  the  most  bloody  tragedy  in  the  history 
of  Illinois,  which,  only  three  years  preceding, 
had  been  organized  under  a  Territorial  Gov- 
ernment, although  Chicago,  as  a  city,  was  not 
yet  in  existence  even  in  embryo.  War  between 
England  and  the  United  States  had  been 
declared  on  June  18th  of  this  year  and,  on  July 
16th,  Fort  Mackinac  surrendered  to  the  British. 
The  situation  was  calculated  to  arouse  the  ani- 
mosity of  the  Indians,  who  had  already  mani- 
fested their  friendship  for  the  British,  and 
were  watching  their  opportunity  to  give  vent  to 
their  hatred  against  the  Americans.  The 
account  of  what  followed  is  drawn  from  the 
statement  of  Capt.  Nathan  Heald,  the  com- 
mandant at  Fort  Dearborn,  and  the  story  of  the 
massacre  as  told  by  Mrs.  Juliette  A.  Kinzie  in 
"Waubun" : 

On  June  9,  1812,  a  friendly  Pottawatomie 
Chief,  named  Winnemeg,  arrived  at  Fort  Dear- 
born bringing  dispatches  from  General  Hull, 
then  of  Detroit,  but  in  command  of  the  North- 
west, instructing  Captain  Heald,  the  command- 
ant at  Fort  Dearborn,  in  consideration  of  the 


fall  of  Mackinac,  to  evacuate  the  fort  and  pro- 
ceed with  his  command  by  land  to  Detroit. 
According  to  a  statement  of  Captain  Heald,  pub- 
lished a  few  months  later,  the  order  for  evacu- 
ation was  positive,  only  leaving  it  to  his  dis- 
cretion to  dispose  of  the  public  property  as  he 
saw  proper.  Other  authorities,  including  a  let- 
ter from  General  Hull  of  an  earlier  date  than 
his  order  to  Heald,  imply  that  the  latter  was 
authorized  to  exercise  his  own  judgment  in  ref- 
erence to  the  matter  of  evacuation.  Captain 
Heald's  statement  continues: 

"The  neighboring  Indians  got  the  informa- 
tion as  early  as  I  did,  and  came  in  from  all 
quarters  in  order  to  receive  the  goods  in  the 
factory  store,  which  they  understood  were  to 
be  given  them.  On  the  13th,  Captain  Wells, 
of  Fort  Wayne,  arrived  with  about  thirty 
Miamis,  for  the  purpose  of  escorting  us  in  by 
the  request  of  General  Hull.  On  the  14th  I 
delivered  the  Indians  all  the  goods  in  the 
factory  store,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of 
provisions  which  we  could  not  take  away  with 
us;  the  surplus  and  ammunition  I  thought 
proper  to  destroy,  fearing  they  would  make 
bad  use  of 'it  if  put  in  their  possession.  I 
also  destroyed  all  the  liquor  on  hand  soon 
after  they  began  to  collect.  The  collection 
was  unusually  large  for  that  place,  but  they 
conducted  with  the  strictest  propriety  till 
after  I  left  the  fort.  On  the  15th,  at  nine  in 
the  morning  we  commenced  our  march;  a 
part  of  the  Miamis  were  detached  in  front 
and  the  remainder  in  our  rear  as  guards, 
under  the  direction  of  Captain  Wells.  The 
situation  of  the  country  rendered  it  necessary 
for  us  to  take  to  the  beach,  with  the  lake  on 
our  left  and  a  high  sand-bank  on  our  right 
hand  about  100  yards  distant. 

"We  had  proceeded  about  a  mile  and  a  half, 
when  it  was  discovered  that  the  Indians  were 
prepared  to  attack  us  from  behind  the  bank. 
I  immediately  marched  up  with  the  company 
to  the  top  of  the  bank,  when  the  action  com- 
menced; after  firing  one  round  we  charged, 
and  the  Indians  gave  way  in  front  and  joined 
those  on  our  flanks.  In  about  fifteen  minutes 
they  got  possession  of  all  our  horses,  pro- 
visions and  baggage  of  every  description; 
and,  finding  the  Miamis  did  not  assist  us,  I 
drew  off  the  few  men  I  had  left  and  took 
possession  of  a  small  elevation  in  the  open 
prairie,  out  of  shot  of  the  bank  or  any  other 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


635 


cover.  The  Indians  did  not  follow  me  but 
assembled  in  a  body,  on  the  top  of  the  bank 
and,  after  some  consultation  among  them- 
selves, made  signs  for  me  to  approach  them. 
I  advanced  toward  them  alone,  and  was  met 
by  one  of  the  Pottawatomie  chiefs,  called  the 
"Black  Bird,"  with  an  interpreter.  After 
shaking  hands,  he  requested  me  to  surrender, 
promising  to  spare  the  lives  of  all  the  pris- 
oners. On  a  few  moments'  consideration,  I 
concluded  it  would  be  most  prudent  to  com- 
ply, although  I  did  not  put  entire  confidence 
in  his  promise.  After  delivering  up  our  arms, 
we  were  taken  to  their  encampment  near  the 
fort  and  distributed  among  the  different 
tribes.  The  next  morning  they  set  fire  to  the 
fort  and  left  the  place,  taking  the  prisoners 
with  them.  Their  number  of  warriors  was 
between  four  and  five  hundred,  mostly  of  the 
Pottawatomie  nation,  and  their  loss,  from  the 
best  information  I  could  get,  was;  about  fif- 
teen. Our  strength  was  54  regulars  and  12 
militia,  out  of  which  26  regulars  and  all  the 
militia  were  killed  in  the  action,  with  two 
women  and  twelve  children.  Ensign  George 
Roman  and  Dr.  Isaac  V.  Van  Voorhis  of  my 
company,  with  Captain  Wells,  of  Fort  Wayne, 
are,  to  my  great  sorrow,  numbered  among  the 
dead.  Lieut.  Lina  T.  Helm,  with  25  non- 
commissioned officers  and  privates  and  eleven 
women  and  children,  were  prisoners  when  we 
were  captured.  Mrs.  Heald  and  myself  were 
taken  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  St.  Joseph, 
and,  being  both  badly  wounded,  were  permit- 
ted to  reside  with  Mr.  Burnett,  an  Indian 
trader.  In  a  few  days  after  our  arrival  there, 
the  Indians  all  went  off  to  take  Fort  Wayne, 
and  in  their  absence  I  engaged  a  Frenchman 
to  take  us  to  Mackinac  by  water,  where  I 
gave  myself  up  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  with 
one  of  my  sergeants."* 


•The  exact  location  where  the  battle  and  mas- 
sacre of  the  15th  of  August,  1812,  occurred  has 
been  matter  of  Interesting  speculation,  although,  from 
contemporary  descriptions  of  the  event  and  the 
reminiscences  of  citizens  who  arrived  at  Chicago  a 
few  years  later,  it  has  been  possible  to  locate  the 
site  with  reasonable  accuracy.  While  the  operations 
of  the  troops  from  the  fort  and  the  attacking  force 
of  Indians  must  have  covered  considerable  ground, 
the  best  informed  authorities  seem  to  have  settled 
upon  the  space  near  the  lake  shore  between  Eight- 
eenth and  Twenty-first  streets  as  the  probable  scene 
of  the  fight.  An  elm  tree  which,  until  a  few  years 
ago,  stood  on  the  premises  of  the  late  George  M. 
Pullman,  near  the  foot  of  Eighteenth  street,  has  been 
accepted  as  the  historical  point ;  and  here  Mr.  Pull- 
man erected,  in  1893,  a  monument  in  commemoration 
of  the  event. 


Other  statements — including  that  of  Mrs.  Kiii- 
zie,  who  undoubtedly  obtained  her  account 
indirectly  from  the  elder  Mr.  Kinzie  through 
the  widow  and  other  members  of  the  family  of 
the  latter — differ  materially  from  that  made  by 
Captain  Heald.  According  to  the  history  of 
the  affair  as  told  by  Mrs.  Kinzie,  Winnemeg,  the 
Pottawatomie  Chief  who  had  brought  the  order 
from  General  Hull  to  Captain  Heald,  when 
informed  of  its  purport,  strongly  advised 
against  evacuation;  but,  in  case  this  step  should 
be  decided  upon,  urged  that  it  be  taken  without 
delay.  Mr.  Kinzie  who,  from  long  residence 
among  the  Indians,  was  well  acquainted  with 
their  temper  and  character,  seems  to  have  been 
in  thorough  accord  with  Winnemeg's  opinion. 
It  is  also  claimed  that  the  subordinate  officers 
strongly  protested  against  Captain  Heald's  pro- 
posed line  of  action,  while  the  Indians  them- 
selves had  begun  to  manifest  an  unruly  and 
dangerous  spirit  even  before  the  work  of  evacu- 
ation began. 

An  incident  indicating  the  condition  of 
affairs  existing  among  the  Indians,  as  well  as 
illustrating  the  honorable  character  of  at  least 
one  of  their  number,  is  related  by  Mrs.  Kinzie 
in  the  volume  ("Wau-bun")  already  referred 
to  in  this  history.  Mrs.  Kinzie  relates  this  inci- 
dent as  follows: 

"Among  the  chiefs  were  several  who, 
although  they  shared  the  general  hostile  feel- 
ing of  their  tribe  toward  the  Americans,  yet 
retained  a  personal  regard  for  the  troops  at 
this  post,  and  for  the  few  white  citizens  of 
the  place.  These  chiefs  exerted  their  utmost 
influence  to  allay  the  revengeful  feelings  of 
the  young  men,  and  to  avert  their  sanguin- 
ary designs,  but  without  effect.  On  the  even- 
ing succeeding  the  council  Black  Partridge,  a 
conspicuous  chief,  entered  the  quarters  of 
the  commanding  officer  (Captain  Heald). 
'Father,'  said  he,  'I  come  to  deliver  up  to 
you  the  medal  I  wear.  It  was  given  to  me 
by  the  Americans,  and  I  have  long  worn  it 
in  token  of  our  mutual  friendship.  But  our 
young  men  are  resolved  to  imbrue  their  hands 
in  the  blood  of  the  whites.  I  cannot  restrain 
them,  and  I  will  not  wear  a  token  of  peace 
while  I  am  compelled  to  act  as  an  enemy.'  " 

While  this  can  only  be  supposed  to  indicate 
the  substance  of  Black  Partridge's  speech,  it 
furnishes  proof  that  Captain  Heald  had  abun- 
dant evidence,  in  advance,  of  the  hostile  feel- 


636 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ing  in  existence  among  the  savages.  Black 
Partridge  had  long  been  a  friend  of  the  whites, 
and  the  medal  which  he  then  proposed  to  sur- 
render is  said  to  have  been  given  him  by  Gen- 
eral Wayne  at  the  time  of  the  Treaty  of  Green- 
ville, in  1795.  Before  the  conclusion  of  the 
tragedy  at  Fort  Dearborn  this  high-minded 
Indian  had  an  opportunity,  in  another  way,  to 
prove  his  magnanimity  to  one  of  the  helpless 
victims.  This  incident,  as  related  by  the  victim 
herself — Mrs.  Helm,  the  wife  of  Lieutenant 
Helm,  an  officer  of  the  garrison — is  quoted  by 
Mrs.  Kinzie.  While  the  fight  was  going  on 
near  the  lake  shore,  a  young  Indian  attacked 
Mrs.  Helm,  aiming  to  strike  her  on  the  head 
with  his  tomahawk.  By  springing  aside  she 
had  partially  avoided  the  blow  which  fell  upon 
her  shoulder,  inflicting  there  a  painful  wound. 
What  followed  is  thus  described  by  Mrs.  Helm: 

"I  seized  him  around  the  neck  and,  while 
exerting  my  utmost  efforts  to  get  possession 
of  his  scalping-knife,  which  hung  in  a  scab- 
bard over  his  breast,  I  was  dragged  from  his 
grasp  by  another  and  older  Indian.  The  lat- 
ter bore  me  struggling  and  resisting  towards 
the  lake.  I  was  immediately  plunged  into 
the  water  and  held  there  with  a  forcible 
hand,  notwithstanding  my  resistance.  I  soon 
perceived  that  the  object  of  my  captor  was  not 
to  drown  me,  for  he  held  me  firmly  in  such  a 
position  as  to  place  my  head  above  water. 
This  reassured  me,  and  regarding  him  atten- 
tively I  soon  recognized,  in  spite  of  the  paint 
with  which  he  was  disguised,  The  Black  Part- 
ridge." 

While  the  troops  generally  gave  evidence  of 
the  most  splendid  courage  in  their  efforts  to 
resist  the  assaults  of  the  infuriated  savages  and 
protect  the  helpless  women  and  children,  there 
were  numerous  instances,  on  the  part  of  their 
assailants,  of  those  inhuman  atrocities  custo- 
mary in  savage  warfare.  One  of  the  most 
revolting  of  these  was  the  deliberate  murder  of 
all  the  children — twelve  in  number  —  of  the 
white  families,  who  had  been  placed  in  a  bag- 
gage wagon  for  convenience  of  transportation 
with  the  troops,  while  many  of  the  wounded 
prisoners  shared  the  same  fate.  The  feeling 
of  horror  produced  by  the  recital  of  these  atro- 


cities is  relieved  somewhat  by  individual 
instances  of  humane  treatment  on  the  part  of 
some  of  the  Indians.  Following  out  the  story 
of  Mrs.  Helm:  After  the  battle  she  was  taken 
back  to  the  vicinity  of  the  fort  by  her  pre- 
server, Black  Partridge,  and,  after  having  been 
protected,  for  a  time,  by  the  wife  of  a  friendly 
chief,  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  French  trader 
named  Ouilmette,  with  a  half-breed  family,  and 
either  kept  concealed  or  disguised  as  a  French 
woman  until  it  was  safe  to  surrender  her  to 
her  step-father,  Mr.  John  Kinzie. 

The  case  of  Capt.  William  Wells,  who  had 
arrived  from  Fort  Wayne,  two  days  before  the 
evacuation,  with  a  party  of  Miamis,  to  act  as 
an  escort  for  the  force  from  Fort  Dearborn,  was 
one  of  deep  interest.  Wells,  who  was  the 
uncle  of  Mrs.  Heald,  belonged  to  a  white  family 
of  Kentucky,  but  having  been  captured  by 
Indians  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  had  grown 
up  among  them  and  adopted  their  mode  of  life. 
While  a  captive  he  had  been  adopted  by  the 
celebrated  Miami  Chief,  Little  Turtle,  whose 
daughter  he  married.  He  took  part  on  the  side 
of  the  Indians  in  the  war  of  1790  and  was  pres- 
ent at  the  defeat  of  Colonel  Harmer  the  same 
year,  and  that  of  Governor  St.  Clair  in  1801, 
but  later  joined  the  whites  and  fought  under 
General  Wayne  at  Maumee  Rapids.  Having 
settled  near  Fort  Wayne,  he  began  to  open  a 
farm,  was  appointed  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  by 
Gov.  William  Henry  Harrison,  and,  at  the  time 
of  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Dearborn,  was  serving 
as  Indian  Agent.  Anticipating  trouble  from 
the  start,  it  is  said  that  he  took  his  place,  in 
Indian  garb  and  with  blackened  face,  in  com- 
mand of  the  rear  guard,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
to  discover  the  hostile  intentions  of  the  treach- 
erous savages.  He  made  a  most  gallant  resist- 
ance, but  having  his  horse  shot  under  him, 
was  soon  overpowered  and  fell  fighting  desper- 
ately. According  to  one  report  his  head  was 
cut  off  and  borne  upon  a  pole  back  to  the  fort, 
while  his  heart  was  cut  out  and  eaten  by  the 
fiendish  savages.  Mrs.  Helm  and  a  son  of  Cap- 
tain Heald  have  been  quoted  as  authority  for 
the  statement  that,  before  receiving  his  death- 
wound,  this  heroic  man  had  succeeded  in  kill- 
ing eight  Indians. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OE  ILLINOIS. 


637 


CHAPTER  IX. 


AFTER   THE   MASSACRE. 


THE    KINZIE    FAMILY    IN    PERIL APPEARANCE    OF 

"SAUGANASH"  ON  THE  SCENE — FORT  DEARBORN 
BURNED THE  KINZIES  TAKE  REFUGE  AT  ST.  JOS- 
EPH  LIEUTENANT  HELM  RELEASED  THROUGH 

THE    INFLUENCE    OF    BLACK    PARTRIDGE SOME 

PROMINENT  ACTORS SKETCHES  OF  THE  NOTED 

HALF-BREEDS,  ALEXANDER  ROBINSON  AND  BILLY 
CALDWELL  ("SAUGANASH") — BLACK  PARTRIDGE 

AGAIN    PROVES    HIS    HUMANITY UNGRATEFUL 

TREATMENT    OF    THIS    NOBLE    "MAN    OF    THE 

WOODS." 

Mr.  Kinzie,  although  not  directly  connected 
with  the  fort  except  as  sutler  and  an  occasional 
interpreter,  and  regarded  as  a  lifelong  friend 
by  the  Indians,  determined  to  leave  with  the 
troops.  A  part  of  his  family  had  taken  passage 
on  board  a  bateau,  with  which  it  was  intended 
to  keep  along  the  lake  shore  near  the  moving 
column.  The  boat  had  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  river  (then  about  where  Madison  Street 
now  approaches  the  lake),  when  a  friendly 
Indian  brought  intelligence  of  the  tragedy  that 
had  just  been  enacted.  Having  been  halted 
here,  the  family  were  guarded  by  friendly 
Indians  until  able  to  return  with  safety  to  their 
home  opposite  the  fort. 

While  the  boat  lay  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
Mrs.  Kinzie's  attention  was  directed  to  Mrs. 
Heald  who,  although  badly  wounded,  was  still 
on  horseback,  but  a  captive  in  the  hands  of  an 
Indian  who  was  preparing  to  scalp  her.  Through 
Mrs.  Kinzie's  appeal  to  Chandonai,  a  friendly 
half-breed  and  chief  of  the  Pottawatomies,  Mrs. 
Heald,  by  the  offer  of  a  liberal  reward,  was 
rescued  from  her  captor  and  finally  taken  to 
the  Kinzie  home,  where  a  bullet  was  extracted 
from  one  of  her  most  dangerous  wounds  by  Mr. 
Kinzie  with  a  pen-knife. 

Although  once  more  in  their  home,  the  con- 
dition of  the  Kinzie  family  was  one  of  great 
peril  and  anxiety.  The  house  was  constantly 
exposed  to  invasion  by  hostile  savages  who 
watched  the  inmates  with  suspicion,  while  a 
few,  like  Black  Partridge,  sought  to  shield 
them  from  danger.  At  a  time  when  even  the 


faithful  Black  Partridge  had  lost  hope,  the 
unexpected  appearance  on  the  scene  of  another 
"friendly"  had  the  effect  to  avert  disaster.  This 
part  of  the  story,  as  graphically  told  by  Mrs. 
J.  H.  Kinzie  in  Jier  "Waubun,"  is  as  follows : 

"At  this  moment  a  friendly  war-whoop 
was  heard  from  a  party  of  new-comers  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  river.  Black  Partridge 
sprang  to  meet  their  leader.  'Who  are  you?' 
'A  man.  Who  are  you?'  'A  man  like  your- 
self; but  tell  me  who  you  are.'  'I  am  the 
Sauganash.'  (Englishman.)  'Then  make  all 
haste  to  the  house.  Your  friend  is  in  danger; 
you  alone  can  save  him.'  Billy  Caldwell — 
for  it  was  he — entered  with  a  calm  step  and 
without  a  trace  of  agitation.  He  deliber- 
ately took  off  his  accoutrements  and  placed 
them  with  his  rifle  behind  the  door,  then 
saluted  the  hostile  savages. 

"  'How  now,  my  friends!  A  good  day  to 
you.  I  was  told  there  were  enemies  here; 
but  I  am  glad  to  find  only  friends.  Why  have 
you  blackened  your  faces?  Is  it  that  you  are 
mourning  for  the  friends  you  lost  in  battle? 
Or  is  it  that  you  are  fasting?  If  so,  ask  our 
friend  here  and  he  will  give  you  to  eat.  He 
is  the  Indians'  friend,  and  never  refused 
them  what  they  had  need  of.' 

"Thus  taken  by  surprise,  the  savages  were 
ashamed  to  acknowledge  their  bloody  pur- 
pose. They  therefore  said  modestly  that  they 
had  come  to  beg  of  their  friends  some  white 
cotton  to  wrap  their  dead.  This  was  given 
them  with  some  presents  and  they  took  their 
departure." 

"Billy  Caldwell" — or  "The  Sauganash"  (Eng- 
lishman), as  he  was  known  among  the  Indians 
— was  the  half-breed  son  of  a  Pottawatomie 
woman  and  an  Irish  officer  in  the  British  army, 
was  educated  in  a  Jesuit  school  and  fought  on 
the  side  of  the  British  in  the  war  of  1812,  being 
an  aid  of  Tecumseh's  at  the  Battle  of  the 
Thames  in  1813.  His  interference  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Kinzie  family  in  1812,  seems 
to  have  been  prompted  purely  by  his  personal 
friendship  for  Mr.  Kinzie. 

The  day  after  the  massacre,  Fort  Dearborn 
and  the  Agency  building  having  previously  been 
looted,  were  burned  by  the  Indians.  Three 
days  later,  the  Kinzie  family,  having  been 
joined  in  the  meantime  by  Mrs.  Helm  in  com- 
pany with  a  few  other  refugees,  were  on  the 
way  to  St.  Joseph,  where  they  found  a  tempo- 


638 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


rary  refuge  with  Alexander  Robinson,  a  half- 
breed  Pottawatomie  chief,  but  soon  after  were 
removed  as  prisoners  to  Detroit,  which  had 
been  surrendered  by  General  Hull  to  the  Brit- 
ish the  day  after  the  evacuatipn  of  Fort  Dear- 
born. Lieutenant  Helm,  after  being  wounded 
on  the  day  of  the  massacre,  had  been  carried 
as  a  prisoner  to  a  village  on  the  Kankakee. 
Here  he  was  discovered  two  months  later,  by 
Black  Partridge,  who,  having  been  author- 
ized by  Col.  Thomas  Forsyth,  a  half-brother  of 
Mr.  Kinzie,  and  then  Indian  Agent  at  Peoria, 
to  negotiate  for  his  ransom,  succeeded  in  doing 
so,  but  not  until  he  had  added  his  pony,  his 
rifle  and  a  large  gold  ring  which  he  wore  in 
his  nose,  to  the  ransom  money.  The  Lieuten- 
ant was  then  permitted  to  join  his  wife  at 
Detroit  and  finally,  after  having  been  sub- 
jected to  considerable  hardship  as  prisoners 
under  the  notorious  and  inhuman  British  Col- 
onel Proctor,  they  were  exchanged. 

A  brief  reference  to  some  of  the  actors  in 
this  drama,  who  were  afterwards  prominent  in 
Chicago  history,  will  be  of  interest.  Alexander 
Robinson,  the  half-breed  Pottawatomie  chief 
(Indian  name  Chee-chu-pin-quay)  is  said  by 
the  late  Mr.  Draper,  Secretary  of  the  Wisconsin. 
State  Historical  Society,  to  have  been  the  son  of 
a  Scotch  trader  and  an  Ottawa  woman,  although 
the  latter  is  believed  to  have  had  French  blood 
in  her  veins.  Another  author  speaks  of  him  as 
a  "half-breed  Chippewa."  He  appears  to  have 
grown  up  at  Mackinac  (possibly  was  born 
there)  and  early  in  the  last  century  was  con- 
nected with  a  trading  house  at  Bertrand,  Mich., 
and,  as  early  as  1809,  visited  Chicago.  About 
the  date  of  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Dearborn, 
he  appears  to  have  been  living  at  St.  Joseph, 
and,  if  not  present  with  other  members  of  his 
tribe  at  the  time  of  the  massacre,  evidently 
made  his  appearance  soon  after  and  accompa- 
nied the  Kinzies  to  his  home — still  later  taking 
Captain  Heald  to  Mackinac,  where  the  latter 
surrendered  to  the  British  commandant.  The 
exact  date  of  his  locating  at  Chicago  is  un- 
known, but  is  thought  to  have  been  as  early  as 
1814.  Later  he  appears  to  have  been  associ- 
ated at  different  periods  with  Mr.  Kinzie,  Gur- 
don  S.  Hubbard  and  others  in  trade  with  the 
Indians.  His  home  at  an  early  day  was  on  the 
north  side  about,  the  intersection  of  Dearborn 
Avenue  and  Kinzie  Street,  and,  later,  at  Wolf 
Point,  the  junction  of  the  North  and  South 
Branch.  He  often  officiated  as  interpreter  for 


the  Government,  and,  about  1823,  was  employed 
in  that  capacity  by  the  Indian  Agent,  Dr.  Wol- 
cott.  ^is  name  appears  in  a  list  of  voters  and 
tax-payers  at  Chicago  in  1825  and  1826,  and 
he  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  treaty  at 
Prairie  du  Chien  in  1829,  and  of  that  at  Chicago 
in  1833 — was  granted  a  reservation  of  two  sec- 
tions of  land  on  the  Des  Plaines  and  an  annu- 
ity of  $200  in  1832,  and  an  addition  to  the  lat- 
ter of  $300  at  the  Treaty  of  Chicago  in  1833. 
He  is  reputed  to  have  rendered  valuable  ser- 
vice, in  conjunction  with  Caldwell  and  Sha- 
bona,  in  holding  his  tribe  in  check  during  the 
"Winnebago  Scare"  of  1827,  and  again  during 
the  Black  Hawk  War  of  1832.  He  assisted  in 
removing  the  Indians  west  of  the  Mississippi 
after  the  Treaty  of  1833,  but  returned  and  set- 
tled on  his  reservation  on  the  Des  Plaines, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days,  dying 
there,  April  22,  1872.  The  inscription  on  his 
tomb-stone  fixes  his  age  at  110  years;  though 
the  late  Henry  H.  Hurlbut,  who  knew  Robin- 
son personally,  thinks  his  age  could  not  have 
exceeded  85  years,  and  possibly  was  not  over  80. 
Capt.  Billy  Caldwell  (Indian,  "The  Saugan- 
ash"),  alluded  to  elsewhere  as  the  preserver 
of  the  Kinzie  family,  was  a  native  of  Canada, 
and,  although  a  half-breed,  was  fairly  well  edu- 
cated, being  able  to  write  with  facility  in  both 
the  English  and  French  languages,  besides 
being  master  of  several  Indian  dialects.  His 
devotion  to  the  British  cause  was  the  natural 
result  of  his  having  grown  up  under  British 
rule.  From  1807  down  to  the  battle  of  the 
Thames  in  1813,  he  was  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  celebrated  Chief  Tecumseh, 
and  known  as  his  "secretary."  In  1816 
he  was  at  Amherstburg,  Can.,  and  is 
believed  to  have  located  in  Chicago  about  1820. 
His  wife  was  the  daughter  of  a  somewhat 
famous  Indian  chief  named  Nee-scot-nee-meg, 
who  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  participants 
in  the  massacre  of  1812.  Caldwell  was  a  tax- 
payer here  in  1825,  and  in  1826  a  voter,  serving 
also  as  one  of  the  clerks  at  the  same  election. 
During  the  latter  3rear  he  was  appointed  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Peoria  County,  to  which 
the  region  now  embraced  in  Cook  Oounty  was 
then  attached.  Although  an  office-holder  and 
a  voter  under  the  State  Government  of  Illinois, 
it  appears  that  Caldwell  never  renounced  his 
allegiance  to  Great  Britain.  In  1828,  in  con- 
sideration of  his  services,  the  Government 
erected  a  house  for  him  on  the  North  Side 


MUNSELL   PUBLISHING    CO    CHICAGO 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


639 


near  the  intersection  of  North  State  Street  and 
Chicago  Avenue.  This  house  was  the  first 
frame  building  erected  in  Chicago,  much  of 
the  material  for  it  having  been  brought  from 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  At  a  later  period  it  was 
removed  to  Indiana  Street,  but  was  destroyed 
in  the  fire  of  1871.  At  the  treaty  of  Prairie  du 
Chien  in  1829  a  reservation  of  two  and  a  half 
sections  of  land  on  the  Chicago  River  was  set 
apart  for  Caldwell,  and  at  Tippecanoe,  in  1833, 
he  was  granted  an  annuity  of  $600.  He  is 
described  by  his  contemporaries  as  "a  tall,  fine- 
looking  man,"  of  high  courage  and  strong  com- 
mon sense.  During  the  troubles  with  the  Win- 
nebagoes  in  1827,  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in 
1832,  he  proved  himself  a  faithful  and  efficient 
friend  of  the  whites.  On  the  departure  of  the 
Indians  from  Northern  Illinois  for  their  new 
home  west  of  the  Mississippi,  in  1836,  he  felt 
it  his  duty  to  accompany  them;  and,  after  liv- 
ing with  them  five  years,  died  at  (or  near) 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  September  28,  1841,  in  the 
60th  year  of  his  age.  "The  Sauganash  Hotel," 
a  log-building  erected  at  the  corner  of  Lake 
and  Market  Streets,  and  opened  as  a  hotel, 
about  1831,  by  Mark  Beaubien,  was  one  of  the 
earliest  and  most  noted  hostelries  in  the  future 
great  city,  and  was* named  in  honor  of  Captain 
Caldwell.  (See  Khabona;  also,  Beaubien,  Mark. 
—Hist.  Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol  I.) 

The  Indian,  Black  Partridge,  who  had  sought 
so  faithfully  to  protect  Mrs.  Helm  and  the  fam- 
ily of  Mr.  Kinzie,  continued  his  kindness  to 
tne  sufferers  after  the  massacre.  One  of  his 
benevolent  acts,  of  which  mention  has  been 
made  by  Mrs.  Kinzie,  was  the  carrying  of  an 
infant  of  a  Mrs.  Lee  to  Chicago,  a  distance  of 
fifty  miles,  in  order  that  it  might  receive  medi- 
cal treatment.  Mrs.  Lee  was  the  widow  of 
Charles  Lee,  the  owner  of  "Lee's  Place,"  where 
had  occurred  the  tragedy  of  the  spring  of  1812 
before  the  Fort  Dearborn  massacre.  Mr.  Lee, 
with  a  son  and  daughter,  had  been  killed  dur- 
ing the  massacre.  Black  Partridge,  who  had 
taken  charge  of  the  surviving  members  of  the 
family,  wished  to  marry  the  widow,  but,  too 
honorable  to  force  his  affections  upon  her,  con- 
tinued to  treat  her  with  respect  in  spite  of  her 
refusal.  Later,  she  became  the  wife  of  a 
French  trader  named  Du  Pin,  who  located  here 
about  the  time  of  the  massacre.  The  magna- 
nimity of  this  high-minded  and  honorable  savage 
did  not  protect  him,  however,  from  punishment 
for  the  wrongs  committed  by  other  members 


of  his  tribe.  According  to  Moses'  History  of  Illi- 
nois, it  was  only  a  few  months  later,  when  his 
village,  then  located  near  the  head  of  Peoria 
Lake,  was  attacked  without  provocation  by  a 
party  of  volunteers  under  command  of  Governor 
Edwards  on  the  way  to  Peoria,  and  some  thirty 
of  Black  Partridge's  followers  were  killed,  their 
village  and  stores  burned  and  eighty  horses 
captured.  (See  Hoses'  "History  of  Illinois," 
Vol.  I.,  p.  253.)  Black  Partridge's  experience 
seems  to  have  been  a  counterpart  of  that  of  the 
celebrated  Chief  Logan — examples  which  have 
left  an  indelible  stain  upon  American  civiliza- 
tion. 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE   SECOND   FORT  DEARBORN. 


FOUR  YEABS  OF  ARRESTED  DEVELOPMENT — FORT 
DEARBORN  IN  DESOLATION — ITS  RESTORATION 
BEGUN  IN  1816 — BURIAL  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE 

MASSACRE LIST      OF      COMMANDANTS A      NEW 

IMMIGRATION     SETS     IN THE     KINZIES     AMONG 

THE    FIRST    TO    ARRIVE OTHER    NOTABLE    ARRIV- 
ALS— THE     CLYIiOURNS,     GALLOWAYS,     HEACOCK. 

ETC. A  FIRE  IN   FORT  DEARBORN THE  "WINNE- 

BAGO   SCARE." 

The  four  years  following  the  evacuation  of 
Fort  Dearborn  was  a  period  of  practical  sus- 
pension, so  far  as  Chicago  history  was  con- 
cerned. The  evacuation  and  subsequent  mas- 
sacre resulted  in  the  elimination  from  the 
region  about  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River 
of  the  last  remnant  of  American  civilization. 
All  that  remained  consisted  of  the  mixed 
French  and  Indian  type,  such  as  had  existed, 
for  a  century  previous,  at  the  various  trading 
posts  along  the  Great  Lakes  and  about  the  head- 
waters of  the  Mississippi.  For  the  time  being 
the  northern  portion  of  what  then  constituted 
the  Territory  of  Illinois  was  under  practical 
control  of  the  British,  or  rather  their  savage 
allies  who  roamed  over  all  this  region  at  their 
will.  Probably  the  only  family  permitted  to 
remain  here  immediately  after  the  massacre, 
was  that  of  the  French  trader  Ouilmette,  which, 
being  composed  chiefly  of  half-breeds,  was 
regarded  as  friendly  to  the  Indians.  It  is  said, 


640 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


however,  that  another  trader  named  Du  Pin 
came  here  about  the  time  of  the  evacuation,  or 
soon  after,  and  occupied  the  Kinzie  home.  It 
has  been  claimed  that  Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien, 
who  had  been  engaged  in  the  fur  trade  on  the 
Grand  River  of  Michigan,  probably  before  1800, 
and  at  a  later  date  at  Mackinac  and  Milwaukee, 
about  the  time  of  the  massacre  bought  the  Lee 
cabin  on  the  Lake  shore  south  of  the  fort. 
While  Beaubien  may  have  been  here  for  a  time 
during  this  period,  there  is  no  conclusive  evi- 
dence that  he  resided  here  permanently  until 
some  years  later.  One  John  Dean,  an  army  con- 
tractor, appears  to  have  erected  a  house  near 
the  old  fort  about  the  close  of  the  period  here 
referred  to,  and  this  was  purchased  by  Beaubien 
and  became  his  home  in  1817.  Beaubien  became 
the  head  of  a  large  and  well-known  family,  and, 
in  later  years,  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company  and  owner  of  a  farm  at 
"Hardscrabble"  (the  historic  Lee  Place),  where 
quite  a  number  of  families  lived.  The  arrival 
of  Alexander  Robinson  (half-breed  Indian 
chief)  in  1814  has  been  mentioned  elsewhere. 

Peace  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain  having  been  declared  in  1815,  the 
Indian  Agency  was  re-established  at  Chicago 
the  same  year,  under  the  former  Agent,  Charles 
Jouett.  During  the  following  year  (1816)  Fort 
Dearborn  was  rebuilt  under  the  direction  of 
Capt.  Hezekiah  Bradley,  who  brought  with  him 
two  companies  of  infantry.  The  date  of  Cap- 
tain Bradley's  arrival  is  said  to  have  been  July 
4,  1816,  the  same  day  of  the  month  upon  which 
his  predecessor,  Captain  Whistler,  arrived  thir- 
teen years  before.  One  of  the  earliest  acts  of 
Captain  Bradley's  troops  after  arriving  was  the 
burial  of  the  victims  of  the  massacre  of  1812, 
whose  bones  had  lain  bleaching  on  the  lake 
shore  during  the  intervening  four  years. 

The  new  fort  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the 
old  one,  though  constructed  on  a  somewhat 
larger  scale  and  improved  plan.  It  consisted  of 
a,  quadrangular  stockade  of  oak  pickets  four- 
teen feet  high,  inclosing  barracks  for  the  sol- 
diers and  officers'  quarters,  constructed  of 
hewed  logs  and  two  stories  in  height.  A  mag- 
azine (of  brick)  and  store-houses  were  also 
embraced  in  the  area  of  about  600  feet  square. 
The  soldiers'  barracks  were  located  on  the  east 
side  and  the  officers'  quarters  on  the  west.  The 
structure  was  defended  by  bastions  at  the 
northwest  and  the  southeast  corners,  with  a 
blockhouse  at  the  southwest  angle.  Captain 


Bradley  remained  in  command  until  the  fol- 
lowing year  (1817),  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Maj.  Daniel  Baker,  who  remained  until  1820. 
Captain  Bradley  then  resumed  command  for 
one  year.  Other  commandants  were:  Maj. 
Alexander  Cummings,  1821;  Lieut.  Col.  John 
McNeil,  1821-23;  Capt.  John  Greene  for  a  short 
time  in  1823.  In  May  of  the  latter  year,  the 
garrison  having  been  withdrawn,  the  fort  was 
turned  over  to  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  then 
Indian  Agent  at  Chicago.  In  August,  1828,  fol- 
lowing upon  the  heels  of  the  "Winnebago 
Scare,"  the  fort  was  again  occupied  by  a  gar- 
rison under  command  of  Maj.  John  Fowle,  so 
continuing  until  May,  1831,  when  it  was  again 
evacuated.  Again,  in  June,  1832 — the  Black- 
Hawk  War  being  then  in  its  early  stages — the 
fort  was  reoccupied  by  a  force  under  command 
of  Maj.  William  Whistler,  the  son  of  Capt. 
John  Whistler,  the  builder  of  the  first  Fort 
Dearborn.  Major  Whistler  was  succeeded  by 
Maj.  John  Fowle  for  a  short  time,  and  the  lat- 
ter, in  1833,  by  Maj.  De  Lafayette  Wilcox.  After 
a  few  other  changes,  on  December  29,  1836,  it 
was  permanently  abandoned,  the  garrison  being 
ordered  to  Fort  Howard,  near  Green  Bay.  The 
structure  gradually  disappeared  before  the 
advancing  tide  of  development  in  Chicago, 
although  the  old  block-house  stood  until  1857, 
when  it  was  demolished. 

Although  peace  had  generally  been  restored 
throughout  the  Northwest  before  the  time  of 
the  rebuilding  of  Fort  Dearborn,  the  accessions 
to  population  about  the  fort,  in  the  next  decade 
and  a  half,  gave  no  indication  of  the  rapid 
influx  that  was  to  be  witnessed  a  generation  or 
two  later — the  arrivals  for  some  time  being 
confined  almost  exclusively  to  Government 
employes  or  persons  engaged  in  trade  with  the 
Indians.  One  of  the  earliest  arrivals  during 
this  period  was  that  of  Mr.  John  Kinzie,  who, 
after  remaining  a  prisoner  for  some  time  in 
the  hands  of  the  British,  had  spent  most  of  the 
interval  of  his  absence  from  Chicago  in  the 
effort  to  reestablish  his  business  at  Detroit. 
On  returning  to  Chicago  he  re-occupied  the 
historic  house  opposite  the  fort  which  he  had 
abandoned  after  the  massacre,  thus  establish- 
ing his  claim  as  the  first  permanent  settler  at 
Chicago.  Here  he  resumed  his  occupation  as  a 
silversmith  and  fur-trader,  some  years  later 
entering  into  the  service  of  the  American  Fur 
Company.  He  also  served  for  a  time  as  sub- 
agent  under  Indian  Agent  Charles  Jouett.  In 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


641 


1821,  and  again  in  1823,  he  was1  recommended 
for  appointment  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace — at 
the  former  date  for  Pike  County  and,  at  the 
later,  for  Fulton — but  in  1825  was  formally 
appointed  for  Peoria  County,  becoming  the  first 
Justice  at  Chicago,  which  had  been  transferred 
to  the  jurisdiction  of  Peoria  County  the  same 
year.  Some  time  in  1827  the  Kinzie  family  took 
up  their  residence  in  the  fort,  which  had  been 
vacated  as  a  military  post  four  years  previous. 
Later  they  resided  in  a  house  belonging  to  J.  B. 
Beaubien,  just  outside  the  fort,  and  here  Mr. 
Kinzie  died  on  January  26,  1828.  (See  Kinzie, 
John. — Hist.  Encyc.  of  III,  Vol.  I.)  Those 
arriving  during  the  next  four  years,  but  not 
previously  mentioned  in  this  record,  included: 
Jacob  B.  Varnum,  United  States  Factor,  who 
came  in  1816  and  remained  until  about  1822, 
when  the  factory  was  abolished;  John  Crafts, 
fur-trader,  from  1817  until  about  1823,  when 
hp  entered  into  the  service  of  the  American  Fur 
Company,  but,  dying  in  1825,  was  succeeded  by 
John  Kinzie;  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott  came  as 
successor  to  Mr.  Jouett  as  Indian  Agent  in 
1820,  serving  until  his  death  ten  years  later. 
(See  Wolcott  (Dr.)  Alexander. — Hist.  Encyc.  of 
III,  Vol.  I.)  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  the  noted 
ethnologist  and  naturalist,  who  visited  Chicago 
in  1820,  says  there  were  only  four  or  five  fam- 
ilies here  at  that  time,  of  whom  he  names  those 
of  John  Kinzie,  Dr.  Wolcott,  John  B.  Beaubien 
and  John  Crafts.  Two  years  later  (1822) 
Charles  C.  Trowbridge  made  a  trip  on  Govern- 
ment business  from  Detroit  to  Chicago,  when 
there  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  increase, 
as  he  names  only  Kinzie,  Wolcott  and  Beaubien 
as  residents  about  the  fort — Crafts  being  then 
located  at  "Hardscrabble." 

In  1822  the  accessions  included  David 
McKee,  who*  came  here  as  Government  black- 
smith in  connection  with  the  Indian  Agency, 
and  became  a  permanent  citizen,  dying  at 
Aurora  in  1881.  Joseph  Porthier,  a  Frenchman, 
with  a  half-breed  family,  also  came  the  same 
year,  as  McKee's  assistant.  The  most  impor- 
tant addition  to  the  population  about  this  period 
was  due  to  the  arrival,  in  1823,  of  Archibald 
Clybourn,  a  distant  relative  of  the  Kinzies.  who, 
coming  from  Virginia,  joined  his  half-brother, 
John  K.  Clark,  who  had  been  engaged  as  a  clerk 
in  trade  with  the  Indians  for  several  years.  The 
following  year  Clybourn  and  Clark  brought  out 
the  family  of  Jonas  Clybourn,  the  father  of  the 
former,  and  the  new  arrivals,  settling  on  the 


North  Branch,  started  the  growth  of  the  village 
in  that  direction.  Mr.  Clybourn  became  the 
first  Constable  at  Chicago,  being  appointed  for 
Peoria  County  in  1825,  and  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  1831.  Another  arrival  of  1824  was 
James  Galloway,  who  brought  his  family  by 
way  of  the  Lakes  from  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and, 
locating  at  "Hardscrabble,"  was  engaged  in  the 
fur  trade  for  some  three  years,  finally  removing 
to  LaSalle  County  in  1827.  Here  Archibald 
Clybourn  was  married  in  1829  to  Miss  Mary 
Galloway,  oldest  daughter  of  Mr.  Galloway,  who 
survived  until  1904,  in  an  honored  old  age, 
Mr.  Clybourn  became  a  successful  and  respected 
business  man,  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in 
the  packing  business  in  Chicago,  and  did  much 
to  build  up  the  northwestern  part  of  the  city. 
Clybourn  Avenue  was  named  in  his  honor. 
Rev.  William  See,  a  local  Methodist  preacher 
from  Virginia,  came  the  same  year  the  Cly- 
bourns  did,  and,  for  a  time,  lived  in  a  log-house 
on  the  West  Side.  He  became  the  first  County 
Clerk  on  the  organization  of  Cook  County  and, 
later,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace;  but  spent  over 
twenty  years,  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  in 
Wisconsin,  dying  at  Pulaski,  in  that  State,  in 
1858.  Others  who  located  at  "Hardscrabble" 
about  the  time  the  Galloways  were  there  were 
the  Laframboise  families — father  and  three  sons 
(1824),  half-breeds  engaged  in  trade  with  the 
Indians;  William  H.  Wallace  (1826),  a  fur- 
trader,  said  to  have  died  there  a  year  later, 
and  David  and  Bernardus  (or  Barnabas) 
Laughton,  also  traders,  who  located  a  year  or  so 
later  on  The  Des  Plaines  about  where  River- 
side now  is.  In  fact,  about  this  time — leaving 
out  the  garrison  at  Fort  Dearborn — "Hard- 
scrabble" seems  to  have  been  not  less  populous, 
and  scarcely  less  important  as  a  business  point, 
than  its  rival  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The 
assessment  roll  for  Peoria  County,  to  which 
Chicago  was  attached  in  1825,  contained  a  list 
of  fourteen  persons — probably  comprising  all 
the  heads  of  families  in  this  region  at  that  time 
— paying  taxes  on  a  valuation  ranging  from  $50 
to  $5,000,  each.  The  larger  sum,  was  assessed 
against  John  Crafts,  the  Agent  of  the  American 
Fur  Company,  while  the  others  graded  down, 
from  $1,000  for  J.  B.  Beaubien  to  the  smaller 
sum  mentioned.  Judging  from  the  names  of 
the  tax-payers  about  one-half  were  Frenchmen, 
or  of  French  descent — several  of  them  being 
half-breeds. 

The  year  of  the  arrival  of  the  elder  Clybourn 


642 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


(1824)  James  Kinzie,  an  older  son  of  Mr.  John 
Kinzie  by  the  first  wife  of  the  latter — who  had 
been  an  employe  of  the  American  Fur  Company 
about  Mackinac  and  Milwaukee — came  to  Chi- 
cago and,  later,  became  a  prominent  business 
man.  About  1826  Kinzie  and  David  Hall,  a  half- 
brother  of  Kinzie's,  from  Virginia,  kept  a  store 
in  a  cabin  on  the  South  Side,  at  the  forks  of 
the  river.  During  the  same  year  Mark  Beau- 
bien,  a  younger  brother  of  J.  Beaubien,  appeared 
on  the  ground  and  soon  after  purchased  a  cabin 
from  Kinzie,  probably  the  one  just  mentioned. 

There  will  be  occasion  to  refer  to  both  Kinzie 
and  Beaubien  again  in  connection  with  the  his- 
tory of  early  Chicago  hotels.  The  year  1826 
also  saw  the  advent  in  this  vicinity  of  Jesse 
Walker,  the  pioneer  Methodist  Missionary  in 
Northern  Illinois,  who,  a  year  or  so  later, 
erected  a  log-cabin  at  Wolf  Point,  which,  in 
after  years,  was  used  as  a  meeting  house,  where 
one  of  Chicago's  early  schools  was  taught  by 
John  Watkins.  The  Scott  family — Stephen  H., 
Willard  and  Willis — came  this  year,  and  the 
former  located  a  claim  at  Gross  Point,  now 
Wilmette. 

An  arrival  of  importance  in  1827  was  that 
of  Russell  E.  Heacock,  who,  after  spending  sev- 
eral years  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State, 
removed  to  Chicago,  and  became  the  earliest 
practicing  lawyer  here.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
Mr.  Heacock  taught  a  school  in  Fort  Dearborn, 
but  a  year  later  was  living  on  the  South  Branch 
at  a  place  called  :'Heacock's  Point."  He  was 
prominent  in  the  organization  of  Cook  County 
in  1831,  and  was  appointed  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  the  new  county  two  years  later.  He 
also  bore  a  prominent  part,  at  a  subsequent 
period,  in  connection  with  the  discussion  of  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  question.  (See 
Heacock,  Russell  E. — Hist.  Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol. 
I.) 

An  incident  of  the  year  1827  was  a  fire  in 
Fort  Dearborn  caused  by  lightning  during  the 
night,  which  resulted  in  the  destruction  of  the 
soldiers'  barracks  and  store-house,  with  a  part 
of  the  guard  house.  This  occurred  just  at  the 
close  of  the  payment  of  annuities  to  the  Pot- 
tawatomies,  which  had  been  celebrated  by  a 
dance  iu  the  soldiers'  quarters  the  same  night. 
Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  who  relates  the  incident  in 
the  "Reminiscences"  of  his  life,  says  the  alarm 
was  given  by  Mrs.  Helm,  who  saw  the  flames 
from  her  window  in  the  Kinzie  dwelling  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river.  Mr.  Hubbard,  who 


happened  to  be  there,  accompanied  by  Robert 
H.  Kinzie,  finding  it  impossible  to  launch  a 
canoe,  swam  the  river,  and  arousing  the  inmates 
of  the  fort,  took  a  prominent  part  in  subduing 
the  flames.  The  men  and  women,  about  forty 
in  number,  formed  a  line  between  the  fort  and 
the  river,  and  every  available  utensil  was 
brought  into  use  in  passing  water  to  Mr.  Kin- 
zie, who  had  taken  his  place  on  the  roof. 
Although  he  had  taken  the  precaution  to  wrap 
himself  in  a  wet  blanket,  Mr.  Kinzie  was 
severely  burned  about  his  face  and  hands,  but 
kept  his  place  until  the  flames  were  brought 
under  subjection.  A  number  of  Indians,  who 
had  gathered  around  as  spectators,  refused  to 
give  any  assistance  in  fighting  the  flames. 

It  was  a  few  days — probably  one  week — 
after  this  event  that  Gen.  Lewis  Cass,  then  Gov- 
ernor of  Michigan  Territory,  arrived  at  Chi- 
cago, coming  from  Green  Bay  by  way  of  Fox 
River,  the  Wisconsin  and  the  Mississippi  to  St. 
Louis,  and  thence  returning  by  the  Illinois — fol- 
lowing the  route  pursued  by  Joliet  and  Mar- 
quette  in  1673 — bringing  with  him  the  first 
intelligence  of  the  actual  outbreak  of  hostilities 
with  the  Winnebagos.  General  Cass  is  said  to 
have  been  entertained  on  this  occasion  at  the 
Kinzie  home,  but  left  in  a  few  hours,  by  the 
western  shore  of  the  lake,  for  Green  Bay. 

An  important  event  following  closely  upon 
the  fire  in  Fort  Dearborn  of  this  year  (1827) 
was  the  outbreak  of  the  "Winnebago  War," 
which,  although  the  principal  disturbances 
occurred  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  produced  a 
general  panic  throughout  all  the  white  set- 
tlements of  Northern  Illinois,  in  view  of  the 
possibility  that  other  tribes  (especially  the  Pot- 
tawatomies)  might  be  drawn  into  hostilities. 
Many  of  the  settlers  throughout  the  region  con- 
tiguous to  Chicago  hastened  to  Fort  Dearborn 
for  safety,  although  the  fort  was  at  the  time 
without  a  garrison.  The  militia  were  called 
out  by  the  Governor,  and  Mr.  Gurdon  S.  Hub- 
bard, acting  in  the  interest  of  the  people  col- 
lected at  Fort  Dearborn,  mart^,  an  unprecedented 
trip  to  Danville  to  procure  aid,  returning  at  the 
end  of  seven  days  with  a  force  of  one  hundred 
volunteers  under  the  command  of  an  old  Indian 
fighter  named  Morgan.  Through  the  influence 
of  Billy  Caldwell  and  Shabona,  the  Pottawato- 
mies  were  prevented  from  joining  the  Winne- 
bagos, and  General  Atkinson  having  arrived  at 
the  scene  of  the  disturbances  with  a  force  of 
over  700  regulars  from  Fort  Jefferson,  below 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


643 


St.  Louis,  a  settlement  of  the  difficulties  was 
reached  by  the  voluntary  surrender  of  the  prin- 
cipal leaders.  During  the  continuance  of  the 
excitement  at  Fort  Dearborn,  a  company  of 
citizens,  composed  mostly  of  Canadian  half- 
breeds  and  a  few  Americans,  formed  an  organ- 
ization for  defense  under  the  command  of  Col. 
J.  B.  Beaubien.  (See  Winnebago  War. — Hist. 
Enc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.) 


CHAPTER  XI. 


CHICAGO    IN   EMBRYO. 


VARIED     ORTHOGRAPHY     OF     THE     NAME     CHICAGO 

REPUTED  ORIGIN  OF  THE  NAME — SOME  EARLY 
IMPRESSIONS  OF  THE  FUTURE  GREAT  METROP- 
OLIS  AS  SEEN  BY  JUDGE  STORROW,  GUKDON  S. 

HUBBARD,      SCHOOLCRAFT,      PROFESSOR     KEATING 

AND     OTHERS — EARLY     MAIL     FACILITIES SOME 

PIONEER  HOTELS   AND   THEIR   HISTORY. 

Probably  no  other  name  in  all  history  has 
given  rise  to  so  many  different  forms  of  spell- 
ing, in  the  effort  to  perpetuate  it  in  written 
symbols,  as  the  word  "Chicago."  More  than 
sixty  different  varieties  of  orthography  have 
been  enumerated,  most  of  them  due  to  imper- 
fect attempts  to  transfer,  from  an  unwritten  to 
a  written  language,  sounds  in  themselves  vary- 
ing more  or  less  according  to  the  dialect 
through  which  they  were  transmitted,  as  well 
as  affected  by  the  difference  in  hearing  or  intel- 
ligence of  those  receiving  them.  Only  the  more 
important  and  historical  modes  of  spelling  will 
be  cited  here.  They  embrace  the  following, 
with  the  authorities  through  which  they  were 
derived,  arranged  in  a  somewhat  chronological 
order:  Che-cau-gou  (Father  Hennepin) ;  She- 
ca-gou  (LaSalle) ;  Chi-ca-gou  (Marquette  and 
LaSalle) ;  Chi-ca-ga  (Sanson,  geographer  to 
Louis  XIV.) ;  Che-ka-gou  and  Chi-ka-goue  (old 
maps  of  1679-82) ;  Cha-ca-qua  (old  French 
maps,  1684-96);  Che-ga-kou  (LaHontan) ;  Chi- 
ca-gou-a  (Father  Gravier) ;  Chi-ca-gu,  Chi-ca- 
gou,  Chi-ca-qw  and  Chi-ca-go  (St.  Cosme,  1700); 
Che-ka-kou  (Moll,  cartographer,  1720) ;  Chi-ca- 
gou  (Charlevoix,  1721);  Chi-ca-goe  (report  of 
English  Commissioners,  1721) ;  Chi-ca-goux 


(letter  of  M.  De  Ligney  to  M.  De  Siette,  1726) ; 
Eschikagou  (Colonel  DePeyster,  British  Com- 
mandant at  Mackinac,  1779);  Chi-ka-go  (Capt. 
William  Whistler,  builder  of  the  first  Fort  Dear- 
born);  Chi-cau-ga  (Niles'  Register,  1813). 
Besides  these  spellings  for  the  name  of  the 
river  and  the  locality  about  its  mouth,  there 
are  a  number  of  other  words  of  similar  sound, 
and  alleged  to  be  of  related  significance,  from 
the  Indian  dialects,  as  She-cau-go  ("playful 
waters");  Choc-ca-go  ("destitute");  Sho-gang 
(skunk). 

The  signification  of  the  term  has  been  much 
debated,  but  while  its  first  meaning  is  conceded 
to  be  the  "skunk,"  "leek"  or  "wild  onion," 
competent  etymologists  claim  that  it  is  also 
the  synonym  of  "strong,  mighty  or  powerful." 
Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  the  celebrated  ethnol- 
ogist, who  spent  many  years  among  the  Indians 
in  the  Northwest  and  was  familiar  with  many 
of  their  dialects,  defined  the  word  Chicago  as 
"Place  of  the  Wild  Leek"  (or  onion).  Samuel 
A.  Storrow,  who  visited  Fort  Dearborn  as  a 
Judge  Advocate  of  the  United  States  Army  in 
1817,  in  an  official  report  speaks  of  "the  River 
Chicago — or,  in  plain  English,  Wild  Onion 
River" — and  this  view  of  the  definition  is  cor- 
roborated by  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  who  was  here 
in  1818,  and  many  more  who  asserted  that  at 
an  early  day  the  wild  onion  grew  in  great  lux- 
uriance in  the  marshes  about  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  The  theory  has  also  been  strongly  main- 
tained (referred  to  in  Mrs.  Kinzie's  "Waubun" 
as  handed  down  through  Indian  tradition)  that 
the  river  Chicago  derived  its  name  from  a  noted 
Indian  Chief  of  the  Illinois,  of  the  same  name, 
who  was  drowned  in  the  river  at  a  remote 
period.  Charles  Fenno  Hoffman,  whose  letters 
have  been  alluded  to  elsewhere  as  written  here 
during  the  winter  of  1833-34,  when  the  Indians 
were  still  numerous  throughout  this  section, 
gave  the  pronunciation  of  the  word,  as  uttered 
by  the  Indians  at  that  time,  as  "Tschi-cau-go." 
The  Indian  pronunciation  of  the  name,  as 
described  by  Mr.  Fernando  Jones — who  prob- 
ably retains  a  more  vivid  recollection  of  the 
Pottawatomie  dialect  than  any  other  among 
the  few  surviving  pioneers  of  Chicago — closely 
resembles  that  just  quoted  from  Mr.  Hoffman. 
The  last  two  syllables,  "cau-g6" — with  a  strong 
accent  on  the  last  syllable — as  defined  by  Mr. 
Jones  on  the  basis  of  information  derived 
directly  from  the  Pottawatomies,  simply  meant 
"Nothing;"  while  the  first  syllable,  "Tschi" 


644 


HISTOBICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


("S-shi-"),  pronounced  with  a  strong  hissing 
accent,  simply  made  the  meaning  more 
emphatic — "absolutely  nothing."  This  rather 
graphic  definition,  as  explained  by  Mr.  Jones, 
•was  intended  by  the  Indians  to  describe  the 
Chicago  River,  which  —  after  being  explored 
from  its  mouth  up  both  branches  into  the 
marshes  which,  in  the  dry  season,  soon  ceased 
to  be  navigable  even  for  an  Indian's  canoe — 
was  declared  to  be  "Absolutely  Nothing" — as  a 
river.  If  this  was  the  Indian  conception  of  the 
Chicago  River  at  the  beginning  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  its  present  condition  as  a 
water-way,  bearing  a  large  percentage  of  the 
commerce  of  the  Nation  and  destined  to  become 
the  connecting  link  between  the  great  lakes 
and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  illustrates  the  marvel- 
ous results  which  have  been  wrought  by  the 
civilization  of  a  single  century.  (See  article  on 
"The  Name  Chicago,"  by  Mr.  Fernando  Jones 
at  close  of  this  chapter.) 

The  following  additional  forms  of  spelling 
the  name  of  a  prominent  Indian  of  the  Illinois 
tribe,  supposed  to  be  the  same  identified  with 
the  naming  of  the  Chicago  River,  have  been  fur- 
nished by  different  French  explorers  of  this 
period:  Chachagouession  (Marquette) ;  Chas- 
sagoac  (Membre) ;  Chassagouache  (LaSalle). 

While  Chicago  was  visited  by  numerous  trav- 
elers, official  and  otherwise,  during  the  first 
decade  after  the  restoration  of  Fort  Dearborn, 
the  number  of  those  whose  impressions  regard- 
ing the  place  at  -this  primitive  period  in  its 
history  have  come  down  to  us,  has  been  com- 
paratively small.  James  W.  Biddle,  of  Phila- 
delphia, a  contractor  engaged  in  furnishing  sup- 
plies to  the  troops  in  1816,  said  of  the  condi- 
tion of  the  place  at  that  time:  "Chicago  then 
had  no  trading  reputation,  vessels  only  visiting 
it  to  carry  troops  or  provisions  to  supply  them." 
A  visitor  to  Fort  Dearborn  in  1817  was  Judge 
Advocate  Samuel  A.  Storrow,  of  the  United 
States  Army.  In  a  report  of  his  visit,  he  had 
this  to  say  of  the  physical  conformation  of  the 
country  between  the  Chicago  and  Des  Plaines 
Rivers : 

"The  course  of  these  two  rivers  illustrates 
the  geographical  phenomenon  of  a  reservoir 
on  the  very  summit  of  a  dividing  ridge.  In 
the  autumn  they  are  both  without  any  appar- 
ent fountain,  but  are  formed  within  a  mile 
and  a  half  of  each  other  by  some  impercep- 
tible undulations  of  the  prairie  which  drain 


and  lead  in  different  directions.  But  in  the 
spring  the  space  between  the  two  is  a  single 
sheet  of  water,  the  common  reservoir  of  both, 
in  the  center  of  which  there  is  no  current 
toward  either  of  the  opposite  streams."  (Then, 
speaking  particularly  of  the  location  of  Fort 
Dearborn,  he  adds:)  "It  has  no  advantage 
of  harbor,  the  river  itself  being  always 
choked,  and  frequently  barred,  from  the  same 
cause  that  I  have  imputed  to  the  other 
streams  of  this  country"  (viz.:  the  accu- 
mulation of  sand  dunes  about  their  mouths 
by  the  combined  action  of  winds  and  waves.) 
"In  the  rear  of  the  fort  is  a  prairie  of  the 
most  complete  flatness,  no  signs  of  elevation 
being  within  range  of  the  eye.  The  soil  and 
climate  are  both  excellent." 

One  of '  the  most  important  arrivals  at  Chi- 
cago about  that  period  was  that  of  Gurdon  S. 
Hubbard,  who,  although  then  only  a  youth  of 
about  sixteen  years,  at  a  later  period  became  one 
of  Chicago's  most  prominent  and  highly 
esteemed  business  men.  In  an  interesting  vol- 
ume of  reminiscences  relating  to  his  experi- 
ences while  in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur 
Company,  Mr.  Hubbard  gives  the  following 
account  of  his  first  sight  of  Fort  Dearborn  in 
the  fall  of  1818 — having  come  from  Mackinac 
by  the  eastern  and  southern  shore  of  the  lake: 

"On  the  evening  of  September  30,  1818, 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Calumet  River,  then 
known  as  the  'Little  Calumet,'  where  we  met 
a  party  of  Indians  returning  to  their  villages 
from  a  visit  to  Chicago.  They  were  very 
drunk  and  before  midnight  commenced  a 
fight  in  which  several  of  their  number  were 
killed.  Owing  to  this  disturbance  we  removed 
our  camp  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
We  started  at  dawn.  The  morning  was  calm 
and  bright,  and  we,  in  our  holiday  attire, 
with  flags  flying,  completed  the  last  twelve 
miles  of  our  lake  voyage.  Arriving  at  Doug- 
las Grove,  where  the  prairie  could  be  seen 
through  the  oak  woods,  I  landed  and,  climb- 
ing a  tree,  gazed  in  admiration  on  the  first 
prairie  I  had  ever  seen.  The  waving  grass, 
intermingling  with  a  rich  profusion  of  wild 
flowers,  was  the  most  beautiful  sight  I  had 
ever  gazed  upon.  In  the  distance  the  grove 
of  Blue  Island  loomed  up,  beyond  it  the  tim- 
ber on  the  Des  Plaines  River,  while,  to  give 
animation  to  the  scene,  a  herd  of  wild  deer 
appeared  and  a  pair  of  red  foxes  emerged 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


645 


from  the  grass  within  gunshot  of  me.  Look- 
ing north,  I  saw  the  whitewashed  buildings 
of  Fort  Dearborn  sparkling  in  the  sunshine, 
our  boats  with  flags  flying  and  oars  keeping 
time  to  the  cheering  boat-song.  I  was  spell- 
bound and  amazed  at  the  beautiful  scene 
before  me.  I  took  the  trail  leading  to  the 
fort,  and  on  my  arrival,  found  our  party 
camped  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  near 
what  is  now  State  Street.  A  soldier  ferried 
me  across  the  river  in  a  canoe,  and  thus  I 
made  mv  first  entry  into  Chicago,  October  1, 
1818." 

Making  due  allowance  for  the  enthusiasm  of 
youth  with  which  Mr.  Hubbard,  for  the  first 
time,  looked  upon  the  scene  about  the  mouth 
of  the  Chicago  River,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  view  was  a  most  inspiring  one,  but 
would  have  been  infinitely  more  so  if  he  could 
have  looked  forward  in  history  to  a  period 
three-quarters  of  a  century  later.  A  description 
scarcely  less  enthusiastic  than  that  of  Mr.  Hub- 
bard,  and  belonging  to  the  same  era,  was  that 
furnished  by  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  the  cele- 
brated ethnologist  and  naturalist,  in  his  "Nar- 
rative Journal  of  Travels  from  Detroit  North- 
west to  the  Sources  of  the  Mississippi  in 
1820."  Mr.  Schoolcraft,  having  arrived  here 
in  company  with  Gov.  Lewis  Cass,  thus  states 
his  impressions  of  the  surrounding  country: 

"The  country  around  Chicago  is  the  most 
fertile  and  beautiful  that  can  be  imagined. 
It  consists  of  an  intermixture  of  woods  and 
prairies,  diversified  with  gentle  slopes,  some- 
times attaining  the  elevation  of  hills,  and 
irrigated  by  a  number  of  clear  streams  and 
rivers  which  throw  their  waters  partly  into 
Lake  Michigan  and  partly  into  the  Mississippi 
River.  As  a  farming  country  it  unites  the 
fertile  soil  of  the  finest  lowland  prairies  with 
an  elevation  which  exempts  it  from  the  influ- 
ence of  stagnant  waters,  and  a  summer  cli- 
mate of  delightful  serenity,  while  the  mead- 
ows present  all  the  advantages  of  raising 
stock  of  the  most  favored  part  of  the  valley 
of  the  Mississippi.  It  is  already  the  seat  of 
several  flourishing  plantations,  and  only 
requires  the  extinguishment  of  the  Indian 
titles  to  the  land  to  become  one  of  the  most 
attractive  fields  for  the  immigrant.  To  the 
ordinary  advantages  of  an  agricultural  mar- 
ket town  it  must  hereafter  add  that  of  a 
depot  for  the  inland  commerce  between  the 


northern  and  southern  sections  of  the  Union, 
and  a  great  thoroughfare  for  strangers,  mer- 
chants and  travelers." 

All  of  which — and  more — was  accomplished 
before  the  close  of  the  century,  giving  to  Mr. 
Schoolcraft's  description  an  air  of  prophecy. 

An  impression  of  a  sort  quite  different  from 
those  just  cited  was  that  received  by  Prof.  W. 
H.  Keating,  geologist  and  historiographer  of 
Major  Stephen  H.  Long's  expedition  to  the 
sources  of  St.  Peter's  River  in  1823.  His  report 
has  been  widely  attributed  to  Major  Long,  who, 
although  probably  approving  it,  cannot  be  said 
technically  to  have  been  its  author.  Professor 
Keating — who  was  Professor  of  Mineralogy  and 
Chemistry  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania — 
in  his  narrative  of  Long's  expedition,  published 
in  London  in  1825,  makes  the  following  refer- 
ence to  Chicago: 

"We  were  much  disappointed  at  the  appear- 
ance of  Chicago  and  its  vicinity.  We  found  in 
it  nothing  to  justify  the  great  eulogium  lav- 
ished upon  this  place  by  a  late  traveler 
(Schoolcraft),  who  observes  that  it  'is  the 
most  fertile  and  beautiful  that  can  be  imag- 
ined.' "  (The  writer  then  goes  on  to  com- 
ment upon  the  obstacles  to  be  encountered  in 
obtaining  satisfactory  supplies  for  the  sub- 
sistence of  troops  from  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity, and  the  difficulties  met  with  by  agricul- 
turists on  account  of  the  shallowness  and 
humidity  of  the  soil,  and  its  exposure  to  "cold 
and  damp  winds,  which  blow  from  the  lake 
with  great  force  during  most  part  of  the 
year,"  the  destruction  of  growing  crops  by 
insects,  birds,  etc.,  and  then  proceeds : )  "The 
appearance  of  the  country  near  Chicago  offers 
but  few  features  upon  which  the  pye  of  the 
traveler  can  dwell  with  pleasure.  There  is 
too  much  uniformity  in  the  scenery;  the 
extensive  water  prospect  is  a  waste  uncheck- 
ered  by  islands,  unenlivened  by  the  spreading 
canvas,  and  the  fatiguing  monotony  of  which 
is  increased  by  the  equally  undiversified  pros- 
pect of  the  land  scenery  which  affords  no 
relief  in  sight,  as  it  consists  merely  of  a  plain 
in  which  but  few  patches  of  thin  and  scrubby 
woods  are  observed  here  and  there.  The 
village  presents  no  cheering  prospect  as,  not- 
withstanding its  antiquity,  it  consists  of  but 
few  huts  inhabited  by  a  miserable  race  of 
men  scarcely  equal  to  the  Indians  from  whom 
they  are  descended.  Their  log  or  bark  houses 


646 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


are  low,  filthy  and  disgusting,  displaying  not 
the  least  trace  of  comfort.  .  .  .  The 
number  of  trails  centering  at  this  point,  and 
their  apparent  antiquity,  indicate  that  this 
was  probably  for  a  long  time  the  site  of  a 
large  Indian  village.  As  a  place  of  business 
it  offers  no  inducements  to  the  settler." 

While  Professor  Keating  may  have  looked 
upon  the  scene  with  the  eye  of  a  rather  fastidi- 
ous artist,  it  was  evidently  without  imagination, 
as  he  foresaw  nothing  of  the  development 
brought  about  within  the  next  half  century, 
removing  many  of  the  blemishes  of  which  he 
complained  and  supplying  some  of  the  very 
features  whose  absence  he  deplored — the 
"scrubby  woods"  giving  place  to  extensive  man- 
ufactories and  vast  mercantile  establishments, 
while  the  waste  of  waters,  "unenlivened  by  the 
spreading  canvas,"  has  been  transformed  into 
a  highway  of  commerce  connecting  Chicago, 
not  only  with  every  lake  port,  but  even  with 
Europe  itself.  Yet,  in  view  of  possibilities 
growing  out  of  the  construction  of  the  Illinois 
and  Michigan  Canal,  Major  Long's  histori- 
ographer thought  it  "not  impossible  that,  at 
some  distant  day,  when  the  banks  of  the  Illi- 
nois shall  have  been  covered  by  a  dense  popu- 
lation, and  when  the  low  prairies  which  extend 
between  that  river  and  Fort  Wayne  shall  have 
acquired  a  population  proportionate  to  the  prod- 
uce which  they  can  yield,  Chicago  may  Lew  me 
one  of  the  points  in  the  direct  line  of  com- 
munication between  the  northern  lakes  and  the 
Mississippi" — a  conclusion  showing  that  he  was 
not  wholly  incapable  of  realizing  the  changes 
which  might  be  wrought  by  the  development  of 
less  than  a  century. 

Previous  to  1826  the  residents  about  Fort 
Dearborn  were  compelled  to  depend  upon  occa- 
sional visits  of  traders  or  travelers,  or  the 
arrival  of  small  lake  craft  bringing  supplies  for 
the  troops  at  Fort  Dearborn  or  for  the  fur- 
traders  located  here,  for  communication  with 
the  outside  world.  At  an  early  day  the  officers 
of  the  fort  were  accustomed,  in  cases  of  emer- 
gency, to  employ  special  messengers  or  "run- 
ners," while  ordinarily  and  at  long  intervals 
receiving  mail  for  the  garrison  from  Fort 
Wayne,  now  in  Eastern  Indiana.  The  first 
regular  mail-route  crossing  the  Allegheny 
Mountains  was  established  between  Philadel- 
phia and  Pittsburg  in  1788;  in  1794  it  was 
extended  to  Louisville,  in  1800  to  Vincennes, 


and,  in  1810,  from  Vincennes  to  Cape  Girardeau 
in  Missouri.  By  1824  a  direct  route  had  been 
established  between  Vandalia  and  Springfield, 
and,  during  1826,  David  McKee,  who  had  come 
to  Fort  Dearborn  as  a  Government  blacksmith 
in  1822,  began  carrying  dispatches  and  letters 
once  a  month  between  Chicago  and  Fort  Wayne 
— two  weeks  being  required  to  make  the  trip 
one  way.  At  a  later  date  White  Pigeon,  Mich., 
became  the  supply  station  instead  of  Fort 
Wayne.  At  a  still  later  period — probably 
1820 — according  to  the  Hon.  John  Wentworth, 
the  supply  point  was  moved  westward  to  Niles, 
Mich.,  and  Elijah  Wentworth,  Jr.,  the  son  of 
Chicago's  second  hotel-keeper,  became  the  mail- 
carrier.  Early  in  1831  a  post-office  was  estab- 
lished here  and  Jonathan  N.  Bailey,  by  appoint- 
ment of  President  Jackson,  became  the  first 
postmaster,  using  the  Kinzie  house  on  the  North 
Side  of  the  Chicago  River,  opposite  Fort  Dear- 
born, as  a  residence  and  postoffice.  The  car- 
rier about  this  time  is  said  to  have  been  an 
Indian  half-breed,  who  made  the  trip  from 
Niles,  Mich.,  once  in  two  weeks.  Bross's  "His- 
tory of  Chicago"  says:  "In  1832  there  was  a 
mail-route  established  from  Tecumseh,  Mich., 
by  way  of  Niles  to  Chicago;  from  Chicago  to 
Danville,  also  (from  Chicago  to  Green  Bay," 
the  two  last  named  places  being  supplied  by 
mail  carried  weekly  on  horseback.  The  car- 
riers on  these  routes,  especially  that  to  Green 
Bay,  suffered  great  hardship  from  exposure  to 
cold  and  heavy  snows  in  passing  through  long 
stretches  of  country  that  were  totally  uninhab- 
ited. After  1831  the  history  of  the  postoffice 
became  a  part  of  the  history  of  Chicago,  and 
the  arrival  of  the  stage  coach,  under  the  suc- 
cessive management  of  Frink,  Messrs.  Frink  & 
Bingham,  and  Messrs.  Frink  &  Walker,  became 
an  important  feature  of  Chicago  daily  life.  (See 
Chicago  Postofft.ee.) 

Prior  to  1830  the  bulk  of  the  settlement  at 
Chicago  had  begun  to  concentrate  about  "Wolf 
Point,"  as  the  locality  at  the  junction  of  the 
North  and  the  South  Branch  was  known,  Fort 
Dearborn,  during  a  part  of  that  time  (1823 
to  1828),  being  occupied  by  the  Indian  Agent 
instead  of  a  garrison.'NThe  tide  of  travel  which 
had  begun  to  set  in  by  that  time  created  a 
demand  for  places  of  entertainment,  although 
up  to  that  period  there  scarcely  seems  to  have 
been  any  thought  of  organizing  a  village  here, 
much  less  of  founding  a  city.  Previous  to  this 
date  the  few  travelers  visiting  the  locality  of 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


647 


Fort  Dearborn — if  not  public  officials  and,  there- 
fore, entitled  to  entertainment  at  the  fort  or 
the  Agency — were,  no  doubt,  accommodated  in 
private  homes.  That  of  the  Kinzie  family, 
being  the  most  commodious,  as  well  as  the  most 
widely  known,  was  probably  most  frequently 
called  upon  to  give  evidence  of  its  hospitality. 
While  there  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  date  of 
the  formal  opening  of  the  first  house  of  public 
entertainment,  it  appears  to  be  conceded  that 
Archibald  Caldwell,  who  came  to  Chicago  in 
1827,  was  conducting  a  tavern  here  in  the 
autumn  of  1829,  for  which  he  received  a  license 
from  the  County  Commissioners  of  Peoria 
County  in  December  of  the  same  year.  The 
house  was  a  double  log-cabin  located  at  Wolf 
Point  on  the  West  Side,  and  has  gone  down  in 
history  as  the  "Wolf  Point  Tavern."  It  is 
believed  to  have  been  owned  in  whole  or  in  part 
by  James  Kinzie.  Caldwell  appears  to  have 
remained  in  charge  only  for  a  short  time,  as, 
early  in  1830,  the  establishment  had  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Elijah  Wentworth,  who  came  here 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  preceding  year  with 
the  intention  of  returning  to  Maine,  but 
remained  to  become  Chicago's  second  hotel- 
keeper.  While  Wentworth  was  in  charge  of  the 
"Wolf  Point  Tavern,"  Samuel  Miller  was  con- 
ducting an  opposition  house  on  the  North  Side, 
east  of  the  North  Branch,  and,  a  few  months 
later,  Mark  Beaubien  had  opened  another  on 
the  South  Side,  just  east  of  the  South  Branch. 
When  first  established  Beaubien's  tavern  was 
kept  in  a  log-house  bought  from  James  Kinzie, 
to  which  he  built  an  addition;  but  a  year  later 
he  erected  the  second  frame  house  in  Chicago, 
at  the  corner  of  Lake  and  Market  Streets,  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  "The  Sauganash," 
and  which  became  one  of  the  most  famous  hos- 
telries  in  the  history  of  Chicago.  After  under- 
going various  changes,  for  a  part  of  the  time 
being  used  as  Chicago's  first  theatre — this  his- 
toric building  was  burned  on  the  morning  of 
March  4,  1851.  Other  notable  places  of  enter- 
tainment connected  with  early  Chicago  history 
were  the  "Mansion  House,"  erected  by  Dexter 
Graves  on  Lake  Street  near  Dearborn  in  1831; 
the  "Green  Tree  Tavern,"  built  by  James  Kinzie 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  Canal  and  Lake 
Streets  in  1833,  and  the  "Lake  House,"  erected 
by  Chicago  capitalists  in  1835  at  the  corner  of 
Kinzie,  Rush  and  Michigan  Streets — the  latter, 
In  its  time,  the  most  pretentious  building  of 
its  kind  in  Chicago.  Among  hotels  of  a  later 


date  none  have  had  a  longer  or  more  conspicu- 
ous history  than  the  "Tremont  House"  and  the 
"Sherman  House."  The  former,  erected  first 
as  a  frame  building  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Lake  and  Dearborn  Streets  in  1833,  was  kept 
as  a  saloon  and  boarding  house  for  a  short 
time,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  late 
Couch  brothers,  who  opened  it  as  a  hotel.  This 
structure  having  been  burned  in  October,  1839, 
a  new  frame-building  was  erected  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  same  streets  on  the  site  of 
the  later  Tremont,  and  opened  as  a  hotel  early 
in  1840.  On  July  21,  1849,  this  building  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  but  having  been  replaced  by 
a  brick  structure,  was  reopened  in  October,  1850. 
After  various  changes  in  management,  it  was 
burned  again  in  the  fire  of  1871,  was  again 
rebuilt  on  an  enlarged  and  substantial  scale  and 
maintained  as  a  hotel  until  1901  when,  having 
become  surrounded  by  heavy  manufacturing 
and  wholesale  business  houses,  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Northwestern  University  to 
be  utilized  by  that  institution  for  its'  depart- 
ments of  Law,  Pharmacy  and  Dental  Surgery, 
thus  ending  its  hotel  history  of  nearly  three- 
quarters  of  a  century.  The  Sherman  House, 
erected  in  1836-37  by  Francis  C.  Sherman,  was 
opened  at  the  close  of  the  latter  year  as  the 
City  Hotel;  was  enlarged  and  remodeled  in  1844 
and  opened  as  the  Sherman  House,  which  it 
has  since  remained  under  various  changes  of 
proprietorship. 


THE  NAME  CHICAGO. 

Many  fanciful  stories,  as  to  the  derivation  of 
the  name  of  the  River  upon  which  the  great 
City  of  Chicago  is  situated,  have  been  circulated 
and  put  in  print.  These  stories  are  mostly 
given  out  by  ignorant  travelers,  preachers  and 
school-teachers,  all  equally  absurd.  One  reports 
that  the  word  signifies  great  strength;  another, 
miserable  weakness.  One  says  it  signifies  a 
skunk,  or  skunk  cabbage;  another,  that  it 
means  a  leek  or  wild  onion.  A  celebrated 
writer  insists  that  it  was  named  for  a  great 
chief  who  was  famed  for  his  strength. 

On  my  arrival  in  Chicago  in  the  early  spring 
of  the  year  1835,  I  became  acquainted  with 
many  of  the  Indians  and  learned  their  Ian- 


648 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


guage — the  Pottawatomie.  I  was  told  many 
times,  by  different  Indians,  of  the  tradition  of 
the  name.  The  legend  was  repeated  to  me 
many  times — and  legends  handed  down  from 
father  to  son  are  more  reliable  than  fanciful 
written  histories.  Each  one  of  my  informants 
told  the  same  story.  Some  Northern  Indians 
bent  upon  exploring — which  is  a  common  trait 
of  the  roaming  red  man — came  down  to  the 
mouth  of  what  seemed  to  be  a  great  river,  per- 
haps 50  or  100  miles  long.  They  bivouacked 
at  the  mouth  of  what  seemed  to  be  a  river,  and 
sent  an  Indian,  with  his  birch  bark  canoe,  to 
investigate.  He  paddled  his  light  canoe  up  the 
stream  about  half  a  mile,  where  it  divided  into 
two  branches.  He  went  up  the  north,  branch, 
something  like  a  mile,  when  it  began  in  a  low 
swamp.  He  quickly  returned  and  paddled  up 
the  south  branch,  about  the  same  distance,  and 
found  that  it  began  in  a  lake  of  mud.  He 
returned  and  reported  "Ca-go" — there  is  "Noth- 
ing." Upon  being  remonstrated  with,  he  used 
an  adjective  signifying  in  the  strongest  terms, 
positively — "tocchi,"  or  "chugh,"  "ca-go!" 
"ca-go!"  "Chuh-ca-go!" — positively,  there  is  no 
river.  And  that  name  has  stuck  to  it  through 
all  the  years.  The  name  is  justified,  for  the 
river  is  no  river,  being  but  a  dirty  slough;  and 
the  city  is  no  city,  being  but  an  overgrown  vil- 
lage— "Chic-cago." 

While  upon  the  subject  of  the  Indians,  I 
recall  the  fact,  that,  by  a  treaty  of  the  United 
States,  the  Pottawatomies  were  to  receive, 
amongst  many  other  things,  as  payment  for 
their  land,  $16,000  annually,  forever — 'payable  at 
Chicago;  50  barrels  of  salt  annually,  forever, 
delivered  at  Chicago;  and  a  blacksmith-shop 
for  the  tribe,  at  Chicago.  Did  the  good  Doctor 
Wolcott,  the  Indian  Agent  who  manipulated 
this  treaty,  really  believe  this  was  to  be  car- 
ried out,  or  did  he  know  that  it  was  a  fraud 
upon  the  poor  Indian?  In  a  very  few  years 
they  were  driven  away  beyond  the  Mississippi 
River  by  a  new  treaty,  forced  upon  them  by 
unscrupulous  agents  of  the  Government. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


CIVIL  GOVERNMENT. 


CONDITIONS  UNDEK  FRENCH  OCCUPATION — NORTH- 
ERN ILLINOIS  ATTACHED  TO  CANADA  AS  PART  OF 
NEW  FRANCE EFFECT  OF  THE  COL.  GEORGE  ROG- 
ERS CLARK  EXPEDITION — TERRITORY  NORTHWEST 

OF    THE    OHIO    RIVER   ORGANIZED ORDINANCE    OF 

1787 TERRITORIAL      AND       COUNTY      HISTORY — 

COOK    COUNTY   ORGANIZED FIRST   ELECTION    AND 

FIRST   COUNTY   OFFICERS. 

Up  to  this  point  the  settlement  about  the 
mouth  of  the  Chicago  River  sems  to  have  gone 
on  without  any  formal  attempt  to  organize  a 
local  civil  government.  What  government 
existed  was  administered  either  by  the  military 
officers  over  the  troops  at  Fort  Dearborn  or, 
during  the  latter  period,  through  the  county 
authorities  at  a  distance  from  the  locality  gov- 
erned. In  the  early  days  of  French  exploration 
and  occupation,  this  region  was  regarded  as 
coining  within  the  undefined  limits  of  what 
was  then  known  as  "New  France,"  but  after 
the  establishment  of  a  local  government  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  it  was  attached  to 
Canada — the  region  south  of  the  Illinois 
(including  the  settlements  about  Kaskaskia  and 
Cahokia)  becoming  a  part  of  Louisiana.  On 
the  extinguishment  of  the  French  title  by  the 
Treaty  of  Paris  in  1763,  it  became  nominally 
British  territory,  though  formal  possession  was 
not  taken  of  Southern  Illinois  until  two  years 
later.  As  the  result  of  the  expedition  of  Col. 
George  Rogers  Clark  in  1778,  the  region  known 
as  the  "Illinois  Country"  fell  under  jurisdiction 
of  the  State  of  Virginia,  but  the  Revolutionary 
War  being  then  in  progress,  the  lake  region 
continued  to  be  disputed  territory,  or  in  virtual 
possession  of  the  British,  until  the  treaty  of 
peace  of  1783,  when  the  title  of  the  United 
States  to  the  region  east  of  the  Mississippi  and 
south  of  the  lakes  was  recognized.  It  is  safe 
to  say  there  was  no  more  influential  factor  in 
bringing  about  this  result  than  the  Clark  expe- 
dition to  the  "Illinois  Country"  and  the  build- 
ing of  forts  and  block-houses  in  this  region, 
which  followed  the  occupation  of  Kaskaskia  and 
Vincennes,  backed  by  the  'American  Commis- 
sioners at  the  Treaty  of  Paris  in  1783. 


CenturvPuilisMng &En£rwiAg  Co.  CMcagc 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


649 


From  that  time  all  this  region  was  regarded 
as  part  of  the  unorganized  "Territory  North- 
west of  the  River  Ohio,"  and,  in  1784,  came 
under  the  operation  of  a  resolution  adopted  by 
Congress  under  the  Articles  of  Confederation, 
providing  a  temporary  government  therefor. 
Speaking  of  the  condition  of  affairs  in  this 
region  as  late  as  1785,  Gen.  William  Henry 
Harrison,  in  an  address  delivered  before  the 
Historical  Society  of  Ohio,  said  there  was  "not 
a  Christian  inhabitant  within  the  bounds  of 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Ohio" — proving  that, 
in  permanent  settlement,  Illinois  antedated  its 
sister  State  farther  east.  The  enactment  by 
Congress  of  the  celebrated  "Ordinance  of  1787" 
established  a  more  permanent  form  of  govern- 
ment and,  for  the  next  thirteen  years  (1787-1800) 
Illinois,  with  the  territory  now  embraced  within 
the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan  and  Wis- 
consin, constituted  one  territorial  government 
under  the  name  of  the  "Northwest  Territory." 
In  1800  Ohio  was  set  apart,  the  remainder  of  the 
territory  being  organized  as  Indiana  Territory, 
and,  by  act  of  Congress  of  February  3,  1809, 
Illinois  Territory  was  set  off  from  Indiana,  the 
former  embracing  the  country  west  of  the 
present  eastern  boundary  of  the  State  and  Lake 
Michigan,  extending  westward  to  the  Missis- 
sippi and  north  to  the  Canada  boundary  line. 
From  south  to  north  it  extended  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.  On 
April  13,  1818,  Congress  passed  an  act  empow- 
ering the  people  to  frame  a  State  Constitution 
and  organize  a  State  Government,  and,  on 
December  3d,  following,  Illinois  was  formally 
admitted  as  a  State  with  its  present  boundaries. 
(See  Illinois. — Hist.  Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.) 

The  first  county  organization  within  the 
Northwest  Territory  was  created  by  act  of  the 
Virginia  Legislature  in  October,  1778,  a  few 
months  after  the  occupation  of  Kaskaskia  by 
Col.  George  Rogers  Clark — this  act  being  per- 
formed by  virtue  of  the  fact  that  Clark's  expe- 
dition was  undertaken  wholly  under  authority 
of  the  State  of  Virginia,  which  assumed  control 
of  the  territory  thus  added  to  the  newly  cre- 
ated American  Union.  The  territory  organized 
received  the  name  of  "Illinois  County,"  but, 
without  naming  any  specific  boundaries,  simply 
assumed  to  include  "the  citizens  of  the  com- 
monwealth of  Virginia  who  are  already  settled, 
or  shall  hereafter  settle,  on  the  western  side 
of  the  Ohio,"  and  provided  for  the  government 
of  the  same  by  a  "County-Lieutenant  or  Com- 


mandaoat-in-Chief,"  to  be  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia.  Col.  John  Todd,  of  Ken- 
tucky, was  appointed  Commandant,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  appoint  subordinates  and  provide 
for  the  election  of  civil  officers  at  Kaskaskia 
and  Cahokia,  and  still  later  at  Vincennes;  but 
Chicago  being  without  what  might  even  be 
called  a  "settlement,"  was  not  recognized  as 
coming  within  the  operation  of  the  act.  The 
next  county  to  be  organized  within  Illinois 
territory  was  St.  Clair  by  the  act  of  Arthur 
St.  Clair,  Governor  of  the  Northwest  Territory, 
in  1790.  Its  territory  lay  between  the  Missis- 
sippi and  the  Illinois  Rivers  on  the  west  and 
northwest,  the  Ohio  on  the  south,  and  a  line  on 
the  east  drawn  from  about  Fort  Massac  on  the 
Ohio,  northward  to  the  junction  of  the  Little 
Mackinaw  River  with  the  Illinois,  in  what  is 
now  the  county  of  Tazewell.  Other  counties 
organized  within  the  Northwest  Territory 
previous  to  1800  (the  date  of  the  separation  of 
Indiana  Territory  from  Ohio)  were:  Washing- 
ton (the  first— 1788);  Hamilton  (1790);  Knox 
(1790);  Randolph  (1795);  Wayne  (1796); 
Adams  and  Jefferson  (1797),  and  Ross  (1798). 
Of  these,  five — Washington,  Hamilton,  Adams, 
Jefferson  and  Ross — were  wholly,  and  Wayne 
partly,  within  the  present  State  of  Ohio;  Knox 
in  Indiana,  and  St.  Clair  and  Randolph  within 
Illinois.  Wayne  County,  as  organized  in  1796 
— the  year  the  British  finally  evacuated  the 
upper  lake  region  under  the  Jay  Treaty  of  1794 
— embraced  Northwestern  Ohio,  a  considerable 
portion  of  Northeastern  Indiana,  the  whole  of 
the  present  State  of  Michigan,  and,  on  the  west, 
extended  to  the  heads  of  the  streams  flowing 
eastward  into  Lake  Michigan — thus  including 
the  section  about  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago 
River  to  the  portage  to  the  Des  Plaines  and  a 
considerable  portion  of  Eastern  Wisconsin.  In 
January,  1803,  the  boundaries  of  Wayne 
County  were  changed,  leaving  out  the  Chicago 
district,  which  remained  outside  of  any  county 
organization  (though  a  part  of  the  Territory 
of  Indiana),  until  1809.  The  Territory  of  Illi- 
nois having  been  organized  this  year,  one  of 
Governor  Edwards'  earliest  acts  was  the  issue 
of  a  proclamation  re-organizing  St.  Clair  County 
in  such  manner  as  to  include  the  whole  of  the 
northern  part  of  the  territory  to  the  Canada 
boundary  line,  embracing  all  Northern  Illinois, 
as  well  as  the  present  State  of  Wisconsin  and 
the  western  peninsula  of  Michigan.  In  1812 
there  came  another  change,  in  the  creation,  by 


650 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


proclamation  of  Governor  Edwards  (September 
14,  1812)  of  the  county  of  Madison  out  of  the 
northern  part  of  St.  Clair  County,  and  extend- 
ing, as  the  latter  had  done,  to  the  Canada  line. 
Other  county  connections  formed  in  accordance 
with  the  precedent  established  as  to  St.  Clair 
and  Madison  Counties,  brought  Chicago  success- 
ively under  the  jurisdiction  of  Edwards  County 
(1814-16)  and  Crawford  (1816-18)  during  the 
Territorial  period,  and  (after  the  admission  of 
Illinois  as  a  State)  of  Clark  (1819-21),  Pike 
(1821-23),  Fulton  (1S23-25),  and  Peoria  (1825- 
31).  This  jurisdiction  consisted  chiefly  in  the 
exercise  of  authority  by  Justices  of  the  Peace 
appointed  by  the  Governor,  but  these  officials 
seem  to  have  been  few  in  number  and  widely 
scattered,  since,  as  late  as  1823,  Dr.  Alexander 
Wolcott,  then  Indian  Agent  at  Chicago,  found 
it  necessary  to  call  upon  a  Justice  of  the  Peace 
from  Fulton  County  to  perform  the  ceremony 
uniting  him  in  marriage  to  Ellen  Marion  Kin- 
zie,  the  oldest  daughter  of  John  Kinzie.  To  a 
great  extent  the  scattered  pioneer  settlements, 
though  nominally  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
county  authorities  located  at  distant  points, 
remained  isolated  and  almost  unnoticed.  As 
stated  by  C.  W.  Butterfield  in  his  History  of 
Wisconsin,  their  jurisdiction  was  "rather  ideal 
than  real."  At  the  regular  election  held  at 
Chicago  in  August,  1830 — Chicago  then  consti- 
tuting a  part  of  Peoria  County — only  32  votes 
were  cast.  The  precinct  then  extended  west- 
ward to  the  Dupage  River. 

On  January  15,  1831,  the  State  Legislature 
passed  an  act  organizing  the  county  of  Cook, 
which  was  named  in  honor  of  Daniel  P.  Cook, 
who  had  been  the  Representative"  in  Congress 
from  1819  to  1827,  and  through  whose  efforts 
the  first  grant  of  public  lands  to  aid  in  the 
construction  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal 
was  obtained  from  Congress.  In  addition  to 
its  present  area,  the  new  county,  as  originally 
organized,  embraced  the  present  counties  of 
Lake,  McHenry,  Dupage  and  Will,  covering 
an  area  of  a  little  over  3,000  square  miles. 
Within  the  next  eight  years  this  area  was 
reduced  to  its  present  limits  by  the  setting-off 
of  McHenry  and  Will  Counties  in  1836  (the 
former  embracing  also  the  present  territory  of 
Lake  County,  organized  in  1839),  and  Dupage 
County  in  1839.  According  to  the  report  of 
Henry  Gannett,  Geographer  of  the  Census 
Bureau  for  1900,  the  area  of  Cook  County  at 


the  present  time  is  993  square  miles,  although 
it  has  heretofore  been  set  down  at  50  to  100 
square  miles  less. 

The  same  act  which  created  Cook  County  in 
1831  also  provided  for  the  election  of  a  Board 
of  County  Commissioners  at  an  election  to  be 
held  on  the  first  Monday  in  March  of  that  year. 
Samuel  Miller  and  Gholson  Kercheval  of  Chi- 
cago, and  James  Walker,  the  latter  living  on 
the  Du  Page  River,  were  elected  the  first  Com- 
missioners, and,  having  been  sworn  in  the 
next  day  by  John  S.  C.  Hogan,  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  Peoria  County,  proceeded  to  organize 
the  new  county  government.  William  See  was 
chosen  County  Clerk  and  Archibald  Clybourn 
Treasurer,  while  Jedediah  Wooley  was  recom- 
mended for  appointment  as  County  Surveyor. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  County  Commis- 
sioners held  in  April  following,  James  Kinzie 
was  chosen  Sheriff,  and  John  K.  Clark,  Coro- 
ner. Kinzie  served  until  1832,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  the  election  of  Stephen  V.  R. 
Forbes,  who  came  to  Chicago  in  1829  and  had 
been  employed  as  one  of  the  first  teachers  in 
Chicago.  At  this  second  meeting  the  Com- 
missioners also  made  provision  for  levying  a 
tax  of  one-half  of  one  per  cent  upon  property, 
and  the  issue  of  licenses  for  the  privilege  of 
conducting  certain  classes  of  business,  as  a 
means  of  raising  funds  for  county  expenses. 
Those  receiving  licenses  as  tavern  keepers  in- 
cluded Elijah  Wentworth,  Samuel  Miller  and 
Russell  E.  Heacock — the  two  former  located  at 
the  forks  of  the  river  (see  Early  Hotels)  and 
the  latter  at  "Hsacoek's  Point,"  known  also  as 
"Hardscrabble."  A  dozen  names  appear  in 
the  list  of  those  to  whom  licenses  were  granted 
this  year,  to  conduct  mercantile  business,  among 
them,  Alexander  Robinson,  three  Beaubiens, 
Bernardus  Laughton,  R.  A.  Kinzie,  Samuel  Mil- 
ler, Oliver  Newberry,  Joseph  Laframboise,  John 
S.  C.  Hogan,  Philip  F.  W.  Peck,  Joseph  Naper, 
and  others.  Newberry  and  Peck  had  come  to 
Chicago  during  the  previous  year  and,  at  a 
later  period,  became  prominent  business  men, 
while  Naper  was  the  founder  of  Naperville.  At 
the  first  election  the  whole  county  had  consti- 
tuted a  single  precinct,  but  at  one  of  its  earliest 
meetings  the  Board  divided  it  into  three  pfe- 
cincts  named  Chicago,  Hickory  Creek  and  Du- 
page. At  the  meeting  held  in  September,  the 
lower  room  of  the  "brick  house"  (the  magazine) 
in  Fort  Dearborn  was  selected  as  the  place  for 
holding  the  sessions  of  the  Circuit  Court. 


• 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


651 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


A   CREATIVE    PERIOD. 


ILLINOIS    AND    MICHIGAN    CANAL FEASIBILITY    OF 

THE  ENTERPRISE  RECOGNIZED  BY  EARLY  EXPLOR- 
ERS— EFFECT  ON  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  CHICAGO 

SURVEY    OF    GOVERNMENT    LANDS    ABOUT    THE 

MOUTH  OF  CHICAGO  RIVER  IN  1821 — CHICAGO 
VILLAGE  PLATTED  IN  1830 FIRST  SALE  OF  VIL- 
LAGE LOTS CHICAGO  BECOMES  A  COUNTY  SEAT 

IN     1831 — PAYMENT     OF     INDIAN     ANNUITIES 

PROMINENT  MEN  WHO  BECAME  CITIZENS  IN 
THAT  YEAR. 

Undoubtedly  Chicago  owes  its  first  existence 
as  a  village,  as  well  as  its  unprecedented 
growth  after  it  had  taken  on  the  form  of  a  city 
government,  to  the  project  which  began  to  be 
discussed  at  an  early  day  for  the  construction 
of  a  canal  connecting  Lake  Michigan  with  the 
Illinois  River.  In  fact,  the  feasibility  of  this 
enterprise  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
early  French  explorers — notably  Louis  Joliet — 
and  was  the  subject  of  frequent  comment  at  a 
later  period.  The  principal  steps  which  led 
up  to  the  actual  undertaking  of  the  work 
embraced  a  favorable  discussion  of  the  subject 
in  a  report  by  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Albert 
Gallatin,  in  1808;  the  cession  by  the  Indians 
in  1816,  of  a  strip  of  land  ten  miles  wide  from 
Lake  Michigan  to  the  Illinois  at  the  mouth  of 
Fox  River,  as  a  route  for  the  canal ;  an  endorse- 
ment of  the  measure  as  "valuable  for  military 
purposes,"  in  1819,  by  John  C.  Calhoun,  then 
Secretary  of  War;  the  granting  to  the  State  by 
Congress  of  the  right  of  way  for  the  canal 
through  the  public  domain  in  1832,  and  the 
donation,  five  years  later,  of  public  lands  for 
its  construction.  The  Congressional  act  of  1822 
had  led  to  the  passage  by  the  State  Legislature, 
in  1820,  of  an  act  authorizing  the  appointment 
of  a  commission  to  devise  means  for  carrying 
the  enterprise  into  effect.  Although  this  was 
followed  by  surveys  for  the  purpose  of  determin- 
ing the  most  available  route  and  the  passage 
of  an  act  by  the  Legislature,  in  1825,  incorpo- 
rating the  "Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  Associa- 
tion" with  a  capital  of  $1,000,000,  nothing  was 
done  toward  actual  construction  until  after  the 


passage  by  Congress,  in  1827,  of  an  act  appro- 
priating alternate  sections  on  each  side  of  the 
canal  for  a  distance  of  five  miles,  to  be  applied 
to  the  cost  of  construction.  To  follow  out  the 
history  of  the  enterprise  concisely,  it  is  suf- 
ficient to  say  here  that,  after  nine  years  of 
effort  to  secure  funds  by  the  sale  of  lands  and 
State  bonds,  the  work  was  begun  at  Bridgeport 
(now  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago) 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1836,  Dr.  W.  B.  Eagan  of 
Chicago  delivering  an  eloquent  address  in  cele- 
bration of  the  event.  Although  the  work  often 
lagged  for  want  of  funds,  it  was  so  far  com- 
pleted by  April,  1848,  as  to  admit  of  the  passage 
of  boats  betwen  Chicago  and  La  Salle.  The 
outlay  up  to  this  time  had  been  nearly  six  and 
a  quarter  million  dollars  against  less  than 
three-quarter  million,  as  first  estimated,  after- 
wards increased  to  $4,000,000.  Enlargements 
and  betterments  of  the  canal  up  to  1879  had 
increased  the  expenditures  to  a  little  over  nine 
and  a  half  million  dollars,  which  had  almost 
been  met  by  receipts  from  tolls  and  otherwise. 
(See  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  also  Chicago 
Drainage  Canal. — Hist.  Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I.) 

While  the  selection  of  the  Chicago  River  as 
the  northern  terminus  of  the  canal  no  doubt 
determined  the  location  of  the  future  city,  it 
is  a  fact  of  curious  interest  that  there  were 
prominent  men  at  that  time  who  regarded  the 
mouth  of  the  Calumet  as  the  most  available 
medium  for  making  the  connection  with  the 
lake.  Maj.  Stephen  H.  Long,  of  the  Govern- 
ment Engineer  Corps,  who  had  inspected  the 
route  of  the  proposed  canal  and  made  a  report 
on  the  measure  to  the  War  Department  in  1817, 
referring  to  the  subject  in  his  "Narrative  of  an 
Expedition  to  the  Source  of  the  St.  Peter's 
River  in  1823,"  says:  "It  is  the  opinion  of  those 
best  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  country, 
that  the  easiest  communication  would  be  be- 
tween the  Little  Calamick  (Calumet),  and 
some  point  of  the  Des  Plaines,  probably  below 
the  portage  road."  Ex-Gov.  Edward  Coles,  in 
a  communication  published  in  the  "Illinois 
Monthly  Magazine"  of  October,  1830,  corrobo- 
rated this  view,  favoring  the  route  between  the 
"Calumet  of  the  lake  and  the  Saganaskee" 
("The  Sag"),  on  the  ground  that  "between  these 
streams  the  summit  is  believed  to  be  the  low- 
est." 

Although  the  Government  survey  of  lands 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River  took 
place  in  1821,  it  was  not  until  nine  years  later 


652 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


that  the  work  of  platting  the  land  now 
embraced  within  the  heart  of  the  city  was  begun. 
This  followed  upon  the  passage  by  the  State 
Legislature,  of  an  act  accepting  the  appropria- 
tion of  lands  by  the  General  Government  for 
the  construction  of  the  canal  and  empowering 
the  Commissioners,  appointed  by  the  same  act, 
to  fix  the  route  of  the  canal  and  select  the  lands 
for  that  purpose.  The  same  act  authorized 
the  Commissioners  to  sell  the  lands  so  selected, 
as  well  as  to  lay  out  towns  and  dispose  of  lots 
within  the  same.  Up  to  this  time  no  steps  had 
been  taken  for  the  organization  of  a  village 
government  for  Chicago.  The  first  town  to  be 
laid  out  by  the  Commissioners  under  the  act 
of  1829  was  Ottawa,  after  which  came  the  plat- 
ting of  Chicago,  this  work  being  done  by 
James  Thornton  of  St.  Louis,  who  filed  his  plat 
under  date  of  August.  4,  1830.  The  village  of 
Chicago,  as  thus  platted,  covered  an  area  of 
about  three-eighths  of  a  square  mile,  embrac- 
ing the  southern  portion  of  Section  Nine  of 
Township  39  North,  and  Range  14  East  of  the 
Third  Principal  Meridian,  and  extending  from 
Kinzie  Street  on  the  north  to  Madison  on  the 
south,  and  from  State  Street  on  the  east  to  Des 
Plaines  on  the  west.  Wolf  Point  was  near 
the  center  of  this  area,  while  Fort  Dearborn  lay 
on  the  east.  The  first  sale  of  lots  took  place 
September  27,  1830 — 130  lots  being  disposed  of 
to  thirty-six  purchasers,  at  prices  ranging  from 
$8  to  $100  each,  realizing  a  little  over  $4,500.* 
The  population  at  that  time,  outside  of  two 
companies  of  United  States  troops  in  Fort  Dear- 
born, it  has  been  estimated,  did  not  exceed  one 
hundred.  This  embraced  a  number  of  Indian 
traders,  several  of  them  being  Frenchmen  (or 
their  half-breed  descendants)  with  half-breed 
families.  There  were  three  taverns  all  located 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  forks  of  the 
river,  one  on  the  West  Side,  one  on  the  North 
and  the  other  on  the  South.  The  poll-book  for 
the  precinct  of  Chicago — then  attached  to 
Peoria  County — for  the  election  held  August  2, 
1830,  contained  thirty-two  names.  The  precinct 
embraced  all  that  portion  of  country  between 
the  junction  of  the  Dupage  and  Des  Plaines 


•James  M.  Bucklin,  who  was  Chief  Engineer  of 
the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  in  1830,  in  a  com- 
munication to  "Pomeroy's  Democrat,"  printed  in  1876, 
says  that  the  town  of  Chicago  was  platted  by  Captain 
Pope,  "surveyor  of  the  Board  of  Canal  Commis- 
sioners" and  that,  "previous  to  the  sale  of  lots," 
acting  "by  order  of  the  Board,"  he  "enlarged  the 
boundaries  of  the  town,  extending  them  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Chicago  River" — also,  that  the  sale  occurred 
on  September  1,  1830 — a  statement  which  does  not 
appear  to  have  got  into  local  history. 


Rivers  on  the  west,  and  Lake  Michigan  on  the 
east,  covering  an  area  larger  than  Cook  County 
at  the  present  day.  It  is  probable,  therefore, 
that  the  list  of  voters  included  quite  a  number 
outside  of  the  village  of  Chicago.  Among  those 
who  were  residents  of  the  village  about  1829- 
30 — not  including  those  previously  named — 
were  Leon  Bourassea  (fur-trader) ;  Jonathan  A. 
Bailey,  who  become  Chicago's  first  postmaster: 
John  L.  Davis,  John  S.  C.  Hogan,  Stephen  Mack 
(clerk  of  the  American  Fur  Company),  and  a 
number  of  others  whose  history  is  unknown, 
but  who  were  probably  employes  about  the  fur- 
trading  stations,  the  Factor  House  or  the  fort. 
Stephen  R.  V.  Forbes  came  the  former  year 
and,  during  1830,  became  one  of  Chicago's  early 
teachers,  and  two  years  later  the  first  regularly 
elected  Sheriff  of  Cook  County. 

The  act  of  the  Legislature  which  authorized 
the  creation  of  the  new  county  and  the  organ- 
ization of  a  county  government,  also  named 
Chicago  (as  it  had  been  laid  out  during  the 
previous  year  by  the  "Land  Commissioners" 
appointed  to  dispose  of  the  canal  lands),  as 
the  permanent  county-seat,  and  empowered  the 
County  Commissioners  to  sell  certain  lands  at 
their  discretion,  and  apply  the  proceeds  to  the 
erection  of  a  court-house  and  jail.  Thus  Chi- 
cago received  its  recognition  as  a  town,  though 
the  formal  organization  of  a  village  government 
did  not  come  until  two  years  later.  The  lands 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  County  Board  by 
the  Canal  Commissioners  embraced  a  tract  of 
ten  acres  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  includ- 
ing the  present  court-house  square.  The  County 
Board  decided  to  sell  a  part  of  this  tract  and 
retain  the  remainder  as  a  site  for  the  county- 
buildings,  which  has  been  maintained  to  this 
day.  The  sale  took  place  in  July,  1831,  James 
Kinzie  acting  as  auctioneer — the  sum  realized 
from  the  sale  amounting  to  $1,153.75. 

An  event  of  local  importance  this  year  was 
the  payment  of  the  annuities  to  the  Indians 
in  September,  which  was  the  means  of  bring- 
ing nearly  4,000  savages  to  this  locality.  The 
payment  was  conducted  by  Col.  T.  J.  V.  Owen, 
Indian  Agent,  assisted  by  John  H.  Kinzie  and 
Gholson  Kercheval.  As  Fort  Dearborn  had  been 
evacuated  by  the  United  States  troops  during 
the  preceding  year,  and  the  friction  which  cul- 
minated in  the  Black  Hawk  War  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  had  already  become  manifest  on 
the  Mississippi,  there  was  considerable  nervous- 
ness among  the  few  white  residents  in  view  of 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


.653 


the  hostile  attitude  manifested  by  some  of  the 
Pottawatomie  chiefs.  An  outbreak  was  averted 
by  the  firmness  and  good  sense  of  Colonel  Owen 
and  the  fidelity  of  some  of  the  half-breeds  who 
had  been  residents  of  Chicago  for  many  years, 
especially  including  in  this  number  Capt.  Billy 
Caldwell,  the  famous  "Sauganash." 

Although  attention  had  been  directed  to  the 
new  town  by  its  erection  into  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice for  Cook  County  in  1831,  its  growth  during 
the  next  two  years  was  slow.  Among  the  more 
important  accessions  to  the  population  about 
this  time  were  Col.  R.  J.  Hamilton,  George  W. 
Dole,  Mark  and  John  Noble,  Dr.  Elijah  D.  Har- 
mon, and  a  few  others  who,  in  after  years, 
became  prominent  in  Chicago  history.  Colonel 
Hamilton,  who  had  been  identified  with  the 
infantile  banking  interests  for  ten  years  in  the 
southern  portion  of  the  State,  came  here  early 
in  1831,  to  assume  the  duties  of  Probate  Judge 
in  the  new  county  by  appointment  of  Governor 
Reynolds.  In  after  years  he  held  simultane- 
ously— besides  the  position  of  Probate  Judge — 
the  offices  of  Circuit  and  County  Clerk, 
Recorder  and  Commissioner  of  School  Lands, 
and  was  also,  for  a  time,  a  Colonel  of  the  State 
Militia.  Mr.  Dole  became  one  of  Chicago's  most 
prominent  and  successful  merchants  and,  as  the 
associate  of  Archibald  Clybourn,  the  Noble 
Brothers  and  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  was  one  of  the 
first  to  set  in  motion  enterprises  which  have 
since  grown  into  such  vast  proportions  as  to 
make  Chicago  the  greatest  stock  market  in  the 
world.  ( See  Chicago  Live  Stock  and  Meat-Pack- 
ing Industry.) 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


SOME  INDIAN  HISTORY. 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR  EPISODE — RECEIPT    OF  THE 
NEWS    IN    CHICAGO    AND    PREPARATIONS    FOR 

DEFENSE SERVICE    RENDERED    BY   CHIEF    SHA- 

BONA,  BILLY  CALDWELL  AND  ALEXANDER  ROB- 
INSON  REFUGEES  SEEK  SAFETY  IN  FORT  DEAR- 
BORN  ORGANIZATION  OF  VOLUNTEERS GEN. 

SCOTT'S   TROOPS   ATTACKED   BY   CHOLERA — THE 

INDIAN  TREATY  OF  1833 DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 

EVENT  BY  AN  ENGLISH  TRAVELER. 

The  events   leading  up  to  the   Black  Hawk 


War  of  1832  produced  a  condition  approaching 
universal  panic  throughout  Northern  Illinois, 
which  did  not  fail  to  communicate  itself  to  the 
few  residents  about  Chicago.  The  alarm  was 
all  the  greater  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Fort 
Dearborn  was  then  unoccupied  as  a  military 
post,  the  troops  having  been  transferred  during 
the  previous  year  to  Port  Howard  (Green  Bay). 
The  first  rumor  of  the  threatened  outbreak  is 
said  to  have  been  brought  to  Chicago  by  Hon. 
Richard  M.  Young,  then  a  Justice  of  the  Circuit 
Court  for  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  who, 
on  making  the  journey  from  Galena  in  com- 
pany with  Benjamin  Mills  and  J.  M.  Strode,  had 
learned  at  Dixon  of  the  appearance  of  Black 
Hawk's  hostile  band  on  Rock  River.  The  hos- 
tile savages  did  not  approach  nearer  to  Chicago 
than  the  vicinity  of  Naperville  in  Dupage 
County,  but  the  alarming  reports  of  outrages, 
reaching  Chicago  almost  daily,  produced  the 
wildest  consternation  among  its  few  citizens 
and  the  refugees  gathered  there.  As  he  had 
done  during  the  "Winnebago  Scare"  of  1827, 
the  friendly  Pottawatomie  Chief  Shabona  ren- 
dered the  whites  valuable  service  by  warning 
the  settlers  along  the  Fox  River,  and  exerting 
his  influence  among  the  Pottawatomies  to  pre- 
serve the  peace,  as  Billy  Caldwell  and  Alexan- 
der Robinson  did  about  Chicago.  The  pioneer 
families  settled  along  the  Des  Plaines  and  Fox 
Rivers,  sought  refuge  at  Fort  Dearborn  until  it 
was  estimated  that,  by  the  latter  part  of  May, 
five  hundred  fugitives  had  collected  at  the  fort 
and  its  vicinity.  Aid  consisting  of  small  com- 
panies of  volunteers  came  from  the  vicinity  of 
Niles,  Mich.,  and  Danville,  111.,  while  two  or 
three  small  companies  were  organized  from  set- 
tlers about  Chicago  and  refugees  from  the  soir- 
rounding  country.  One  of  the  earliest  of  these, 
organized  under  command  of  Capt.  Gholson 
Kercheval,  with  George  W.  Dole  and  John  S.  C. 
Hogan,  as  First  and  Second  Lieutenants, 
embraced  among  its  rank  and  file  such  familiar 
names  as  Richard  J.  Hamilton,  Isaac  D.  Har- 
mon, Samuel  Miller,  James  Kinzie,  Samuel 
Ellis,  David  McKee  and  other  well-known  early 
settlers.  Another  company  organized  still  later 
with  Joseph  Naper,  one  of  the  founders  of 
Naperville,  as  its  head,  included  P.  F.  W.  Peck, 
Alanson  Sweet,  Lyman  Butterfield,  Isaac  P. 
Blodgett  (father  of  Judge  Henry  W.  Blodgett), 
Richard  M.  Sweet,  Calvin  M.  and  Augustine 
Stowell  and  some  twenty-five  others.  Another 
organization  made  up  of  refugees  and  local 


654 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


settlers  was  under  command  of  Capt.  J.  B. 
Beaubien,  while  a  company  of  some  fifty  Potta- 
watomies,  under  command  of  Robert  Kinzie, 
rendered  good  service  as  scouts  in  the  region 
now  embraced  in  Cook  and  adjoining  counties. 
Among  the  settlers  from  distant  localities  who 
took  refuge  in  Fort  Dearborn  were  those  from 
Naperville  and  Plainfield.  At  the  latter  place 
a  considerable  number  of  fugitives  had  taken 
refuge  in  a  hastily  constructed  block-house, 
from  which  they  were  removed  under  escort  to 
Chicago  for  safety.  On  June  17,  Fort  Dearborn 
was  occupied  by  two  companies  of  United  States 
infantry  under  command  of  Maj.  William 
Whistler,  the  son  of  the  builder  of  the  first 
Fort  Dearborn.  While  this  compelled  the  set- 
tlers who  had  taken  refuge  in  the  fort  to  find 
quarters  elsewhere,  it  assisted  to  restore  con- 
fidence in  their  general  security.  Besides 
anxiety  for  the  safety  of  friends,  refugees  were 
compelled  to  endure  many  privations  in  the 
abandonment  of  their  property  and  for  lack  of 
shelter  and  supplies.  One  of  the  tragic  events 
of  this  period  in  the  region  adjacent  to  Chi- 
cago, was  the  massacre  of  the  Hall,  Davis  and 
Pettegrew  families  on  Indian  Creek  in  La  Salle 
County,  in  which  sixteen  lives  were  sacrificed. 
On  July  10,  the  steamer  "Sheldon  Thompson" 
reached  Chicago,  bringing  four  companies  of 
United  States  troops  under  command  of  Gen. 
Winfield  Scott,  intended  to  reinforce  the  troops 
then  in  pursuit  of  Black  Hawk.  These,  however, 
brought  with  them  a  peril  no  less  dreaded 
than  the  Indians.  Before  their  arrival  the  Asi- 
atic cholera  had  obtained  a  foothold  among  the 
troops,  and  Fort  Dearborn  was  immediately 
transformed  into  a  hospital.  Another  detach- 
ment which  arrived  a  week  later  by  the  "Wil- 
liam Penn,"  was  in  a  similar  condition,  and  in 
the  course  of  ten  days  the  number  of  soldiers 
who  succumbed  to  the  fell  disease  has  been 
estimated  at  one  hundred.  On  the  20th  of  July 
Gen.  Scott  removed  his  command  to  the  Des 
Plaines,  encamping  about  where  Riverside  now 
is —  a  step  which  was  attended  with  beneficial 
results  as  to  their  health.  Soon  after  intelli- 
gence was  received  of  the  final  defeat  of  Black 
Hawk  at  the  Bad  Axe  in  Wisconsin,  and  Gen- 
eral Scott's  forces  made  their  way  across  the 
State  to  Fort  Armstrong  (Rock  Island)  with- 
out having  an  opportunity  to  participate  in  the 
war.  (See  Black  Hawk  War,  Hist.  Ency.  of 
III.,  pp.  608-615.) 


TUB    INDIAN    TREATY    OF    1833. 

An  event  of  importance  connected  with  this 
period  was  the  Council  at  Chicago  with  the 
Pottawatomie,  Chippewa  and  Ottawa  Indians, 
which  resulted  in  the  Treaty  of  September, 
1833.  Following  upon  the  Black  Hawk  War 
of  the  previous  year,  it  gave  a  new  and  pow- 
erful impetus  to  the  development  of  the  embryo 
city.  It  was  estimated  that  7,000  Indians  were 
present  at  the  council,  and  for  days  the  streets 
of  the  frontier  village  were  thronged  with  sav- 
ages, and  the  shrubs  lighted  with  their  camp 
fires.  Charles  J.  Latrobe,  an  English  traveler 
who  happened  to  be  in  Chicago  at  the  time, 
has  left  a  graphic  account  of  the  event,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  brief  extract: 

"We  found  the  village  on  our  arrival 
crowded  to  excess,  and  we  procured  with  great 
difficulty  a  small  apartment,  comfortless  and 
noisy  from  its  close  proximity  to  others,  but 
quite  as  good  as  we  could  have  hoped  for. 
.  .  .  The  village  and  its  occupants  pre- 
sented a  most  motley  scene.  The  fort  con- 
tained within  its  palisades  by  far  the  most 
enlightened  residents  in  the  little  knot  of 
officers  attached  to  the  slender  garrison.  The 
quarters  were  too  confined  to  afford  place  for 
the  Government  Commissioners,  for  whom 
and  a  crowd  of  dependents  a  temporary  set 
of  plank  huts  were  erected  on  the  north  side 

of  the  river 

"With  immigrants  and  land  speculators  as 
numerous  as  the  sand,  you  will  find  horse- 
dealers  and  horse-stealers — rogues  of  every 
Description — white,  black,  brown  and  red; 
half-breeds,  quarter-breeds  and  men  of  no 
breed  at  all;  dealers  in  pigs,  poultry  and  pota- 
toes; .  .  .  sharpers  of  every  degree;  ped- 
dlers, grog-sellers;  Indian  Agents  and  Indian 

traders  of  every  description The 

little  village  was  in  an  uproar  from  morning 
to  night,  and  from  night  to  morning;  for 
during  the  hours  of  darkness,  when  the 
housed  portion  of  the  population  of  Chicago 
strove  to  obtain  repose  in  the  crowded  plank 
edifices  of  the  village,  the  Indians  howled, 
sang,  wept  and  whooped  in  their  various 

encampments All  was  bustle  and 

tumult,  especially  at  the  houses  set  apart  for 

the     distribution    of    the    rations 

Frame  and  clapboard  houses  were  springing 
up  daily  under  the  active  axes  and  hammers 
of  the  speculators,  and  piles  of  lumber 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


655 


announced  the  preparation  for  yet  other  edi- 
fices  of  an   equally   light   character.     .     .     . 
Within   the  vile  two-storied   barrack  which, 
dignified,   as  usual,   by   the   title   of   hotel, 
afforded  ua    quarters,  all    was    in    a    state    of 
most   appalling   confusion,   filth   and   racket. 
.    .    .    Far    and    wide    the    grassy    prairie 
teemed  with  figures;  warriors  mounted  or  on 
foot,  squaws  and  horses." 
The   Commissioners   engaged   in   negotiating 
the  treaty  on  the  part  of  the  United   States 
were   George   B.    Porter,   Thomas   J.   V.   Owen 
and  William  Weatherford,  and  the  treaty  was 
concluded  September  26,  1838.    The  lands  ceded 
by  the  Indians  embraced  a  little  over  5,000,000 
acres  in  Northern  Illinois  and  Eastern  Wiscon- 
sin, in  consideration  for  a  like  area  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  besides  money  and  goods  amount- 
ing to  over  $1,000,000.     A  large  proportion  of 
the  latter  went  into  the  hands  of  alleged  cred- 
itors of  the  Indians.    The  affair  ended  in  a  spec- 
tacular war  dance  participated  in  by  eight  hun- 
dred braves. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


CHICAGO    IN    DEVELOPMENT. 


AN  ERA  OF  PROGRESS   AFTER  THE  BLACK   HAWK  WAR 

EARLY    BUSINESS    AND    PROFESSIONAL    MEN — 

GROWTH  IN  1833 "A  VILLAGE  OF  PIKE  COUNTY" 

IN    1823 CHICAGO    INCORPORATED    AS    A    TOWN 

IN  1833 — ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  FIRST  NEWS- 
PAPER— CHICAGO  IN  1833-1837 — THE  "LAND 
CBAZE" — SOME  CONTEMPORANEOUS  DESCRIP- 
TIONS OF  THE  PLACE INCORPORATED  AS  A  CITY 

— FINANCIAL  REVULSION  OF  1837 — GROWTH  IN 
AREA  AND  POPULATION  FROM  1837  TO  1900. 

While  the  Black  Hawk  War  proved  a  tem- 
porary check  to  the  growth  of  Chicago  thus 
early  in  its  history,  it  became  the  means,  indi- 
rectly, of  attracting  wide  attention  to  the  com- 
mercial advantages  of  the  place  through  the 
presence  here  of  persons  from  distant  portions 
of  the  country  in  the  character  of  soldiers  or 
otherwise.  As  a  consequence  a  strong  tide  of 
immigration  set  in  immediately  thereafter, 
which  continued  with  increasing  volume  for 
the  next  four  years.  Among  those  who  arrived 
during  this  period  and  afterwards  became  prom- 


inent as  business  or  professional  men,  were 
Philo  Carpenter,  John  S.  Wright,  D.  Philip 
Maxwell,  Dr.  E.  S.  Kimberly,  John  D.  Caton, 
John  K.  Botsford,  Silas  B.  Cobb,  Charles 
Cleaver,  Walter  Kimball,  H.  W.  Knickerbocker. 
Asahel  Pierce,  Dr.  John  T.  Temple  and  Rev. 
Jeremiah  Porter.  Up  to  this  time  Chicago  was 
almost  wholly  a  village  of  log  cabifts,  but 
during  the  year  1833  it  is  estimated  that  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  frame  buildings  were 
erected.  This  was  also  the  year  of  the  erec- 
tion of  the  first  brick  building  in  Chicago  out- 
side of  Fort  Dearborn,  the  builders  being  Alan- 
son  Sweet  and  William  Worthington.  The 
improvement  of  the  Chicago  harbor  the  same 
year,  based  upon  an  appropriation  of  $25,000 
by  Congress,  with  the  result  that  the  channel 
of  the  Chicago  River  was  straightened  into 
Lake  Michigan,  and,  on  July  11,  1834,  the 
schooner  "Illinois,"  the  first  large  vessel  to 
enter  the  river,  crossed  the  bar  and  sailed  into 
the  harbor  amid  great  public  rejoicing. 

CHICAGO    INCORPORATED. 

Another  event  of  1833  was  the  formal  incor- 
poration of  the  town  of  Chicago,  which,  in 
"Beck's  Gazetteer"  (1823),  had  been  described 
as  "a  village  of  Pike  County"  with  "twelve  or 
fifteen  houses  and  about  60  or  70  inhabitants," 
and  which  in  1831,  had  become  the  county-seat 
of  Cook  County.  The  decision  to  incorporate 
was  reached  at  a  public  meeting  held  August 
5th,  at  which  only  one  dissenting  vote  was  cast. 
At  an  election  for  the  choice  of  a  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, held  at  the  house  of  Mark  Beaubien,  28 
votes  were  cast,  resulting  in  the  election  of 
Thomas  J.  V.  Owen,  George  W.  Dole,  Medore 
Beaubien,  John  Miller  and  E.  S.  Kimberly. 
Owen  was  chosen  President  of  the  Board,  Isaac 
Harmon  Clerk,  and  George  W.  Dole  Treasurer. 
On  November  6th  the  limits  of  the  town  were 
extended  to  Jackson  Street  on  the  south,  Jef- 
ferson Street  on  the  west,  Ohio  Street  on  the 
north  and  State  Street  on  the  east. 

Other  notable  events  of  this  year  were  the 
establishment  of  the  first  newspaper — "The 
Chicago  Democrat" — by  John  Calhoun,  which 
commenced  publication  November  26th;  * 
the  first  log-jail  was  built,  and  the  first  public 
school  was  opened  under  the  instruction  of 
Miss  Eliza  Chappell.  During  the  same  year 
occurred  the  sale  of  school  lands  (the  16th  sec- 
tion) in  the  township  embraced  within  the  city 
of  Chicago.  These  lands  were  located  in  the 


656 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


very  heart  of  the  present  city,  the  whole  sec- 
tion, with  the  exception  of  four  blocks,  being 
sold,  realizing  less  than  $39,000. 

From  1833  to  1837  something  like  a  "land 
craze"  prevailed  at  Chicago,  as  at  many  other 
places  throughout  the  West,  and  the  increase 
in  values,  as  well  as  in  population,  was  phe- 
nomenal. The  bona  fide  population  of  the  vil- 
lage at  the  close  of  the  year  first  named  has 
been  estimated  at  200;  in  1834  it  was  claimed 
to  be  1,600;  in  1836  a  school  census  showed 
3,279,  and,  in  1837,  the  first  census  under  the 
new  city  government  showed  a  total  of  4,179. 

Some  contemporary  opinions  of  the  future 
emporium  of  the  West  will  be  of  interest,  as 
indicating  its  growth  about  this  period. 
Charles  Fenno  Hoffman,  a  popular  writer  and, 
for  a  time,  editor  of  the  "Knickerbocker  Maga- 
zine," in  a  series  of  letters  under  the  title,  "A 
Winter  in  the  West,"  early  in  1834,  wrote  as 
follows: 

"The  writer  is  informed  by  a  gentleman 
recently  from  Illinois  that  Chicago,  which, 
but  eighteen  months  since,  contained  but  two 
or  three  frame  buildings  and  a  few  miserable 
huts,  has  now  500  houses,  400  of  which  have 
been  erected  this  year,  and  2,200  inhabitants. 
A  year  ago  there  was  not  a  place  of  worship 
in  the  town;  there  are  now  five  churches  and 
two  schoolhouses,  and  numerous  brick  stores 
and  warehouses." 

In  another  letter  written  from  Chicago 
a  few  weeks  later,  Mr.  Hoffman  spoke 
of  the  town  as  destined,  from  the  improve- 
ments already  under  way  for  the  ensu- 
ing season,  to  assume  a  "metropolitan 
appearance."  "As  a  place  of  business,"  he 
predicted  that,  "its  situation  at  the  central 
head  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  will  make  it  the 
New  Orleans  of  the  North."  One  of  Mr.  Hoff- 
man's letters  was  devoted  entirely  to  a  descrip- 
tion of  a  wolf-hunt  on  the  Des  Plaines  River, 
in  which  he  took  part  with  a  number  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  from  Chicago. 

Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  in  his  "New  Guide  for 
Emigrants  for  the  West,"  published  in  1836, 
spoke  of  Chicago  as  "the  largest  commercial 
.town  of  Illinois  .  .  .  said  to  contain  51 
stores,  30  groceries,  10  taverns,  12  physicians, 
21  attorneys  and  4,000  inhabitants." 

Hon.  H.  L.  Ellsworth,  at  the  time  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Patent  Office  at  Washington,  in  a 


volume    entitled    "Illinois    in   1837,"   wrote    of 
Chicago  as  follows: 

"Its  growth,  even  for  western  cities,  has 
been  unexampled.  In  Dr.  Beck's  Gazetteer, 
published  in  1823,  Chicago  is  described  as  a 
village  of  ten  or  twelve  houses,  and  60  or  70 
inhabitants.  In  1832  it  contained  five  small 
stores  and  250  inhabitants;  and  now  (1837) 
the  population  amounts  to  8,000  (an  exag- 
gerated estimate,  however — Ed.)  with  120 
stores,  besides  a  number  of  groceries.  .  .  . 
It  has  also  twelve  public  houses,  three  news- 
papers, nearly  50  lawyers  and  upwards  of  30 
physicians." 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy,  as  well  as  enthu- 
siastic descriptions  of  the  Chicago  of  1837,  was 
contributed  by  a  correspondent  of  the  "Penn- 
sylvania Inquirer  and  Daily  Courier"  of  Phila- 
delphia, over  the  signature,  "A  Rambler  in  the 
West."  In  one  of  his  letters  "A  Rambler" 
writes : 

"Chicago  is,  without  doubt,  the  greatest 
wonder  in  this  wonderful  country.  Four 
years  ago  the  savage  Indian  there  built  his 
wigwam — the  noble  stag  there  was  undis- 
mayed by  his  own  image  reflected  in  the  pol- 
ished mirror  of  the  glassy  lake — the  adven- 
turous settler  there  cultivated  a  small  por- 
tion of  those  fertile  prairies,  and  was  living 
far,  far  away  from  the  comforts  of  civiliza- 
tion. Four  years  have  rolled  by  and  have 
changed  that  scene.  That  Indian  is  now 
driven  far  west  of  the  Mississippi ;  he  has  left 
his  native  hills,  his  hunting  grounds,  the 
grave  of  his  father,  and  now  is  building  his 
home  in  the  Far  West,  again  to  be  driven 
away  by  the  tide  of  emigration.  That  gallant 
stag  no  longer  bounds  secure  over  these 
mighty  plains,  but  startles  at  the  rustling  of 
every  leaf  or  sighing  of  every  wind,  fearing 
the  rifles  of  the  numerous  Nimrods  who  now 
pursue  the  daring  chase.  That  adventurous 
settler  is  now  surrounded  by  luxury  and 
refinement;  a  city  with  a  population  of  over 
6,000  souls  has  now  arisen;  its  spires  glitter 
in  the  morning  sun;  its  wharves  are  crowded 
by  the  vessels  of  trade;  its  streets  are  alive 
with  the  busy  hum  of  commerce. 

"The  wand  of  the  magician  never  effected 
changes  like  these;  nay,  Aladdin's  lamp,  in 
all  its  glory,  never  performed  greater  won- 
ders. But  the  growth  of  the  town,  extraor- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


657 


dinary  as  it  is,  bears  no  comparison  with  that 
of  its  commerce.  In  1833  there  were  but 
four  arrivals — or  about  60,000  tons.  Point 
me,  if  you  can,  to  any  place  in  this  land, 
whose  trade  has  increased  in  like  proportion. 
What  has  produced  this  great  prosperity?  I 
answer,  its  great  natural  advantages  and  the 
untiring  enterprise  of  its  citizens.  Its  situa- 
tion is  unsurpassed  by  any  in  our  land.  Lake 
Michigan  opens  up  to  it  the  trade  of  the 
North  and  the  East,  and  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  Canal,  when  completed,  will  open 
up  the  trade  of  the  South  and  West.  But 
the  great  share  of  its  prosperity  is  to  be 
attributed  to  the  enterprise  of  its  citizens." 

How  far  the  enthusiastic  dream  of  "A 
Rambler"  has  been  surpassed  by  the  reality  in 
a  little  more  than  three-score  years,  is  a  story 
already  familiar  to  the  world. 

In  common  with  the  entire  country,  Chicago 
felt  most  keenly  the  effects  of  the  financial 
revulsion  of  1837.  During  a  considerable  part 
of  the  next  five  years,  the  financial  disasters 
which  had  overtaken  the  State,  compelled  the 
suspension  of  work  on  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
Canal,  which  had  been  entered  upon  in  1836, 
and  upon  the  completion  of  which  the  future 
growth  of  the  city  was  so  closely  dependent. 
As  a  consequence  there  was  a  rapid  deprecia- 
tion in  the  value  of  real  estate  and  a  general 
stagnation  in  business,  which  had  the  effect  to 
check  the  tide  of  immigration  which  had  been 
so  marked  a  feature  of  the  four  years  following 
the  Black  Hawk  War  and  the  Indian  treaty  of 
1833.  About  1842  there  was  a  revival  of  busi- 
ness and  immigration,  which  was  made  evident 
by  the  State  census  of  1845  showing  a  popula- 
tion of  over  12,000,  and  was  still  more  marked 
by  the  United  States  census  of  1850,  when  the 
population  had  grown  to  more  than  28,000 — an 
increase  of  over  600  per  cent  as  compared  with 
that  of  ten  years  previous.  In  1844  it  has  been 
estimated  that  over  600  new  buildings  were 
erected. 

On  March  4,  1837,  the  State  Legislature 
passed  an  act  granting  a  special  charter  author- 
izing Chicago  to  organize  a  city  government. 
The  first  election  under  this  act  was  held  on 
the  first  Tuesday  in  May,  following,  resulting 
in  the  election  of  William  B.  Ogden  the  first 
Mayor,  the  total  vote  cast  being  703.  The  first 
charter  fixed  the  term  of  the  Mayor  at  one 
year,  but  in  1863  it  was  changed  to  two  years. 


In  the  sixty-eight  years  that  have  elapsed  since 
the  organization  of  a  city  government  thirty 
different  persons  have  occupied  the  chair  of 
Mayor — eighteen  under  the  one-year  rule,  and 
twelve  under  the  two-year  period.  Of  the  one- 
year  class,  ten  held  office  for  one  term  each  and 
eight  for  two  terms  each ;  while  of  the  two-year 
class,  nine  held  office  for  one  term  each,  one  for 
two  terms,  one  (Carter  H.  Harrison,  Sr.)  five 
terms,  and  one  (Carter  H.  Harrison,  Jr.)  is  now 
(1904)  serving  his  fourth  consecutive  term. 

Embracing  an  area  of  2.55  square  miles  at  the 
date  of  its  incorporation  as  a  town  in  1835, 
Chicago  has  grown  by  successive  annexations 
until  now  (1905)  it  covers  190.64  square  miles, 
including  seven  entire  townships,  viz.:  North, 
South  and  West  Chicago,  Hyde  Park,  Lake, 
Lake  View  and  Jefferson,  with  parts  of  Calu- 
met, Cicero,  Evanston,  Maine,  Niles  and  Nor- 
wood Park  Townships. 

The  following  table  presents  the  population 
of  Chicago,  as  officially  reported  at  different 
periods  during  its  history  as  a  city: 

1837 4,179   |  1870 298,977 

1840 4,470   |  1880 503,185 

1850 28,269  |  1890 1,099,850 

1860 112,162    |  1900 1,698,575 

Population   1903    (est.)    1,885,000. 

SUBURBAN   VILLAGES    ABSORBED    BT    CHICAGO. 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy  evidences  of  the 
change  that  has  been  going  on  in  Cook  County 
within  the  past  twenty  years,  has  been  the 
absorption  of  outlying  villages  and  townships 
within  the  city  of  Chicago.  As  already 
explained  in  the  opening  pages  of  this  chapter, 
the  city  now  embraces  seven  full  townships, 
which  formerly  had  an  independent  existence, 
while  it  has  absorbed  parts  of  five  others.  One 
of  the  interesting  features  in  the  history  of 
these  changes  relates  to  the  large  number  of 
suburban  villages  which  have  been  swept  into 
the  city  by  the  various  annexations  which 
have  taken  place  within  the  past  fifteen  years. 
The  fever  for  annexation  began  in  1869,  and 
since  that  time  there  have  been  ten  successive 
annexations,  which  have  more  than  quadrupled 
the  area  of  the  city  and  added  largely  to  the 
population  by  annexation  alone,  as  well  as 
given  room  for  further  development.  Previous 
to  the  date  first  named,  the  northern  limit  was 
at  Fullerton  Avenue,  the  southern  at  Thirty- 
ninth  Street,  and  the  western  at  Fortieth  Ave- 
nue. Since  then  the  city  limits  have  been 


658 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


moved  six  and  a  half  miles  farther  north,  thir- 
teen miles  farther  south  to  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-eighth  Street,  four  miles  farther  west 
— making  the  city  over  twenty-five  miles  in 
length  from  north  to  south,  with  an  average 
width  of  about  seven  and  a  half  miles  to  make 
up  its  area  of  191  square  miles.  The  record 
breaking  year  in  the  way  of  annexations  was 
1889,  when  nearly  four  congressional  townships 
(about  140  square  miles)  were  brought  within 
the  city  limits.  These  comprised  the  whole  of 
Jefferson  and  Lake  View  Townships  on  the 
uorth/and  Lake  and  Hyde  Park  Townships  on 
the  south. 

The  town  of  Hyde  Park  was  organized  in 
1861,  being  set  apart  from  Lake  Township,  its 
area  at  first  extending  from  Thirty-ninth 
Street  on  the  north  to  Eighty-seventh  Street  on 
the  south,  and  from  Grand  Boulevard,  or  South 
Park  Avenue,  on  the  west  to  Michigan  on  the 
east.  In  1867  its  limits  were  extended  south 
to  One  Hundred  Thirty-eighth  Street  on  the 
south  and  to  Indiana  State  line  on  the  east. 
While  Hyde  Park  Township,  at  the  date  of  its 
annexation  to  the  city  in  1889,  constituted  a 
municipal  corporation  with  a  population  of 
some  80,000,  it  was  made  up  of  a  large  number 
of  incipient  villages,  or  hamlets,  which  had 
sprung  into  existence  at  different  periods.  One 
of  the  most  important  of  these  was  known  as 
Oakland — also  as  .Cleaverville;,  from  Charles 
Cleaver  who  settled  in  Ellis  Avenue  south  of 
Thirty-ninth  Street  in  1853.  It  is  only  possible 
here  to  make  mention  of  some  of  the  most 
important  incidents  in  the  history  of  this  local- 
ity, but  it  was,  for  a  time,  the  residence  of 
some  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Chi- 
cago Village,  Oolehour,  Cummings,  Hegewisch, 
township  were  Forrestville,  Egandale,  Grand 
Crossing,  Cornell,  Brookline,  Cheltenham  Beach, 
South  Chicago,  City  of  Calumet,  South  Chi- 
cago Village,  Colehour,  Cummings,  Hegewisch, 
Riverdale,  Wildwood,  Kensington,  Roseland, 
Pullman,  North  Pullman,  etc.  Some  of  these 
were  simply  residence  districts — taking  their 
names,  like  Egandale  and  Cornell,  from  their 
most  prominent  families,  while  others,  like 
Pullman,  Colehour,  Cummings,  Hegewisch, 
Kensington,  etc.,  were  manufacturing  centers, 
or  points  of  junction  of  different  lines  of  rail- 
road approaching  Chicago.  The  most  important 
of  these  was  Pullman,  which,  starting  as  a 
manufacturing  suburb,  grew  to  the  proportions 
of  a  model  city,  and  now  constitutes  one  of  the 


most  busy  and  prosperous  parts  of  the  city  of 
Chicago. 

Lake  Township,  one  of  the  early  voting  pre- 
cincts of  Cook  County,  later  one  of  the  town- 
ships organized  in  1850,  and  incorporated  as  a 
village  in  1855,  comprised  within  its  area  a  num- 
ber of  industrial  and  residence  centers,  though 
not  formally  incorporated  as  villages.  The 
most  important  of  these  was  the  Union  Stock 
Yards,  which  would  rank  as  a  city  in  itself 
today,  if  the  number  of  persons  finding  employ- 
ment there,  and  the  volume  of  financial  trans- 
actions were  alone  taken  into  account.  Engle- 
wood,  South  Englewood,  and  Auburn  were  prom- 
ising residence  districts,  while  Normalville  was 
the  location  of  the  Cook  County  Normal  School. 
South  Lynn  and  South  Brighton  were  also  the 
beginnings  of  residence  suburbs,  .the  latter  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  what  is  now  known 
as  McKinley  Park. 

On  the  North  Side,  Lake  View  Township, 
lying  between  the  City  of  Chicago  and  Evanston, 
and  embracing  an  area  five  miles  in  length,  with 
an  average  of  two  and  a  half  in  breadth  along 
the  lake  shore,  and  including  a  portion  of  Lin- 
coln Park,  was  known  previous  to  the  annexa- 
tion period  as  one  of  the  choice  residence  sub- 
urbs of  Chicago.  This  applies  especially  to  the 
village  of  Ravenswood,  situated  on  the  Mil- 
waukee Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad.  The  first  settlement  was  made  in  the 
township  previous  to  1837.  The  north  branch 
of  the  Chicago  River  flows  near  the  west  line 
of  what  was  Lake  View  Township  and  across 
its  southwest  corner.  Rosehill  and  Graceland 
cemeteries,  two  of  the  most  noted  cemeteries 
near  Chicago,  are  both  within  the  limits  of 
the  original  Lake  View  Township,  now,  as 
already  explained,  a  part  of  Chicago. 

Jefferson  Township,  originally  another  sub- 
urban district  to  the  northwest  of  Chicago  but 
now  a  part  of  the  city,  is  believed  to  have  been 
settled  first  in  1830,  by  John  K.  Clark,  a  rela- 
tive of  the  Kinzies  and  Clybourns.  Other 
early  settlers  in  the  township  were  Mark 
Noble,  George  Bickerdike  and  Joseph  Lovell. 
A  number  of  prosperous  villages  were  located 
in  this  township  previous  to  the  date  of  annexa- 
tion, all  being  now  within  the  city  of  Chicago. 
The  most  important  were  Humboldt  Park, 
Cragin,  Avondale,  Mont  Clare,  Forest  Glen, 
Bowmanville,  Galewood,  Montrose,  Garfield 
and  Pennock.  Several  of  these,  like  Humboldt 
Park  and  Garfield,  have  given  names  to  impor- 
tant localities  within  the  city. 


Mc-.na.sLL  Pub  Cc 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


659 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


centering  at  Chicago  with  the  mileage  operated 
by  each,  as  stated  in  the  Report  of  the  Illinois 
Railway  Commission  for  1903: 


TRUNK  LINES.  MILEAGE. 

RAILWAY   PROGRESS.  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe. . . 4,828.86 

Baltimore  &  Ohio 3,832.89 

Chicago  &  Alton 898.04 

Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois 728.36 

CHICAGO    AS    A    RAILWAY    CENTER--THE    GALENA    &         ^.^    &    Wegtern    In(jiana 37.37 

CHICAGO   UNION    THE   PIONEER   LINE— PRINCIPAL         CMcago  &   Erje 349.57 

LINES    NOW    OPERATING-STREET    RAILWAY    HIS-         CMcagQ    &   Qrand   Tnmk 330  4Q 

TORY-SURFACE     AND     ELEVATED     LINES-INTER-         CWcago  &   Northwestem 7,327.38 

URBAN   TROLLEY  ROADS-THE  FOX   RIVER  VALLEY         CM  Burlington    &    Quincy 8)095.69 

SYSTEMS-CHICAGO    &    JOLIET    LINE.  ^.^    ^^   ^^ 846<18 

Chicago,     Indianapolis     &     Louisville 

Chicago  was  still  in  the  primitive  condition  (M(m(>n  Route)                                            53g  89 

of  a  pioneer  settlement  and  Indian  trading  post      Chicago>  Indianapolis  &  Western 36L45 

when  railway  construction  began  in  the  older      chicago>  Mllwaukee  &  st  Paul 6;669.20 

sections  of  the  Union,  and  had  scarcely  entered      Chicago   Rock  Igland  &  paciflc ^^ M 

upon  the  condition  of  an  embryonic  city  when  Cleyelimd     Cincinnati,    Chicago   &   St. 

the  first  railroad  was  built  in  the  State  of  Illi-  T      .                                                              ,  g,y.  „. 

nois.     Consequently  it  was*  tardy  in  entering  min™gS  central".'                                     .'  ^SS.'lS 

upon  its  career  of  railroad  construction,  yet  in      Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern 1>411.16 

the   half-century,   which   has   since   elapsed,   it      Micnigan  Central  .  1>650.18 

has  become  the  center  of  a  larger  mileage  of  New  York  Chicago  &  gt  LQuis  (Nickel 

tributary  railway  lines  than  any  other  city  in  pi  t  ^                                                             512  5"> 

the  country-or,  for  that  matter,  in  the  world.  Pennsylvan'ia' '  '^  ' ' ( ^pJttsbuVg,' '  Ft.       '    ' 

Of  over  twenty  corporations  now  operating  Wayne  &  Chicago)                                   1;470  78 

main  or  trunk  lines  into  the  city  of  Chicago,  p^           Cincinnati,    Chicago   &    St. 

several   have  control,  either  by   lease  or   pur-  _      .                                                              1 35g  „<, 

chase,    of    subsidiary    lines    leading    into    the  w  h    h    '                                                        2*044  70 

city  or  directly  tributary  to  it.    The  whole  num-  wiscongin'  CenVral '  ]                                      '815[1Q 

ber  of  original  lines  centering  at  Chicago  as  a  

terminal    point   has    numbered    not    less    than  T  ,   ,                                                          552B511 
thirty-five,  of  which  several  have  been  known 

by  different  names.     The  first  railroad  to  be  While  the  main  lines  radiating  from  Chicago 

constructed  with  Chicago  as  the  starting  point,  give   close   connection   with  other  trunk  lines 

was  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union — now  a  part  leading  to  both  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific,  as 

of     the     Chicago    &    Northwestern — originally  well  as  to   the  Gulf  Coast  and  Canada,  there 

chartered  in  1836,  although  the  work  of  actual  are  a  number  of  short  lines  directly  tributary  to  •< 

construction  was  not  fairly  begun  until  1847.  the  city  which  add  largely  to  the  general  vol- 

As  its  name  indicates,  this  line  was  intended  ume   of  business.     The  gross   earnings'  of   the 

to  connect  the  cities  of  Galena  and  Chicago.  twenty-two  roads  constituting  the  Chicago  Rail- 

The  first  ten  miles  of  the  line  west  from  the  road  Association  for  the  year  1903,  aggregated 

city  of  Chicago  were  so   far  completed  as  to  $660, 800,972,    showing   an    increase    of    87   per 

permit  the  running  of  a  train  over  it  in  Decem-  cent  in   the  income  of  the  same  lines  in  the 

ber,     1848, — an    event    celebrated    with    great  past  ten  years,  while  the  increase  in  mileage  of 

enthusiasm  by  the  people.    This  was  ten  years  the  same  companies,  during  the  same  period, 

after  the  first  locomotive  had  been  placed  on  amounted  to  26  per  cent.    The  total  number  of 

the  track  of  the  Northern  Cross  Railroad  (now  passenger  trains  arriving  at  and  departing  from 

a  part  of  the  Wabash  System),  and  about  nine  Chicago   per   day    (Sundays   excepted)    at   the 

years  after  the  completion  of  that  line  from  the  present  time  (1904)  amounts  to  1,144,  of  which 

Illinois  River  to   Jacksonville.     The  following  333   are   through    express   trains   and    811   are 

table  presents  a  list  of  the  trunk  line  railways  accommodation  and  suburban  trains.    The  aver- 


66o 


HISTOKIC'AL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


age  number  of  freight  trains  arriving  and 
departing  daily  is  estimated  at  325  outgoing 
and  324  incoming  trains,  making  a  total  of 
649  within  twenty-four  hours.  The  total 
amount  of  freight  handled  by  Chicago  roads 
aggregates  41  per  cent  of  the  entire  freight  ton- 
nage of  the  United  States,  making  Chicago  the 
largest  railroad  center  in  the  world. 

Besides  many  substations  within  the  city 
limits,  the  general  passenger  business  of  roads 
entering  Chicago  is  handled  at  six  separate  ter- 
minal stations,  located  in  different  parts  of  the 
city  but  conveniently  accessible  from  the  prin- 
cipal hotels.  Central  Station,  located  at  No.  1 
Lake  Park  Place,  is  used  by  five  main  lines; 
Dearborn  Station,  on  Polk  Street  facing  Dear- 
born, by  nine  lines;  Grand  Central  Passenger 
Station,  Harrison  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  by 
five  lines;  La  Salle  Street  Station,  136  to  154 
Van  Buren  Street,  by  three  lines;  Northwestern 
Depot,  North  Wells  and  Kinzie  Streets,  by  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern;  and  the  Union  Depot, 
Canal  and  Adams  Streets,  by  five  lines. 

STREET   RAILWAYS. 

The  history  of  street  railways  in  Chicago 
begins  with  the  construction  of  a  line  in  State 
Street  authorized  by  ordinance  of  the  City 
Council  in  1856,  and  later  granted  special  char- 
ter by  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  although 
the  work  of  actual  construction  did  not  com- 
mence until  nearly  three  years  later.  The  line, 
as  originally  opened  in  April,  1859,  extended 
south  to  Twelfth  Street,  and  was,  of  course, 
operated  by  horse-power,  as  all  street-car  lines 
were  in  that  day.  The  progress  made  in  this 
department  within  the  last  forty  years  is  indi- 
cated not  only  in  the  increased  mileage,  but  in 
the  style  of  construction,  horse-power  having 
•given  way  almost  entirely  to  cable  and  electric 
power.  Reduced  to  single  track,  the  mileage 
of  ten  surface  and  six  elevated  lines  amounts 
to  more  than  1,000  miles.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  the  lines  as  reported  for  July,  1901,  since 
when  there  have  been  few  changes. 


SURFACE    LINES. 

Calumet  Electric  Street  Railway 
(trolley)  operates  72  miles  of 
owned  and  5  miles  of  leased 
track — total  

Chicago  City  Railway  (cable,  trolley 
and  horse)  

General  Electric    (controlled  by  Chi- 


Trackage — 
in  miles. 


77. 
209.82 


Trackage— 
in  miles. 

cago     City     Railway     Company — 
operated    by    storage    battery ....  56 . 

Chicago  Electric  Traction    (trolley).  28. 

Chicago  General  Railway  (electric).  22. 

Chicago   Union  Traction    (cable  and 
electric)    includes : 

West    Side    System    202.70 

North   Side   System 94 . 33 

Chicago     Consolidated     Trac- 
tion         205 . 71        502 . 74 

Northern    Electric   Railway 5. 

South    Chicago    City    Railway 37. 


Total 


ELEVATED    LINES. 


937.56 


As  the  city  has  extended  its  area  and  the 
downtown  streets  have  become  more  and  more 
congested  with  traffic  and  travel,  there  has 
been  a  constantly  increasing  demand,  during 
the  last  few  years,  for  relief  by  the  construc- 
tion of  elevated  lines,  thereby  securing  both 
speed  and  safety.  The  first  line  of  this  class 
to  be  constructed  was  the  South  Side  Elevated 
(popularly  known  as  the  "Alley  L")  chartered 
as  the  "Chicago  and  South  Side  Rapid  Transit 
Railroad"  in  1888,  and  completed  from  Con- 
gress Street  to  Thirty-ninth  Street  in  1892,  and 
to  Jackson  Park  (8.56  miles)  in  May,  1893, 
becoming  an  important  factor  in  connection 
with  the  World's  Fair.  It  is  a  double-track 
line  with  switches  and  sidetracks,  making  a 
total  trackage  of  19.44  miles. 

A  most  important  part  of  the  elevated  rail- 
road system  is  the  "Union  Loop,"  extending 
north  on  Wabash  Avenue  to  Lake  Street,  west 
on  Lake  to  Fifth  Avenue,  south  on  Fifth  Avenue 
to  Van  Buren  and  east  on  Van  Buren  to 
Wabash  Avenue.  The  company  was  organized 
in  1894  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  road 
to  connect  the  several  elevated  lines,  and  owns 
approximately  two  miles  of  double-track — total 
trackage,  about  four  miles.  The  "Loop"  is  used 
for  turning  purposes  by  the  following  lines: 
Lake  Street  Elevated,  Metropolitan  West  Side 
Elevated,  Northwestern  Elevated  and  South 
Side  Elevated.  The  Union  Consolidated  Ele- 
vated Railroad  is  a  short  line  extending  in  Van 
Buren  Street  from  Fifth  Avenue  to  Market 
Street,  and  is  operated  by  the  Metropolitan 
Elevated,  furnishing  the  latter  with  a  connec- 
tion with  the  Union  Loop. 

The  Lake  Street  Elevated  was  chartered  in 
1888,  but  not  constructed  until  several  years 
later.  Besides  the  Union  Loop  Division  it  oper- 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


66 1 


ates  6.5  miles  of  double-track  elevated  line 
from  Fifth  Avenue  to  West  Fifty-second  Street, 
and  4.3  miles  of  surface  track. 

The  Metropolitan  West  Side  Elevated  was 
organized  in  1892,  and  in  May,  1901,  operated 
over  17  miles  of  road  (lineal  measure)  exclu- 
sive of  the  Union  Loop,  made  up  of  the  main 
line  and  two  branches.  A  part  of  this  is  4- 
track  and  the  remainder  double-track,  making 
a  total  of  37.9  miles  single  track. 

The  Northwestern  Elevated  (May,  1901),  is 
made  up  of  .92  mile  double-track  from  Lake 
Street  to  Institute  Place;  5.52  4-track  line  from 
Institute  Place  to  Wilson  Avenue;  besides  one 
and  a  half  miles  for  storage  purposes.  The 
total  length  of  line  operated  for  transportation 
purposes  in  1903  was  8.42  miles,  or  about  25 
miles  of  single-track.  At  the  present  time 
(January,  1905)  the  Northwestern  Elevated  is 
constructing  a  line  to  the  Ravenswood  district 
in  the  northwest  part  of  the  city. 

The  aggregate  of  all  the  elevated  lines  oper- 
ated in  Chicago,  at  the  present  time  is  esti- 
mated, approximately,  as  follows: 

Length   in  miles. 

Lake  Street  Elevated    *10.8 

Metropolitan    West    Side    Elevated 17 . 35 

Northwestern  Elevated    8.42 

South    Side    Elevated     8.72 

Union    Loop     1.98 


Total 


47.27 


INTERURBAN  LINES. 

About  five  years  ago  the  attention  of  capital- 
ists began  to  be  attracted  to  projects  for  the 
construction  of  electric  lines  of  railway,  con- 
necting various  suburban  towns  with  the  city 
of  Chicago,  and  during  the  past  three  years  the 
work  of  construction  has  been  going  on  with 
great  activity.  The  earliest  of  these  lines, 
known  as  the  "Suburban  Railroad,"  was  char- 
tered in  1895,  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a 
trolley  line  connecting  Chicago  with  Elgin, 
Aurora,  Joliet  and  intermediate  points.  During 
1900  this  line  was  completed  by  way  of  River 
Forest,  Riverside  and  Grossdale  to  La  Grange — 
by  way  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad  some  fourteen  miles  from  the  city — 
and  the  company  has  been  operating  over 
33%  miles  of  owned  single  track,  besides  22^4 
miles  of  leased  track  belonging  to  the  Chicago 


*4.3    miles   of   this    line    is    surface    road. 


Terminal  Transfer  Company,  thereby  securing 
connection  with  Oak  Park,  Ridgeland,  Harlem 
and  the  Metropolitan  West  Side  Elevated  Road. 

One  of  the  most  extensive  interurban  lines 
projected  is  the  Aurora,  Wheaton  &  Chicago 
Railroad,  designed  to  connect  the  places  named 
in  the  title.  Early  in  1901  the  company 
absorbed  several  other  similar  enterprises, 
including  the  Elgin,  Carpentersville  &  Aurora; 
the  Aurora  Street  Railway;  the  Aurora  &  Gen- 
eva; the  Aurora,  Yorkville  &  Morris,  and  the 
Geneva,  Batavia  &  Southern.  When  completed, 
the  parent  road,  extending  from  Fifty-second 
Avenue  in  Chicago  (where  it  has  connection 
with  the  Metropolitan  Elevated),  will  connect 
with  Wheaton,  Aurora,  Elgin,  Warrenhurst  and 
Batavia — a  total  of  55  miles.  About  July  1, 
1901,  it  had  71  miles,  single-track  measurement, 
in  operation,  and  before  the  close  of  the  year 
the  principal  towns  of  the  Fox  River  Valley 
between  Yorkville,  in  Kendall  County,  and 
Dundee,  in  Kane  County,  were  in  communica- 
tion with  each  other  and  the  city  of  Chicago. 
Ultimately  these  rural  lines  will  establish  con- 
nections with  similar  lines  extending  to  Rock- 
ford,  Belvidere,  Freeport,  etc.,  forming  a  per- 
fect network  of  electric  lines  over  Northern 
Illinois. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  these  inter- 
urban  lines  is  the  Chicago  &  Joliet,  extending 
from  Forty-eighth  Street  and  Archer  Avenue 
in  the  city  of  Chicago  to  Joliet — a  distance  of 
40  miles — which  was  opened  in  September, 
1901,  and  will,  no  doubt,  be  extended  down  the 
valley  of  the  Illinois,  and  ultimately  form  a 
connection  with  rural  lines  projected  and  in 
process  of  construction  from  Springfield  and 
Bloomington  northward.  The  total  trackage  of 
the  Joliet  line  (1903)  aggregates  48%  miles. 

The  Chicago  &  Milwaukee  Electric  Railway, 
designed  to  connect  Chicago  with  Milwaukee 
and  intermediate  points,  has  been  completed 
(1901)  to  Waukegan,  a  distance  of  30  miles 
from  the  city  limits  and  28  miles  from  Evans- 
ton. 

The  Hammond,  Whiting  &  East  Chicago 
Electric  Railway,  extending  from  Hammond  to 
East  Chicago  and  Whiting  in  Lake  County, 
Ind.,  though  wholly  within  the  State  of  Indi- 
ana, is  directly  connected  with  the  Chicago 
system.  The  company  owns  22  miles  of  trolley 
line. 


662 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


POLITICAL. 


CHICAGO  AS  A  POLITICAL  CENTER NATIONAL  POL- 
ITICAL CONVENTIONS — NOMINATION  OF  LINCOLN 
IN  1860 — OTHER  NOTABLE  CONVENTIONS — CITI- 
ZENS OF  COOK  COUNTY  WHO  HAVE  HELD  STATE 
OFFICES — COOK  COUNTY  CITIZENS  IN  THE  COUN- 
CILS OF  THE  NATION UNITED  STATES  SENATORS 

AND  REPRESENTATIVES  IN  CONGRESS — PRESENT 
REPRESENTATION  (1904)  IN  CONGRESS LEGIS- 
LATIVE DISTRICTS  IN  COOK  COUNTY. 

The  importance  of  Chicago  as  a  political  cen- 
ter is  indicated  in  the  fact  that,  within  the  last 
forty-four  years  (1860-1904),  it  has  been  the 
point  for  the  holding  of  more  National  conven- 
tions of  the  respective  political  parties  than  any 
other  single  city  in  the  country  since  the 
foundation  of  the  Republic.  Commencing  with 
the  memorable  convention  of  May  16,  1860, 
which  resulted  in  the  nomination  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  for  President,  and  Hannibal  Hamlin, 
of  Maine,  for  Vice-President,  there  have  been 
six  National  conventions  of  the  Republican 
party  and  four  Democratic.  The  dates  of 
Republican  conventions,  besides  that  of  1860, 
have  been  as  follows:  May  21,  1868,  at  which 
Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  was  nominated  for  the  Presi- 
dency and  Schuyler  Coif  ax  for  Vice-President; 
June  2-8,  1880,  resulting  in  the  nomination  of 
James  A.  Garfield  and  Chester  A.  Arthur;  June 
3,  1884,  when  James  G.  Elaine  and  Gen.  John 
A.  Logan  were  nominated  for  President  and 
Vice-President;  June  20-25,  1888,  which  ended 
in  the  first  nomination  of  Benjamin  Harrison 
for  President  and  Levi  P.  Morton  for  Vice- 
President;  the  sixth  being  the  convention  of 
June  21-23,  1904,  at  which  Theodore  Roosevelt 
was  nominated  for  the  Presidency  and  Charles 
W.  Fairbanks  of  Indiana,  for  the  Vice-Presi- 
dency. Of  these  conventions,  that  of  1860, 
marking  the  beginning  of  Republican  rule  in 
national  affairs  and  the  agitation  which  termi- 
nated in  the  Civil  War;  that  of  1880,  when  a 
sturdy  struggle  was  made  for  the  nomination 
of  Gen.  Grant  for  the  Presidency  for  a  third 
term,  and  that  of  1904,  at  which  the  nomina- 
tion of  both  candidates  on  the  national  ticket 


was  accomplished  by  acclamation,  will  gener- 
ally be  regarded  as  most  noteworthy. 

The  National  conventions  of  the  Democratic 
party  were  held,  respectively,  August  29,  1864 — 
this  date  being  a  postponement  from  July  4 
preceding — which  ended  in  the  nomination  of 
George  B.  McClellan  and  George  H.  Pendleton; 
July  10,  1884,  when  Grover  Cleveland  was  nom- 
inated for  the  first  time;  June  21,  1892,  when 
Mr.  Cleveland  received  his  third  nomination  for 
the  Presidency,  with  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  of 
Illinois,  as  his  running  mate  for  the  Vice- 
Presidency;  while  the  fourth  was  that  of  July 
7-10,  1896,  at  which  William  J.  Bryan  received 
his  first  nomination  for  the  Presidency.  Of 
these  the  conventions  of  1864  and  1896  were 
probably  the  most  notable — the  first  resulting 
in  the  choice  of  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency 
of  a  man  who  had  been  in  command  of  the 
Union  armies  in  the  field  on  a  platform  declar- 
ing the  war  "a  failure;"  while  the  second  was 
notable  for  the  display  of  oratory  during  its 
deliberations  and  the  declaration  of  the  party 
in  favor  of  free-coinage  of  silver  on  the  basis 
of  16  to  1  of  gold — a  position  which  the  party 
maintained  for  the  next  eight  years.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  conventions  of  1884  and  1892 — 
at  both  of  which  Mr.  Cleveland  was  nominated 
for  the  Presidency — resulted  in  the  only  suc- 
cesses which  the  party  has  attained  in  national 
campaigns  since  1856. 

CITIZENS  OF  COOK  COUNTY  WHO  HAVE   HELD  STATE 
OFFICES. 

While  Chicago  has  been  an  important  and 
constantly  growing  factor  in  National  and  State 
politics,  the  number  of  its  citizens  who  have 
held  executive  and  other  prominent  positions 
in  connection  with  the  National  and  State  gov- 
ernments has  not  been  large.  Up  to  1904  only 
two  citizens  of  Cook  County  had  held  the  office 
of  Governor,  viz.:  John  L.  Beveridge,  who  was 
elected  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  same  ticket 
with  Governor  Oglesby,  and,  on  the  election  of 
the  latter  to  the  United  States  Senate  ten  days 
after  his  inauguration,  succeeded  to  the  gov- 
ernorship; and  John  P.  Altgeld,  who  was 
elected  Governor  in  1892.  November  8,  1904, 
Charles  S.  Deneen,  who  had  previously  served 
as  a  member  of  the  lower  branch  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  from  Cook  County,  and  two 
terms  in  the  office  of  State's  Attorney,  was 
elected  Governor  on  the  Republican  ticket  by 
the  unprecedented  plurality,  for  the  whole 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


663 


State,  of  over  300,000  votes,  of  which  Cook 
County  furnished  over  130,000 — his  majority 
within  the  county  over  all  other  candidates 
for  the  office  of  Governor  being  81,560  votes. 

Those  who  have  held  the  office  of  Lieutenant- 
Governor  by  election,  have  been:  Hon.  Fran- 
cis A.  Hoffman,  1861-65  (elected  with  the  first 
Gov.  Richard  Yates);  William  Bross,  1865-69; 
John  L.  Beveridge,  Jan.  13  to  23,  1873,  when 
he  succeeded  to  the  governorship;  Andrew 
Shuman,  1877-81;  Gen.  John  C.  Smith,  1885-89. 

The  only  citizen  of  Cook  County  who  ever 
occupied  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  was 
David  L.  Gregg,  who  had  previously  been  a  citi- 
zen of  Will  County  and  editor  of  the  first  paper 
established  at  Joliet.  He  held  the  office  from 
1850  to  1853,  as  successor  to  Horace  S.  Cooley, 
who  died  in  office  during  the  year  first  named. 
Gregg  had  previously  been  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  the  Will  County  District,  and 
after  his  retirement  from  the  Secretaryship, 
.served  as  Commissioner  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands  by  appointment  of  President  Pierce. 

The  following  citizens  of  Cook  County  have 
served  in  the  office  of  State  Treasurer:  Gen. 
George  W.  Smith,  1867-69;  Edward  Rutz,  1881-83 
— having  previously  served  two  terms  as  a  res- 
ident of  St.  Glair  County;  Jacob  Gross,  1885-87; 
Henry  Wulff,  1895-97;  Henry  L.  Hertz,  1897-99. 

COOK    COUNTY    CITIZENS    IN    THE    NATIONAL    COUN- 
CILS. 

In  the  councils  of  the  Nation  Chicago  has 
exerted  a  marked  influence,  although,  of  twen- 
ty-seven men  who  have  held  the  position  of 
United  States  Senator  from  Illinois,  for  one  or 
more  terms,  up  to  the  present  time  (1904), 
only  five  were  residents  of  Chicago  for  at  least 
a  part  of  their  terms  of  service,  though  men 
of  wide  national  reputation.  The  list  includes 
the  names  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  was  Sen- 
ator from  1847  to  1861;  Lyman  Trumbull,  1855 
to  1873;  John  A.  Logan,  1871  to  1877  and  1879 
to  1886;  Charles  B.  Farwell,  1887  to  1891,  and 
William  E.  Mason,  1897  to  1903.  Of  these  all 
except  Farwell  and  Mason  were  elected  for 
three  terms  each,  Douglas  and  Logan  dying 
before  the  expiration  of  their  last  term,  while 
Trumbull  served  his  full  period  of  eighteen 
years.  At  the  time  of  his  first  election,  Doug- 


las was  a  resident  of  Quincy,  afterwards  becom- 
ing a  citizen  of  Chicago,  while  Trumbull 
entered  the  Senate  as  a  citizen  of  Belleville, 
but  before  the  beginning  of  his  second  term 
removed  to  Chicago.  Logan,  Farwell  and 
Mason  were  residents  of  Chicago  during  their 
entire  incumbency  in  the  Senate.  Senator  Far- 
well's  service  of  four  years  was  as  successor  to 
Senator  Logan,  filling  the  unexpired  term  of 
the  latter  who  died  in  1886  after  his  third  elec- 
tion in  1885. 

As  Chicago  and  Cook  County  have  increased 
in  population  they  have  steadily  increased  in 
the-  number  of  their  Representatives  in  Con- 
gress, until  now,  under  the  apportionment 
adopted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1901,  divid- 
ing the  State  into  twenty-five  Congressional 
Districts  in  accordance  with  the  census  of  1900, 
nine  Districts  are  Assigned  wholly  to  Cook 
County  and  the  tenth  to  Cook  in  conjunction 
with  Lake  County.  Of  Cook  County  Districts, 
six — ttfe  First,  Second,  Fourth,  Fifth,  Eighth 
and  Ninth — lie  wholly  within  the  Chicago  city 
limits,  while  the  Third,  Sixth  and  Seventh  each 
embrace  parts  of  the  city  and  country  towns. 
The  Tenth  District,  as  already  stated,  embraces. 
Lake  County,  with  a  portion  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  and  several  northern  townships  of 
Cook  County. 

John  Wentworth,  the  second  newspaper 
editor  in  Chicago,  was  the  first  citizen  of  Chi- 
cago to  hold  a  seat  in  the  lower  house  of  Con- 
gress from  the  district  of  which  Cook  County 
then  formed  a  part,  being  elected  for  six  terms 
between  1842  and  1866.  Other  citizens  of  Chi- 
cago and  Cook  County  who  have  represented  the 
city  and  county  in  the  Congressional  House  of 
Representatives  have  been:  James  H.  Wood-, 
worth  (one  term),  1855-57;  John  F.  Farns- 
worth  (two  terms),  1857-61 — later  a  resident 
of  Kane  County;  Isaac  N.  Arnold  (two  terms), 
1861-65;  Norman  B.  Judd  (two  terms),  1867-71; 
John  L.  Beveridge  for  State-at-large,  1871-73; 
Charles  B.  Farwell,  1871-75  and  1881-83;  John 
B.  Rice,  1873-74  (died  in  office);  Jasper  D. 
Ward,  1873-75;  B.  G.  Caulfield  (as  successor  to 
Rice),  1875-77;  Carter  H.  Harrison,  1875-79; 
John  V.  LeMoyne,  1876-77;  William  Aldrich, 
1877-83;  Lorenz  Brentano,  1877-79;  George  R, 
Davis,  1879-85;  Hiram  Barber,  1879-81;  R.  W, 


664 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Dunham,  1883-89;  John  F.  Finerty,  1883-85; 
George  E.  Adams,  1883-91;  Frank  Lawler, 
1885-91;  James  H.  Ward,  1885-87;  William  E. 
Mason,  1887-91;  Abner  Taylor,  1889-93;  Law- 
rence E.  McGann,  1891-97;  Allen  C.  Durborow, 
1891-95;  Walter  C.  Newberry,  1891-93;  J.  Frank 
Aldrich,  1893-97;  Julius  Goldzier,  1893-95;  Wil- 
liam Lorimer,  1895-1905;  Charles  W.  Wood- 
man, 1895-97 ;  George  E.  White,  1895-99 ;  Edward 
D.  Cooke,  1895-97  (died  in  office  after  re-elec- 
tion);  George  Edmund  Foss,  1895-1905;  James 
R.  Mann,  1897-1905;  Hugh  R.  Belknap,  1897-99; 
Daniel  W.  Mills,  1897-99;  Henry  Sherman  Bou- 
tell,  vice  Cooke,  1897-1905;  George  P.  Foster, 
1899-1905;  Thomas  Cusack,  1899-1901;  Edward 
T.  Noonan,  1899-1901;  John  J.  Feely,  1901-03; 
James  J.  McAndrews,  1901-03;  William  F. 
Mahony,  1901-05;  Martin  Emerich,  1903-05. 
The  Representatives  in  the  Fifty-eighth  Con- 
gress (1903-05),  representing  districts  com- 
prised, in  whole  or  in  part,  within  Cook  County, 
are:  First  District — Martin  Emerich  (Dem.); 
Second  District — James  R.  Mann  (Rep.)?  Third 
District— William  Warfield  Wilson  (Rep,); 
Fourth  District — George  P.  Foster  (Dem.); 
Fifth  District — James  McAndrews  (Dem.) ; 
Sixth  District — William  Lorimer  (Rep.) ;  Sev- 
enth District— Philip  Knopf  (Rep.);  Eighth 
District — William  F.  Mahony  (Dem.);  Ninth 
District — Henry  Sherman  Boutell  (Rep.) ; 
Tenth  District — George  Edmund  Foss  (Rep.) 

REPRESENTATION  IN  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY. 

Under  the  act  apportioning  members  of  the 
General  Assembly,  Cook  County  is  divided  into 
nineteen  Legislative  Districts,  of  which  four- 
teen are  wholly  within  the  city  of  Chicago;  four 
composed  of  city  territory  and  country  towns 
combined,  and  one  consisting  wholly  of  rural 
territory.  The  city  districts  are  numbered  First 
to  Fifth  consecutively,  the  Ninth,  Eleventh,  Sev- 
enteenth, Twenty-first,  Twenty-fifth,  Twenty- 
seventh,  Twenty-ninth  and  Thirty-first;  the  city 
and  country  districts  being  the  Sixth,  Thir- 
teenth, Nineteenth  and  Twenty-third,  and  the 
sole  country  district  the  Seventh.  The  county 
is  thus  entitled  to  19  Senators  and  57  Repre- 
sentatives— making  a  total  representation  in 
both  branches  of  the  Legislature  of  76,  a  little 
over  one-third  of  the  representation  of  the  whole 
State. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


PARKS    AND   BOULEVARDS. 


GENERAL    HISTORY — BEGINNING    OF    THE   PARK    SYS- 
TEM  FIRST    PARK    NAMED    FOR   THE    MARTYRED 

PRESIDENT STATISTICS    OF    COST    AND    AREA    OF 

PARK    SYSTEMS    IN    THE    THREE    SEVERAL   DIVIS- 
IONS  PROJECTED    PARKS    ON    THE    DES    PLAINES 

AND    CALUMET  RIVERS. 

Geographically  considered  the  most  pictur- 
esque feature  of  modern  Chicago  rests  upon  its 
extensive  system  of  public  parks,  a  portion  of 
which  is  located  in  each  of  the  three  divisions 
into  which  the  city  is  divided,  the  whole  being 
united  by  a  system  of  improved  boulevards  and 
driveways  making  a  complete  circuit  of  the 
city.  The  park  system  had  its  origin  in  an  act 
of  the  Legislature  in  1837  granting  to  the  town 
of  Chicago  a  lot  of  canal  land  near  the  town 
plat  on  the  North  Side,  to  be  used  as  a  burial 
ground,  and  paid  for  by  the  town  at  the  valua- 
tion afterwards  to  be  set  upon  these  lands  by 
the  State.  During  the  cholera  epidemic  of 
1852,  a  considerable  tract  was  purchased  in 
the  same  vicinity,  for  the  purpose  of  establish- 
ing a  hospital  and  quarantine  grounds.  By 
1858  the  city  had  grown  around  the  cemetery, 
and  considerable  opposition  began  to  be  mani- 
fested to  the  maintenance  of  a  cemetery  within 
the  city  limits.  This  led  to  the  passage  of  an 
ordinance  by  the  City  Council  in  1859,  prohibit- 
ing the  further  sale  of  lots  within  the  cemetery. 
During  the  next  year  the  question  of  dedicating 
a  portion  of  these  lands  for  use  as  a  public 
park  began  to  be  agitated,  and,  early  in  1860, 
an  ordinance  was  adopted  limiting  burials  to 
the  portion  already  subdivided  for  that  purpose, 
and  reserving  the  north  sixty  acres  to  be  used 
as  a  public  park,  or  for  such  purpose  as  the 
Common  Council  might  direct.  Two  years 
later  a  beginning  had  been  made  in  the  laying 
out  of  roads  and  walks  and  the  clearing  of 
ground  in  the  portion  of  the  tract  reserved 
for  park  purposes,  the  prosecution  of  the  work 
being  in  charge  of  the  Commissioners  of  Pub- 
lic Works.  Early  in  1864  an  ordinance  was 
passed  setting  aside  the  whole  of  this  tract 
(including  the  cemetery  grounds)  for  a  public 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


665 


park,  and  giving  it  the  name  of  "Lake  Park." 
The  further  sale  of  lots  for  cemetery  pur- 
poses was  also  prohibited  and,  in  1866,  an 
ordinance  was  adopted  prohibiting  any  more 
burials  in  the  cemetery,  and  the  removal  of 
bodies  to  other  burial  grounds,  which  had 
already  begun,  became  general. 

Up  to  1864  the  appropriations  for  the 
improvement  of  the  park  had  been  insignifi- 
cant, and  very  little  real  progress  had  been 
made.  In  June,  1865 — a  few  weeks  after  the 
assassination  of  President  Lincoln — the  name 
of  Chicago's  pioneer  park  was  changed  by 
ordinance  to  "Lincoln  Park,"  and,  with  the 
increased  interest  produced  by  attaching  to  it 
the  name  of  the  "Martyred  President,"  the 
work  of  development  appears  to  have  begun  in 
earnest.  The  appropriation  for  this  year 
amounted  to  $10,000,  which  enabled  the  Com- 
missioners to  employ  a  landscape  gardener  to 
lay  out  walks  and  drives.  In  1868  the  expen- 
ditures in  construction  of  drives  and  walks, 
transplanting  trees  and  digging  sewers, 
exceeded  $20,000.  A  new  and  most  important 
step  was  taken  in  1869,  when,  by  three  separate 
acts  of  the  Legislature,  the  regulation  of  the 
Chicago  park  system  came  under  control  of 
State  laws  providing  for  the  improvement  of 
parks  in  each  of  the  three  divisions  of  the 
city,  each  being  under  control  of  a  separate 
Board  of  Commissioners.  These  will  be  treated 
of  separately  under  their  respective  heads. 

NORTH  PARK  SYSTEM. 

A  concise  history  of  Lincoln  Park — which 
virtually  constitutes  the  whole  of  the  North 
Park  System — has  been  given  up  to  the  time 
of  its  passing  under  control  of  a  Board  of 
Park  Commissioners  appointed  under  act  of 
the  State  Legislature.  This  step  was  taken  in 
the  passage  of  an  act,  approved  February  8, 
1869,  which  named  E.  B.  McCagg,  John  B. 
Turner,  Andrew  Nelson,  Joseph  Stockton  and 
Jacob  Rehm  as  the  first  Board  of  "Commis- 
sioners of  Lincoln  Park."  In  1871  the  appoint- 
ing power  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
Governor,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  the  Senate,  the  number  of  the  Commissioners 
remaining  unchanged  until  1897,  when  it  was 
increased  from  five  to  seven. 

As  would  naturally  be  inferred  from  its  his- 
tory as  the  original  park  enterprise  in  the 
City  of  Chicago,  the  equipment  of  Lincoln 
Park  as  to  improvement  of  grounds,  walks  and 


drives,  landscape  gardening  and  greenhouses, 
lakes  and  other  water-ways,  fountains,  monu- 
ments and  statuary,  zoological  collections,  etc., 
is  the  most  complete  and  extensive  in  the  city, 
and  surpasses  any  other  in  the  United  States, 
unless  it  be  that  of  Central  Park  in  New  York 
City.  At  the  same  time  the  area  occupied  for 
park  purposes  is  smaller  than  that  of  either 
of  the  other  divisions  of  the  city,  being  less 
than  half  that  of  the  West  Side  system  (includ- 
ing boulevards),  and  less  than  one-third  of  that 
of  the  South  Side.  Besides  Lincoln  Park, 
proper,  two  other  small  parks — extending  from 
North  Avenue  on  the  south  to  Diversey  Boule- 
vard on  the  north — constitute  a  part  of  the 
North  Park  system,  viz.:  Chicago  Avenue 
Park  and  Union  Square.  The  area  of  these, 
with  the  boulevards  attached,  as  shown  by  the 
report  of  the  Park  Commissioners  for  1900,  is 
as  follows: 

AEEA   IN  ACRES. 

Lincoln  Park   308.072 

Chicago  Avenue  Square 9.160 

Union  Square 462 

All   Boulevards    .  .  91.433 


Total    409.127 

(Since  1900  the  Oak  Park  Triangle  embracing 
an  area  of  9  acres  has  been  added  to  the  sys- 
tem, making  a  total,  with  boulevards,  of  418- 
.433  acres.) 

The  total  length  of  improved  boulevards  in 
miles  (1901)  approximated  8%  miles,  while 
the  improved  walks  and  drives  within  the  park 
aggregated  a  little  over  25  miles.  Work  is 
now  in  progress  (1904)  on  the  Shore  Boulevard 
extending  from  Indiana  Street  to  Lincoln  Park. 
In  addition  to  about  41  acres  of  water  surface 
(ponds  and  lagoons)  within  the  park,  Lincoln 
Park  has  a  water  frontage  of  4%  miles  along 
the  lake  shore,  which  is  traversed  through  its 
entire  length  by  the  famous  Lake  Shore  Drive. 
An  extension  of  Lincoln  Park  on  the  north  by 
the  filling  in  of  the  lake  front  is  contemplated, 
which  is  expected  to  add  about  213  acres  to  its 
area. 

The  buildings  in  Lincoln  Park  are  the  most 
extensive  of  those  of  any  park  in  the  city, 
including  "The  Zoo"  which,  with  its  collec- 
tion of  animals,  is  an  especially  attractive 
feature  for  visitors;  the  Matthew  Laflin  Memo- 
rial Building,  which  furnishes  offices  for  the 
Park  Commissioners  and  houses  the  treasures 


666 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


of  the  Academy  of  Sciences;  and  the  great 
conservatory,  which  is  approached  by  terraces 
at  the  north  end  of  the  park.  Besides  the 
colossal  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln  facing  the 
southern  entrance  to  the  park,  there  are  statues 
of  General  Grant,  Schiller,  Linne,  Franklin, 
Shakespeare,  La  Salle,  Hans  Christian  Ander-  • 
sen,  Beethoven,  Garibaldi  and  "Peace,"  repre- 
sented by  an  Indian  (in  bronze)  astride  a  horse 
— several  of  these  statues  being  gifts  from 
citizens  of  different  nationalities. 

The  stupendous  character  of  the  work  accom- 
plished by  the  development  of  Lincoln  Park  and 
its  connecting  systems  of  boulevards,  in  thirty- 
two  years,  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that,  between 
1869  and  January  1,  1901,  the  total  expendi- 
tures for  park  purposes  (purchase  of  ground, 
erection  of  buildings  and  other  improvements) 
amounted  to  $8,808,121.31.  The  receipts  of 
the  Board  of  Commissioners  within  the  same 
time  aggregated  $8,921,002.79,  of  which  $5,104,- 
815.06  was  obtained  by  general  taxation,  and 
the  remainder  ($3,816,187.73)  derived  from 
special  assessments  and  other  sources. 

The  Lincoln  Park  Commission  for  1904 
embraces  the  following  names:  W.  W.  Tracy 
(President),  Bryan  Lathrop  (Vice-President), 
F.  H.  Gansbergen,  J.  H.  Hirsch,  Burr  A.  Ken- 
nedy, Gustave  Lundquist  and  F.  T.  Simmons; 
with  R.  H.  Warder,  Superintendent  and  Secre- 
tary; Edward  Dickinson,  Treasurer;  and  Frank 
Hamlin,  Attorney. 

SOUTH   PARK    SYSTEM. 

The  creation  of  the  South  Park  system  fol- 
lowed closely  upon  the  organization  of  Lincoln 
Park  under  authority  of  State  law,  and  was 
undoubtedly  the  result  of  the  rivalry  aroused 
by  that  act  between  the  different  divisions  of 
the  city.  The  act  authorizing  the  appointment 
of  a  Board  of  South  Park  Commissioners,  and 
empowering  them  to  purchase  lands  and 
improve  the  same,  passed  the  Legislature  and 
received  the  approval  of  Gov.  John  M.  Palmer, 
February  24,  1869— only  about  two  weeks  after 
the  creation  of  the  Lincoln  Park  Board.  The 
first  Board  of  Commissioners  appointed  con- 
sisted of  John  M.  Wilson,  George  W.  Gage, 
Chauncey  T.  Bowen,  L.  B.  Sidway  and  Paul 
Cornell.  The  number  of  Commissioners,  origi- 
nally fixed  at  five,  has  remained  unchanged, 
their  appointment  being  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  Judges  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook 
County.  Plans  were  prepared  for  the  develop- 


ment of  a  park  system  for  the  towns  of  South 
Chicago,  Hyde  Park  and  Lake,  by  Messrs.  Olm- 
stead  and  Vaux,  landscape  architects,  but  active 
work  was  soon  suspended  in  conseque'nce  of  the 
fire  of  1871,  but  resumed  the  following  year. 
As  it  now  stands,  the  South  Park  system  is 
the  most  extensive  in  the  city,  embracing  six 
park  districts  varying  in  area  from  20  to 
approximately  524  acres  each,  with  17.28  miles 
of  boulevards.  The  two  largest  park  areas  are 
embraced  in  Jackson  and  Washington  Parks, 
with  the  connecting  Midway  Plaisance,  making 
a  total  of  about  975  acres.  On  January  10, 
1901,  a  tract  known  as  Brighton  Park,  just  east 
of  the  South  Branch  and  north  of  Thirty-ninth 
Street,  was  transferred  to  the  South  Park  Com- 
missioners at  a  cost  of  $85,827.50,  and  by  action 
of  the  Board  on  October  9th  following,  received 
the  name  of  McKinley  Park.  By  act  of  the 
,  General  Assembly  of  1901,  what  was  known  as 
Lake  Front  Park,  extending  along  the  lake 
shore  from  Monroe  Street  on  the  north  to  Park 
Place  on  the  south,  and  east  of  Michigan 
Avenue,  was  changed  to  Grant  Park.  This  park 
is  already  the  site  of  the  Chicago  Art  Institute 
and  of  the  equestrian  statue  of  Gen.  John  A. 
Logan. 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  area  of  the 
several  South  Side  parks,  with  the  amount  of 
improved  lands  belonging  to  each,  as  shown  by 
the  Report  of  the  South  Park  Commissioners 
for  December  1,  1900,  except  as  to  McKinley 
Park,  which  was  acquired  since  January  1, 
1901: 

IMPBOVED  AREA      TOTAL  AREA 
IN  ACBES.  IN  ACRES. 

Jackson  Park 290.86  523.9 

Washington  Park  ..371  371 

Grant  Park   25.13  186.43 

Gage  Park 5  20 

Midway   Plaisance. .   80  80 

McKinley  Park 34.33 


Total    771.99  1,215.66 

Area  of  Boulevards  .  .   318.88 


Grand  Total  of  System 1,534.54 

Since  the  above  table  was  prepared,  under  the 
provisions  of  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed 
in  1903,  14  new  parks  have  been  added  to 
the  South  Park  System,  of  which  Marquette 
Park  is  the  largest,  with  an  area  of  322.68 
acres,  making  a  total  of  20  parks  under  the 
management  of  the  South  Park  Board,  and 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


667 


increasing  the  total  area  to  1,872.96  acres. 
The  areas  of  the  smaller  parks  range  from  five 
to  about  60  acres  each.  Considerable  improve- 
ments have  been  made  in  Jackson  and 
McKinley  Parks,  an  extensive  outdoor  swim- 
ming pool  having  been  constructed  in  the  latter, 
but  the  most  extensive  improvements  are  con- 
templated in  Grant  (formerly  Lake  Front) 
Park,  which  is  now  in  process  of  enlargement 
to  something  like  200  acres  by  filling  in  the 
lake  east  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  In 
addition  to  this  it  is  proposed  to  construct  a 
boulevard  along  the  harbor  line,  which  will  be 
220  feet  wide  and  over  a  mile  in  length.  The 
Michigan  Avenue  side  of  this  park  north  of 
Monroe  Street,  will  be  the  site  of  the  new 
Crerar  Library,  which  with  the  Field  Colum- 
bian Museum,  also  to  be  erected  on  the  park 
grounds,  and  the  Art  Institute  already  in  exist- 
ence, will  be  the  most  conspicuous  buildings 
and  attractive  centers  of  future  Chicago.  One 
of  the  improvements  contemplated  for  McKin- 
ley Park  is  a  monument  to  President  McKinley, 
for  whom  the  park  is  named. 

Of  ten  boulevards  belonging  to  the  South 
Park  system,  with  a  total  length  of  17.28  miles, 
Michigan  Boulevard  is  the  longest,  with  a  lineal 
measurement  of  5%  miles,  while  the  Drexel, 
Garfield  and  Western  Avenue  Boulevards  have 
each  a  width  of  200  feet  and  Grand  Boulevard 
198  feet.  The  aggregate  length  of  improved 
drives,  including  those  within  the  parks  as  well 
as  the  boulevards,  is  41.75  miles. 

Jackson  Park  and  its  associated  Midway 
Plaisance  acquired  a  world-wide  celebrity  as 
the  site  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  of 
1893,  the  total  area  occupied  for  that  purpose 
being  666  acres.  This  event  gave  an  impulse 
to  the  improvements  in  Jackson  Park,  which 
has  since  been  followed  up  by  the  Commission- 
ers with  great  vigor  and  successful  results, 
rfaking  it  one  of  the  most  attractive  pleasure 
grounds  in  the  city.  The  Field  Museum  (ulti- 
mately to  be  transferred  to  Grant  Park), 
though  not  under  the  management  of  the  South 
Park  Commissioners,  is  one  of  the  noteworthy 
attractions  of  the  park,  while  the  Convent 
Building  (another  relic  of  the  Exposition  of 
1893),  has  been  used  with  most  satisfactory 
results  during  the  summer  months  as  a  fresh 
air  sanitarium  for  children.  A  large  space  in 
both  Jackson  and  Washington  Parks,  as  well 
as  in  the  Midway  Plaisance,  is  set  apart  for 
athletic  sports. 


The  total  assets  of  the  South  Park  system  on 
December  1,  1900,  were  $16,279,640.02,  of  which 
$16,180,042.68  represented  expenditures  in  the 
purchase  of  lands,  cost  of  improvements,  main- 
tenance, etc.,  since  its  organization  in  1869. 
Adding  $85,827.50  expended  in  the  purchase  of 
Brighton  (now  McKinley)  Park,  since  January 
1,  1901,  makes  the  cost  of  the  park  system,  up 
to  that  date,  in  excess  of  sixteen  and  a  quar- 
ter million  dollars. 

The  South  Park  Commission  at  the  present 
time  (1904)  consists  of  William  Best,  Jefferson 
Hodgkins,  Henry  G.  Foreman,  Lyman  A.  Wal- 
ton and  Daniel  F.  Crilly,  with  Mr.  Foreman  as 
President  of  the  Board,  Mr.  Best,  Auditor; 
Edward  G.  Shumway,  Secretary,  and  John  R. 
Walsh,  Treasurer. 

WEST   CHICAGO   PARK   SYSTEM. 

The  West  Chicago  Park  system  dates  its 
origin  back  to  an  act  of  the  Legislature, 
approved  February  26,  1869,  two  days  after  the 
incorporation  of  the  South  Park  system.  The 
first  Board  of  Commissioners  for  the  West 
Chicago  Park  system  was  appointed  by  the 
Governor  April  26,  1869,  consisting  of  Charles 
C.  P.  Holden,  Henry  Greenebaum,  George  W. 
Stanford,  Eben  F.  Runyan,  Isaac  R.  Hitt, 
Clark  Lipe  and  David  Cole.  The  number 
of  the  members — originally  fixed  at  seven, 
appointed  by  the  Governor — has  remained 
unchanged  ever  since.  The  system  is  made  up 
of  three  principal  parks,  with  six  minor  ones, 
all  being  connected  by  a  boulevard  system 
embracing  a  greater  mileage  and  larger  acreage 
than  any  other  system  in  the  city.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  list  of  the  several  parks  with  the  area 
of  each  in  acres,  as  per  the  Report  of  the  Com- 
mission for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1900: 

ACREAGE. 

Humboldt  Park  ..." 205.865 

Garfield  Park  187.534 

Douglas   Park    181.991 

Union  Park  17.37 

Jefferson  Park  7.026 

Vernon  Park 6.14 

Campbell  Park   1.38 

Wicker  Park   4.03 

Shedd's  Park 1.134 

Holstein  Park  .  1.94 


Total   614.41 

Area  of  boulevards. .  .  .374.396 


Total  area  of  system 988.806 


668 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


The  West  Park  system  embraces  twelve  bou- 
levard lines,  aggregating  21.75  miles  in  length 
and  connecting  the  several  parks  with  each 
other  and  with  the  North  and  South  Side  sys- 
tems. The  longest  of  these  is  Washington  Bou- 
levard, which  has  a  lineal  extent  approximating 
five  miles,  while  Humboldt,  Franklin,  Douglas 
and  Marshall  cover  the  largest  area,  having  a 
width  of  250  feet  each  through  their  entire 
length,  which,  for  a  small  section  of  Humboldt 
Boulevard,  is  increased  to  400  feet,  with  a  lawn 
in  the  midway.  Jackson  Boulevard  extends  by  a 
direct  east  and  west  line  from  Garfield  Park 
through  the  South  Side  to  Lake  Michigan.  The 
area  of  water  surface  (lakes  and  lagoons) 
within  the  parks  aggregates  70  acres,  and  the 
improved  lawns,  243  acres,  leaving  a  balance  of 
nearly  300  acres  of  unimproved  lands  belong- 
ing to  the  system. 

Notwithstanding  some  financial  reverses,  espe- 
cially that  growing  out  of  the  defalcation  of 
the  Park  Board  Treasurer  in  1896,  there  has 
been  much  activity  in  the  development  of  the 
West  Side  Park  system  during  the  past  few 
years.  The  total  cost  of  the  entire  park  sys- 
tem from  its  organization  in  1869  to  January 
1,  1901  (exclusive  of  special  assessments), 
amounted  to  $11,027,243.68,  of  which  $7,145,- 
981.43  was  on  account  of  lands  and  improve- 
ments, and  $3,775,339.44  for  maintenance.  The 
amount  received  on  special  assessments  for 
boulevard  improvements  and  maintenance  dur- 
ing the  same  time  has  been  $2,107,194.56,  mak- 
ing a  grand  total  of  $13,134,438.24  for  the 
entire  West  Park  system. 

The  West  Chicago  Park  Commission  of  seven 
members  (1901)  is  as  follows:  Fred  A.  Bangs 
(President),  Andrew  J.  Graham,  Charles  W. 
Kopf,  C.  Lichtenberger,  Jr.,  Gabriel  J.  Norden, 
Edward  H.  Peters  and  Frederick  Schultz,  with 
Col.  Walter  Fieldhouse,  Secretary;  F.  W. 
Blount,  Treasurer,  and  William  J.  Cooke,  Gen- 
eral Superintendent. 

SUMMARY. 

A  consolidated  statement  of  the  several  park 
systems  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  as  they  exist  at 
the  present  time  (1904),  presents  the  follow- 
ing results  as  to  number  of  both  parks  and 
boulevards,  with  area  of  the  former  in  acres, 
and  mileage  of  the  latter: 


No. 

South  Park  System . .  20 
West  Park  System . .  17 
Lincoln  Park  System  9 
School  Parks  (City) .  38 


Area 

in  acres. 

1,872.96 
644.41 
549.69 
102.00 


Totals 


84        3,169.06 


No.  of 
Blvds. 

10 

12 

12 


34 


Miles. 

17.28 

23.14 

9.22 

49.64 


The  area  of  the  boulevards— reported  in  1901 
at  734.71  acres,  and  which  has  not  materially 
changed  since  then — would  make  the  combined 
area  of  parks  and  boulevards  3,903.77  acres. 
Of  this  area  nearly  2,200  acres,  or  more  than 
one-half  of  the  whole,  is  in  the  South  Park  Dis- 
trict. The  largest  acreage  in  boulevards 
belongs  to  the  West  Park  system. 

EXPENDITURES   OF  PARK  BOARDS   TO 
JANUARY  1,  1901: 

Lincoln   Park   System    $  8,808,121 . 31 

South  Park  System    16,180,042 . 69 

West   Park   System 13,134,438.24 


Grand    total    $38,122,602 . 24 

HISTORIC   DEARBORN  PARK. 

Dearborn  Park,  the  most  historical  of  all  the 
Chicago  Parks,  embracing,  as  it  does,  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  the  site  of  the  old  Fort  Dear- 
born, is  occupied  by  the  Chicago  Public  Library 
and  Memorial  Hall  building.  The  ground  on 
the  east  side  of  Michigan  avenue  opposite 
Dearborn  Park,  constituting  the  northern  por- 
tion of  what  has  been  known  as  Lake  Front 
Park,  still  remains  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Commissioner  of  Public  Works.  By  act  of 
the  Forty-second  General  Assembly  (1901)  the 
portion  of  this  tract  lying  between  Madison 
and  Monroe  streets,  was  set  apart,  under  cer- 
tain conditions,  to  be  used  as  the  site  of  the 
John  Crerar  Library,  which  will,  in  all  prob- 
ability, be  erected  within  the  next  three  years. 

SCHOOL    PARKS. 

In  addition  to  the  larger  parks,  already  enu- 
merated, to  which  the  Park  Boards  are  mak- 
ing frequent  additions,  a  plan  was  set  on  foot 
about  1900,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing 
playgrounds  in  connection  with  various  public 
schools.  These  remain  under  control  of  the 
City  Council,  but  are  managed  by  a  special  com- 
mission consisting  of  members  of  the  City 
Council,  representatives  of  the  Park  Boards 
and  of  the  County  Board,  besides  citizens  rep- 
resenting different  professions  and  classes  of 
business,  the  object  being  to  secure  the  aid  of 
practical  architects,  civil  engineers,  landscape 
gardeners  and  advisers  as  to  sanitary  condi- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


669 


tions.  The  extension  of  the  system  is  being 
actively  agitated  and,  at  a  meeting  of  the  City 
Council  held  in  October,  1904,  authority  was 
granted  to  purchase  25  playgrounds  in  addi- 
tion to  the  eight  or  nine  already  in  use.  It  is 
claimed  that  these  playgrounds  are  having  a 
decidedly  beneficial  effect  upon  the  children  in 
the  neighborhoods  provided  with  them. 

OUTER-BELT  PARK  SYSTEM. 
On  April  21,  1904,  an  organization  was 
effected  of  what  is  known  as  the  "Outer-Belt 
Park  Commission"  under  authority  granted  by 
the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Cook  County, 
August  3,  1903.  The  commission  is  made  up 
of  ten  prominent  citizens  representing  the 
city  and  county,  the  Mayor  of  Chicago  and  four 
Aldermen,  three  members  of  each  Park  Com- 
mission, and  four  members  and  the  President 
of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners,  its 
object  as  defined  in  its  constitution  being  "to 
devise  plans  and  means,  and  do  all  things  that 
may  be  necessary,  to  create  a  system  of  outer 
parks  and  boulevards  encircling  the  city  of 
Chicago,"  on  the  ground  that  such  improve- 
ments are  needed  for  the  health  and  comfort 
of  the  people  of  the  city  and  its  suburbs.  The 
scheme  contemplated  by  this  commission  looks 
to  the  establishment  of  a  system  of  suburban 
parks  on  the  northern  border  of  the  city,  along 
the  Des  Plaines  on  the  west,  in  the  Calumet 
region  on  the  south,  and  eventually  possibly 
along  "the  Sag"  in  Palos  Township  in  the  south- 
west. All  these  localities  afford  important  ad- 
vantages for  improvements  of  this  character, 
and  while  the  Park  Board  has  but  recently 
effected  its  organization,  it  is  proposed  to 
take  up  its  labors  energetically  during 
the  present  year.  Both  the  Des  Plaines 
and  the  Calumet  regions  are  convenient 
of  access  from  the  central  portions  of 
the  city,  and,  as  the  population  in  these  sec- 
tions becomes  more  and  more  congested,  the 
demand  for  larger  breathing  places  will  become 
more  urgent.  In  support  of  the  argument  for 
an  increased  park  area  for  the  benefit  of  the 
citizens  of  Chicago,  it  is  shown  that  the  city 
stands  nineteenth  in  a  list  of  principal  cities 
of  the  United  States,  in  park  and  reservation 
areas  in  proportion  to  population,  the  total  (in 
acres)  for  Chicago,  being  3,174  against  12,878 
for  Boston;  8,074  for  New  York;  3,503  for  Phil- 
adelphia; 2,911  for  Washington,  D.  C.,  and 
2,183  for  St.  Louis.  The  proportions  of  popu- 


lation to  each  acre  of  park  and  reservation 
area  for  these  and  other  cities  are  as  follows: 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  36.1;  Boston,  46.8;  Minne- 
apolis, 153.6;  St.  Paul,  103.4;  New  York,  443.9; 
Philadelphia,  427.8;  St.  Louis,  320.3;  New 
Orleans,  507.6;  Baltimore,  520.4;  and  Chicago— 
the  largest  population  in  proportion  to  park 
area — 702.9  population  per  acre.  In  the  event 
that  the  plans  of  the  Outer-Belt  Park  Commis- 
sion are  carried  into  effect,  it  may  be  expected 
that  Chicago  will  ultimately  rival  Boston  in 
the  aggregate  of  its  park  area,  if  not  in  its 
proportion  as  to  population. 

NORTH    SHORE    PARK    DISTRICT. 

In  addition  to  the  park  systems  already 
enumerated,  what  is  known  as  the  North  Shore 
Park  District  has  been  organized  within  the 
past  two  years,  for  the  development  of  a  park 
system  in  the  northern  section  of  the  city, 
but  the  Board  of  Commissioners  has  so  far 
devoted  its  attention  chiefly  to  the  subject  of 
boulevards. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


NOTABLE  EVENTS. 


REPUBLICAN    NATIONAL    CONVENTION    OF    1860 THE 

CAMP      DOUGLAS     CONSPIRACY  —  SOME     OF     ITS 

PRINCIPAL    ACTORS EXPOSURE    AND    DEFEAT 

THE    CONFLAGRATION    OF    1871 VAST   DESTRUC- 
TION  OF   PROPERTY  AND   HOMES AREA  BURNED 

OVER RELIEF     MEASURES THE     HAYMARKET 

MASSACRE CONVICTION    AND    PUNISHMENT    OF 

THE    CONSPIRATORS LABOR    STRIKES HEAVY 

LOSSES    OF  EMPLOYERS   AND  EMPLOYED. 

While  Chicago  has  been  the  theater  of  many 
important  and  far-reaching  events,  such  as  the 
nomination  here,  on  the  16th  day  of  May,  1860, 
of  the  first  successful  Republican  candidate  for 
the  Presidency  in  the  person  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, whose  election  and  inauguration  proved 
the  forerunner  of  the  attempted  secession  of 
eleven  Southern  States  and  a  four-years'  war 
in  the  effort  to  perpetuate  negro  slavery  under 
the  auspices  of  a  "Southern  Confederacy,"  only 
a  few  of  the  more  notable  of  these  events  can 
be  noticed  in  a  volume  of  this  character.  One 


670 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


of  those  deserving  special  mention  in  this  con- 
nection, both  on  account  of  its  importance 
from  a  national  point  of  view  and  its  relation 
to  local  history,  is  what  is  known  as  the 
"Camp  Douglas  Conspiracy."  This  was  a  plot 
entered  into  early  in  1864,  by  a  number  of 
rebel  leaders  in  the  South  or  their  agents  with 
confederates  connected  with  certain  treasonable 
organizations  in  the  North,  which  had  for  its 
object  the  securing  by  force  of  the  liberation 
of  the  rebel  prisoners  confined  in  certain  North- 
ern prison-camps,  especially  those  at  Chicago, 
Rock  Island,  Springfield  and  Alton  in  this 
State.  Camp  Douglas — from  which  the  plot 
took  its  name,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  con- 
tained a  larger  number  of  prisoners  than  any 
of  the  others  named  and  was  the  center  of 
greatest  activity  on  the  part  of  the  conspira- 
tors— had  been  established  during  the  first  year 
of  the  war  on  an  irregular  block  of  ground 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago 
between  Thirty-first  Street  and  Thirty-third 
Place,  and  Cottage  Grove  and  Forest  Avenues. 
This  was  a  part  of  the  ground  which  had  been 
originally  donated  to  the  old  University  of 
Chicago,  by  Senator  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  from 
whom  it  took  its  name.  Originally  established 
as  a  camp  of  instruction  for  military  recruits, 
soon  after  the  capture  of  Fort  Donelson  it  was 
changed  into  a  place  of  confinement  for  rebel 
prisoners  of  war,  and  during  a  part  of  the  year 
1864,  is  reputed  to  have  contained  as  high  as 
12,000  prisoners.  At  the  time  the  conspiracy 
was  at  its  height  during  the  summer  of  1864, 
it  is  estimated  that  the  total  number  of  South- 
ern prisoners  in  prison-camps  within  the  State 
of  Illinois  was  about  26,500,  of  whom  8,000 
were  in  Camp  Douglas,  6,000  at  Rock  Island, 
7,500  at  Camp  Butler  (Springfield),  and  5,000 
at  Alton.  The  principal  agents  on  the  part  of 
the  Confederacy  in  organizing  the  conspiracy 
were  three  so-called  "Peace  Commissioners" — 
Jacob  Thompson  (who  had  been  a  member  of 
President  Buchanan's  cabinet),  C.  C.  Clay,  and 
J.  P.  Holcomb — who,  having  established  them- 
selves in  Canada,  found  means  of  getting  into 
communication  with  representatives  of  secret 
treasonable  organizations  in  the  Northern 
States,  especially  the  organization  known,  suc- 
cessively and  at  different  periods  during  the 
progress  of  the  war,  as  "Knights  of  the  Golden 
Circle,"  "American  Knights"  and  "Sons  of  Lib- 
erty," and  which  had  been  especially  active  in 
the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  The 


general  management  of  the  affair  for  Illinois 
was  entrusted  by  the  rebel  agents  to  one  Capt. 
Thomas  H.  Hines,  who  established  himself  at 
Chicago,  where  it  is  is  estimated  there  were  at 
that  time  4,000  "Sons  of  Liberty,"  and  gave  his 
attention  to  the  collection  of  arms  and  the  dis- 
tribution of  funds.  One  Charles  Walsh  was  at 
the  head  of  the  movement  in  Chicago,  with 
confederates  scattered  throughout  this  and 
other  States.  The  scheme  not  only  contem- 
plated the  release  of  rebel  prisoners,  but,  so 
far  as  Chicago  was  concerned,  looked  to  the 
seizure  of  arms  and  military  stores,  the  looting 
of  banks  and  finally,  if  necessary  to  carrying 
out  the  plot,  the  burning  of  the  city.  A  draft 
having  been  expected  during  the  month  of  July, 
the  20th  day  of  that  month  had  been  first 
selected  as  the  date  of  the  uprising.  This  hav- 
ing been  abandoned,  the  next  date  chosen  was 
August  29th — that  of  the  Democratic  National 
Convention,  which  had  found  reason  for  ad- 
journing over  from  July  4,  the  first  date  chosen 
for  its  assembling.  It  was  evidently  antici- 
pated that  the  crowd  of  strangers,  then  expected 
in  the  city,  would  divert  suspicion  from  any 
unusual  gathering  of  those  expected  to  take 
part  in  the  affair.  Suspicion  had  been  aroused, 
however,  and  the  forces  in  charge  of  Camp 
Douglas  having  been  strengthened  by  the  addi- 
tion of  a  regiment  of  infantry  and  a  battery  of 
artillery,  another  postponement  of  the  plot  was 
deemed  advisable  by  the  leaders.  The  third 
date  selected  was  November  8th,  the  date  of  the 
National  election  at  which  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
chosen  President  for  his  second  term.  It  was 
expected  that  the  local  conspirators  would  be 
strongly  reinforced  by  confederates  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  State,  and  that,  having 
released  the  prisoners  from  Camp  Douglas,  the 
combined  force  of  conspirators  and  released 
prisoners — by  that  time  a  large  army — would 
proceed  to  Rock  Island,  Springfield  and  Alton, 
and  perform  the  same  feat  there. 

By  this  time  the  authorities,  through  the  aid 
of  detectives  and  one  or  two  of  the  prisoners 
who  had  been  admitted  into  the  plot,  had 
obtained  evidence  of  what  was  afoot.  At  an 
early  hour  on  the  morning  of  the  7th — the  day 
before  the  plot  was  to  be  carried  into  effect — 
Gen.  Benjamin  J.  Sweet,  who  was  in  command 
at  Camp  Douglas,  secured  the  simultaneous 
arrest  of  the  principal  conspirators  in  their 
various  hiding  places,  and  the  scheme  was 
defeated.  Almost  the  only  important  agent 


//s 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


671 


connected  with  the  local  plot  who  succeeded 
in  evading  arrest  was  Captain  Hines,  its  gen- 
eral manager.  Among  those  arrested  were 
Charles  Walsh,  a  "Brigadier  General"  of  the 
"Sons  of  Liberty,"  who  was  furnishing  shelter 
to  the  leading  agents  of  the  conspiracy  from 
abroad,  and  on  whose  premises  a  large  quantity 
of  arms  and  military  stores  were  found.  The 
service  rendered  by  General  Sweet  in  ferreting 
out  and  defeating  this  nefarious  conspiracy, 
won  for  him  the  gratitude  and  admiration  of 
the  whole  country,  and  was  recognized  by  the 
Government  in  his  promotion  from  the  rank 
of  Colonel  to  that  of  Brigadier-General  and 
later,  by  his  appointment  to  various  offices 
under  the  General  Government,  one  of  which 
was  that  of  Pension  Agent  at  Chicago. —  (See 
"Camp  Douglas  Conspiracy"  "Secret  Treason- 
able Organizations"  and  "Gen.  Benjamin  J. 
Sweet,"  Hist.  Encyc.  of  111.,  Vol.  I.) 

THE  GREAT  CONFLAGRATION  OF  1871. 

Undoubtedly  the  most  tragic  chapter  in  Chi- 
cago history  is  that  which  has  to  deal  with  the 
great  fire  of  October  8-9,  1871.  The  preceding 
three  months  had  been  marked  by  an  almost 
unprecedented  drouth,  which  had  parched  vege- 
tation and  reduced  wooden  structures,  then  so 
numerous  even  in  the  business  portions  of  the 
city,  to  a  highly  inflammable  condition.  On 
Saturday  night,  October  7th,  occurred  a  fire  on 
the  West  Side,  commencing  in  the  planing  mill 
of  Lille  &  Holmes,  at  209  South  Canal  Street, 
which  would  ordinarily  have  been  regarded 
as  extremely  disastrous.  This  destroyed  nearly 
the  whole  of  four  blocks  of  buildings  (covering 
about  27  acres)  surrounded  by  Adams,  Clinton 
and  Van  Buren  Streets  and  the  South  Branch. 
The  loss  from  this  fire  has  been  estimated  at 
$1,000,000. 

On  the  next  evening  (Sunday,  October  8)  a 
fire  broke  out  a  little  before  9  o'clock  in  a  barn 
attached  to  a  wooden  tenement  at  137  De  Koven 
Street,  southwest,  but  only  two  blocks  distant 
from  the  district  burned  over  the  night  before. 
The  premises  where  the  fire  began  were  occu- 
pied by  a  family  named  O'Leary,  where  a 
dance  had  been  in  progress  during  the  evening, 
and  the  story  widely  accepted  has  been  that 
the  fire  was  started  by  the  breaking  of  a  kero- 
sene lamp  in  the  barn  while  some  one  was  milk- 
ing a  cow,  although  this  was  vigorously  denied 
by  the  O'Learys.  Owing  to  the  fatiguing  serv- 
ice which  the  fire  department  had  rendered  the 


night  before,  according  to  one  report, — although 
another  attributes  the  cause  to  over-indulgence 
of  the  firemen  through  the  mistaken  hospitality 
of  a  saloon-keeper  after  the  Saturday  evening 
fire — there  was  great  delay  in  securing  a 
response  from  the  fire  department.  In  the 
meantime  the  fire,  aided  by  a  strong  wind  and 
the  inflammable  condition  of  the  buildings  in 
the  vicinity,  was  rapidly  getting  under  way  and 
was  soon  beyond  control.  In  some  cases  burn- 
ing brands,  carried  by  the  force  of  the  wind, 
started  new  fires  one  or  two  blocks  distant,  and 
in  a  short  time  the  flames  had  spread  to  the 
heart  of  the  business  district  on  the  South  Side 
and  the  choicest  residence  portion  of  the  city 
north  of  the  river.  By  three  o'clock  on  Mon- 
day morning  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the 
Court  House,  the  Postoffice,  the  principal  hotels 
and  many  of  the  largest  business  houses  on  the 
South  Side  were  in  ruins,  and  half  an  hour 
later,  the  water-works  station  on  the  North 
Side  was  in  the  same  condition,  greatly  para- 
lyzing the  efforts  of  the  firemen  to  fight  the 
flames.  Although  the  greatest  havoc  was 
wrought  during  the  early  hours  of  the  morn- 
ing, the  fire  continued  its  ravages  until  half 
past  ten  o'clock  Monday  evening — a  period  of 
twenty-five  hours — when  it  practically  ceased 
for  want  of  material  to  prey  upon.  The  last 
house  destroyed  is  said  to  have  been  that  of 
Dr.  John  H.  Foster,  the  well  known  scientist 
and  educator,  on  Fullerton  Avenue  where  it 
ends  at  Lincoln  Avenue,  then  the  northern 
limit  of  the  city  and  four  miles  from  the  place 
of  the  starting  of  the  fire.  Of  the  fire  apparatus, 
eight  engines,  three  hose-carts  and  three  hook 
and  ladder  trucks  had  ^  to  be  abandoned  and 
were  destroyed.  The  total  area  burned  over  is 
estimated  at  2,124  acres,  of  which  194  acres 
were  on  the  West  Side,  460  acres  on  the  South 
Side  and  1,470  acres  on  the  North  Side.  This 
area  extended  from  Fullerton  Avenue  on  the 
north  to  Harrison  Street  on  the  south,  with  an 
arm  extending  southwest  to  De  Koven  and  Jef- 
ferson Streets  in  the  West  Division,  and  em- 
bracing the  district  within  these  northern  and 
southern  limits  lying  between  the  lake  shore 
on  the  east  and  an  irregular  western  boundary 
extending  at  some  points  nearly  to  Halsted 
Street.  In  the  more  compactly  built  portions 
of  both  the  North  and  South .  Divisions,  the 
areas  between  the  North  and  South  Branches 
of  the  Chicago  River  on  the  west  and  the  lake 
on  the  east,  were  swept  clean.  The  number  of 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


buildings  destroyed  has  been  estimated  at 
17,450,  valued  with  other  property  at  $187,000- 
000,  and  leaving  98,000  people  homeless.  No 
reliable  statement  of  the  actual  jloss  of  life 
resulting  from  the  fire  has  been  attainable,  but 
it  has  been  estimated  that  250  to  275  persons 
perished.  The  total  insurance  on  the  property  de- 
stroyed amounted  to  about  $88,000,000,  of  which, 
in  consequence  of  the  insolvency  of  many  of 
the  insurance  companies,  only  about  one-half 
was  recovered.  In  the  area  burned  over,  only  two 
buildings  escaped  destruction.  One  of  these 
was  the  residence  of  Mahlon  D.  Ogden,  a 
wooden  building  in  the  heart  of  the  North 
Division,  located  at  North  Clark  Street  and 
Walton  Place  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the 
Newberry  Library,  while  the  other  was  a  grain 
elevator,  known  as  "Elevator  B,"  belonging  to 
Messrs.  Sturges  &  Buckingham,  and  located  at 
the  junction  of  the  Chicago  River  and  Lake 
Michigan,  near  the  Randolph  Street  Station  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  The  preservation 
of  the  elevator  building  was  due  to  the  discov- 
ery of  a  fire  engine  in  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road yards,  which  was  awaiting  transportation 
to  some  other  city  on  Lake  Michigan.  This 
was  used  successfully  to  extinguish  a  fire  which 
had  already  started  in  a  building  attached  to 
the  elevator.  While  the  further  spread  of  the 
flames  was  checked  by  the  exhaustion  of 
material,  the  fires  continued  to  burn  for  days 
in  the  ruins  of  some  of  the  larger  buildings, 
and  thousands  of  excursionists  came  from  long 
distances  to  gaze  upon  the  ruins  which  had 
been  left  in  the  wake  of  one  of  the  most 
appalling  conflagrations  in  the  world's  history. 
Systems  of  relief  for  sufferers  by  the  fire 
were  set  on  foot  immediately,  not  only  by  the 
citizens  of  Chicago  who  had  escaped  the  dis- 
aster, but  in  the  principal  cities  of  the  country, 
and  even  in  Europe,  especially  in  England, 
Germany  and  France.  A  Relief  and  Aid  Society 
composed  of  prominent  citizens,  was  organ- 
ized for  the  purpose  of  distributing  contribu- 
tions among  the  needy  and,  in  a  report  made 
under  date  of  April  30,  1874,  they  acknowledged 
the  receipt  of  $4,820,148,  of  which  $973,897 
came  from  foreign  countries,  over  $500,000 
coming  from  England,  Scotland  and  Ireland, 
$80,000  from  Germany  and  nearly  $63,000  from 
France.  Churches  and  secret  societies  also 
acted  with  great  promptness  and  liberality  in 
aid,  not  only  of  their  associated  organizations, 
but  for  the  benefit  of  the  various  classes  of 


sufferers.  Governor  Palmer  called  the  Legis- 
lature together  in  special  session  before  the 
close  of  the  week,  with  a  view  to  furnishing 
such  relief  as  might  appropriately  come  from 
that  body.  One  of  the  steps  taken  by  the  Leg- 
islature was  the  passage  of  an  act  reimbursing 
the  city  for  $2,995,340  expended  in  the  deepen- 
ing of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. 

Relating  to  the  destruction  by  the  fire  of 
public  records  involving  titles  to  real  estate, 
etc.,  the  late  Joseph  Kirkland,  in  connection 
with  a  reference,  in  his  "Story  of  Chicago,"  to- 
the  three  abstract  firms  then  doing  business  in 
the  city,  says: 

"It  curiously  happened  that,  although  the 
portion  of  the  records  saved  by  each  abstract 
firm  was  only  a  portion,  yet  the  part  lost 
by  each  was  saved  by  another;  so  that,  when 
combined,  the  fragments  made  a  total  whole 
and  entire,  lacking  nothing  in  continuity  or 
completeness.  Chase  Brothers  lost  many  of 
their  press  copies  of  abstracts  given  out,  but 
saved  tract  indexes,  judgment  dockets,  tax- 
sales  and  some  volumes  of  their  'original 
entries,'  Shortall  &  Hoard  lost  their  record 
of  'original  entries,'  but  saved  tract  indexes, 
judgment  dockets,  tax  sales  and  some  vol- 
umes of  their  original  entries.  Jones  &  Sel- 
lers saved  all  their  original  entries  and  let- 
ter-press copies  of  abstracts  given  out." 

The  fortunate  consequences  of  this  accidental 
combination  of  circumstances,  has  been  seen  in 
the  avoidance  of  confusion  as  to  titles  of  real 
estate  in  Chicago  and  Cook  County  growing  out 
of  the  fire. 

The  rebuilding  of  the  ruined  city  began 
immediately,  and  its  restoration  and  enlarge- 
ment within  a  generation  after  the  most  disas- 
trous calamity  that  has  overtaken  any  city  in 
modern  times,  has  been  one  of  the  marvels  of 
the  century.  Not  only  has  every  vestige  of 
the  catastrophe  of  thirty-three  years  ago  been 
wiped  away,  but  the  ruins  of  1871  have  given 
place  to  a  class  of  structures,  in  their  number, 
size  and  magnificence,  unsurpassed  by  those 
of  any  other  city  of  its  size  in  this  or  any  other 
country,  and,  in  population,  it  has  grown, 
within  the  same  period,  from  less  than  350,000 
people  to  nearly  2,000,000,  making  it  the  sec- 
ond city  in  size  in  the  United  States. 

On  the  afternoon  of  July  14,  1874,  a  fire  broke 
out  in  a  two-story  frame  building  at  449  South 
Clark  Street — between  Polk  and  Taylor  Streets 


9 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


and  south  of  the  burned  district  of  1871 — which, 
before  it  was  subdued,  swept  as  far  north  as 
Van  Buren  Street  and  east  to  Michigan  Avenue, 
covering  an  area  of  forty-seven  acres  and 
destroying  property  estimated  at  $2,845,000,  of 
which  $2,200,000  was  covered  by  insurance. 
This  fire  lasted  about  eleven  hours,  and  but 
for  the  greater  disaster  of  three  years  before, 
would  have  been  regarded  as  a  calamity  unpar- 
alleled in  the  history  of  the  city. 

THE   HAYMARKET  MASSACRE. 

On  the  evening  of  May  4,  1886,  occurred  what 
has  been  handed  down  in  history  as  the  "Hay- 
market  Massacre."  This  grew  out  of  an  assem- 
blage held  in  Haymarket  Square  on  the  West 
Side,  in  the  nominal  interest  of  a  projected 
strike  for  an  eight-hour  labor-day.  A  number 
of  professional  anarchists,  desirous  of  posing 
as  the  champions  of  labor,  had  taken  advantage 
of  a  strike  which  had  been  ordered  in  the 
McCormick  Reaper  Works,  to  call  the  meeting 
on  the  evening  named.  On  the  day  preceding 
a  collision  had  occurred  at  the  Reaper  Works 
between  a  party  of  strikers  and  the  police,  in 
which  six  of  the  former  were  killed  and  a  large 
number  wounded.  This  was  used  by  the  anar- 
chist agitators  as  a  pretext  for  issuing  an 
inflammatory  circular,  summoning  the  "work- 
ingmen  to  arms"  and  appealing  to  them  to  seek 
"revenge"  upon  the  police,  upon  the  ground  that 
they  had  played  the  part  of  "bloodhounds"  at 
the  command  of  capital,  and  had  been  guilty 
of  "killing  workingmen  because  they  dared  to 
ask  for  the  shortening  of  the  hours  of  toil." 
The  appeal  was  written  by  August  Spies,  the 
editor  of  an  anarchist  paper  called  the 
"Arbeiter-Zeitung."  At  the  hour  named  an 
immense  crowd  assembled,  many  being  attracted 
through  curiosity.  The  Mayor — Carter  H.  Har- 
rison, Sr. — was  present  during  the  early  part  of 
the  meeting,  but  the  proceedings  being  more 
peaceful  than  had  been  anticipated,  he  with- 
drew. Later  the  speeches  having  assumed  a 
more  violent  and  incendiary  character,  a 
strong  force  of  police  appeared  under  the  com- 
mand of  Inspector  Bonfield,  who  commanded 
the  peace  "in  the  name  of  the  people  of  the 
State,"  and  ordered  the  crowd  to  disperse.  The 
answer  to  this  was  the  hurling  of  a  dynamite 
bomb  among  the  policeman,  followed  by  an 
explosion  which  resulted  in  the  wounding  of 
sixty-seven  members  of  the  force,  of  whom 
seven  died.  A  number  of  arrests  of  suspected 


parties  followed,  and  on  June  7th  the  trial 
began,  twenty-one  days  being  consumed  in 
securing  a  jury  during  which  982  veniremen 
were  examined.  Judge  Joseph  E.  Gary,  still 
(1904)  a  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook 
County,  presided,  while  Julius  S.  Grinnell,  now 
counsel  of  the  Chicago  City  Railway  Company, 
officiated  as  State's  Attorney,  the  trial  occupy- 
ing 62  days,  during  which  143  witnesses  were 
examined  for  the  prosecution  and  79  for  the 
defense.  The  outcome  of  the  trial  was  the  con- 
viction of  eight  persons,  of  whom  seven  were 
sentenced  to  suffer  death  and  one  (Oscar 
Neebe)  to  the  State's  Prison  for  fifteen  years. 
The  names  of  those  sentenced  to  suffer  capi- 
tally were  August  Spies,  Albert  D.  Parsons, 
Adolph  Fischer,  Louis  Engel,  Louis  Lingg, 
Samuel  Fielden  and  Justus  Schwab.  Of  these 
Lingg  committed  suicide  while  awaiting  execu- 
tion, by  exploding  in  his  mouth  a  bomb  which 
he  had  obtained  surreptitiously  from  some 
sympathizer;  the  sentences  of  Fielden  and 
Schwab  were  commuted  by  Governor  Oglesby 
to  imprisonment  for  life  on  their  appeal  for 
clemency,  supported  by  the  recommendations 
of  the  Judge,  Prosecuting  Attorney  and  Jury, 
while  Spies,  Parsons,  Fischer  and  Engel  were 
executed,  Nov.  11,  1887 — eighteen  months  after 
the  commission  of  their  crime,  but  not  until 
the  proceedings  in  the  lower  court  had  been 
sustained  by  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  On  June  26,  1893,  Fielden, 
Schwab  and  Neebe  were  pardoned  by  Governor 
Altgeld  in  a  decree  in  which  he  attacked  the 
ruling  and  acts  of  the  trial  court,  although  the 
latter  has  been  sustained  in  a  most  conspicu- 
ous manner  not  only  by  public  sentiment  but 
by  the  courts  of  higher  jurisdiction.  The 
scene  of  the  "Haymarket  Massacre"  has  been 
marked  by  the  erection  on  its  site  of  a  statue 
in  commemoration  of  the  policemen  whose  lives 
were  sacrificed  by  a  murderous  plot  while  in 
the  discharge  of  their  duty. 

STRIKE  HISTORY. 

The  year  1877  was  a  period  of  turmoil  and 
excitement  unparalleled  in  the  previous  history 
of  the  nation,  except  when  the  country  was 
engaged  in  actual  war.  This  condition  grew  out 
of  "strikes"  on  the  part  of  labor  organizations, 
beginning  with  a  reduction  of  wages  by  some  of 
the  railroads,  but  extending  to  other  employes 
on  grounds  of  sympathy.  While  the  disturb- 
ances were  widespread,  involving  nearly  every 


674 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


important  city  in  the  Northern  States,  Chicago 
was  one  of  the  centers  of  most  serious  disturb- 
ance, second  only  to  Pittsburg  and  Baltimore, 
where  there  was  heavy  destruction  of  property 
accompanied  by  much  loss  of  life. 

The  trouble  in  Chicago  began  on  the  night 
of  the  23d  of  July,  following  promptly  out- 
breaks by  railroad  employes  at  Martinsburg, 
Va.;  Baltimore,  Pittsburg,  and  other  Eastern 
points.  The  first  demonstration  in  Chicago 
was  made  by  the  switchmen  of  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad  who,  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, visited  the  employes  of  other  roads  and  by 
noon  they  had  brought  about  a  general  strike 
on  all  the  lines  except  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western. This  was  followed  a  day  or  two  later 
by  a  general  suspension  of  business  in  manufac- 
tories, rolling  mills,  lumber  yards  and  work- 
shops of  every  variety,  and,  although  the 
employes  of  the  Northwestern  Railroad  main- 
tained that  they  had  no  grievance,  they  were 
at  last  compelled  to  cease  work  by  constant 
interference  and  intimidation  by  the  mob.  In 
the  meantime  the  streets,  especially  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  railroads  and  manufactur- 
ing plants,  were  thronged  by  riotous  bands  of 
strikers  and  their  friends — the  latter,  in  many 
cases,  being  composed  of  boys  and  riotous 
classes  who  had  no  other  interest  in  the  strike 
than  to  bring  about  a  condition  of  lawlessness 
that  would  open  the  way  for  the  pillaging  of 
stores  and  other  places  of  business.  Although 
there  was  much  disorder  throughout  the  city, 
the  most  serious  disturbances  occurred  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Halsted  Street  between  Six- 
teenth and  Twenty-second  Streets,  where  fre- 
quent collisions  occurred  between  the  strikers 
and  the  police.  The  turbulent  element  was  held 
in  check  somewhat  by  the  fact  that  Mayor 
Monroe  Heath  had  taken  the  precaution  to 
order  the  saloons  throughout  the  city  closed. 
Besides  the  police  and  posses  of  armed  citizens 
under  the  command  of  the  peace  officers,  five 
regiments  of  the  State  militia  were  called  out 
by  authority  of  the  Governor  under  command 
of  Gen.  Torrence,  although  the  First  and  Sec- 
ond Regiments  were  most  constantly  on  duty. 
Several  companies  of  United  States  regulars 
who  happened  to  be  passing  through  the  city, 
were  held  for  several  days  and  rendered  effi- 
cient service  in  checking  the  spirit  of  lawless- 
ness and  protecting  life  and  property.  Valuable 
aid  was  rendered  the  authorities  by  various 
volunteer  and  independent  organizations  com- 


posed of  business  men  and  other  friends  of  law 
and  order,  one  of  the  most  effective  of  these 
being  the  Union  Veterans,  a  force  composed 
wholly  of  old  and  tried  soldiers  of  the  Civil 
War,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Reynolds, 
Col.  Owen  Stuart,  Gen.  0.  L.  Mann  and  Gen. 
Martin  Beem.  On  the  night  of  the  25th  of 
July,  when  the  disturbances  had  reached  a 
most  critical  stage,  it  is  estimated  that  15,000 
men  were  under  arms  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 
In  a  conflict  between  the  police  and  a  mob  at 
Halsted  Street  viaduct  on  the  morning  of  the 
26th,  two  persons  (one  a  boy)  were  killed  and, 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  five  of  the 
rioters  were  killed  at  Turner  Hall,  on  West 
Twelfth  Street.  In  a  riot  in  the  evening  of  the 
same  day,  at  Sixteenth  and  Halsted  Streets, 
three  soldiers  and  two  policemen  were  badly 
wounded  and  several  of  the  rioters  danger- 
ously hurt.  During  the  progress  of  the  strike 
women  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  parades 
of  the  strikers;  and,  in  some  of  the  most  vio- 
lent conflicts,  as  usual  on  such  occasions,  a 
lawless  class  who  had  no  immediate  connection 
with  the  workingmen's  organizations  were  most 
active  in  their  efforts  to  stir  up  strife  with  the 
authorities.  Friday,  July  27th,  business  began 
to  be  resumed,  many  of  the  strikers  rushed 
back  to  secure  their  old  places,  and  the  strike 
was  practically  at  an  end.  The  organizations 
reputed  to  be  chiefly  represented  by  the  strik- 
ing element,  were  then  known  as  the  "Working- 
men's  Party,"  the  "Workingmen's  International 
Association"  and  "Labor  League,"  although  the 
most  active  spirits  came  from  the  ranks  of  the 
anarchists  and  foreign  communists  who  have 
never  failed  to  avail  themselves  of  a  labor 
strike  to  promote  their  lawless  ends.  During 
the  progress  of  the  strike  there  were  serious 
disturbances  at  a  number  of  other  points  in 
the  State,  especially  at  Peoria,  Springfield  and 
Braidwood,  the  most  serious,  however,  being  at 
East  St.  Louis,  where  the  passage  of  railroad 
trains  across  the  bridge  to  St.  Louis  was 
obstructed  for  several  days;  but  the  prompt  and 
vigorous  measures  taken  by  Gov.  Cullom  finally 
restored  order. 

A  record-breaking  period  in  strike  history  in 
the  city  of  Chicago  came  during  the  year  1886, 
culminating  in  the  Haymarket  riot  of  May  4th, 
in  which  seven  policemen  lost  their  lives  and 
sixty  others  were  more  or  less  severely 
wounded  by  the  explosion  of  a  bomb  in  their 
midst  by  some  one  professing  to  be  in  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


675 


interest  of  a  party  of  striking  employes  con- 
nected with  the  McCormick  Reaper  Works. 
(See  "Haymarket  Massacre"  in  this  chapter.) 
While  the  year  was  one  of  great  commotion 
among  labor  organizations  throughout  the 
country,  Chicago  was  the  theater  of  some  of  the 
most  stubborn  conflicts  between  labor  organiza- 
tions and  employers.  According  to  statistics 
furnished  by  the  United  States  Labor  Com- 
mission, the  total  number  of  strikes  in  Illinois 
for  that  year  was  487,  of  which  313  were  in  the 
city  of  Chicago.  The  number  of  employes 
affected  by  the  strike  in  the  State  was  over 
100,000,  while  the  business  establishments 
involved  numbered  1,060.  Of  these  310  strikes 
succeeded,  204  were  partially  successful,  an.l 
546  ended  in  failure.  The  issues  between 
employers  and  employes  during  the  strike  of 
1886  were  largely  based  on  demands  of  the 
latter  for  reduction  of  hours  of  employment, 
with  a  smaller  number  for  increase  of  wages 
and  quite  a  number  demanding  the  concession 
of  both  points.  A  still  smaller  number  were 
based  on  resistance  to  the  employment  of  non- 
union men  and  demands  for  recognition  of  the 
union.  The  loss  to  employes  in  wages  was  esti- 
mated at  $2,524,244,  and  that  of  the  employers 
at  $2,366,555.  Besides  these,  there  were  43 
lockouts,  of  which  seven  succeeded,  30  were 
partially  successful  and  six  were  failures.  The 
losses  of  employers  and  employes  in  these  cases 
nearly  counterbalanced  each  other,  each  aggre- 
gating about  $250,000. 

The  third  most  notable  labor  disturbance 
connected  with  Chicago  history,  was  that  of 
May  to  July,  1894,  growing  out  of  a  strike  of 
the  employes  in  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  shops. 
The  previous  year  had  been  one  of  considerable 
commotion,  owing  to  the  increasing  financial 
depression  and  the  decline  in  industrial  enter- 
prises, but  the  striking  element  had  been  held 
in  check  somewhat,  so  far  as  Chicago  was  con- 
cerned, by  concessions  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
Columbian  World's  Exposition  was  then  in 
progress.  During  the  summer  of  1893  an  organ- 
ization of  railroad  employes  under  the  name  of 
the  "American  Railway  Union"  was  formed, 
and  in  the  following  fall  the  agitation  against 
a  threatened  reduction  in  wages  became  very 
active.  Owing  to  the  growing  depression  in  the 
car  manufacturing  industry  during  the  latter 
part  of  1893,  The  Pullman  Company,  in  Septem- 
ber of  that  year,  made  a  reduction  in  the  wages 
of  their  employes,  and  in  March  and  April  fol- 


lowing, the  latter,  who  had  become  dissatisfied 
with  the  existing  condition  of  affairs,  became 
members  of  the  Railway  Union  and  submitted 
to  the  Company  a  demand  for  a  restoration  of 
the  wages  which  they  had  received  during  the 
previous  year.  This  having  been  refused,  on 
May  10,  1894,  the  local  union  ordered  a  strike 
which  went  into  effect  the  next  day,  some  three 
hundred  members  taking  part  in  it.  This  was 
promptly  followed  by  the  Company  with  an 
order  to  close  the  shops,  thus  throwing  out  of 
employment  six  hundred  men  who  had  not  pre- 
viously taken  part  in  the  strike.  Up  to  July  3 
it  is  claimed  that  no  actual  violence  or  destruc- 
tion of  property  by  the  strikers  or  their  sym- 
pathizers had  taken  place,  although  a  sympa- 
thetic boycott  and  strike  against  the  handling 
of  Pullman  cars  by  members  of  the  Railway 
Union  was  ordered  on  the  26th  of  June,  which 
soon  extended  practically  to  all  the  railroad 
lines  entering  the  city  of  Chicago.  From  this 
time  the  disorders  increased  rapidly,  and  on 
July  7  the  principal  officers  of  the  American 
Railway  Union  were  indicted  and  placed  under 
arrest  for  refusing  to  obey  an  injunction  of  the 
United  States  Court  issued  on  July  2,  prohibit- 
ing interference  with  the  moving  of  railroad 
'trains.  Meanwhile  many  scenes  of  violence 
were  occurring  upon  the  streets  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  railway  yards,  much  property 
was  destroyed  and  a  general  paralysis  of  busi- 
ness had  resulted.  So  serious  had  become  the 
situation,  the  municipal  and  State  authorities 
proving  themselves  incapable  of  holding  the 
lawless  element  in  check,  that  on  July  3  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  issued  a  proclamation  taking 
notice  of  the  interference  with  the  laws,  and 
instructing  the  officer  commanding  the  United 
States  forces  at  Fort  Sheridan  to  "move  his 
entire  command  at  once  to  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago,    there  to  execute  the  orders 

and  processes  of  the  United  States  Court,  to 
prevent  the  obstruction  of  the  United  States 
mails,  and  generally  to  enforce  the  faithful 
execution  of  the  laws  of  the  United  States." 
Gen.  Nelson  A.  Miles,  then  in  command  of 
this  Department,  appeared  on  the  scene  about 
noon  on  July  4,  took  command  in  person,  and 
State  troops  being  also  ordered  upon  the 
ground  to  assist  the  civil  authorities,  the 
lawless  element  was  finally  brought  under 
control,  although  several  days  were  necessary 
to  bring  about  a  complete  restoration  of  order. 
According  to  the  report  of  a  commission  con- 


676 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


sisting  of  Carroll  D.  Wright,  United  States 
Commissioner  of  Labor,  John  D.  Kernan,  of 
New  York,  and  N.  E.  Worthington,  of  Illinois, 
to  inquire  into  the  causes  and  facts  connected 
with  the  controversy  between  the  railroads  and 
their  employes,  the  number  of  men  employed 
in  the  preservation  of  order  during  the  progress 
of  the  strike  was  over  14,000,  of  which  1,936 
were  United  States  troops,  about  4,000  State 
militia,  about  5,000  Deputy  United  States  Mar- 
shals, 250  Deputy  Sheriffs  and  a  local  police 
force  of  3,000.  During  the  same  time  twelve 
persons  were  killed  or  fatally  wounded,  and 
515  arrests  were  made  and  a  large  number 
indicted  by  the  Grand  Jury  of  the  United  States 
Court.  One  of  these  was  Eugene  V.  Debs,  who 
had  been  a  leader  in  organizing  the  strike,  and 
who  was  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  a  period 
of  six  months.  Independent  of  the  cost  to  the 
city,  State  and  General  Governments  of  restor- 
ing order,  the  loss  of  property  and  incidental 
expenses  to  the  railroad  corporations,  is  esti- 
mated by  the  same  authority  at  $685,308;  loss 
of  earnings  sustained  by  the  same  corporations, 
$4,672,916;  the  loss  in  wages  to  3,100  employes, 
at  Pullman,  at  $350,000,  and  that  of  about  100,- 
000  employes  on  the  railroads  entering  Chicago, 
$1,389,143 — making  a  total  loss  of  wages 
amounting  to  $1,739,000.  In  this  no  account  is 
taken  of  the  loss  to  other  branches  of  business 
by  the  general  suspension  and  paralyzation  of 
traffic. 

The  following  statistics  of  strike  history  for 
a  period  of  twenty  years  (1881-1900)  taken  from 
the  Sixteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Labor  for  1901,  will  furnish  a  fitting 
conclusion  to  this  chapter.  According  to  this 
report,  Illinois — and  especially  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago— has  become  the  leading  strike  center  in 
the  country,  second  only  at  some  periods  to  the 
city  of  New  York,  but  in  later  years  taking 
front  rank  in  cost  to  both  employers  and 
employed.  Within  the  period  named,  the  total 
number  of  strikes  and  lockouts  in  Chicago  has 
been  1,794,  affecting  20,645  business  concerns 
employing  720,000  operatives.  The  loss  to 
employes  in  wages  during  this  time  is  estimated 
at  $41,614,883  and  that  of  employers  at  $30,698,- 
194. 

STRIKES  OF  1902-1904. 

One  of  the  notable  strikes  in  the  history  of 
the  country  was  that  of  the  anthracite  coal- 
miners  in  the  fall  of  1902.  While  this  did  not 


directly  involve  the  labor  organizations  of  Chi- 
cago, it  seriously  affected  the  interests  of  the 
people  of  the  city,  as  it  did  those  of  the  whole 
country,  in  consequence  of  its  effect  on  the 
supply  of  coal  needed  for  local  consumption  and 
the  consequent  advance  in  prices. 

During  1903  there  were  numerous  strikes  by 
local  labor  organizations,  that  of  the  building- 
trades  and  metal-workers  unions  being  probably 
the  most  serious,  as  it  paralyzed  building  opera- 
tions to  a  large  extent  through  the  whole  year. 
Other  strikes  which  were  most  stubbornly  con- 
tested were  those  of  the  metal-workers,  machin- 
ists and  electrical  workers  in  the  employ  of  the 
Kellogg  Switchboard  Supply  Company,  and  the 
Franklin  Union  Bookbinders  and  Pressfeeders 
— both  of  these  being  attended  with  much  riot- 
ing and  numerous  attacks  upon  both  life  and 
property.  The  strike  of  City  Railway  employes, 
occurring  during  the  month  of  November,  1903, 
was  especially  noteworthy  because  of  the 
inconvenience  it  imposed  upon  that  large  pro- 
portion of  the  population  accustomed  to  use  the 
cable  and  trolley-car  lines  to  reach  their  places 
of  business  or  regular  employment.  This  also 
was  attended  by  many  acts  of  violence  and 
some  damage  to  property  in  consequence  of 
assaults  upon  non-union  conductors,  grip  and 
motor-men  by  the  strikers  and  their  sympathiz- 
ers. A  strike  by  the  employes  of  the  Deering 
Harvester-Works,  begun  on  April  27,  1903,  for 
recognition  of  the  union,  ended  in  practical 
failure  as  the  strikers  were  without  a  grievance. 
Less  important  strikes  of  the  year  were  those 
of  the  elevator  men  and  janitors  in  the  large 
office  and  flat-buildings;  the  laundry-workers; 
and  the  restaurant  employes — the  latter  being 
for  higher  wages  and  shorter  hours.  The  first 
of  these  was  settled  without  material  changes 
or  loss  to  either  party;  the  laundry-workers 
were  temporarily  successful,  but  a  few  months 
later  prices  fell  back  to  the  original  standard; 
while  the  restaurant-waiters'  strike  ended  in 
absolute  failure,  a  majority  of  those  employed 
in  down-town  resturants  permanently  losing 
their  places. 

The  most  sensational  strike  of  1904  was  that 
of  the  packing  house  employes,  which  began 
July  12,  in  a  demand  for  uniform  wages  for  the 
same  class  of  employes  in  all  the  packing 
establishments  of  the  country,  with  a  material 
advance  for  unskilled  workmen.  This  included 
the  packing  establishments  at  Chicago,  Omaha. 
St.  Louis,  Kansas  City,  Sioux  City,  Fort  Worth 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


677 


(Texas),  and  New  York.  A  week  after  the 
strike  began  an  agreement  was  reached  and, 
two  days  later  (July  21),  a  portion  of  the  men 
returned  to  work,  but  were  immediately  called 
out  by  the  leaders  on  the  ground  that  the 
employers  were  not  fulfiling  their  part  of  the 
contract.  A  few  days  later  an  attempt  was 
made  to  get  up  a  sympathetic  strike,  but  it  was 
only  partially  successful,  there  being  a  wide- 
spread impression  that  the  striking  employes 
had  violated  their  agreement.  On  September 
7  the  unions  involved  voted  almost  unani- 
mously to  continue  the  strike,  but  a  day  later 
(September  8)  the  officials  of  the  order  called 
it  off  and  there  was  an  immediate  rush,  on  the 
part  of  the  employes,  to  secure  their  old  places 
without  change  of  wages.  The  strike,  which 
lasted  51  days,  had  affected  50,000  workmen 
engaged  in  the  different  packing  industries  of 
the  country,  of  whom  20,000  belonged  to  the 
city  of  Chicago",  besides  6,000  connected  with 
other  trades.  A  newspaper  estimate  of  the  loss 
in  wages  by  Chicago  employes  during  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  strike  places  the  sum  at 
$2,680,000,  against  which  they  had  received  in 
benefits  from  other  organizations  $115,000.  The 
loss  to  packers  in  the  same  time  is  estimated 
by  the  same  authority  at  $6,250,000;  to  stock- 
men, $2,750,000;  to  the  Union  Stock  Yards, 
$150,000,  and  to  the  railroads  $550,000,— making 
a  total  of  $12,380,000.  This  estimate,  while  in 
some  respects  possibly  exaggerated,  does  not 
include  the  loss  to  the  general  public  in  the 
increased  cost  of  food  products,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  inconvenience  caused  by  inability  to 
procure  supplies  while  the  strike  lasted,  nor 
the  suffering  caused  to  many  of  the  strikers' 
families.  When  it  is  remembered  that  the 
strikers  gained  no  advantage  either  in  the  mat- 
ter of  wages  or  hours  of  labor,  this  will  take 
rank  as  one  of  the  most  disastrous  strikes  in 
history. 

EARLY  NEWSPAPERS  OF  CHICAGO.— (See 
Newspapers,  Early,  Hist.  Encyc.  of  111.,  p. 
398.) 

WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION,  1893.— 
(See  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  Hist. 
Encyc.  of  111.,  pp.  600-601.) 


CHAPTER    XX. 


CHRONOLOGY    OF    IMPORTANT   EVENTS. 


Among  the  more  important  events  in  local 
history  may  be  enumerated  the  following: 

1803. — Fort  Dearborn  established. 

1804. — First  permanent  white  settler,  John 
Kinzie,  arrives. 

1805. — First  Masonic  Lodge  organized. 

1812. —  (June  15)    Fort  Dearborn  Massacre. 

1816. — Fort  Dearborn  rebuilt. 

1823. —  (July  20)  First  marriage,  Dr.  Alex- 
ander Wolcott  to  Ellen  M.  Kinzie,  celebrated  in 
Chicago. 

1825. —  (Sept.  6)  Chicago  becomes  a  precinct 
of  Peoria  County;  (Oct.  9)  Isaac  McCoy 
preaches  the  first  Protestant  sermon  in  Chicago. 

1826 — (August  7)   First  election  in  Chicago. 

1829. — First  ferry  established  at  Lake  Street. 

1830. — City  surveyed  and  platted  by  Canal 
Commissioners;  first  bridge  across  South 
Branch  erected  near  Randolph  Street. 

1831. —  (Jan.  15)  Cook  County  created  by  act 
of  the  Legislature;  first  county  roads  estab- 
lished (State  Street,  Archer  Avenue,  Madison 
Street  and  Ogden  Avenue) ;  first  Methodist  class 
organized;  first  Postoffice  established. 

1832. — First  street  leading  to  lake  laid  out; 
first  bridge  over  North  Branch  erected;  first 
Sunday  School  organized;  period  of  Black 
Hawk  War;  visitation  of  cholera. 

1833. — First  Catholic  church  (May  5)  organ- 
ized; first  Presbyterian  church  (June  26) 
organized;  (August  10)  Village  Government 
organized;  (Nov.  26)  first  issue  of  "Chicago 
Democrat." 

1834. — First  drawbridge  across  Chicago  River 
constructed  at  Dearborn  Street;  first  Episcopal 
service  in  Chicago. 

1835. — Government  Land  Office  opened  at 
Chicago — James  Whitlock,  Register,  and  E.  D. 
Taylor,  Receiver;  first  court-house  erected; 
first  fire  company  (the  Pioneer)  organized. 

1836. — Work  on  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
Canal  inaugurated  (July  4)  at  Bridgeport,  Dr. 
W.  B.  Egan,  delivering  the  address;  Fort  Dear- 
born permanently  evacuated ;  first  Odd  Fellows' 
Lodge  organized. 

1837. — City  incorporated,  March  4;    first  city 


678 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


election,  March  31;  first  theatrical  entertain- 
ment. 

1839.— (April  9)  First  daily  paper  (the  "Chi- 
cago American")  commenced  publication;  first 
book  printed  in  Chicago  by  Stephen  F.  Gale 
("Scammon's  Compilation  of  Public  and  Gen- 
eral Laws  of  Illinois"). 

1840. — New  market-house  (corner  of  State 
and  Lake  Streets)  opened;  bridge  across  river 
at  Clark  Street  built. 

1841. — Bridge  across  river  at  Wells  Street 
built. 

1842. — First  propeller  built  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan; first  water-works  put  in  operation;  negro 
sold  at  auction  (Nov.  '14). 

1843 — Rush  Medical  College  established; 
Board  of  Trade  organized. 

1844. — First  meat  packed  for  a  foreign  mar- 
ket; (April  22)  first  issue  of  the  "Chicago 
Daily  Journal." 

1845 — First  public  school  building  completed 
and  opened. 

1846. — Chicago  made  a  port  of  entry — first 
Collector  of  the  Port  appointed. 

1846-48. — Mexican  War.  Chicago  furnished 
two  companies  (B  and  K)  for  the  First  Regi- 
ment (Col.  John  J.  Hardin's)  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, one  company  (F)  for  the  Fifth  Regi- 
ment (Col.  Newby's),  and  a  number  of  recruits 
for  the  Sixth. 

1847. — River  and  Harbor  Convention  held  in 
Chicago;  first  theater  (John  B.  Rice's)  opened. 

1848. — First  telegraphic  dispatch  received  at 
Chicago;  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  opened 
to  La  Salle;  first  grain  elevator  erected;  first 
regular  cattle  market  established;  first  railroad 
(10-mile  section  of  Galena  &  Chicago  Union) 
opened. 

1849. — Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad 
opened  to  Elgin;  great  flood  in  the  Chicago 
River. 

1850. — City  lighted  by  gas  for  first  time. 

1852. — First  Eastern  Railway  (Michigan 
Southern)  opened. 

1853.— First  Southern  Railway  (Chicago  & 
Rock  Island)  opened  to  Peru;  new  court  house 
occupied;  city  water-works  put  in  operation. 

1855. —  (December  28)  Main  line  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad  between  Chicago  and  Cairo  com- 
pleted. 

1858. — Paid  Fire  Department  organized. 

1859.— First  Street  Railroad  (State  Street 
line)  opened. 

1860. — Republican    National    Convention    in 


Chicago  (May  16)  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln 
for  the  Presidency;  Steamer  Lady  Elgin 
wrecked  off  Milwaukee  (Nov.  7)  297  lives,  out 
of  393  persons  on  board,  lost. 

1861. —  (June  3)  Senator  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
dies  in  Chicago. 

1861-65. — Period  of  the  Civil  War;  citizens  of 
Chicago  and  Cook  County  contributed,  in  whole 
or  in  part,  to  the  organization  of  23  regiments 
of  infantry,  seven  of  cavalry,  and  11  companies 
of  artillery — number  of  troops  furnished  by 
Cook  County,  22,436. 

1864. — Camp  Douglas  conspiracy  exposed. 

1867. — Lake  tunnel  completed  and  new  water- 
works system  inaugurated. 

1868.— (May  21)  Republican  National  Con- 
vention at  Chicago  nominated  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant 
for  President  and  Schuyler  Colfax  for  Vice- 
President. 

1869. — Park  System  inaugurated. 

1871.— The  Great  Fire  (October  8-9)  2,024 
acres  burned  over;  18,000  buildings  destroyed; 
property  loss  estimated  at  $187,000,000. 

1875. — City  government  reorganized  under 
General  Incorporation  Act. 

1877. — Great  Railroad  Strike  at  Chicago. 

1880. —  (June  2)  Republican  National  Con- 
vention meets  in  Chicago;  James  A.  Garfield 
nominated  for  President  June  7. 

1884. —  (June  3)  Republican  National  Conven- 
tion meets  in  Chicago;  James  G.  Blaine  nomi- 
nated for  President  and  John  A.  Logan  for 
Vice-President;  (July  10)  Democratic  National 
Convention  in  Chicago  nominated  Grover  Cleve- 
land for  President. 

1886. — Haymarket  Riot  (May  4)  growing  out 
of  a  labor  strike  begun  at  the  McCormick 
Reaper  Works  in  February  previous;  sixty- 
seven  policemen  wounded  (of  whom  seven 
died)  by  the  explosion  of  a  bomb  thrown  by 
the  rioters.  In  (the  trials  which  followed, 
seven  of  the  leading  rioters  were  condemned 
to  death  and  one  to  fifteen  years'  imprison- 
ment. Of  those  condemned  to  death,  one  com- 
mitted suicide,  four  were  executed  (Nov.  11, 
1887)  and  the  sentences  of  two  were  commuted 
to  life  imprisonment. 

1887. —  (October  2)  Lincoln  Statue  unveiled 
in  Lincoln  Park. 

1888. —  (June  20)  Republican  National  Con- 
vention in  Chicago;  Benjamin  Harrison  nomi- 
nated for  President. 

1889.— (June  29)  Hyde  Park,  Lake  Township, 
Jefferson  and  Lake  View  annexed  to  the  city 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


679 


of  Chicago;  (Nov.  21)  phenomenally  dark  day 
in  Chicago — lights  used  at  noon. 

1890. — University  of  Chicago  endowed  by 
J.  D.  Rockefeller  with  gift  of  $1,600,000. 

1891. —  (July  22)  Unveiling  of  Grant  Eques- 
trian statue  in  Lincoln  Park. 

1892.— (September  3)  Work  on  Drainage 
Canal  inaugurated;  World's  Fair  Site  dedicated 
October  21. 

1893. — The  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
formally  opened  May  1 — officially  closed  Oct. 
30;  Mayor  Carter  Harrison  assassinated  Octo- 
ber 27;  Gov.  Altgeld  pardoned  the  three  an- 
archists connected  with  the  Haymarket  Mas- 
sacre who  were  serving  life  terms  in  the  State 
Penitentiary. 

1900. — Drainage  Canal  opened  for  flow  of 
water  from  Lake  Michigan  into  the  Des  Plaines 
and  the  Illinois  Rivers. 

1904.— (June  21-23)  Republican  National  Con- 
vention held  in  Chicago,  nominating  Theodore 
Roosevelt  for  President  and  Charles  W.  Fair- 
banks for  Vice-President. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


OLD    SETTLERS'    ORGANIZATIONS. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  CHICAGO'S  EARLY  SETTLERS — 
PROBLEMS  THEY  HAD  TO  MEET CHICAGO  HIS- 
TORICAL SOCIETY — ITS  OBJECT,  HISTORY  AND 
MEMBERSHIP — FIRST  OLD  SETTLERS'  SOCIETY — 
CALUMET  CLUB  OLD  SETTLERS'  REUNIONS — 

PIONEERS    OF    CHICAGO PIONEERS'    SONS    AND 

DAUGHTERS'  SOCIETY — LIST  OF  MEMBERS — THE 
SONS  OF  CHICAGO OLD  TIME  PRINTERS'  ASSO- 
CIATION  OLD  SETTLERS'  CLUB  OF  WILLIAMS 

STREET GERMAN  OLD  SETTLERS'  PICNIC. 


Chicago  was  peculiarly  fortunate  in  having 
for  its  early  settlers  men  of  sterling  worth  and 
of  mental  as  well  as  physical  ability,  who 
held  an  abiding  faith  in  their  chosen  place  of 
abode  and  labored  for  its  ultimate  success. 
Undaunted  by  the  hardships  that  naturally 
beset  every  initiative  effort  in  establishing  a 


home  in  the  wilderness,  nerved  to  repulse  the 
encroachments  of  Indians,  wild  animals,  and 
unusually  severe  winters,  they  struggled  on, 
each  performing  the  task  laid  out  for  him, 
sustained  by  an  indomitable  will  that  remained 
steadfast  under  every  discouraging  circum- 
stance. That  was  the  material  of  which  the 
pioneers  of  Chicago  were  made,  and  by  which 
was  rendered  possible  the  Empire  City  of  the 
West.  And  these  men  who,  as  it  were,  blazed 
the  way  to  civilization  and  all  that  the  word 
stands  for,  are  most  worthy  of  earnest  con- 
sideration and  all  the  honor  that  can  be 
accorded  them. 

The  present  generation  is  only  too  apt  to 
look  upon  the  city's  existing  prosperous  state 
with  a  prejudiced  eye,  losing  sight  of  the  early 
efforts  which  made  that  condition  possible.  It 
is  prone  to  overlook  the  battles  waged  by  its 
ancestors  in  laying  the  foundation  of  present 
day  prosperity,  and  to  place  the  credit  more  to 
the  present  than  to  the  past.  Through  the  mist 
of  years  it  loses  sight  of  the  importance  of 
those  early  struggles  that  were  so  productive  of 
good.  Once  the  corner-stone  was  laid,  the 
underbrush  of  savagery  cleared  away,  it  was  a 
comparatively  easy  matter  to  proceed  with  the 
task,  stupendous  as  it  was  at  the  beginning. 

And  now,  after  the  years  have  winged  their 
way  to  the  past — after  the  struggles,  the  con- 
tentions, the  privations,  have  been  relegated  to 
the  storage  room  of  their  memories — the  old 
settlers  have  transferred  the  burden  of  civili- 
zation to  the  shoulders  of  the  younger  genera- 
tion, content  in  the  knowledge  that  they, 
themselves,  have  builded  well.  But  a  certain 
spirit  of  restlessness,  inculcated  in  youthful 
days,  still  makes  itself  evident,  and  a  longing 
occasionally  comes  to  live  over  the  past,  even 
though  it  be  only  in  imagination,  to  dig  up 
those  memories  laid  away  in  the  mental  store- 
room, and  to  exchange  reminiscences  with 
old-time  comrades.  That  is  the  incentive  that 
has  caused  the  organization  of  various  old 
settlers'  societies  throughout  the  city.  "Youth 
lives  in  the  future,  middle  age  in  the  present, 
old  age  in  the  past."  And  it  is  only  appro- 
priate that  some  recognition  of  these  societies, 
organized  to  perpetuate  a  feeling  of  comrade- 
ship, the  promotion  of  social  life,  and  more 
thoroughly  to  Cement  the  ties  that  bind  the 
present  with  the  past,  should  be  given  some 
definite  as  well  as  permanent  form  in  the  city's 
history. 


68o 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


THE  CHICAGO  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

When  a  city  has  passed  its  one-hundredth 
milestone,  there  is  a  peculiar  interest  attached 
to  its  early  history  and  the  circumstances 
which  have  made  its  present  position  among  the 
world's  leading  cities  possible.  The  preserva- 
tion of  early  records  becomes  of  paramount 
importance  and  the  contributions  to  its  pioneer 
history  have  a  value  that  will  be  at  once 
recognized  by  the  historiographer. 

As  far  back  as  1856  the  idea  of  collecting 
the  records  of  Chicago's  local  history,  as  well 
as  the  preservation  of  material  relating  to  the 
early  days  and  growth  of  the  State,  was  con- 
ceived by  Rev.  William  Barry,  and  it  was  prin- 
cipally through  his  well-directed  efforts  that 
the  Chicago  Historical  Society  was  organized 
on  the  24th  of  April,  1856.  The  following 
officers  were  at  that  time  elected:  William  H. 
Brown,  President;  William  B.  Ogden  and  J. 
Young  Scammon,  Vice-Presidents;  S.  D.  Ward, 
Treasurer;  William  Barry,  Recording  Secre- 
tary; Charles  H.  Ray,  Corresponding  Secretary. 
In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  the  following 
were  the  charter  members  of  the  Society: 
Mark  Skinner,  M.  Brayman,  George  Manierre, 
John  H.  Kinzie,  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney,  Isaac  N. 
Arnold,  E.  I.  Tinkham,  J.  D.  Webster,  W.  A. 
Smallwood,  Van  H.  Higgins,  N.  S.  Davis,  M.  D. 
Ogden,  F.  Scammon,  Ezra  B.  McCagg,  and 
Luther  Haven — a  list  of  most  distinguished  and 
influential  Chicago  ciitzens. 

The  objects  of  the  Society  are  first,  the 
establishment  of  a  library;  second,  the  collec- 
tion, into  a  safe  and  permanent  depository,  of 
manuscripts  and  documents  of  historical  value; 
third,  to  encourage  the  investigation  of  aborigi- 
nal remains ;  and  fourth,  to  collect  and  preserve 
such  historical  materials  as  should  serve  to 
illustrate  the  settlement  and  growth  of  Chi- 
cago. At  the  time  of  the  destructive  fire  of 
1871  the  Society  occupied  a  commodious  brick 
building  on  its  present  site,  at  the  corner  of 
Dearborn  Avenue  and  Ontario  Street,  where, 
under  the  intelligent  management  of  its  Secre- 
tary, Dr.  Barry,  had  been  collected  a  library 
of  14,000  volumes  and  priceless  treasures  in 
manuscripts  and  records,  including  the  Emanci- 
pation Proclamation,  in  the  handwriting  of 
President  Lincoln  and  his  signature.  The  dev- 
astating flames  swept  everything  away.  Sub- 
sequently another  building  was  erected,  but  it 
met  a  similar  fate  in  the  conflagration  of  1874. 


Undaunted,  however,  by  these  repeated  dis- 
asters, the  Society's  friends  once  more  began 
the  collection  of  books  and  material  and,  in 
1877,  a  third  building  was  erected,  and  the  col- 
lection of  valuable  documents,  books  and  accu- 
mulations was  resumed,  continuing  until  the 
quarters  had  become  too  small  for  their  proper 
storage,  when  it  was  decided  to  build  a  struc- 
ture more  suitable  to  the  demands  of  the 
Society. 

In  1896  a  magnificent  edifice  was  built — the 
most  perfect  fire  proof  building  in  the  world — 
at  a  cost  of  $150,000,  and  it  stands  today  as  a 
monument  to  the  industry,  perseverance,  and 
energy  of  Chicago's  citizens.  Among  the  So- 
ciety's three  hundred  members  are  to  be  found 
the  city's  prominent  pioneers,  who  have  been 
identified  with  Chicago's  best  interests  ever 
since  the  days  of  its  struggling  infancy.  The 
full  list  of  members  follows: 

Levi  Z.  Leiter,  Sarah  McClintock,  Nettie  F. 
McCormick,  Samuel  M.  Nickerson,  Daniel  K. 
Pearsons,  Byron  L.  Smith,  John  M.  Adams, 
Edwards  E.  Ayer,  Eliphalet  W.  Blatchford, 
George  M.  Bogue,  Henry  I.  Cobb,  Richard  T. 
Crane,  George  L.  Dunlap,  William  W.  Farnum, 
John  V.  Farwell,  Marshall  Field,  Henry  Greene- 
baum,  Henry  H.  Honore,  Charles  L.  Hutchin- 
son,  Samuel  H.  Kerfoot,  Jr.,  Joseph  Leiter, 
Jessie  B.  Lloyd,  Frank  O.  Lowden,  Henry  C. 
Lytton,  Ezra  B.  McCagg,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick, 
Jr.,  William  B.  Ogden,  Benjamin  V.  Page, 
Honore  Palmer,  William  J.  Quan,  Martin  A. 
Ryerson,  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  Catharina  O.  Seipp, 
Jesse  Spalding,  George  C.  Walker,  Elias  T. 
Watkins,  Frederick  H.  Winston,  George  E. 
Adams,  Charles  C.  Adsit,  Albert  Antisdel, 
Edward  D.  Appleton,  George  A.  Armour,  Ed- 
ward P.  Bailey,  Alfred  L.  Baker,  Henry  C. 
Bannard,  Frederick  Barnard,  Charles  J.  Barnes, 
Henry  Bartholomay,  Jr.,  Adolphus  C.  Bartlett, 
Enos  M.  Barton,  William  G.  Beale,  Anita  M. 
Blaine,  Edward  T.  Blair  Fred  M.  Blount, 
Joseph  T.  Bowen,  J.  Harley  Bradley,  George  P. 
Braun,  James  C.  Brooks,  Edward  O.  Brown, 
William  J.  Bryson,  Ebenezer  Buckingham,  John 
W.  Bunn,  Augustus  H.  Burley,  Le  Grand  S. 
Burton,  Augustus  A.  Carpenter,  George  B.  Car- 
penter, Kate  S.  Caruthers,  William  J.  Chalmers, 
Hobart  Chatfield-Taylor,  Lewis  L.  Coburn,  Milo 
L.  Coffeen,  Charles  Colahan,  Charles  H.  Con- 
over,  Charles  R.  Crane,  Charles  C.  Curtiss, 
Edward  T.  Gushing,  Nathan  S.  Davis,  Luther  M. 
Dearborn,  Charles  Deering,  William  Deering, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


68 1 


Annie  L.  DeKoven,  Frederick  A.  Delano, 
Thomas  Dent,  Albert  B.  Dick,  Albert  Dickin- 
son, Arthur  Dixon,  William  F.  Dummer,  Elliott 
Durand,  Sidney  C.  Eastman,  Max  Eberhardt, 
Augustus  N.  Eddy,  John  M.  Ewen,  Granger  Far- 
well,  John  V.  Farwell,  Jr.,  George  H.  Fergus, 
George  H.  Ferry,  Eugene  H.  Fishburn,  Lucius 
G.  Fisher,  Walter  L.  Fisher,  Archibald  E.  Freer, 
Oliver  F.  Fuller,  William  A.  Fuller,  John  J. 
Glessner,  Ralph  S.  Greenlee,  Otto  Gresham, 
Charles  F.  Gunther,  William  W.  Gurley,  David 
G.  Hamilton,  George  B.  Harris,  Norman  W. 
Harris,  Carter  H.  Harrison,  William  P.  Harri- 
son, Frank  W.  Harvey,  Frederick  T.  Haskell, 
Franklin  H.  Head,  Wallace  Heckman,  Harlow 
N.  Higinbotham,  Annie  M.  Hitchcock,  John  P. 
Hopkins,  Christoph  Hotz,  Charles  H.  Hulburd, 
Robert  W.  Hunt,  William  J.  Hynes,  Samuel 
Insull,  Ralph  N.  Isham,  John  F.  Jameson, 
John  N.  Jewett,  David  B.  Jones,  Joseph  R. 
Jones,  Thomas  D.  Jones,  Albert  Keep,  Chaun- 
cey  Keep,  William  E.  Kelley,  William  D.  Ker- 
foot,  Eugene  S.  Kimball,  William  W.  Kimball, 
Francis  King,  John  B.  Kirk,  Herman  H.  Kohl- 
saat,  George  H.  Laflin,  Bryan  Lathrop,  Dwight 
Lawrence,  Victor  F.  Lawson,  Albert  T.  Lay, 
Thies  J  Lefens,  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  John  B. 
Lord,  Harold  F.  McCormick,  Robert  H.  McCor- 
mick,  Robert  S.  McCormick,  Stanley  McCor- 
mick,  George  A.  McKinlock,  Franklin  Me- 
Veagh,  Lafayette  McWilliams,  Levy  Mayer, 
George  Merryweather,  Luther  L.  Mills,  James 
H.  Moore,  Fred  W.  Morgan,  Joy  Morton,  Adolph 
Moses,  Alfred  H.  Mulliken,  Charles  H.  Mulli- 
ken,  Walter  C.  Newberry,  Jacob  Newman,  La 
Verne  W.  Noyes,  John  A.  Orb,  Ferdinand  W. 
Peck,  Erskine  M.  Phelps,  Eugene  S.  Pike,  Char- 
lotte W.  Pitkin,  Henry  H.  Porter,  Sartell  Pren- 
tice, Norman  B.  Ream,  William  H.  Rehm,  Dan- 
iel G.  Reid,  Edward  P.  Ripley,  Robert  W.  Rolo- 
son,  Maurice  Rosenfeld,  Harry  Rubens,  John 
S.  Runnells,  Edward  L.  Ryerson,  Harry  L.  Say- 
ler,  Frederick  M.  Schmidt,  Richard  E.  Schmidt, 
Frank  H.  Scott,  Caroline  R.  G.  Scott,  John  A. 
Scudder,  William  C.  Seipp,  Elizabeth  Skinner, 
Frederika  Skinner,  Delavan  Smith,  Frederick 

B.  Smith,  Orson  Smith,  John  A.  Spoor,  Albert 
A.    Sprague,   Otho   S.  A.   Sprague,   Lucretia  J. 
Tilton,    Lambert    Tree,     Charles    H.    Wacker, 
Henry  H.  Walker,  William  B.  Walker,  Thomas 
S.  Wallin,  Ezra  J.  Warner,  David  S.  Wegg,  John 

C.  Welling,  Frances  S.  Willing,  John  P.  Wilson, 
Frederick    S.    Winston,    John    H.   Wrenn,    Mar- 
garet M.  O'Donoghue,  Charles  F.  Adams,  Henry 


W.  Blodgett,  Isaac  Craig,  Shelby  M.  Cullom, 
Andrew  S.  Draper,  Desire  Girouard,  William  E. 
McLaren,  Charles  Rogers,  Adlai  E.  Stevenson, 
William  L.  Stone,  Jr.,  Samuel  D.  Ward,  F.  Cope 
Whitehouse,  Henry  C.  L.  Anderson,  Perry  A. 
Armstrong,  George  H.  Baker,  Edmund  M.  Bar- 
ton, Oliver,  L.  Baskin,  Hiram  W.  Beckwith, 
John  H.  Beers,  Rufus  Blanchard,  Daniel  Bon- 
bright,  Benjamin  N.  Bond,  Henry  R.  Boss,  Ben- 
jamin L.  T.  Bourland,  Wesley  R.  Brink,  Ed- 
mund Bruwaert,  John  H.  Burnham,  Francis 
Cantelo,  Charles  C.  Chapman,  Francis  M.  Chap- 
man, Oscar  W.  Collet,  John  W.  DePeyster, 
Charles  H.  G.  Douglas,  Daniel  O.  Drennan, 
Jacob  P.  Dunn,  Jr.,  Reuben  T.  Durrett,  Francis 
A.  Eastman,  Bernhard  Felsenthal,  Jacob  Fouke, 
Marian  S.  Franklin,  Asa  B.  Gardner,  Charles 
Gilpin,  Richard  A.  Gilpin,  Edward  Goodman 
Nelly  K.  Gordon,  Samuel  A.  Green,  Ossian 
Guthrie,  William  Harden,  Robert  J.  Harmer, 
Charles  Harpel,  Henry  H.  Hill,  Adolphus  S. 
Hubbard,  William  B.  Isham,  Dwight  H.  Kelton, 
William  H.  Kimball,  Henry  C.  Kinney,  George 
S.  Knapp,  Edward  F.  Leonard,  Benjamin  F. 
Lewis,  John  T.  Long,  Anthony  J.  Ludlam,  David 
R.  McCord,  James  J.  McGovern,  Eliza,  Meachem, 
Peter  A.  Menard,  William  A.  R.  Mitchell,  Will- 
iam J.  Onahan,  Nathan  H.  Parker,  Stephen  D. 
Peet,  William  H.  Perrin,  Lily  M.  Redmond, 
James  A.  Rose,  Julius  Rosenthal,  John  C.  Smith, 
Perry  H.  Smith,  Jr.,  John  F.  Steward,  James  S. 
Swearingen,  Edward  S.  Thacher,  Reuben  G. 
Thwaites,  Caleb  B.  Tillinghast,  George  P.  Up- 
ton, Addison  Van  Name,  Thomas  A.  M.  Ward, 
Townsend  Ward,  Winslow  C.  Watson,  Albert 
E.  Wells,  Garland  N.  Whistler,  Samuel  Willard, 
James  G.  Wilson,  James  W.  Wood. 


THE  FIRST  OLD   SETTLERS'   SOCIETY. 


The  organization  of  the  first  "Old  Settlers' 
Society"  took  place  before  the  fire  of  1871.  It 
had  headquarters  in  what  was  then  known  as 
Rice's  building,  and  the  following  constituted 
its  officers:  William  Jones,  President;  J.  H. 
Kinzie,  Vice-President;  G.  W.  Dole,  Treasurer; 
G.  T.  Pearson,  Secretary.  Later  John  Calhoun 
was  Treasurer.  William  Jones,  the  President, 
was  the  father  of  Fernando  Jones.  Mr.  Kinzie 
and  Mr.  Dole  were  ex-Mayors  of  Chicago,  and 
John  Calhoun  was  the  original  editor  of  the 


682 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


old  "Chicago  Democrat."  The  following  account 
of  a  meeting  held  to  organize  an  Old  Settlers' 
Society  is  from  the  "Chicago  Tribune"  of 
January  20,  1871: 

"There  have  been  several  spasmodic  at- 
tempts in  this  city  to  permanently  organize 
an  old  settlers'  society,  but  hitherto  without 
success.  About  three  years  ago  a  number 
of  'Old  Folks'  put  their  venerable  heads 
together,  but  beyond  having  a  good  old-fash- 
ioned festival,  and  a  social  reunion,  accom- 
plished nothing.  There  are  several  cities 
where  the  pioneer  residents  have  permanent 
organizations,  and  at  the  recurrence  of  each 
dull  winter  season  they  enjoy  themselves 
in  real  old-time  style.  Among  the  prominent 
societies  of  this  kind  is  that  at  Buffalo,  where 
a  round  of  fun,  lasting  from  three  to  four 
days,  is  indulged  in  in  the  winter,  by  old  and 
young,  and  where  all  the  old  fashions  worn 
by  the  parents  and  grandparents  of  the 
members  of  the  Society,  are  exhibited  to  the 
wondering  eyes  of  the  young  people. 

"The  new  movement,  begun  so  auspiciously 
last  evening,  looks  toward  a  permanent  organ- 
ization, and  as  a  natural  result,  plenty  of 
fun,  such  as  the  Old  Settlers  can  engage  in. 
Soon  we  shall  have  Old  Folks'  concerts,  balls, 
suppers,  etc.,  and  there  are  plenty  of  old 
time  people  to  participate  in  them. 

"Agreeably  to  a  call  in  the  newspapers  a 
goodly  number  of  Chicago's  oldest  residents 
gathered  in  Parlor  No.  1,  Tremont  House,  last 
evening.  Such  an  assemblage  of  white  and 
gray-haired  men,  some  with  bald  crowns  glis- 
tening in  the  gas-light,  has  rarely  been  wit- 
nessed in  these  parts. 

"On  motion  of  Hon.  John  Wentworth,  G.  S. 
Hubbard  was  called  to  the  chair;  Mr.  Went- 
worth was  made  Secretary,  and  L.  P.  Hilliard 
Assistant  Secretary. 

"It  was  suggested  that  a  list  of  those  pres- 
ent, and  who  came  to  Chicago  previous  to 
1843,  be  taken  in,  and  it  was  found  that  the 
following  were  present,  the  years  preceding 
their  names  indicating  when  they  came  to 
Chicago:  1818,  G.  S.  Hubbard;  1825,  Joseph 
Robertson;  1826,  W.  Marshall,  Julius  M.  War- 
ren; 1833,  Joseph  Meeker,  Ezekiel  Morrison, 
L.  Hugunin,  S.  B.  Cobb,  Captain  John  M. 
Turner,  Dr.  J.  H.  Foster;  1834,  Robinson 
Tripp;  1835,  K.  K.  Jones,  J.  H.  Rees,  Tuttle 
King,  Fernando  Jones,  John  C.  Haines,  S.  L. 


Brown,  William  H.  Clark,  H.  H.  Magee,  H.  P. 
Murphy,  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer,  H.  O.  Stone,  E.  K. 
Rogers,  Seth  Wadhams,  J.  K.  Murphy;  1836, 
John  Wentworth,  L.  P.  Hillard,  A.  B.  Wheeler, 
M.  L.  Satterlee,  David  Follansbee,  B.  W.  Ray- 
mond, L.  C.  P.  Freer,  H.  L.  Stewart,  Redmond 
Prindiville,  S.  P.  Warner,  M.  C.  Stearns, 
Orrin  Sherman;  1837,  Matthew  Laflin,  J.  C. 
Walter,  William  Wayman,  Thomas  Hoyne, 
C.  N.  Holden,  John  M.  Van  Osdel,  Peter  Page, 
John  Gray;  1838,  A.  J.  Willard,  C.  R.  Vander- 
cook,  H.  W.  Clark;  1839,  Isaac  Speer,  C.  G. 
Wicker,  Henry  Fuller,  0.  W.  Stoughten,  John 
A.  Oliver  A.  W.  Gray,  N.  Scranton,  Nat  Saw- 
yer; 1840,  R.  W.  Patterson,  M.  B.  Clancy; 
1841,  George  Anderson;  1842,  William  Blair, 
O.  Lunt,  Henry  Warrington,  William  M. 
Ingalls,  J.  F.  Irwin. 

"On  motion  of  K.  K.  Jones,  the  Chairman 
and  Secretaries  were  appointed  a  Committee 
to  draft  a  Constitution,  to  be  presented  at  a 
future  meeting.  On  motion  of  John  C.  Haines, 
the  meeting  adjourned,  subject  to  the  call 
of  the  Committee  on  Constitution.  It  is 
expected  that  the  next  meeting  will  be  held 
in  about  two  weeks,  when  the  organization 
will  be  perfected." 

On  February  7,  1871,  the  following  notice  was 
inserted  in  the  newspapers: 

"All  residents  of  the  original  county  of 
Cook,  prior  to  the  adoption  of  the  city  char- 
ter, and  all  voters  of  the  city  of  Chicago 
prior  to  the  first  day  of  January,  1843,  are 
invited  to  meet  at  Parlor  No.  1,  Tremont 
House,  on  Thursday  evening,  Feb.  9,  at  7 
o'clock,  to  hear  the  report  of  the  Committee 
appointed  to  prepare  a  Constitution. 

"G.  S.  HUBBARD, 
"JOHN    WENTWORTH, 
"L.  P.  HILLIARD, 

"Committee." 

The  Tribune  made  the  following  report  of  the 
meeting  in  its  issue  of  February  10: 

"An  adjourned  and  largely  attended  meet- 
ing of  the  Old  Settlers  of  Chicago  was  held 
in  the  ladies'  ordinary  of  the  Tremont  House 
last  evening. 

"A  more  venerable  assembly  has  rarely 
taken  place  here,  and  the  collection  of  white, 
gray,  and  bald  heads  was  one  such  as  is 
seldom  seen  anywhere.  G.  S.  Hubbard,  Esq., 
the  oldest  settler  present,  called  the  meet- 


J 


V 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


683 


ing  to  order,  and  reported  that  the  Commit- 
tee on  Constitution  had  examined  the  Con- 
stitutions of  old  settlers'  societies  in  other 
places,  and  had  prepared  one  for  considera- 
tion. 

"Hon.  John  Wentworth  read  the  Constitu- 
tion, which  is,  in  brief  as  follows: 

"The  name  to  be  the  Old  Settlers'  Society 
of  Chicago. 

"Object. — To  cultivate  social  intercourse, 
friendship,  union,  and  the  collection  of  and 
preservation  of  information. 

"Members  to  be  only  residents  of  Cook 
County  prior  to  the  adoption  of  the  charter 
ofi  Chicago,  and  those  voters  resident  in 
Cook  County  prior  to  January  1,  1843.  The 
time  may  be  extended  every  third  year  by  a 
vote  of  three-fourths  of  the  members  present 
at  an  auuual  meeting. 

"Ladies  who  have  been  here  since  1843 
are  made  honorary  members. 

"Any  members  of  the  Society  may  register 
the  number  of  their  family  as  junior  mem- 
bers of  the  Society. 

"The  officers  shall  be  a  President,  Vice- 
President,  Corresponding  Secretary,  Treas- 
urer, and  eight  Directors  (who,  with  the 
President,  shall  constitute  a  board  of  nine 
members),  a  Recording  Secretary,  and  a  His- 
toriographer, and  such  others  as  may  be 
provided  for  in  the  by-laws.  All  the  officers 
shall  be  elected  annually. 

"The  duties  of  the  officers  are  denned  at 
length.  The  Directors  shall  meet  upon  the 
call  of  the  President,  and  a  majority  may 
call  a  meeting  of  the  board  or  society.  No 
debts  shall  be  contracted  or  bills  paid  with- 
out the  sanction  of  the  Directors. 

"Four  times  the  amount  of  the  initiation 
fee  paid  by  an  old  settler  constitutes  him  a 
life  member. 

"After  some  discussion  a  motion  of  Mr. 
B.  T.  Lee  to  fix  the  initiation  fee  at  $10  was 
carried,  and  then  a  reconsideration  was  had. 
Another  colloquy,  facetious  and  sincere  in  its 
nature,  followed,  and  the  amount  necessary 
for  the  entrance  fee  into  the  Society  was 
fixed  at  $10. 

"A  letter  from  Hon.  Carlile  Mason,  express- 
ing a  desire  to  join  the  Society,  was  read. 
He  had  been  a  resident  of  Chicago  since  1842. 

"The  Constitution  was  then  signed  by  the 
following  gentlemen:  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard, 
J.  W.  Poole,  L.  Nichols,  James  A.  Marshall, 


Philo  Carpenter,  Joseph  Meeker,  Alexander 
Beaubien,  A.  D.  Taylor,  Hibbard  Porter, 
Asahel  Pierce,  Samuel  Wayman,  Rev.  J.  E. 
Ambrose,  Grant  Goodrich,  Bennet  Bailey,  J. 
C.  Rue,  Alexander  Wolcott,  Seth  Paine, 
James  A.  Smith,  Tuttle  King,  Jacob  Doney, 
Cyrenius  Beers,  M.  D.  Butterfield,  John  M. 
Turner,  D.  N.  Chappell,  George  Bassett, 
James  Lane,  K.  K.  Jones,  Charles  V.  Dyer, 
S.  L.  Brown,  James  Couch,  A.  B.  Wheeler, 
William  L.  Church,  Daniel  Worthington,  A. 
Follansbee,  J.  T.  Durant,  Jacob  Morgan, 
Charles  Harding,  James  M.  Hannahs,  Elisha 
B.  Lane,  A.  S.  Sherman,  Peter  Graff,  Oren 
Sherman,  W.  W.  Smith,  C.  McDonald,  John 
W.  Weir,  M.  B.  Smith,  L.  P.  Hilliard,  John 
Wentworth,  John  Turner,  William  M.  But- 
ler, L.  A.  Doolittle,  C.  B.  Sammons,  J.  B.  Hunt, 
Matthew  Laflin,  Michael  White,  N.  S.  Cush- 
ing,  Eljiah  Smith,  Darius  Knights,  William 
Wayman,  J.  B.  Bridges,  Eugene  O'Sullivan, 
John  M.  Van  Osdel,  John  Gray,  Joel  C.  Wal- 
ters, N.  Goold,  James  B.  Hugunin,  Alonzo  J. 
Willard,  William  B.  H.  Gray,  W.  Butterfield, 
O.  L.  Lange,  Henry  Fuller,  Isaac  Speer,  John 
Oliver,  Sydney  Sawyer,  Edwin  Judson, 
Thomas  L.  Forrest,  Frederick  Burcky, 
Thomas  Speer,  James  Ward,  B.  W.  Thomas, 
Thomas  Hastie. 

"The  main  object  of  the  Society,  as  set 
forth  by  John  Wentworth,  who  was  the  prime 
mover  in  its  organization,  was  not  only  the 
social  reunion  of  old  settlers,  but  the  col- 
lection and  formulation  of  historical  facts, 
which  otherwise  would  pass  from  remem- 
brance and  be  lost. 

"The  Society  then  adjourned,  subject  to  the 
call  of  the  Committee  on  Constitution.  At 
the  next  meeting  the  officers  will  be  elected 
and  the  organization  perfected." 

During  the  following  spring  and  summer 
months  the  Society  did  not  accomplish  a  great 
deal,  either  in  holding  meetings,  or  in  the 
accumulating  of  historical  information.  Then 
came  the  all-absorbing  fire  of  October  9,  and  the 
Old  Settlers'  Society,  as  it  was  then  organized, 
ceased  to  exist,  giving  way  to  the  weightier 
problem  of  rebuilding  a  cremated  and  wholly 
dismembered  city. 


684 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


CALUMET  CLUB  OLD  SETTLERS'  REUNION. 


In  1879,  interest  began  again  to  manifest 
itself  in  the  welfare  of  Chicago's  old  settlers. 
In  that  year  several  of  the  oldest  members 
of  the  Calumet  Club,  which  had  been  organ- 
ized in  1878,  decided  to  constitute  themselves 
a  committee  to  invite  all  those  citizens  who 
had  lived  in  Chicago  prior  to  1840,  and  who 
were  over  twenty-one  years  of  age  at  the  time, 
to  attend  a  reception  at  the  club  house.  This 
restriction  was  found  to  be  necessary  at  the 
time  on  account  of  the  number  of  people  who 
would  be  otherwise  eligible.  At  the  first  recep- 
tion about  eight  hundred  pioneers  attended. 

Arrangements  for  the  first  reception  were 
made  at  the  first  annual  meeting  of  the  Calu- 
met Club,  held  May  5,  1879,  the  motion  to 
that  effect  being  presented  by  Mr.  Joel  Walter, 
seconded  by  Mr.  Charles  S.  Hutchings.  At  a 
special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Club,  held  on  May  10,  it  was,  on  motion 
of  Mr.  Augustus  M.  Eddy  and  seconded  by  Mr. 
William  Chisholm,  resolved  that  a  committee 
of  three,  to  consist  of  the  Vice-President,  Mr. 
Charles  J.  Barnes,  the  Secretary,  Mr.  Frederick 
B.  Tuttle,  and  Mr.  A.  G.  Van  Schick,  be 
appointed  with  power  to  act,  to  confer  with 
Messrs.  Silas  B.  Cobb,  Franklin  D.  Gray,  Mark 
Kimball,  James  H.  Rees,  Marcus  Stearns,  Fred- 
erick Tuttle,  and  Joel  C.  Walter,  and  to  make 
all  necessary  arrangements  for  the  reception 
to  be  given  the  old  settlers  of  Chicago.  Invi- 
tations were  at  once  issued,  and  on  the  even- 
ing of  Tuesday,  May  27,  the  settlers  of  Chicago 
began  to  assemble  in  large  numbers  at  the 
Club  house,  which  at  that  time  was  located  at 
the  corner  of  Michigan  Avenue  and  Eighteenth 
Street.  The  members  of  the  Club  were  there 
to  give  them  a  cordial  greeting,  and  by  eight 
o'clock  there  was  an  assemblage  of  Chicago's 
pioneers  that  exceeded  in  number  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  most  sanguine. 

Mr.  Cobb  called  upon  the  Rev.  Stephen  R. 
Beggs,  the  oldest  living  Chicago  clergyman, 
born  in  1801,  and  who  was  here  in  1831,  to 
make  a  prayer,  after  which  he  was  asked  to 
give  his  experiences  in  early  Chicago.  Addi- 
tional addresses  were  made  by  the  following 
pioneers:  General  Henry  Strong,  Ex-Chief 
Justice  John  Dean  Caton,  Judge  Henry  W. 
Blodgett,  Judge  James  Grant,  Hon.  John  Went- 
worth,  Judge  Grant  Goodrich,  J.  Young  Scam- 


mon,    and    Lieutenant-Governor    William    Bross. 

At  the  close  of  the  last  speech  the  guests 
were  invited  into  the  supper  room.  After 
refreshments  they  returned  to  the  original 
reception  rooms,  which  had  been  cleared  for 
dancing.  Mr.  Mark  Beaubien  took  a  position 
at  the  head  of  the  rooms  with  fiddle  in  hand, 
and  the  guests  all  went  forward  and  shook 
his  hand,  as  a  valued  friend  of  olden  times, 
and  congratulated  him  upon  his  well-preserved 
appearance  and  good  spirits.  He  sang  a  song, 
accompanied  by  his  fiddle,  in  ridicule  of  Gen- 
eral Hull's  surrender,  which  he  learned  at 
Detroit  in  1812.  Then  he  and  Gurdon  S.  Hub- 
bard  indulged  in  a  conversation  in  the  orig- 
inal Indian  tongue,  which  terminated  in  their 
giving  a  specimen  of  Indian  dancing,  to  the 
great  merriment  of  the  company. 

Hon.  John  Wentworth  assumed  the  role  of 
floor  manager  and,  with  a  voice  loud  enough 
for  the  deafest  to  hear,  called  upon  Colonel 
Julius  M.  Warren  to  lead  Silas  B.  Cobb  to  the 
head  of  the  hall  for  "Monnie  Musk."  He  called 
upon  all  those  over  seventy-five,  all  over  sixty, 
all  over  fifty-five,  and  all  over  fifty,  and  then 
requested  the  younger  members  of  the  Club 
to  stand  back  and  see  how  their  fathers  and 
grandfathers  danced  when  Mark  Beaubein 
handled  the  bow.  The  "Virginia  Reel"  and 
several  old  time  favorite  dances  were  after- 
ward gone  through  with,  and  early  incidents 
were  recalled  and  stories  told.  The  settlers 
then  took  their  leave  with  many  expressions 
of  gratitude,  hoping,  without  reasonably  expect- 
ing, that  some  day  they  might  all  meet  again. 
Their  hopes  were  destined  to  be  realized,  for 
that  was  the  first  of  a  series  of  annual  recep- 
tions given  to  the  old  settlers  by  the  Calumet 
Club,  which  continued  uninterruptedly  until 
1892. 

Of  the  old  settlers  of  Chicago  prior  to  1840 
who  attended  the  first  Calumet  Club  reception, 
one  hundred  and  forty-nine  registered  their 
names  as  follows:  William  H.  Adams,  James 
M.  Adsit,  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  Ezra  Batchelor,  Ben- 
net  Bailey,  Franklin  Baker,  William  A.  Bald- 
win, John  Balsley,  John  Bates,  Mark  Beaubien, 
Jerome  Beecher,  Stephen  R.  Beggs,  S.  Sand- 
ford  Blake,  Henry  W.  Blodgett,  Levi  D.  Boone, 
Jabez  K.  Botsford,  Erastus  E.  Bowen,  James  B. 
Bradwell,  Frederick  A.  Bryan,  Arthur  G.  Bur- 
ley,  Augustus  H.  Burley,  James  Campbell, 
Thomas  B.  Carter,  Abel  E.  Carpenter,  Philo 
Carpenter,  juiir  Dean  Caton,  William  L. 


Thei 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


685 


Church,  Henry  W.  Clarke,  L.  J.  Clarke, 
James  Couch,  Norman  Clarke,  Silas  B.  Cobb, 
Charles  Cleaver,  Isaac  Cook,  Eleazer  W. 
Densmore,  Calvin  De  Wolf,  Christian  B. 
Dodsori,  Theodorus  Doty,  Thomas  Drummond, 
Wiley  M.  Egan,  James  F.  D.  Elliott,  Albert 

C.  Ellithorpe,    Robert    Fergus,    Charles    Fol- 
lansbee,    Robert   Freeman,   L.  C.    Paine   Freer, 
Abram   Gale,    Stephen     F.     Gale,    Philetus   W. 
Gates,  George  H.  Germain,  Samuel  H.  Gilbert, 
Grant  Goodrich,  T.  W.  Goodrich,  Peter  Graff, 
Elihu    Granger,   Amos   Grannis,   James   Grant, 
Franklin  D.  Gray,  George  M.  Gray,  John  Gray, 
Joseph  H.  Gray,  William  B.  H.  Gray,  Edward 
H.  Hadduck,  Philip  A.  Hall,  Polemus  D.  Ham- 
ilton, John  L.  Hanchett,  Isaac  N.  Harmon,  John 
S.  Hawley,  William  Hickling,  Van  H.  Higgins, 
Lorin  P.   Hilliard,   Samuel   Hoard,  Charles  N. 
Holden,  Dennison  Horton,  Frederick  A.  Howe, 
Alonzo  Huntington,  Thomas  Hoyne,  Gurdon  S. 
Hubbard,   Nathaniel  A.  Jones,  Michael  Kehoe, 
Jonathan  A.  Kennicott,  Mark  Kimball,  Martin 
N.  Kimball,  Walter  Kimball,  Tuttle  King,   H. 
W.  Knickerbocker,  Elisha  B.  Lane,  James  Lane, 
William    Lock,    Horatio    G.    Loomis,    Edward 
Manierre,   James   A.    Marshall,   Alexander   Mc- 
Daniels,  John  R.  Mills,  Isaac  L.  Milliken,  Ira 
Miltimore,  Daniel  Morrison,  Ephraim  Morrison, 
Ezekiel    Morrison,    James    K.    Murphy,    R.    N. 
Murray,  Willard  F.  Myrick,  John  Noble,  Mahlon 

D.  Ogden,  John  A.  Oliver,  A.  L.  Osborn,  Will- 
iam Osborn,  Peter  Page,  Joseph  Peacock,  Asahel 
Pierce,  J.  W.  Poole,  Hibbard  Porter,  William 
G.   Powers,   Cornelius   Price,   John   Prindiville, 
Redmond   Prindiville,  Benjamin  W.   Raymond, 
James   H.    Rees,     Stephen    Rexford,   James   J. 
Richards,  Edward  K.  Rodgers,  George  F.  Rum- 
sey,  Julien  S.  Rumsey,  M.  L.  Satterlee,  Sidney 
Sawyer,  J.  Young  Scammon,  Willard  Scott,  Wil- 
liam H.  Scoville,  Alanson  S.  Sherman,  Ezra  L. 
Sherman,    L.    Sherman,    Oren   Sherman,   Mark 
Skinner,  S.  Smith,  William  B.  Snowhook,  John 
Sollitt,   Marcus   C.    Stearns,    James  W.   Steele, 
L.  Stewart,  S.  A.  Stubb. 

Many  left  without  knowing  a  registry  was 
being  kept,  and  some  called  subsequently  and 
registered. 

This  custom  of  inviting  the  old  settlers  to 
an  annual  reunion,  which  had  been  so  auspi- 
ciously begun,  was  continued  from  year  to  year 
until  1892,  when,  for  reasons  of  their  own,  the 
Directors  of  the  Club  decided  not  to  hold  the 
annual  event.  In  the  meantime,  however,  cir- 
cumstances had  been  so  shaping  themselves 


that,  as  a  direct  outcome  of  the  yearly  gather- 
ings at  the  Calumet  Club,  the  old  settlers  were 
to  have  an  organization  of  their  own,  and  the 
decision  of  the  Club  served  to  stimulate  the 
plans  that  had  been  working  in  the  minds  of 
some  of  the  more  active  old  settlers  previously. 


THE  PIONEERS  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  old  settlers  who  were  accustomed  to 
gather  once  a  year  at  the  Calumet  Club  were 
not  an  organized  society.  There  were  merely 
invited  guests  of  the  Club,  the  only  qualifica- 
tions being  that  they  must  have  been  residents 
of  Chicago  qualified  to  vote  in  1840.  This 
formed  rather  an  exclusive  coterie,  and  kept 
from  the  gatherings  a  large  number  of  old 
residents  who  laid  claim  to  having  grown  up 
with  the  city  from  its  infancy. 

The  Calumet  Club  had  been  asked  once  or 
twice  to  alter  the  qualifications  so  that  more 
old  settlers  might  attend  the  receptions,  and  it 
had  been  suggested  that  the  year  1850  should 
be  substituted  for  1840.  Those  members  of  the 
Club  who  had  the  matter  in  charge  thought 
differently,  and  were  afraid  that  the  recep- 
tions would  become  too  large.  This  being  the 
case,  something  had  to  be  done  by  which  those 
who  were  of  the  opinion  that  they  were  entitled 
to  be  ranked  as  old  settlers  should  be  able  to 
come  together. 

In  this  emergency  Mr.  Fernando  Jones  came 
to  the  rescue  with  a  happy  thought  in  the 
spring  of  1890.  On  May  26th  of  that  year  he 
would  complete  his  seventieth  year,  and  he 
determined  to  invite  fifty  old  residents  of  Chi- 
cago to  dine  with  him  at  the  Auditorium  in 
celebration  of  his  birthday,  and  at  the  same 
time  they  would  organize  a  society  and  retain 
the  fellowship  which  had  existed  among  them 
for  so  many  years.  A  charter  was  applied  for 
and,  on  May  22d,  four  days  before  the  banquet, 
the  charter  was  granted.  It  was  a  merry  gath- 
ering of  well-preserved  and  notable  men  that 
assembled  in  the  Auditorium,  and  after  Mr. 
Jones  had  been  duly  congratulated,  the  business 
of  the  evening  was  laid  before  the  assembled 
guests.  The  idea  met  with  hearty  co-operation 
and  it  was  unanimously  resolved  that  a  society 
should  be  formed,  to  be  known  as  "The  Pio- 
neers of  Chicago."  The  fifty  guests  present 


686 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


formed   the   nucleus  of   this   now  well   known 
society. 

Two  years  later,  on  May  26,  1892,  the  Chicago 
Pioneer  Society  was  formally  organized  at 
another  banquet  given  by  Mr.  Jones  at  the 
Auditorium,  and  the  following  officers  were 
elected:  Henry  W.  Blodgett,  President;  Fer- 
nando Jones  and  James  B.  Bradwell,  Vice-Presi- 
dents; Amos  Grannis,  Treasurer;  William  A. 
Calhoun,  Corresponding  Secretary;  George  H. 
Fergus,  Recording  Secretary. 

The  by-laws  of  the  Society  provide  that  no 
citizen  of  Chicago  is  eligible  for  membership 
until  he  has  been  fifty  years  in  Chicago.  Con- 
sequently the  Society's  membership  is  limited, 
but  numbers  over  one  hundred  and  eighty, 
including  twenty-five  ladies.  Arrangements 
were  made  whereby  the  Society  should  not 
die  out,  even  after  its  founders  and  original 
members  were  no  more.  To  this  end  associate 
members  were  allowed  to  join,  men  who  had 
lived  nearly  the  fifty  years,  and  who,  having 
been  born  in  Chicago,  were  still  in  the  prime 
of  life. 

The  object  of  the  Pioneers  of  Chicago  Society 
is  to  enable  the  real  old  folk  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  the  younger  class  of  pioneers. 
The  Society  is  neither  exclusive  nor  expensive. 
There  are  no  initiation  fees,  the  expenses  being 
met  by  voluntary  contributions.  The  candidate 
for  admission  to  the  Society  is  asked  to.  fill 
out  a  blank  addressed  to  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  the  Pioneers  of  Chicago,  certifying  that 
he  or  she  had  resided  in  Cook  County  fifty 
years,  with  the  additional  facts  of  the  date 
of  birth  and  time  of  arrival  in  Chicago. 

At  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  Pioneers' 
Society,  notices  were  sent  to  all  who  were  con- 
sidered eligible  to  membership,  and  with  them 
information  blanks.  It  was  not  then  deemed 
advisable  to  include  those  old  settlers  who  had 
been  attending  the  receptions  of  the  Calumet 
Club,  as  it  was  thought  the  members  of  that 
Club  might  think  the  Pioneers  were  encroach- 
ing on  their  prerogative  and  be  offended. 

The  Pioneers  of  Chicago  held  their  first 
annual  reunion  and  dinner  at  the  Grand  Pacific 
Hotel,  May  26,  1892,  about  two  hundred  ladies 
and  gentlemen  being  present.  At  the  same  date 
in  each  succeeding  year  the  society  has  held 
a  reunion  and  banquet,  which  promises  to  be 
repeated  for  many  years  to  come. 


PIONEERS'    SONS   AND    DAUGHTERS' 
SOCIETY. 


Inspired  by  the  laudable  example  of  their 
forefathers  to  still  further  perpetuate  and  keep 
young  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  generations 
yet  to  come,  the  old  time  friendships,  the  early 
associations,  the  cherished  recollections  of  pio- 
neer days,  there  was  organized,  in  the  summer 
of  1901,  still  another  association,  the  interest 
of  whose  members  is  directed  toward  the  past 
rather  than  the  future. 

When  the  Pioneers  of  Chicago  decided  to 
place  the  year  1900  as  a  time  limit  in  which 
those  who  desired  to  join  their  ranks  should 
be  able  to  qualify,  a  number  of  the  descend- 
ants of  the  old  settlers  got  together  for  the 
purpose  of  devising  ways  and  means  whereby 
they  and  others  might  also  enter  the  charmed 
circle  that  formed  the  connecting  link  between 
the  present  and  the  past. 

In  this  movement  Mr.  Frank  W.  Smith  was 
the  leading  spirit.  For  many  years  Mr.  Smith 
has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  Chicago,  and 
possesses  the  most  complete  collection  of  pic- 
tures of  old  Chicago  landmarks  and  historic 
places  in  the  city.  As  a  result  of  his  earnest 
efforts  to  inculcate  a  feeling  of  interest  among 
the  younger  generation,  a  meeting  was  held 
in  July,  1901,  in  Parlor  M  of  the  Sherman 
House,  which  was  attended  by  the  following: 
Mrs.  J.  D.  C.  Whitney,  William  H.  Gale,  Fer- 
nando Jones,  George  Sinclair,  James  Sinclair, 
David  Vernon,  C.  D.  Peacock,  De  Witt  H.  Curtis, 
George  H.  Fergus,  John  A.  Phillips  and  David 
E.  Bradley. 

In  consequence  of  this  gathering  the  organ- 
ization now  known  as  the  "Chicago  Pioneers' 
Sons  and  Daughters"  was  formed,  and  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  elected:  Frank  W. 
Smith,  President;  Charles  D.  Peacock,  First 
Vice-President;  David  Vernon,  Second  Vice- 
President;  Samuel  H.  Kerfoot,  Jr.,  Third  Vice- 
President;  Orson  Smith,  Treasurer;  John  S. 
Zimmerman,  Corresponding  Secretary;  George 
H.  Fergus,  Recording  Secretary;  William  H. 
Gale,  Historiographer.  Directors:  David  E. 
Bradley,  De  Witt  H.  Curtis,  Edward  T.  Gush- 
ing, John  J.  Flanders,  Sarah  C.  Forrest,  Reuble 
M.  Outhet,  Albert  G.  Lane,  Joseph  Schlossman, 
Charles  E.  Sinclair,  Alice  J.  Whitney. 

The  object  of   the  Society   is  to  renew  and 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


687 


maintain  early  social  relations  among  the  mem- 
bers, and  those  who  were  resident  of  Chicago 
as  early  as  1850,  their  descendants  who  have 
attained  the  age  of  thirty-five  years,  and  those 
who  were  pupils  and  teachers  of  Chicago 
schools  as  early  as  1860,  are  eligible  to  active 
membership.  The  husbands  and  wives  of  active 
members  may  become  associate  members,  en- 
titled to  all  the  privileges  except  voting  and 
holding  office.  The  annual  meeting  is  held  on 
the  second  Tuesday  in  October. 

The  Pioneers'  Sons  and  Daughters  rapidly 
attained  popular  interest,  and  as  all  those  who 
had  joined  the  ranks  of  the  Pioneers  of  Chi- 
cago were  eligible  to  membership,  the  two 
societies  are  to  a  certain  extent  intermingled 
•and  affiliated  with  one  another.  The  follow- 
ing is  the  complete  membership  of  both  organ- 
izations: 

A 

Miss  Katherine  Arnold,  108  Pine  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  G.  E.  Adams,  N.  Clark  &  Belden  Av.,  Chi. 

Mrs.   Sarah  M.   Adams,  467  Warren  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Charles  E.   Affleld,  1824  Diversey  Blvd.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    Frank   O.    Affleld,    22    Pine    St.,    New   York. 

Mr.   John   Anderson,   646   Cleveland  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  J.  M.  Armstrong,  85  Lincoln  Av.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.    J.    K.    Armsby    &    Sister,    Evanston,    111. 

Mr.   J.   F.   Ahles,   287  S.   Irving  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   Jas.    M.   Adsit,   400  Dearborn  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   Chas.   C.   Adsit,   222  La  Salle  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  Wm.   M.  Adams,  566  Washington  Blvd.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  Harvey  Akhurst,  4812  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    Abram   Adler,    Joliet,    111. 

Mrs.  Cyrus  P.   Albee   (widow),   Blue  Island,   111. 

Mr.  James  B.   Allen,  3410  W.  60th  St.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.    Mary  Allen,   Mont  Clair   P.   O. 

Mr.  Ed.  L.  Austin,  5723  Cedar  St.,  Austin. 


Mr.   Edward  Brainard,  Chestnut  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  John  R.  Barker,  2421  Indiana  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.  John  N.   Barker,  5000  Greenwood  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  Geo.  P.  Bay,  6400  Wentworth  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  A.  H.  Blackall,  Randolph  St.,  Chicago. 

Dr.  J.  N.  Banks,  E.  Church  Block,  Chicago. 

Mr.  George  Barry,  Wilmette,   111. 

Mr.   Hugh  Bradshaw,   695   Fullerton   St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   Frederick  Barnard,  46  La  Salle  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  David1  F.  Bremmer,  Home  Ins.  Bldg.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  Robert  Bremmer,  205  La  Salle  St.,  Chicago. 

Hon.   Charles  Bent,   Morrison,   111. 

Mr.  A.  H.  Beardsley,  Rosalie  Court,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.  John  Burton,  Hinsdale,  111. 

Mr.    &  Mrs.   Benjamin   Burton,  Aurora,   111. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Cyrus  Bentley,  Ind.  Ave.  &  20th  St.,  Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  B.  A.  Bailey,  649  Cleveland  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Babcock,  2701  Michigan  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    &  Mrs.   John   Bailey,   Chicago. 

Dr.    David    Basset,    Waukegan,    111. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  W.  E.  Barnum,   6400  Wright  St.,  Chicago. 


Hon.   John  L.   Beveridge,   Evanston,   111. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Andrew  Blaikie,  417  Center  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  E.  S.  Blake,  1275  Palmer  St.,  Ravenswood. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   J.  Bickerdike,   Elston  Ave.  &  Roacoe  St. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   R.   J.   Bickerdike,   2058  Elston  Ave.,   Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  R.  F.  Bickerdike,  W.  Ros.  St.  &  Els.  Av. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  C.  G.  Bickerdike,  2077  Elston  Av.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.  E.   Brooks,   804  Pine  Grove  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.   Thomas  Buckley,  957  Spaulding  Av.,   Chi. 
Maj.  &  Mrs.  E.  A.  Blodgett,  6415  Wright  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Andrew  J.  Brown,  Evanston,  111. 
Mr.   Henry   Bowman,    Oakland,   Gal. 
Hon.  A.  H.   Burley,  254  Dearborn  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  L.  A.  Budlong,  Foster  &  West'rn  Av.,  Chi. 
Hon.    Thomas   B.    Bryan,    Elmhurst,    111. 
Mr.    Louis  Braunhold,   1729   Diversey,   Blvdl.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  Robert  Boyd,  111.  Trust  &  Savings  Bank,  Chicago. 
Mr.    C.    F.    Bass,    149    Lincoln    Park    Blvd.,    Chicago. 
Mr.  Chas.  H.  Brenan,  1007  West  Adams  St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  Howard  C.   Bristol,  East  Tawas,   Mich. 
Mr.  Edward  F.  Bishop,  Denver,  Colo. 
Mr.  Lewis  Bushnell,  439  W.  Randolph  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   Geo.   W.   Beaubien,   Dubuque,   Iowa. 
Mr.   Thomas  Bradwell,   3209   S.   Park  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   and  Mrs.   R.   J.   Bassett,    LaSalle   St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    and    Mrs.    Boardman,    2513   Mich.    Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  H.  C.  Bradley,  cf.  444  N.  Clark  St.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  C.  H.  Bradley,  Cty.  Clks.  Off.,  C.  H.,  Chi. 
Mr.    Frank  W.    Baker,    Benton   Harbor,    Mich. 
Mr.    N.    S.    Bouton,    191  47th    St.,    Chicago. 
Mr!   Walter    S.    Bogle,    1449    Sheridan    Park,    111. 
Mr.    Hume   R.    Buchanan,   5315  Lake   Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   &   Mrs.   F.   E.   Brown,   6830  Woodlawn  Ave.,   Chi. 
Mary  A.    Bourke,    3650  Ashland  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  L.  N.  Barnes,  4012  Cottage  Grove  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    Martin    Barbe,    3153   Prairie  Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Addison  Ballard,   241  53rd  St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   N.  H.    Blatchford,   375  LaSalle  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.    Jerome  Beecher,    241   Michigan   Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   C.   T.    Boggs   (deceased),   5547  Wash.  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.   Ira  P.   Bowen,  218  LaSalle  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.   Wm.   A.   Bond,   4029  Drexel   Blvd.,   Chicago. 
Alice  L.   Barnard,   2018  N.   103rd   St.,   Longwood. 
.Alex    Beaubien,    98   S.   Whipple   St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Wm.   S.   Beaubien,   91  S.   Whipple  St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   Geo.   D.  Bromell,   496  W.   Monroe  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr/  Fred   M.    Blount,   Chicago  Nat'l  Bank,   Chicago, 
Mrs.    Wm.    Blair,    230   Michigan    Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.  Otto  C.  Butts,  Reaper  Block,  Chicago. 
Mr.    Jas.   B.   Bradwell,   112  Clark 'St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    H.    W.    Blodgett,    Waukegan,    111. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.   A.   E.   Bournique,   51  23d  St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   Frank  M.  Barrett,   1304  Wash.   Blvd.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Fred   W.    Bryan,   164   LaSalle  St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Chas.    L.    Boyd,   486   42d   St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    &  Mrs.    N.    Buschwah,    142  Eugenie  St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   A.   C.    Blayney,   398  40th  St.,   Chicago. 
Hattie   J.    Blake,    55  20th   St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  E.  B.  Bacon,  596  Cleveland  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.   Oscar  W.    Barrett,   785  W.   Monroe   St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  John  D.  Bangs,  3861  Ellis  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.    Olaf   Benson,    594   Cleveland  Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mrs.  Josephine  J.   Brabrook,  520  W.  Congress  St.,  Chi. 
Mrs.    Margaret  P.   Barker,   824   Wash.    Blvd.,   Chicago. 
Mrs.   S.    C.    Blake  &   Sons,   55  20th  St.,    Chicago. 
Miss  Josephine  Balkman,  County  Record's  Offi.,  C.  H. 
Mr.    David  E.   Bradley   (deceased)    Evanston,   111. 


688 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Dr.  Wallace  Blanchard,  Avenue  House,  Evanston,  111. 

Mrs.   Rose   Baumstark,   189   B.   Fullerton   Ave. 

Mr.    James    Bell,    Grove,    111. 

Mr.  Arthur  G.  Bennett,  Wm.  H.   Hoyt  &  Co. 

Mr.  Jonathan  Brooks,   4912  Wood'lawn  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mrs.    Stiles   Burton,   229   Michigan   Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Chas.    Bowron,    Green   Bay,   Wis. 

Mr.    &  Mrs.   Arthur  Burnham,   Reid,    Murdock  &  Co. 

Prof.  C.  P.   Bradley,  1745  Hinman  Ave.,  Evanston,  111. 


Mr.  &  Mrs.  F.  C.  S.  Calhoun,  Oak  Park,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chas.  Catlin,  481  Belden  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.   Mary  L.   C.  Clancy,  3244  Vernon  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.    B.    F.    Chase,    3353   Forest   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thos.  Chalmers,  179  Ash'd  Bd.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  W.  J.  Chalmers,  Virginia  Hotel,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Arthur  J.   Caton,   1910  Calumet  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   G.   H.  Campbell,  3334  Rhodes  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &   Mrs.   D.  W.  Clark,  956  Warren  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  R.  R.  Clark,  1547  N.  Halsted  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.  W.  W.   Clark,   1857  W.  22d   St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  J.   M.  Clark,  2000  Prairie  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Chas.  Cherry,  6530  Monroe  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.   Flora  B.   Clark,   5830  Wash.  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Clinton  Carpenter,  306  Chestnut  St.,  Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   G.   B.  Carpenter,  Lake  Shore  Drive,  Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Jno.  H.  Carpenter,  16  Irving  PI.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  O.  J.  Carpenter,  517  Fulton  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  H.   E.  Caster,  419  41st  St,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Geo.   Catlin,  5111  Hibbard  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Robert  Clark,    3505   Kenmore  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.   &   Mrs.   W.   W.   Cherry,    436  W.   Wash.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.  H.   B.   Chamberlain,  6532  Vincennes,  Chi. 

Mr.    &  Mrs.   Walter  F.    Cobb,   138  Rush   St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  W.  Clingman,  617  Oglesby  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  R,   W.  Clifford,  1729  Mich.  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   and  Mrs.  John  Sidney  Cooper,  376  Oak  St.,  Chi. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Isaac  S.   Collins,  76  Bellevue  Place,   Chi. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Isaac  Cook,   Jr.,   St.   Louis,  Mo. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  J.  Harrison  Cowper,  215  Warren  Av.,  Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   C.  H.  Cowper,  2  W.  Madison  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.    Frank  L.   Church,  165  Gladys  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   Wm.   Collier,  361  Fullerton   St,   Chicago. 

Mr.   Jas.   Alex.    Clybourn,   Eau  Claire,  Wis. 

Mr.   &   Mrs.   Peter   Cure,   Blue  Island,    111. 

Mrs.   Emma  Carter,   Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

Mrs.  Henry  C.  Crittenden,  1658  Brier  Place,   Chicago. 

Mr.   Edtoondson  Cooban,   6142  Wallace  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  T.  S.  Chamberlain,  1668  W.   Chicago  Ave.,  Chi. 

Capt.  W.  A.  Calhoun,  1043  Wilcox  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Ira  J.    Couch,  No.   6  Rookery,    Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Jno.   T.  Casey,  4720  Shields  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   John  Culver,  64  Wendell  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Leslie  Carter,  108  Cass  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Francis  T.  Colby,  282  Campbell  Ave.,  S.  Chicago. 

Mrs.   M.    S.   Chatterton,   2897  Kenmore   Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mrs.   Charlotte  Miller  Crib,   Lake  Villa,  111. 

Mr.  E.  T.  Gushing,   Dearborn  &  15th  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  C.  W.  Clingman,  Carson,  Pirie,  Scott  &  Co.,  Chi. 

Mary  F.  Clift,  425  La  Salle  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   D.   B.   Coey,  5238  Michigan  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   Stewart  Clark,  Evanston,  111. 

Mr.   Daniel  W.  Clark,   People's  Gas  Co.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  J.   V.   Clarke,   Hibernian  Bank,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  W.  B.  Conkey,  5318  East  End  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mr.  Andrew  Cummings,  147  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago. 


Mrs.   H.  R.   Clissold,  Morgan  Park,  111. 

Mr.  A.  J.  W.  Copelin,  308  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  R.  W.  Clifford,   1729  Michigan  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.   Robert  Clarke,  2022  Indiana  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.   M.  Crowe,  433  Grand  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  James  Cook,  2964  State  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  R.  H.  Countiss,  3612  Michigan  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  R.  W.  Cox,  131  Astor  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Chas.   R.  Corwith,  1945  Prairie  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Chas.   C.  Curtiss,  Studebaker  Bldg.,  Chicago. 

Gertrude  Cole,   3139  Forest  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.   W.    N.    Campbell,   398   Superior   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Lucien  P.    Cheney,    444   Dearborn  Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mrs.  James  Chisholm,  536  Orchard  St.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.  Emily  A.  Chapman,  1239  Wilcox  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.  H.  J.  Cater,  Libertyville,  111. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  J.  B.  Carter,  499  W.  Congress  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Carroll,   Majestic  Hotel,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  E.  D.   Clarke,  5432  Lexington  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mr.  G.  T.  Chacksfleld,  941  W.  Van  Buren  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Fred  L.  Chase,  128  5th  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Gen.  A.   L.  Chetlain,  1137  Birchwood  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.  Archibald  Clybourn,  135  Seminary  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.  Rebecca  Fetsworth  Curth,  6458  Wright  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mr.  De  Witt  H.   Curtis,  409  Wash.   Blvd.,  Chicago. 

D 

Mr.  John  R.  Daley,  318  High  St.,  Elkhart,  Ind. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  A.  J.  Doyle,  5915  Washington  Blvd.,  Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  John  F.  Dony,  96  Hill  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  H.  L.  Daniels,  81  Lefferts  PI.,  B'klyn.N.Y. 

Mrs.   Mary  R.   Dewey,  5700  Jackson  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.  John  Dennis,  34  St.   John's  PL,   Chicago. 

Mr.    &  Mrs.   John   S.   Dixon,   387  Bissell  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   Jas.  M.  Doyle,  203  Wood  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    &    Mrs.    Chas.    Hogan    Dodson,    Geneva,    111. 

Mr.  Joseph  Duncan,  4047  Indiana  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.  M.  O.  Downes,  880  Warren  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.  E.  A.  Downs,  7  Lake  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Harvey  C.  Doty,  88  Austin  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.    Margaretta   K.    Donelly,    398    Oak    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  Wallace  De  Wolf,  Midlothian  Club,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  David  G.  Doty,  486  E.  42d  Place,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Erastus  D.  Doty,  486  E.  42d  PI.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Chas.  A.  Dean,  1  River  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  James  B.   Dutch,  6637  Parnell  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Thomas   Dugall,  47  Cedar  St.,    Chicago. 

Dr.   N.   S.   Davis,   Jr.,   291  Huron  St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  John  Dillon,  5000  Washington  Ave.,    Chicago. 

Julia  Knights  Duncan,  4728  Evans  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   T.  C.   Denier,  489  Ashland  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Virginia  E.  Doty,  5547  Washington  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Fred  Dickinson,  97  Board  of  Trade,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  H.  L.  Dahl,  634  La  Salle  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.  H.  L.  Dupee,  4824  Woodlawn  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Albert  J.    Deniston,   3226  Rhodes  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  John  Dolese,  184  La  Salle  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   and  Mrs.   John  Dupee,  12   Rookery,   Chicago. 

Mr.  Gayton  A.   Douglas,  4210%  Berkely  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Wm.  Dickinson,  1691  Sheridan  Road,  Chicago. 

Mrs.   S.   S.   Banaive,  1775  Perry   St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Robert  Dunk,   324   Hermitage  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  B.  C.  Delane,  172  Ashland  Blvd.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Richard  W.  Dodd,  7042  Princeton  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Chas.  J.   Dorrence,  Marquette  Club,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Thomas  H.  Dunk,   Mont  Clare  P.   O. 

Mrs.  Edwin  Dymond,  3959  Milwaukee  Ave.,  Chicago. 


HISTORICAL  EN-CYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


689 


E 

Mrs.   Zebina  Eastman,  1807  Arlington  PL,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  S.  C.  Eastman,  1807  Arlington  PL,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  J.  F.  Eberhardt,  64th  St.,  Cor.  4,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  W.  S.  Edbrooke,  881  W.  Oakley  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.    Prank  D.   Everett,   Highland  Park,  111. 
Mr.   Geo.   Ebbert,   La  Salle  &  Madison   Sts.,    Chicago. 
Mr.  W.  H.  Ebbert,  La  Salle  &  Madison  Sts.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.  Ann  Davidson  Elsey,  123  York  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  Albert  E.  Ebert,  State  &  Polk  Sts.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  Albert  D.  Elmers,  5330  Ellis  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  Wm.  M.  Egan,  444  Dearborn  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.   J.  W.  Errant,  346  54th  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  Frank  L.  Eastman,  Wm.  Merigold  &  Co.,  Chicago. 
Col.  A.  C.  Ellithorpe,  939  N.  63d  Ave.,  Mont  Clare. 
Samuel  Eugene  Egan. 

P 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Chas.  B.  Farwell,  99  Pearson  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Jno.  V.  Farwell,  109  Pearson  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.  Jos.  W.  Franks,  Peoria,  111. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  E.  Frankenthal,  3236  Mich.  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.  L.  C.  P.  Freer  &  Sisters,  4527  G'nwood  Av.,  Chi. 

Mr.  Scott  Fergus,  San  Antonio,  Tex. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  John  B.  Fergus,  Sheridan  Road,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Edw.   A.    Filkins,  507  Webster  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  B.  F.  Felix,  555  N.  State  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Thos.  L.  Forrest,  419  Center  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Geo.  L.  Forrest,  La  Grange,  111. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Horace  S.   Foot,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  O.  C.  Foster,  527  La  Salle  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Elisha  M.   Ford,  1000  Warren  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Archibald  Freer,  N.  Shore  Drive,  Chicago. 

Aid.    &   Mrs.    Frank  D.    Fowler,    149   Fulton   St.,    Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   Lucius  G.   Fisher,  Erie  &  Cass  Sts.,  Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  N.  D.  Fraser,  1245  Wash.  Blvd.,  Chicago. 

John  Q.  Fergus, 

Mrs.    R.    M.    Fair,   2222   Calumet    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Miss    Fergus,    25    Walton    Place,    Chicago. 

Mr.   Conrad   Furst,   84  Astor  St.,   Chicago. 

Mrs.  Carrie  Clark  Foreman,   2022  Ind.  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   Wm.    A.    Fuller,    2913   Michigan   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Hy.    E.    Fisk,    2100    Calumet   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Geo.    H.    Fergus,    11   S.   Water    St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    Hy.    F.    Frink,    97    Clark    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    A.    C.    Fuller,    3226    Rhodes    Ave.,    Chicago, 

Mr.  Chas.    B.   Foot,  Corn  Ex.   Nat'l  Bank,   Chicago. 

Mr.    John   J.    Flanders,    1519    Masonic  Temple. 

Mr.   L.   H.    Freer,   138  Washington   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Geo.    A.    Follansbee,    2342    Ind.    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  Chas.  E.  Follansbee,  4539  Greenw'd  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  John  A.   Farwell,  2506  Mich.  Av.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    Max    Frank,    4516    Drexel    Blvd.,    Chicago. 

Sarah    P.     Forrest,     1043    Wilcox    Ave.,     Chicago. 

Mrs.    Myra  Felker,  Glen  Ellyn,   Illinois. 

Mr.    Jno.    P.   FOBS,   447   W.    Monroe   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   James  Forsyth,  5031  Mad.  Ave.,   Chicago. 

G 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   T.   M.  Garrett,   Ontario  &  Cass,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &   Mrs.    F.   X.    Glock,   5046  5th  Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  &    Mrs.    George   Gregory,    440    Elm    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  &   Mrs.    David   Goodwillie,   Roslin   PL,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &   Mrs.  Dennison  F.   Graves,  4011  Lake  Av.,   Chi. 

Mr.  &    Mrs.    Ossian    Guthrie,    Hyde    Pk.    Hotel,    Ch.i. 


Hon.  Walter  S.   Gurnee,   7  Nassau  St.,  New  York. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Warden  Guthrie,  2822  Ind.  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    &    Mrs.    George    Kirk,    Waukegan,    Illinois. 

Mr.    Henry    Graves,    3254   Graves    PL,    Chicago. 

Mr.   &    Mrs.    Henry  H.    Gage,   Borden   Blk.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  B.  W.  Gates,  Jr.,  650  Els.  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   A.   J.   Gates,  650  Elston  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Horace  A.  Goodrich,  Deming  PL,  Chicago. 

Mr.    &    Mrs.    L.    W.    Goodrich,    Milwaukee,    Wis. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Jacob  Gross,   1730   Deming  PL,    Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.    Wm.   W.   Gordon,   Savannah,   Ga. 

Dr.    A.    W.    Gray,   1410  Washington   Blvd.,    Chicago. 

Mrs.    Elizabeth   Gilmore   Reid,   1032  N.   Hal.    St,   Chi. 

Mr.  James  S.   Gibbs,  111.    Trust  &  Sav.   Bk.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    Dennison    F.    Grover,    4011    Lake    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    &    Mrs.    Edwin   O.    Gale,   34  .Wash.   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    George    L,    Gray,    2644    Ind.    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Lily    Gray,    77    53d    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   W.   J.   Gray,   5238  Cornell   Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    Geo.    F.    Geist,    21    Drexel    Square,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Wm.   H.    Gale,   Mont  Clare. 

Mr.    Frank    N.    Gage,    125    Clark   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   John   E.    Gould,    2219    Cot.    Grove   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Geo.    E.    Gerts,    208   Randolph    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Gilmore,  217  N.   Cen.  Park  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    James  B.    Gallaway,    185  Dearborn   St.,    Chicago. 

Mrs.   S.   E.   Gross,  1182  N.   Lawndale  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    Jno.    B.    George,    3119    Wabash    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Albert    W.    Giles,    Oak    Park,    111. 

Mrs.    Carolina    Giles,    Oak    Park,    111. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.   Walter   Goodrich,   79  Clark   St. 


Mr.   &  Mrs.   Walter  S.   Haines,   Rush  Med.   Col.,   Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.    Charles  J.   Haines,  Waukegan,  111. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.  Wm.   Harman,   Oak  Park,   111. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Charles   Henrotin,    Chicago. 

Dr.   &  Mrs.   Fernand  Henrotin,  353   LaSalle  Av.,  Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Christopher  J.  Hess,  4431  Ellis  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Daniel  E.  Healey,  2700  Lime  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.  John  Healey,   222  42d  Place,   Chicago. 

Mr.    &    Mrs.    James   J.    Healey,    Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  A.  A.   Heartt,  3219  Prairie  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Henry  E.  Hamilton,  115  Dearb'n  St.,  Chi. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Henry  H.    Handy,   4423   Ellis  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Parry  Hanna,  Traverse  City,   Mich. 

Mr.   &   Mrs.    John  Hayward',   4739   Kimbark  Av.,   Chi. 

Mr.   &   Mrs.    William   Hansborough,    Blue   Island,    111. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.   Charles  Harpel,   394   Oak   St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  James  M.  Hatch,  610  W.   Wash.   St.,  Chi. 

Mrs.    Carolina   C.    Hatch,    River    Forest,    111. 

Mr.    S.   A.   Hillard,   6  Wabash   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    &  Mrs.   Louis  J.   Hitz,   211  Monroe  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Thomas   C.   Hoag,   Evanston,   111. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.   F.   A.   Howe,   3931  Grand   Blvd.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Jeremiah   P.    Hoit,   3916    Lake   Ave.,    Chi. 

Hon.    Francis    A.    Hoffman,    Elmhurst,    111. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.    Gurdon   S.   Hubbard,   Jr.,  115   Mon.,   Chi. 

Hon.    Harvey    B.    Hurd,    Evanston,    111. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  James  L  Houghteling,  27  Banks,  Chicago. 

Mrs.    Virginia    Burton   Holmes,    Chicago. 

Mrs.    Harriet    B.    Rossiter    Home,    1892    Paulina,    Chi. 

Maj.    James  R.    Hayden,   Seattle,   Wash. 

Mrs.    J.   Sherman   Hall,   3701   Sheridan   Road,   Chicago. 

Mrs.    Gurdon    S.    Hubbard,    85    Rush    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   &   Mrs.  Geo.  H.   Heafford,  4560  Oaken'd  Av.,  Chi. 


6go 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Mr.  &  Mrs.  Wm.  F.  Hunt,   180  Lake  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    A.    Lucas    Hunt,    180    Lake    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  E.  Hamilton  Hunt,  180  Lake  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  D.  G.  Hamilton,  2929  Mich.  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   J.    R.    Hoxie,    2929   Michigan   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    B.    W.    Hutchinson,    400    Walnut   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Helmer,   1428  Michigan  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    &  Mrs.    Daniel   D.    Healy. 

Mr.   Perry  G.   Hale,   538  W.    Jackson   St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   E.    K.    Hubbard,    Middletown,   Conn. 

Mr.    C.    C.   P.   Holden,   1837   W.   Monroe   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   E.  M.  Higgins,   2897  Kenmore  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mrs.   Christopher  J.   Hess,   4431  Ellis  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    Holmes    Hoge,    First    National    Bank. 

Mr.    Arthur  J.    Howe,    217    LaSalle   St.,    Chicago. 

Mrs.    E.    Hunter,    153    Laflin    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Frank  G.   Hoyne,   90  21st   St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   H.  W.    Hinsdale,   Cham.    Com.   Safety  V'lts,   Chi. 

Mr.    Chas.    M.    Home,    708,    169   Jackson    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Joseph    Harris,    375    Rookery,    Chicago. 

Mrs.    Harriet   H.    Hayes,    5832    Rosalie    Ct.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Wm.    P.    Hilliard,    59    Clark    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Chas.    E.   Hyde,   601   Jackson  Blvd.,    Chi. 

Mr.    Jno.    M.    Hubbard,    Post   Office,    Chicago. 

Mr.   W.  H.    Hansborough,  3142  Lake  Park  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mr.    Albert  J.    Hough,    4828    Kenwood   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Chas.    Hough,    4828    Kenwood    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Walter   Hough,    6617   Washington   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   A.   T.   Heminway,    189  LaSalle   St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    T.    W.    Hamill,   517  The  Plaza,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Wm..H.    Holden,    91  Hartford   Block,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Hy.    E.    Hamilton,    115    Dearborn   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Erasmus    W.    Hills,    115    Dearborn    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Frank    Hills,    115    Dearborn    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   E.    Burton  Holmes,   229   Michigan  Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  Jas.  H.  Heald,  301-172  Washington  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Eliza    Gray   Howland,    5407   Woodlawn   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    A.    C.    Helm,    11   Board    of   Trade,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Julius    Husted,    429    55th    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   Frank  Husted',   259  S.   Clinton   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   Thos.   M.  Hoyne,   3369  Calumet  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  W.  H.  Holden,  500  W.  Mon.  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    Charles   Holden,   1841  Wellington   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Dr.    P.    Hayes,    Western    Springs,    111. 

Mrs.  Louise  Boyce  Harvey,  116  Oakley  Blvd.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.    Eliza   O.    Harvey,    481   W.    Mon.    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Christian    Halm,    1148   Hermitage    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   Ernest  T.    Halm,   1148  Hermitage   Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mrs.    Caroline  Hatch,    River  Forest,   111.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    Jas.    Harrick,    103   State    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  E.   W.   Hoard,   Oak  Park,   111. 

Miss    Eleanor    Hunter,    153    Laflin    St.,    Chicago. 

Ex-Officer    Geo.    W.    Hunter,    Hyde    Park,    Chicago. 


Dr.   &  Mrs.    Ralph  N.   Isham,   321  Dearborn   Av.,  Chi. 
Mrs.  Mary  Church  Ingals,   Oak  Park,   111. 


Mrs.    N.    B.    Judd,    3522    Calumet   Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Edward    J.    Judd,    433    Rookery,    Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.   Eugene  M.   Jerome,  55  Williams  St.,   Chi. 
Dr.   &  Mrs.  Wm.   J.  Johustone,  6151  Hal.  PI,  Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   James   B.   Johnstone,    (H.,   S.   &   B.,)  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Oliver  K.  Johnston,  4527  Green'd  Av.,  Chi. 
Mrs.    Parker    A.    Jenks,    3179    Melden,    Chicago. 


Mr.  &  Mrs.   Clarence  M.  Jacobson,  715  W.  Mad.,  Chi. 
Mr.    Fernando    Jones,    1834    Prairie    Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Oliver   Jackson,    130   50th   St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    Wm.    Jones,    14    Trades  •  Bldg.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Walter  S.   Joslyn,  803-115  Dearborn  St.,   Chicago. 
Mrs.   M.    E.   Jennings,    234  Park  Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mrs.   H.   L.   Jennings,   752  W.   Adams  St.,    Chicago. 
Mrs.    A.    M.    Johnson,    2475    Paulina   St.,    Ravenswood. 

K 

Maj.   &  Mrs.   Ranson  Kennicott,  4050  Ellis  Ave.,   Chi. 
Mrs.   Ellen  Hamilton   Keenon,   117  Dearborn  St.,  Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   H.  C.    Kelley,  cor  Wash.   &   Frank.,   Chi. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    George    Kettlestrings,    Oak    Park,    111. 
Mr.   John  H.    Kedzie,   Evanston,   111. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  C.   C.  Kohlsaat,  239  Ashland   Blvd.,  Chi. 
Mr.   Joel  A.    Kinney,   Wilmette,    111. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Eugene  L.   Kimball,  4702  Woodlawn,  Chi. 
Mrs.    James    B.    Kimball,    10   Scott   St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   W.   W.    Kimball,   1801   Prairie  Ave.,   Chi. 
Mr.   Wm.   Brown    King,   Portland,    Ore. 
Mrs.    Sarah    Ann    King,    334    Division    St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Frederick  J.   Knott,   340  S.   Blvd.,   Oak  Park,  111. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Stephen  C.  Knight,  3336  Rhodes  Av.,  Chi. 
Mrs.    Arthur    M.    Kenzie,    Riverside,    111. 
Mr.    George    S.    Kimberly,    Barrington,    111. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    Kimball,    184    Lincoln    Park    Blvd.,    Chi. 
Mr.    Eugene    C.    Kimball,    4706   Woodlawn   Ave.,    Chi. 
Mrs.    E.    D.    Kimball,    4828    Kenwood    Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.  Spencer  S.  Kimbell,  138  Washington  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.    Chas.    B.    Kimbell,    140   Dearborn   St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Martin  N.   Kimbell,   1459   Kimball  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   S.   H.   Kerfoot,  Jr.,  1012  Chamber  Com.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.    Elizabeth   Kenned<y,    619   W.    Har.    St.,    Chicago. 
Mrs.  Emma  N.  Kitt,   117  S.   Wood  St.,   Chicago. 
Mrs.   Ada  Dorsett  Kimball,   4015  Lake  Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Hy.   Kleinman,   Torrence  Ave.,   &  112th   St.,   Chi. 
Mr.    Chas.    E.    Katz,    1089    Carmen   Ave.,    Chicago. 


Mr.  George  Hinman  Laflin,  1614  Mich.  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mrs.  Edward  F.  Lawrence,  57  Lake  Shore  Drive,  Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   David  J.   Lake,  6133   Mon.   Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.    A.    Tracy   Lay,   321  Mich.    Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   &   Mrs.    Fred   Link,   76   Walton  Place,   Chicago. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    Wm.   W.    Lock,   159   Wood   St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.   Samuel  A.   Lock,  2556  Wabash  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    Daniel    Long,    82   Ward   Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.    Wm.   Lowe,    3611   Grand    Blvd.,    Chicago. 
Mrs.   Stella  Dyer   Loring,   2535   Prairie   Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   Jno.  A.  Lloyd,   266  Winchester  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Alexander  T.  Loyd,  377  Dearborn  Av.,  Chi. 
Mrs.    A.    G.    Low    &    Daughter,    Norwood    Park,    111. 
Mrs.    Mary    S.    Low,     Norwood    Park,     Chicago. 
Miss    Nina    Grey    Lunt,    Evanston,    111. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.    John    Lynch,   44   Burton   Place,    Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  James  A.  Lynch,  584  Dearborn  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mrs.    H.    D.    Lloyd,    Winnetka,    111. 
Mrs.   Amanda  M.   Lane,   430  W.   Adams  St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Albert  J.    Lane,    430  W.    Adams   St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    James    A.    Lawrence,    Evanston,    111. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Thos.  Lynch,  256  Dearborn  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.   Edward  K.  Light,  Van  Buren  &  Cal.   Ave.,   Chi. 
Mrs.    Sarah    Skinner    Lake,    1698    Kenmore    Ave.,    Chi. 
Mr.   John  H.    Leslie,   3344   Rhodes   Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    Victor    F.    Lawson,    317    LaSalle    Ave.,    Chicago. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


691 


Mr.    John   C.    Long,    5338   Washington    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Eugene    C.    Long,    4907    Lake   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Miss    Ella    Lee,    1403    Dunning    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    &  Mrs.    A.    G.    Lester,   5737   Madison   Ave.,   Chi. 

Mrs.    L.   J.    Lewis,   1204   Madison   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    George    H.    Laflin,    1604    Michigan   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   Sam  S.  Lock,  Wabash  Ave.  &  26th  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    Wm.    M.    Lock,    159    S.    Wood    St.,    Chicago. 

Mrs.    Leslie    Lewis,    5606    Madison    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   John  R.   Lindgren,   Evanston,  111. 

Mrs.    C.    E.    Lake,    1698    Kenmore    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mrs.   Peter  Lang,   830   Larrabee   St.,    Chicago. 

Dr.   Russell  Lewis,   Oak  Park,   111. 

Mrs.    Mary    Link,    76   Walton    Place,    Chicago. 

Mrs.    Margaret    Ellis    Liscom,    Heyworth,    111. 

Alida  C.    Leaven  worth,   594   E.    Division   St.,    Chicago. 


Mr.   Andrew   J.    Meserve,   7130   Wentworth  Ave.,    Chi. 
Mr.    Hy.    Martin,    Dolese    &    Shepard    Co.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    J.   H.    Mather,   Norwood  Park. 
Mr.    Albert    McCalla,    51    22d    St.,    Chicago. 
Lily    I.    Martin,    115    Adams    St.,    Chicago. 
Mrs.  Clara  Perkins  Mahoney,  752  W.  Adams  St.,  Chi. 
Mrs.  James  R,  MacKay,  290  Ohio  St.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.   James  A.   Marshall,  2906  Indiana  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.    C.    R.    Matson,    611    Cleveland   Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Jno.    T.    McHail,    865    Blucher   St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Geo.    H.    Merrill,  214  So.   Halsted  St.,   Chicago. 
Mary    Hatton    Miller,    46    Roslyn    Place,    Chicago. 
Mr.   John  A.   Mason,   907  W»   Madison  St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  Geo.   Mason,  511  W.  Monroe  St.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.    Minnie   Mason,   448  W.    Adams   St.,    Chicago. 
Mrs.    O.    P.    Mixon.    Waukegan,    111. 


M 

Mr.   &   Mrs.    Cyrus   H.    McCormick,    Rush    St.,    Chi. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    George   Manierre,    61   Bellevue   PI.,    Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  William  Reid  Manierre,  365  Sup.  St.,  Chi. 
Mrs.    Horatio    N.    May,    147    Astor    St.,    Chicago. 
Mrs.    Edward   G.    Mason,    115    Dearborn   St.,    Chicago. 
Rev.    James    McGovern,    Jollet,    111. 
Mrs.   John  McCauley,   750   N.    Park  Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Henry  Will  Magee,  7722  Union  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.   Frederick  Mattern,   Los   Angeles,   Cal. 
Mrs.    Helen    Bowman    Mather,    Wellington,    Nev. 
Dr.  &  Mrs.  Joseph  Matteson,  3166  Groveland  Av.,  Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.    Edwards  Arthur  Metz,   107   22d   St.,    Chi. 
Mrs.    Margaret   A.    Mitchell. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Washington  L.  Midler,  303  Pull.  Blv.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  John  M.  Morrison,  5757  Wabash  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  Lorenzo  Morrison,  3534  Lake  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Wm.  E.  Mortimer,  1261  Wash.  Blv.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Wm.  H.  Musham,  Fire  D.,  City  H.,  Chi. 
Mrs.  James  A.  Mulligan. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Benjamin  F.  Monroe,  4122  Vin.  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Ezra  B.  McCragg,  67  Cass  St.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.  Emily  McCarthy,  Geneva,  111. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Michael  McHale,  375  Bissell  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Geo.  W.  McKee,  6040  Langley  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  D.  L.  Morrison,  176  Warren  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Mackenzie,  4919  Vincennes  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Murdock  Morrison,  6111  Wabash  Av.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Henry  W  Magee,  806  Fisher  Bldg.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  F.  Main,  1245  Wash.  Blvd.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.  E.  F.  Minor,  1245  Washington  Blvd.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.  Henry  S.  Mann,  4534  Forrestville  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  George  Cadogan  Morgan,  389  W.  Adams  St.  or 

808    Royal    Ins.    Bldg.,     Chicago. 
Mr.    Wm.    McEvoy,    52    Racine    Ave.,    Chicago'. 
Mr.   Geo.   W.   Moser,   400   Maple  Ave.,    Oak  Park,   111. 
The     Misses     McDonnell,     4211    Lake    Ave.,     Chicago. 
Mr.    W.    E.    McLaughlin,    96   S.    Water   St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    Andre    Matterson,    Waukegan,    111. 
Mr.   G.   T.   Manahan,   Delavan,  Wls. 
Mrs.  Clara  S.  Mason,  Waveland  Ave.,  cor.  Pine  Grove. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Daniel  W.  Mills,  135  S.  53d  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.    Brice   A.    Miller,    46   Roslyn    Place,    Chi. 
Mr.  Luther  Laflin   Mills,  171  LaSalle  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.    Geo.    E.    Moulton,    2119    Calumet    Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mrs.  Feeta  May  MacDonald,  103  State,  M.  F.   Bongus. 
Mrs.    Catherine    Manahan,    Morris,    111. 
Dr.    Delaskie    Miller,    110    Astor    St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    E.    W.    Morrison,    113    Madison    St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Hy.     B.     Mason,     115    Dearborn     St.,     Chicago. 


N 

Mr.  &   Mrs.   Erastus   Nichols,   Butte,   Mont. 

Mr.  Frank  Newhall,   131  S.   Water  St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  Jno.    L.    Norton,    Lockport,   111. 

Mr.  L.    D.    Norton,    Evanston,    111. 

Mr.  Chas.   L.   Norton,   Hyde  Park  Bank. 

Mr.  Lawrence  Nelson,   Western  State   Bank,   Chicago. 

Mrs.    Chas.    Naramore,    171   S.    Sacramento  Ave.,    Chi. 

Mr.  Theron  Norton. 


Mr.    &    Mrs.    Thomas    G.    Otis,    4505    Lake    Ave.,    Chi. 

Mrs.   Margaret  O'Donoghue,   3623   Prairie  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Wm.    Oliver,   1541   W.    Monroe    St.,    Chi. 

Miss    Elizabeth    Outhet,    Oak   Park,    111. 

Mr.    John   J.    O'Neal,    113    Ohio    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   R.    M.    Outhet,    R.    503  188   Madison   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.   F.    E.   Owens,   6241  Kimbark  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mrs.    Sara  E.    Oberlander,   332  Wash.    Blvd.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    Jerome   B.    Osier,    101   Evergreen   Ave.,    Chicago. 


Mr.   &  Mrs.  Thomas  Parker,  966  W.   Monroe  St.,  Chi. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    G.    C.    Pearson,    Danville,-   111. 
Mr.    Milton    E.    Page,    187    Huron    St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.    Charles   L.    Page,    217   LaSalle    St.,    Chi. 
Mr.    John    C.    Patterson,    Ashland    Block,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Raymond    Patterson,    Chicago    Tribune,    Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   Robert  W.   Patterson,   Tribune,   Chicago. 
Mrs.  R.  W.  Patterson,  1637  Judson  Av.,  Evanston,  111. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Fred  W.   Peck,  1824  Mich.  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.    &  Mrs.    Clarence   I.   Peck,    2254   Mich.   Ave.,   Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Walter  L.   Peck,  2254  Michigan  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mrs.   Marion  Heald  Perkins. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Michael   Petrie,    172   Wash.    St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.  Silas  Q.  Perry,  343  53d  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   Arthur  W.   Penney,  Park  Ridge,  111. 
Mr.    Thomas    B.    Penton,    120    Broadway,    New    York. 
Mrs.     Lucretia    Pinney,     4919     Vincennes     Ave.,     Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   Myron  L.   Pearce,   2548  Prairie  Ave.,   Chi. 
Mr.    Redmond    Prindiville,    457    Elm    St.,    Chicago. 
Capt.    John    Prindiville,    388    N.    State    St.,    Chicago. 
Esq.    &   Mrs.   John   K.    Prindiville. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Abner  Price,  2219  Prairie  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Alexander  Price. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  C.  D.  Peacock,  1713  Indiana  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Stephen  G.  Pitkin,  224  Schiller  St.,  Chi. 
Miss  Kate  Putnam,  Benton  Harbor,  Mich. 


692 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Mrs.   Mary  McWilliams  Putnam,   Bent.   Harbor,   Mich. 

Mrs.   George  M.   Pullman,  18th  St.   &  Pra'e  Av.(  Chi. 

Mr.    &    Mrs.    Win.    B.    Phillips,    Evanston,    111. 

Mr.    George  N.    Powell,    958   Sheridan   Road,   Chicago. 

Mr.    &    Mrs.    J.    F.    Powell,    Waukegan,    111. 

Mr.    Charles   E.    Peck,   2700  N.    Hermitage   Ave.,    Chi. 

Mr.  Robert  A.  Pinkertpn,  71  8th  Ave.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Mr.   James   W.    Porter,    Fullerton   Ave.,    N.    Clark   St. 

Mr.    Saml.    Polkey,    88    LaSalle    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    William    A.    Pinkerton,    196    Ashland    Ave.,    Chi. 

Mr.   Chas.  Eugene  Peltzer,  R.   608,  87  Wash.  St.,  Chi. 

Mrs.    Mary   E.    Prescott,    214   Park   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Pflrshing,    3001    Groveland    Ave.,     Chicago. 

Mr.    John  A.    Phillips,    614-59   Dearborn    St.,    Chicago. 

Mrs.    Richard   E.    Parker,   5000   Wash.    Ave.,    Chicagb. 

Mrs.    Chas.    A.    Palzer,    20    Drexel    Square,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Alex   Price,    3641  Vernon    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    George    Pearce,    Marshall    Field    Wholesale,    Chi. 

Mr.    M.   Pearce,   85  Dearborn   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    James    S.    Price,    1826    Indiana    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Otto   Peltzer,    87    Washington    St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.    Henry    E.    Parker,    410   Boylston    Bldg.,    Chicago. 

Mrs.    Nelson   Parker,    Waukegan,    111. 

Mr.    C.   F.   Periolat,   1327   Masonic  Temple,    Chicago. 

Mr.   Peter  Periolat,  1327  Masonic  Temple,  Chicago. 

R 

Mr.   John   Raber,    2263   State   St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    Jacob    Rehm,    589    Dearborn    Ave.,    Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Wm.  H.  Rehm,  537  N.  State  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.   Alex   H.    Revell,    577   LaSalle  Ave.,    Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.  Hugh  Ritchie,  333  Chestnut  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Henry  Rhines,  176  Adams  St.,  Chicago. 
Hon.   &   Mrs.   James   P.    Root,   5334  Wash.   Ave.,   Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   Edward  K.   Rogers,  Jr. 
Mrs.    Joseph   P.    Ross. 

Mr.    &    Mrs.    Clark    Roberts,    Jefferson,    111. 
Mrs.    Lucy   Davis   Rowe,   239   Green'd   Av.,    Evanston. 
Miss  Mary  H.   Russell,   Comp.   Office,   City  Hall,   Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   Isaac  Russell,  888  Carroll  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   Daniel  J.   Rock,  1214  Lill  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Ellen    Kelly    Ryan,    92    Park   Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.    George   D.   Rumsey,   Mon.    &   Clin.,   Chi. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.    Richard   F.    Rendell,    435   Dearborn,   Chi. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    Geo.    C.    Raymond,    Princeton,    N.    J. 
Mrs.   Mary  Stell  Rooks,   355  S.   Western  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mrs.    C.   A.    Reno,   95   Walnut   St.,   Chicago. 
Mrs.    A.    W.     Rathbone,    212    Monroe    St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    John    Rankin,    Oak    Park,    111. 
Mrs.    T.    N.    Rafflngton,   719   Lunt  Ave.,    Rogers  Park. 
Mr.   L.   C.   Roberts,  4098  Milwaukee  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mrs.    Jno.    Robertson,    390    Chicago  Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Robert  W.    Robinson,    1851    N.    Sacramento,    Chi. 
Mr.   E.    W.    Raworth,   1427   N.    Clark   St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.    Geo.    D.    Rumsey,    607    Division    St.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   John   S.   Roach,   75  Monroe   St.,   Chicago. 
Nannie    Rosenfleld,    1620    Michigan    Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Julius  L.  Rosenberg,   3734  Mich.   Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    T.    A.    Randall,    2624    Calumet   Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   C.  L.   Root,   4923  Prairie  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.  Henrietta  B.    Roney,   252  S.    Desplaines  St.,   Chi. 
Mrs.  Charles  Reed,  37  High.  Ave.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Mr.    F.    J.    Robinson,    Ridgland,    111. 

S 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Jonathan  Slade,  Ohio  &  Cass  Sts.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  M.  L.  &  Geo.  Satterlee,  2704  Mich.  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mrs.  M.  Catherine  Sanger,  1729  Prairie  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Benj.  C.  Sammons,  Corn  Ex.  Bk.,  Chi. 


Mr.  &  Mrs.  Chas.  Jacob  Sauter,  210  Ran.  St.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  George  A.  Severns,  2819  Mich.  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Charles  R.  Scales,  114  S.  Water  St.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  James  W.  Scott,  Mail.  Dept,  P.  O.,  Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  C.  H.  Saddle,  Prairie  View,  Lake  Co.,  111. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Dennis  J.  Swenie. 

Gen.    &    Mrs.    Frank    T.    Sherman,    Waukegan,    111. 
Mrs.    Martha    E.    Sherman,    Evanston,    111. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    Austin    O.    Sexton,    3827   Ind.    Ave.,    Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   George  Schneider,  2000  Mich.,   Ave.,   Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  Albert  F.  Snell,  406  Cleveland  Ave.,  Chi. 
Mr.    &    Mrs.    Joseph    Sears,    Kenilworth,    111. 
Mrs.   Charles   R.   Steel,   Waukegan,    111. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.    Orson    Smith,    41   Bellevue   PI.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.    John   Stoneham,    134  Walnut   St.,    Chi. 
Mr.    &   Mrs.   Geo.   M.    Scott,   Johnson   &  22d   St.,   Chi. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   Henry  H.    Shufeldt,   261  Kinzie  St.   ,Chi. 
Mr.  &  Mrs.  John  M.   Smyth,   300  W.  Adams  St.,  Chi. 
Mr.    Peter    Schuttler,    W.    Mon.    &    Clin.    Sts.,    Chi. 
Dr.  &  Mrs.  Ralph  E.  Starkweather,  115  Dearborn,  Chi. 
Mr.   &   Mrs.   W.    W.    Strong,   453  Wash.    Blvd.,   Chi. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  W.  Thomas,  1842  Ind.  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  C.  Seipp. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Benj.  F.  Schnell,  1088  N.  West.  Av.,  Chi. 
Hon.   Alson   Smith    Sherman,    Waukegan,   111. 
Miss   Sherman  Waukegan,   111. 
Mrs.    Harriet   Sayre,    Mont   Clare   Sta.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   E,   H.   Smalley,  1477  Kimball  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.  Geo.  W.   Spofford,  1520  Wash.  Blvd.,  Chi 
Miss  Fanny  A.   Speer,  3642  Indiana  Aye.,   Chicago. 
Miss  Jos.   C.   Snow,  987  N.  Leavitt  St.,  Chicago. 
Mrs.  Wm.  H.   Stone,  3438  Rhodes  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  H.  O.  Stone,  4924  Woodlawn  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.   Wm.   Chas.   Scupham,   Homewood,   Cook  Co.,   111. 
Mrs.   Emma   Sinclair,   7449  Eggleston  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  Jas.  E.   Slocum,  5139  Madison  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Miss  Valentine  Smith,   288   Michigan  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   Frank  W.   Staples,  11  Fifth   Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   D.   C.    Schnell,   407  W.   Randolph  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.    &  Mrs.   Fred   Schapper,   Blue  Island,   111. 
Mrs.   John   Stell,   3226   Lake  Park  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Hattie  Gray  Sherman,  3324  Milwaukee  Ave.,   Chicago 
Mr.   E.   A.    Shedd,   3812  Michigan  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   C.   B.    Shedd,   3812  Michigan  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.  G.  V.  Smith,  352  S.  Marshfield,  Chicago. 
Mr.   Fred  A.   Smith,   Clark  &   Madison   Sts.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Wm.  H.   Spear,  97  51st   St.,   Chicago. 
Miss  Belle   Smith,    239   Ashland   Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Chas.   H.    Smith,   171  Jackson  St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   Jos.    Schlossman,   M.    O.    Dept.,   P.    O. 
Mr.   W.    W.   Sammons,    Corn.    Exch.    Nat.    Bank,   Chi. 
Mr.   E.   H.   Sammons,  3112  S.   Park  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   La  Grand   Smith,   410  Chicago  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.    Geo.    Sinclair,    3755   Wabash   Ave.,    Chicago. 
Mr.   Jas.   C.   Sinclair,   3252  S.   Park  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   Chas.   Sinclair,  1491  Perry  St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   D.  J.   Swenie,  524  W.   Jackson   St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  C.  J.   Stambaugh,  52  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago. 
Mr.   Ed.   G.    Shumway,   4549  Ellis  Ave.,  Chicago. 
Mr.   &  Mrs.   C.   B.    Shourds,   108  E.   45th  St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   Solomon  J.    Stebbings,    7351  Princeton   Ave.,   Chi. 
Mrs.    Emily  W.    Stevens,    124   Ashland    Blk.,    Chicago. 
Mr.  John  C.  Sampson,  710  Tacoma  Bldg.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  Chas.  E.   Scharlau,  59  Dearborn  St.,   Chicago. 
Mr.  Wm.  F.  Scharlau,  384  N.  Paulina  St.,  Chicago. 
John  &  Wm.   Sweney,   Mil.   Ave.   &  Belmont  St.,   Chi. 
Mr.    Chas.    R.    Stauffer,   4168  Drexel   Blvd.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   F.   W.   Smith,   Corn  Exch.   Nat.   Bank,   Chicago. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


693 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  W.  Thomas,  1842  Ind.  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  F.   F.  Thwing,  4838  Evans  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    Samuel  H.    Talmage,    Milwaukee,   Wis. 

Mr.   H.   P.   Talbott,    241  Michigan  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Judge  &  Mrs.  Larnb't  Tree,  Ontario  &  Cass  Sts.,  Chi. 

Mrs.  L.  G.   Titus,  1238  N.  Clark  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    Fred'k   B.    Tuttle,    2022   Michigan    Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Laurin  H.  Turner,  4915  Wash.  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  J.   Turner,  Addison  &  Lincoln  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mr.  John  S.   Turner,  109  Duane  St.,  New  York. 

Mrs.   Carrie  Ferguson  Turner,  3601  Ellis'  Park,  Chi. 

Mr.  A.   S.   Tyler,   88  Randolph  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   A.    D.   Taylor,   Glencoe,    111. 

Annie  E.    Trimmingham,   5239   Cornell   Ave.,    Chicago. 

Mrs.   F.    K.   Tracy,  545  W.   Jackson,   Chicago. 

Mr.   John  Tyrrell,   Kenilworth,   111. 

Mrs.   C.   O.   Tower,   743  Jackson  Blvd.,   Chicago. 

Henry  Turner,  Esq.,  420  Belden  Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mrs.   Miller  Thayer,   184   Norwood  Place,   Chicago. 

Mr.   W.   E.   S.   Trowbrid/ge,   Downer's  Grove,   111. 

U 

Mrs.   B.  W.   Underwood,  3004  Prairie  Ave.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   Chas.  Updike  (deceased),  137  Rialto  Bldg.,  Chi. 
Mr.  Henry  E.   Updike,  137  Rialto  Bldg.,   Chicago. 
Mr.   S.   L.   Underwood,  5327  Cornell  Ave.,  Chicago. 


Mr.   &  Mrs.  F.  A.  Winkelman,  387  Warren  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Chas.    F.    Whitmarsh,    Austin,   111. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   John  H.  Witbeck,   2841  Mich.   Ave.,   Chi. 

Mrs.   Lizzie  Hoyne  Williams,  3253  Forest  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Aug.   W.   Wright,    Monadnock  Blk.,   Chi. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.  Edward  J.  Whitehead,  Austin,   111. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Wm.   H.   Whitehead,   Evanston,   111. 

Mr.    and  Mrs.    Hempstead  Washburne. 

Mr.    and   Mrs.    Bernard  Wygant,   131  Park  Ave.,    Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Alonzo  Wygant,  537  W.  Jackson,  Chicago. 

Mrs.  Esther  Wardlow,  5330  Greenwood  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Julie  Beaubien  Waite,   173  Walnut  St.,   Chicago. 

Rev.   Edw.   F.   Williams,   70  N.    Clinton   St.,    Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Henry  J.  Willing,  100  Rush  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   Geo.  A.  Wemple,  3409  63d  Place,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Lorenz  Walter,    Roscoe  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  J.  F.  Ward,  1725  Hinman  Ave.,  Evanston. 

Mr.    Chas.    J.    Waller,    Evanston,    111. 

Mrs.   Alice  J.   Whitney,   453   Belden   Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   and   Mrs.   W.  W.   Wait,   124  Ashland  Blvd.,    Chi. 

Miss  A.  E.  Winchill,  133  E.  Circle,  Norwood  Pk.,  Chi. 

Mrs.    Sylvia  E.    Walker,    Hinsdale,    111. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   F.  E.   Walker,  4454  Woodlawn  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mrs.   David  Wylie,   524  Orchard   St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  John  D.  Walsh,  Mont  Clare,  111. 

Mr.  Silas  B.  Watson,  311  S.   Robey  St.,  Chicago. 

Carrie  Adsit  Wheeler  (C.  C.  Adsit),  224  La  Salle,  Chi. 

Mr.    Geo.    W.   Waite,    La   Grange,   111. 


Mr.   Jno.   M.   Van  Nortwick,  Appleton,  Wis. 

Mr.   Wm.    M.   Van   Nortwick,    Batavia,   111. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Geo.  Van  Sant,  833  W.  Monroe  St.,  Chi. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.  J.   C.   Vaughan,  6048  Jefferson  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  J.  E.  Vreeland  (Englewood),  Chicago,  111. 

Mr.   Samuel  .Vial,   444  Fifth  Ave.,  La  Grange,  111. 

Mrs.  Amy  G.   Van  Horn,  1491  Perry  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.   David  Vernon,  Com.   Nat.  Bank,  Chicago. 

Mr.   Henry   R.   Vandercook,    4153   Berkeley   Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.  C.   R.  Vandercook,  213  S.  Park  Ave.,  Austin,  111. 

Mr.    John  Vernon. 

Mr.   W.   Vernon. 

W 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   Charles  B.   Waite,  168  53d  St.,   Chicago. 

Mr.  Campbell  W.  Waite,  168  53d  St.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  N  W.  Watson,  174  Millard  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   R.   J.  Washke,   2339  Calumet  Ave.,   Chi. 

Mr.   &  Mrs.   Wm.    B.   Walker,   2027  Prairie  Ave.,    Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Geo.  C.  Walker,  228  Mich.  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.   Mary  Judson  Wells,  3366   South  Park  Ave.,  Chi. 

Mr.    and   Mrs.    James   B.    Wayman. 

Mrs.   John  W.   Wauhop,   2457  Prairie  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mrs.   James   Wallace,    3551   Ellis   Ave.,   Chicago. 

Mr.    &   Mrs.    Henry  Warrington,    127   Park  Ave.,    Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  F.  H.  Waite,  5141  Madison  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Mr.    and    Mrs.    Marshall   Wait. 

Mr.   and   Mrs.    Orrin   Warner, 

Mrs.    Roxana  Lowe  Warner,   3611  Grand'  Blvd.,   Chi. 

Mr.   and   Mrs.    Geo.    S.    Wheeler,   Waukegan,   111. 

Mr.   and  Mrs.   A.   W.   Wheeler. 

Mr.   and  Mrs.   Arthur  Wheeler. 

Mr.   &   Mrs.   L.   D.   Webster,   386   Dearborn  Ave.,    Chi. 

Mr.    and   Mrs.    Eugene   Wheeler. 

Mr.   &   Mrs.   A.    J.   Weckler,   435   Evanston  Ave.,    Chi. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.   Stephen  W.  Wheeler,  6804  Yale,   Chicago. 


Mr.   H.   H.   Yates,   2897  Kenmore   Ave.,   Chicago. 

Z 

Mr.   John  S.   Zimmerman,   132  Park  Ave.,  Chicago. 


PIONEERS'  SONS  &  DAUGHTERS'  SOCIETY. 
THE  SONS  OF  CHICAGO  is  the  title  of  an  asso- 
ciation composed  of  the  sons  of  old  settlers  of 
Chicago,  or  those  who  had  attended  the  public 
schools  of  the  city,  organized  in  1894,  the  first 
president  being  Thomas  H.  Cannon,  followed 
by  Charles  E.  Kotz  and  William  Bollard.  Their 
meetings  were  attended  by  many  of  the  old 
pioneers — both  ladies  and  gentlemen — who 
thus  sought  to  encourage  the  boys  and  add 
interest  to  the  occasion.  The  exercises  included 
addresses  by  the  old  Pioneers  and  Sons  of  Chi- 
cago; the  presentation  of  gold  medals  to  the 
oldest  son  and  oldest  daughter  whose  parents 
were  born  in  Chicago;  a  fat  men's  race,  open 
to  all  over  200  pounds,  the  distance  being  300 
feet  and  the  prize  a  fine  silk  umbrella;  an 
old-fashioned  game  of  baseball — prize,  bat  and 
ball ;  ladies'  race,  open  to  all  between  15  and 
25  years — prize,  a  gold  ring;  old-fashioned 
game  of  football — prize,  a  ball;  egg  race,  open 
to  ladies  of  15  to  18  years— distance  300  feet — 
prize,  a  beautiful  fan;  the  exercises  being 
interspersed  with  dancing,  games,  speech-mak- 


694 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ing  and  a  general  good  time.  The  following 
were  members  of  the  principal  committees  at 
the  first  meeting: 

Executive  Committee — William  Bollard,  Wil- 
liam S.  Beaubien,  Philip  Jackson,  John  G. 
Neumeister,  John  S.  Cooper,  M.  S.  Musham,  C. 
S.  Periolet,  John  F.  Doney,  Val.  Schmitt, 
Henry  Best,  John  S.  Burke,  Paul  Dassa,  A.  J. 
Thaler,  Charles  E.  Kotz  and  Frank  Kettinger, 
Jr. 

Reception  Committee — William  Bollard,  Nic. 
Reis,  Alex.  Beaubien,  J.  L.  Veit,  Louis  Haase, 
James  J.  Tobin,  John  Bavis,  Robert  Beygeh, 
Thomas  J.  Finucane,  Edward  Houseman,  John 
B.  Casey,  Ed.  Tague,  Henry  Clybourn,  Phillip 
Kastler,  Clarke  E.  Rolfe,  Jacob  Schnur,  George 
Ludwig,  William  Burke,  James  Connolley, 
Thomas  Cannon,  John  P.  Rafferty  and  John 
Best. 


THE   OLB-TIME   PRINTERS'   ASSOCIATION. 


When  a  little  band  of  printers  who  had  grown 
gray  in  the  service — who  had  learned  their 
cases  when  Chicago  was  still  in  the  struggling 
years  of  its  infancy — met  one  blustering  day  in 
March,  1885,  to  promote  a  feeling  of  sociabil- 
ity and  good  fellowship,  they  little  anticipated 
they  would.be  parties  to  so  successful  a  christ- 
ening. The  organization,  however,  was  not 
completed  until  March  21,  1886,  when  a  num- 
ber of  old-time  printers  assembled  in  the  club 
room  of  the  Sherman  House  and  formed  a  per- 
manent association.  It  was  chartered  as  a 
corporation  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois May  23,  1896. 

The  object  of  the  association  is  to  promote 
a  feeling  of  sociability  and  good  fellowship 
among  the  pioneer  printers  of  Chicago,  but  at 
the  same  time  its  members  will  encourage  and 
assist  one  another  in  efforts  to  better  their 
condition.  It  also  provides  for  an  annual 
reunion  on  January  17  (Franklin's  birthday), 
or  on  other  occasions  of  such  a  nature  as  may 
be  determined  upon  by  the  members.  The 
association  is  composed  of  printers  who  have 
been  engaged  in  the  printing  or  publishing 
business,  as  employer  or  employe,  twenty-five 
years  or  more  in  Chicago  previous  to  their 
application.  Continuous  residence  in  the  city 
or  employment  at  the  business  is  not  required. 
The  regular  meetings  of  the  association  are 


held  quarterly  on  the  second  Sundays  in  Jan- 
uary, April,  July  and  October. 

The  following  comprised  the  charter  mem- 
bers: J.  S.  Thompson,  J.  R.  Baly,  John 
Buckie,  C.  B.  Langley,  A.  J.  Getzler,  J.  L.  Ban- 
croft, John  Gordon,  S.  Bavis,  S.  E.  Pinta,  Sam- 
uel Rastall,  A.  C.  Cameron,  C.  F.  Sheldon, 
John  Anderson,  J.  C.  Burroughs,  James  Hyde, 
M.  J.  Kearns,  J.  A.  Van  Buzer,  William  McEvoy. 
M.  J.  Carroll,  A.  McCutcheon.  At  the  first  reg- 
ular quarterly  meeting,  held  in  the  reading 
room  of  the  Sherman  House  on  April  24,  1886, 
these  officers  were  elected:  J.  A.  Thompson, 
President;  B.  Oliphant,  Vice-President;  A.  C. 
Cameron,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  Birectors: 
John  Anderson,  W.  A.  Hornish,  J.  Camberg, 
A.  McNally,  J.  S.  Thompson,  A.  C.  Cameron, 
John  Buckie,  J.  S.  Rastall,  B.  Oliphant  and 

A.  McCutcheon.     At  this   meeting  Hon.   John 
Wentworth    was   present    and     addressed    the 
members,  narrating  in  an  interesting  manner 
some  of  his  experiences  with  the  craft  in  the 
days  gone  by,  and  concluded  by  congratulating 
the  association  on  the  steps  it  had  taken  and 
wishing    it    abundant   success.      He   was    then 
elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  association. 

The  first  banquet  of  the  association  was  held 
at  the  Matteson  House  on  January  17,  1887. 
This  hotel  had  an  interesting  history.  It  was 
at  that  time  a  five-story  brick  building,  located 
at  the  corner  of  Lake  and  Bearborn  streets, 
and  for  a  long  time  a  city  landmark.  In  1836 
the  lot  on  which  it  stood  was  sold  by  Br.  W. 

B.  Egan  to  John  H.  Hodgson  for  $1,000  and  a 
suit  of  clothes.     The  latter,  with  others,  built 
the  Baltic  House,  which  was  burned  in  1849. 
In    1850   Joel   A.    Matteson,   who   subsequently 
became  governor,  bought  the  land,  paying  for  it 
$9,000,  and  erected  the  hotel  bearing  his  name. 
After  passing  into  various  other  hands  it  was 
finally,  on  March  5,  1866,  sold  at  auction  for 
$130,000. 

At  this  first  banquet  addresses  were  made  by 
J.  H.  McVicker,  Governor  William  Bross,  Mark 
L.  Crawford  and  A.  H.  McLaughlin.  Governor 
Bross  pictured  the  busy  life  of  the  old-time 
editor  when  he  was  his  own  canvasser  for 
subscribers,  his  own  collector  of  doubtful  bills, 
and  general  collector  of  such  items  of  local 
importance  as  could  be  turned  in  for  the  day's 
news.  Messrs.  Crawford  and  McLaughlin  gave 
the  printers'  end  in  a  manner  to  gratify  their 
brethren  of  the  craft,  and  the  entire  affair  was 
voted  a  success. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


695 


The  second  celebration  was  held  at  Kinsley's, 
with  Major  Calkins,  editor  of  the  Evening 
Journal,  as  orator  of  the  occasion.  At  subse- 
quent banquets  addresses  were  made  by  the 
following  printers,  editors  and  men  of  public 
renown:  Mayor  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Sr.,  Wil- 
liam Penn  Nixon,  John  McGovern,  R.  W.  Pat- 
terson, James  W.  Scott,  Washington  Hesing, 
Martin  J.  Russell,  Moses  P.  Handy,  H.  H. 
Kohlsaat,  M.  H.  Madden,  Hon.  William  J. 
Haines,  Dr.  Thomas,  Paul  Hull,  Joseph  Medill, 
F.  K.  Tracy,  Judge  John  Barton  Paine,  Francis 
W.  Walker,  Colonel  N.  A.  Reed,  Rev.  J.  A. 
Brushingham,  Hon.  W.  J.  Calhoun,  Luther 
Laflin  Mills,  A.  H.  Brown  and  Judge  Holdom. 

On  June  6,  1896,  a  statue  of  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin was  unveiled  in  Lincoln  Park  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Old-Time  Printers'  Association. 
The  statue  was  a  gift  from  Mr.  Joseph  Medill. 
of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  and  the  occasion  was 
made  notable  by  appropriate  exercises  and  elo- 
quent addresses  by  Mr.  Medill,  M.  J.  Carroll, 
Conrad  Kahler,  William  Penn  Nixon,  H.  D. 
Estabrook  and  P.  F.  Pettibone. 

One  of  the  pleasant  features  of  the  associa- 
tion is  the  annual  picnic  which  is  held  in  Sep- 
tember of  each  year  at  Humboldt  Park.  On 
this  occasion  all  the  old-time  printers,  accom- 
panied by  their  wives  and  children,  take  a  day 
off  and  enjoy  themselves  under  the  trees. 
Games,  refreshments  and  contests  by  young 
and  old  enliven  the  occasion. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  members:  John 
Anderson,  Ephraim  Abbott,  Standish  Acres,  A. 
B.  Adair,  George  S.  Affolter,  Richard  Barlow, 
Frank  Beck,  Charles  F.  Blakeley,  Thomas  E. 
Billings,  Joseph  Bichl,  James  A.  Bond,  Charles 
N.  Bond,  Henry  R.  Boss,  T.  D.  Brock,  A.  H. 
Brown,  Garrett  Burns,  John  S.  Burke,  P.  J. 
Cahill,  John  Canty,  M.  J.  Carroll,  Thomas  Car- 
roll, Joseph  Carolan,  D.  W.  Clark,  Charles  E. 
Cobb,  D.  F.  Considine,  J.  R.  Courson,  M.  L. 
Crawford,  John  R.  Daly,  Thomas  Day,  Paul 
De  Brule,  William  E.  Dennis,  S.  M.  Dickson, 
J.  M.  Edson,  Thomas  N.  Ellis,  J.  M.  Farquhar, 
T.  H.  Falkner,  W.  H.  Faul,  R.  M.  Figg,  A.  L. 
Fyfe,  James  Garner,  Isaac  D.  George,  E.  T.  Gil- 
bert, John  Gordon,  James  Gunthorp,  William 
Hack,  John  Halloran,  W.  H.  Hawes,  James 
Hayde,  John  F.  Higgins,  Frank  B.  Howard, 
Fred  Hull,  W.  A.  Hutchinson,  J.  B.  Hutchinson, 
D.  J.  Hynes,  C.  M.  Jacobus,  J.  R.  Jessup,  Nels 
Johnson,  Fred  Johnson,  Michael  Kearns,  John 
P.  Keefe,  D.  C.  Kelley,  William  Kennedy, 


Edward  Kerrott,  Martin  Knowles,  F.  Kohl- 
becker,  C.  B.  Langley,  J.  W.  Langston,  J. 
Lauth,  James  L.  Lee,  W.  N.  Lewis,  F.  M.  Leyda, 
Van  J.  Lyman,  M.  H.  Madden,  John  Mangan, 
William  Mill,  Charles  M.  Moore,  W.  F.  Mor- 
rison, John  C.  McBean,  John  McCaffrey,  Wil- 
liam S.  McClevey,  J.  H.  McConnell,  William 
McEvoy,  John  McGovern,  A.  H.  McLaughlin,  J. 
A.  McNamara,  Sam  D.  McNeal,  William  Nichol- 
son, Sam  K.  Parker,  W.  J.  Parsons,  O.  H.  Perry, 
C.  H.  Philbrick,  William  Pigott,  Samuel  E. 
Pinta,  Frank  M.  Powel,  M.  C.  Pringle,  Samuel 
Rastall,  N.  A.  Reed,  James  L.  Regan,  Frank 
Ross,  James  Schock,  C.  F.  Sheldon,  L.  C.  Shep- 
ard,  H.  D.  Smith,  John  M.  Smyth,  Joseph  C. 
Snow,  Peter  Splithoff,  J.  B.  Stranger,  John  B. 
Stevens,  C.  G.  Stivers,  H.  S.  Streat,  John  Stuart, 
Thomas  E.  Sullivan,  E.  G.  C.  Thomas,  F.  K. 
Tracy,  George  A.  Treyser,  John  W.  Troy,  C.  D. 
Tuttle,  J.  G.  Van  Horn,  John  R.  Walsh,  John 
C.  Ward,  Nick  Welsh,  H.  J.  Wendorff,  O.  F. 
Wermich,  Richard  Westlake,  Lee  H.  Wilson, 
John  H.  Wood,  General  John  C.  Black,  W.  J. 
Calhoun,  Henry  D.  Estabrook,  Judson  Graves, 
Joseph  Hatton,  Frank  Hudson,  Paul  Hull,  Wil- 
liam J.  Hynes,  H.  H.  Kohlsaat,  Andrew 
McNally,  William  Penn  Nixon,  Robert  W.  Pat- 
terson, John  Barton  Payne,  E.  Powell,  M.  J. 
Russell,  M.  E.  Stone,  Rev.  Dr.  H.  W.  Thomas, 
George  P.  Upton,  Francis  W.  Walker. 


OLD  SETTLERS'  CLUB  OF  WILLIAM 
STREET. 


Away  back  in  the  early  forties  there  was  a 
street  on  the  West  Side  called  William,  it 
was  not  a  very  great  thoroughfare,  being  only 
about  three  blocks  long,  but  it  contained  an 
aggregation  of  patriotic  citizens  who  were 
interested  in  the  city's  growth  and  welfare,  and 
who  later  became  identified  with  Chicago  in 
various  important  capacities. 

The  first  permanent  settler  on  William 
street  was  Michael  Nugent,  who  took  up  his 
residence  there  in  a  frame  house  about  the  year 
1845.  Among  the  other  residents  of  the  street 
were  John  C.  Haines,  Mayor  of  Chicago  during 
the  years  1858-59,  who  occupied  a  house  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  Van  Buren  and  San- 
gamon  streets.  The  house  still  stands  and  is 
at  present  used  as  a  boarding  house.  Mr. 
Haines  was  born  in  New  York  in  1818,  and 


696 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


coming  to  Chicago,  served  six  years  in  the  City 
Council,  and  a  similar  period  as  Water  Com- 
missioner. He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  in  1869,  and 
a  member  of  the  State  Senate  in  1874.  On 
the  opposite  corner  from  Mr.  Haines'  place 
stood  the  residence  of  Dr.  W.  B.  Egan.  The 
house  of  Samuel  B.  Hoard,  who  was  Post- 
master of  Chicago  in  1865,  stood  at  the  end  of 
the  street.  The  Jesuit  church  was  also  one  of 
the  early  landmarks  of  the  street.  The  only 
water'  supply  on  the  West  Side  south  of  Mad- 
ison and  west  of  Halsted  street  was  supplied 
by  an  old-fashioned  hand  pump,  located  in 
William  street. 

During  the  Civil  War  this  abbreviated  thor- 
oughfare, whose  total  number  of  inhabitants 
did  not  exceed  one  hundred  voters,  sent  about 
twenty  men  to  the  front,  who  joined  Colonel 
James  A.  Mulligan's  Irish  Brigade. 

In  the  campaign  of  1876,  when  Samuel  J. 
Tilden  was  running  on  the  Democratic  ticket 
for  President  of  the  United  States,  every  voter 
on  William  street  cast  a  ballot  for  him,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  Alderman  Frank  Lawler 
subsequently  had  the  name  of  the  street 
changed  from  William  to  Tilden,  by  which  it 
is  at  the  present  time  known. 

During  the  year  1903  it  occurred  to  several 
of  the  former  residents  of  William  street  to 
look  up  their  early  day  neighbors,  with  the 
idea  of  reviving  old-time  memories,  perpetuat- 
ing the  friendships  formed  during  the  younger 
years,  and  preserving  the  identity  of  the  old 
William  street  residents.  After  some  time 
spent  in  locating  them — for  in  the  intervening 
years  they  had  scattered  to  various  parts  of 
the  city — a  goodly  number  were  notified,  and 
as  a  result  the  Old  Settlers  of  William  Street 
Society  was  organized  in  September,  1903,  with 
the  following  officers:  Patrick  Murphy,  Pres- 
ident; William  A.  Hanley,  Recording  Secre- 
tary; John  Riley,  Financial  Secretary;  Michael 
Day,  Treasurer.  The  following  comprise  the 
members:  John  McDermott,  Edward  Noonan, 
Charles  McKenna,  Captain  Charles  O'Neil, 
Lieutenant  John  F.  Pyne,  Sergeant  John  Riley, 
Edward  Riley,  Charles  Riley,  John  Griffin, 
Michael  Gorman,  Michael  O'Grady,  Sergeant 
Michael  Hogan,  John  Dougherty,  William  Man- 
gan,  Timothy  Hanley,  Wiliam  Dillon,  William 
O'Rourke,  John  Welch,  John  Hanley,  Fred  Fitz, 
John  Kluber,  James  Scanlan,  John  T.  Rowley, 
Dennis  Sullivan,  Sergeant  Edward  Marpole, 


James  Murphy,  Jacob  Keller,  Philip  Grady,  John 
Grady,  Thomas  G.  O'Connor,  Frank  Mitchell. 

Those  who  lived  or  were  born  on  William 
street,  and  their  descendants  are  eligible  to 
membership.  The  first  annual  reception  of  the 
organization  was  held  at  Pick's  Hall,  Kedzie 
and  Colorado  avenues,  on  March  17,  1904. 


THE  GERMAN  OLD  SETTLERS'  PICNIC. 


One  of  the  annual  events  that  is  looked  for- 
ward to  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  and 
pleasurable  anticipation  by  every  German  old 
settler  in  Chicago,  is  the  picnic  that  is  given 
yearly  under  the  auspices  of  the  Turn-Gem- 
einde.  Since  1875  this  Society  has  held  thess 
reunions  at  some  appropriate  place  on  the 
North  Side,  and  the  enthusiasm  in  celebrating 
these  events  has  grown  with  each  succeeding 
year. 

While  not  regularly  organized,  the  German 
old  settlers  attend  these  affairs  faithfully  and 
participate  in  the  exercises  with  the  hearty 
good  will  that  always  distinguishes  the  Teu- 
tonic people.  Although  the  picnics  are  under 
the  supervision  of  a  German  society,  they  are 
not  confined  exclusively  to  Germans,  as  every 
old  German  settler  in  the  city  who  is  aged 
forty-two  years  or  over,  and  who  had  resided 
in  Chicago  or  its  suburbs  previous  to  1881,  is 
invited  to  attend,  and  upon  registering  in  a 
book  of  memorials,  receives  a  silk  badge 
inscribed  with  the  year  of  his  or  her  settle- 
ment. 

Primarily,  these  annual  gatherings  were  inau- 
gurated for  the  purpose  of  retaining  in  the 
hearts  of  the  Germans  who  had  adopted  the 
United  States  as  their  future  home  a  warm 
place  for  the  Fatherland;  the  instilling  in 
every  breast  of  a  high  degree  of  the  duties 
each  one  owes  to  himself  and  his  forefathers; 
the  fostering  of  old-time  national  customs;  and 
as  a  means  whereby  the  older  people  would  be 
able  to  come  in  closer  contact  with  the  younger 
generation. 

It  is  the  object  of  the  Turn-Gemeinde  to 
make  these  outings  as  pleasant  as  possible, 
socially,  and  patriotic  addresses  are  given, 
prizes  are  offered  for  contests  of  various  kinds, 
and  medals  are  awarded  old  settlers  under  the 
following  conditions: 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


697 


1.  To  the  old  settler  present,  who  has  con- 
tinuously resided  in  Chicago  for  the  greatest 
number  of  years. 

2.  To  the  old  lady  settler  present  who  con- 
tinuously resided  in  Chicago  for  the  greatest 
number  of  years. 

3.  To  the  old  settler  present,  born  in  Ger- 
many, who  has  continuously  resided  in  Chi- 
cago for  the  greatest  number  of  years. 

4.  To  the  old  lady  settler  present,  born  in 
Germany,   who   has   continuously   resided   in 
Chicago  for  the  greatest  number  of  years. 

5.  To  the  old  settler  who  has  been  longest 
in  the  employ  of  the  same  business  concern 
at  Chicago,  and  who  is  still  there  employed 
at  the  present  time. 

6.  To  the  lady  who  has  been  longest  work- 
ing in  the  same  family,  and  still  holds  that 
position. 

7.  To    the    couple   of    old    settlers   whose 
combined  age  will  give  the  greatest  number 
of  years. 

8.  To  the  couple  of  old  settlers,  born  in 
Germany,  whose  combined  age  will  give  the 
greatest  number  of  years. 

9.  At  5  p.   m.  grand   prize   waltz;    silver 
medals  and  bouquets  given  to  the  old  couple 
whose  combined   age  will   give  the  greatest 
number  of  years. 

A  complete  list  of  the  members  of  this  asso- 
ciation embraces  about  2,800  names,  of  which 
nearly  1,300  are  male  members  and  over  1,500 
ladies.  Only  the  names  of  those  dating  as  far 
back  as  1854 — or  having  had  a  residence  in 
Chicago  of  fifty  years — are  given  in  the  follow- 
ing list: 

MALE    MEMBERS. 

1822 — Alex.  Beaubien. 

1832 — Jas.  Maxwell. 

1833 — Jas.  B.  Allen. 

1834 — Judge  J.  B.  Bradwell,  T.  A.  Howe,  L. 
D.  Taylor. 

1835 — Wm.  Gale,  James  Hogan,  Fernando 
Jones,  G.  W.  Soule,  Geo.  Sinclair,  Wm.  J.  Sloan. 

1836— Henry  Ackoff,  Henry  Gilbert,  C.  C.  P. 
Holden,  Dan  Long,  Jas.  C.  Sinclair. 

1837^Erastus  D.  Doty,  Clark  Geib,  H.  B. 
Krueger,  Wm.  Sweeney. 

1838— Claudius  Blair,  Peter  Mathers,  C.  O. 
Pratt,  Henry  Russer,  J.  W.  Rich. 

1839 — B.  F.  Allison,  Thomas  Allison,  Law- 
rence Schiestel. 

1840 — Lorenz    Baer,   Geo.    H.    Fergus,    C.    H. 


Falch,  John  B.  Foot,  Nick  J.  Gauer,  Chas.  Har- 
pel,  M.  Mattes,  N.  G.  Skufsted. 

1841— Albert  E.  Ebert,  S.  A.  Lock,  John  C. 
Murphy. 

1842— H.  Best,  Wm.  Gasfield,  Nicholas  Jax, 
Wm.  Kyle,  Peter  Schnur,  Edwin  Tinter,  T.  W. 
Weller. 

1843 — P.  Allmendinger,  Adam  Grimmer, 
Mathias  Knost. 

1844 — Geo.  Atzell,  Michael  Bischoff,  Bernard 
Hoell,  M.  Klein,  W.  C.  Ozier,  Wm.  Rehm,  Henry 
Runge,  Chas.  E.  Sinclair,  John  Schaefer,  Nick- 
olas  Schoeneck,  J.  W.  Silver,  J.  C.  Weihe. 

1845 — Henry  Budde,  John  P.  Barrett,  John  P. 
Brossel,  John  B.  George,  Geo.  Haeuslein,  John 
Marshal,  Peter  Peters,  G.  H.  Smith,  John  Sick- 
inger,  Jacob  Schnable,  Christ  Schimmels,  B.  F. 
White. 

1846 — A.  Brachtendorf,  Louis  A.  Berger,  Geo. 
M.  Gross,  Christ  Huber,  F.  Kaiser,  Jacob  Klae- 
sen,  J.  M.  Mahler,  F.  Mehring,  Dan  J.  Rock, 
John  Schmidt,  Henry  Schade,  Nick  Sippel, 
Jacob  Schank,  Math.  Q.  Schmidt,  Geo.  L.  Taylor, 
Chas.  West. 

1847 — Martin  Bender,  Geo.  A.  Bender,  Adam 
Bender,  John  Bartz,  J.  H.  Bischop,  Michael 
Bies,  Jacob  Eberlen,  Ludwig  Fiene,  N.  Frank, 
Martin  Horn,  John  A.  Hespen,  Robert  Hender- 
son, John  D.  Haake,  John  E.  Hart,  Michael 
Kaerns,  H.  Koehsel,  J.  Krummenacher,  H.  W. 
Lunn,  James  C.  Murphy,  Aug.  Muenchhausen, 
Franz  Maerz,  N.  H.  Ruger,  S.  Simon,  Ludwig 
Uff,  Jos.  Wolfenstetter. 

1848 — Chas.  Albee,  Fred  Allen,  Henry  Biepho, 
Jacob  Best,  John  Christmann,  Geo.  Eberlein, 
Peter  Finkler,  Louis  E.  Grimme,  Wm.  Goely, 
Francis  Harvey,  Jacob  Heotor,  Friedrich  Huck- 
sald,  G.  M.  Illingworth,  J.  E.  Koehsel,  M.  F. 
Kavanagh,  Joachim  Kurth,  Valentin  Kistner, 
F.  Linsenbarth,  P.  C.  Mueller,  C.  Oakley,  John 
Shaunessy,  Jos.  B.  Schlossman,  Gilbert  Thies, 
Edw.  E.  Varges,  Jas.  Wright,  Geo.  Zeigler. 

1849 — J.  Adams,  Jas.  E.  Boland,  Fred  Backer, 
M.  J.  Corcoran,  M.  J.  Coughlin,  Robert  Clark, 
John  C.  Enders,  John  Franz,  Christ  Fink,  Alex. 
Franzen,  Fred  W.  Forst,  C.  H.  Graves,  Geo. 
Loesbrook,  Chas.  Lichtenberger,  Fred  G.  Leiger, 
H.  F.  Mahler,  John  Moeller,  John  H.  Ohlerking, 
Wm.  Ohlendorf,  John  L.  Peake,  Hugh  Ritchie, 
Frank  W.  Smith,  Geo.  Schmidt,  John  Schuet- 
tler,  Henry  Schucht,  H.  P.  Talbot,  Joseph 
Waldhauser,  Wm.  Wharton,  Henry  Wachter. 

1850 — Chas.  Baumstark,  Fred  Becker,  Gilbert 
Gerbreth,  H.  Grusendorf,  R.  Hochbaum,  John 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Hamill,  Louis  Hutt,  Wm.  Handley,  John  Haley, 
Joseph  Jiroch,  Peter  Klauss,  Justus  Loehr, 
Ferd  Link,  W.  J.  Moore,  P.  McDonnell,  Ferd  C. 
Propper,  P.  J.  Quinn,  Chas.  Sokup,  Henry 
Schnath,  Christ  Thiele,  Aug.  Walter,  David  W. 
Walsh. 

1851 — M.  Benner,  Phil  Beck,  Joseph  Collasky, 
Heinr  Dusold,  Andrew  Deach,  Chas.  Gloeckler, 
H.  W.  Goodridge,  A.  G.  Goodridge,  Louis  Goelz- 
lin,  Wm.  Hahn,  J.  N.  Klapperich,  Lorenz  R. 
Kenn,  Christ  Krueger,  Ernst  Leistekow,  J.  S. 
Le  Beau,  Peter  Merz,  A.  McCutcheon,  Albert  J. 
Needham,  Wm.  Nicholat,  J.  D.  Perkins,  Jacob 
Rinn,  Felix  Schweistal,  John  C.  Tatge,  P.  R. 
Wilhelm. 

1852 — John  'Agnew,  Adam  Blane,  John  P. 
Bock,  G.  N.  Burkhardt,  F.  W.  Buhler,  Geo. 
Beutenmiller,  Albert  Boese,  Henry  Bending, 
Adam  Breuer,  John  Carlson,  Fritz  Deutsche, 
Albert  Embde,  Gust  Elser,  Frank  Faust,  A. 
Goodjohn,  John  G.  Goetz,  Wendel  Grimm,  Geo. 
L.  Gegenwart,  Martin  Gareis,  Balth.  Hessemer, 
Jonas  Huehn,  Louis  Hebel,  Fritz  Kurz,  Jacob 
Kurtz,  Henry  Kurtz,  Fred  Kanehl,  Geo.  F. 
Kolbe,  F.  W.  Locke,  Anton  May,  W.  J.  McGar- 
igle,  Jacob  Pfeiffer,  B.  Reed,  John  C.  Ries,  Max 
Schweitzer,  Wm.  Stennagel,  John  Schleich, 
Henry  Snowell,  Wm.  Schroeder,  H.  A.  Schwu- 
chow,  Adam  Stoffel,  J.  C.  Schiesswohl,  Andrew 
Specht,  D.  W.  Sullivan,  Aug.  Schrader,  W.  H. 
Smith,  Fred  Trost,  Geo.  Ungrich,  Jacob  Veit, 
Jacob  Volkmann. 

1853 — C.  F.  Arnhold,  Hy.  Boedernitz,  Celes- 
tine  Birchmeier,  John  Bicker,  Fritz  Bloch, 
Henry  Cordtz,  J.  W.  Duggan,  Herman  Eschen- 
burg,  Adam  Freeh,  Louis  A.  Frey,  Fred  Heide, 
Joseph  Huebner,  G.  .W.  Heurich,  Fred  Hall, 
Chas.  Haas,  Fred  Harris,  Geo.  Joeslin,  Simon 
Jobst,  C.  Juergensen,  Theo.  G.  Kimmann, 
Matheus  Kapler,  Fred  Koretke,  Theo  Klingner, 
Wm.  Lange,  George  Laitsch,  Geo.  B.  Miller, 
John  S.  Mitchell,  Fred  Marwedel,  Louis  Mun- 
cho,  A.  J.  Neuberger,  Aug.  Neubert,  Fried  Otto, 
Christ  Olgren,  Al  Peters,  Reinhard  Riedle, 
Henry  Ruethling,  Jos.  Stang,  Henry  Scheider- 
man,  John  Strickland,  Ferd.  Schroeder,  Paul 
Stofferan,  Andrew  Schmitz,  H.  F.  Stellmann, 
Robt.  R.  Sampson,  Peter  Stetzler,  Wm. 
Schmidt,  Frank  Simon,  Henry  Seipp,  Louis 
Stuerzel,  Chas.  Strautz,  Chas.  O.  Thoma,  P.  J. 
Thielen,  J.  B.  Thielen,  Wm.  Voelkner,  J.  W. 
White,  Jas.  Wickboldt,  Joseph  Willi,  E.  D. 
White,  Aug.  ^iehn. 

1854 — W.  N.  Arcutz,  Lebrecht  Ammann,  Ad. 


Arndt,  Philip  Breitzmann,  Martin  Bartmann, 
Fred  Benzow,  Hartwig  Behrens,  John  Bersbach, 
P.  F.  Blesen,  Jas.  Beiersdorf,  William  Barthels, 
Henry  Berger,  W.  E.  Cavenaugh,  Andrew 
Charleston,  Louis  Daube,  John  Doerr,  George 
Adam  Erbe,  John  Eisner,  Thos.  Fitzgerald,  L. 
Freiberger,  Henry  Gundermann,  C.  F.  Geist, 
C.  F.  Giesenschlag,  Lazarus  Goldberger,  Wm. 
Hanneforth,  Jacob  Hemsler,  F.  Hartwig,  John 
Hanson,  Wm.  Hahn,  John  Hummer,  H.  C.  Hev- 
robt,  Chas.  Hager,  H.  Juengling,  C.  H.  Julius, 
Peter  Johnson,  Carl  Klatt,  Edward  M.  Keefe, 
Wm.  F.  Kellmann,  Perry  Krus,  Albert  Laem- 
merzahl,  Peter  Lersch,  Wm.  Lehmann,  Chas. 
Lindeman,  John  Manz,  H.  B.  Meinhardt,  Oscar 
F.  Mueller,  Leon  Monnhunne,  Ferd.  Miller,  John 
Meier,  John  M.  Morrison,  Philip  Merz,  J.  M. 
Nacken,  Thos.  Nolan,  Louis  Oswald,  Wm.  Ohr, 
F.  A.  Oswald,  Adam  J.  Press,  J.  J.  Penner, 
Frank  Parmelee,  Sam  Rindskopf,  H.  Romstedt, 
Edward  Rossner,  Frank  Rich,  Gust  Schlott- 
hauer,  Carl  Schlechting,  John  Schlirra,  Henry 
Schneider,  D.  A.  Stryker,  Heinrich  Straske, 
Henry  Schaefer,  John  Sampson,  John  Schlundt, 
H.  Stadelmann,  Fred  Schroeder,  Henry  Tewes, 
Wm.  Wiesenbach,  Otto  E.  Wolff,  Chas.  J.  C. 
Will,  Chas.  Wiederhold. 

LADY    MEMBERS. 

1834 — Marie  Brady-Haley,  Sarah  P.  Forest. 

1835 — Mary' A.  Coogan. 

1836 — Marie  Eiterman,  Mrs.  M.  C.  Garrity, 
Susanna  Goeden,  Susanna  Gorden,  Sophionia 
Hampton,  Ann  Mary  Huehn,  Mrs.  C.  C.  P. 
Holden,  Marie  McNulty. 

1837 — Mary  Jefferson,  Margaretha  Roberts. 

1838 — Sophia  Hentschel,  Phoebe  Le  Beau, 
Marie  L.  E.  Sauter,  S.  G.  Steven. 

1839 — Dena  Gunther-Clark,  Elisa  Harpel, 
Mary  Sampson. 

1840 — Susan  Beaubien,  Rhoda  Hough,  Helene 
Kastler,  Mary  Link,  Catharine  Ollinger,  Amelia 
Seamens,  Kunigunde  Wiensdorfer. 

1841 — Sarah  Harvey,  Clara  M.  Merchant, 
Magdaline  Martine,  Angeline  Seese. 

1842 — Walberger  Baer,  Betsy  Iredale,  Au- 
gusta Kaufman,  Maria  Kinder,  Alice  McClevy, 
Emma  Mueller,  Marie  Meyer,  Annie  M.  Meson, 
Mary  Metz,  Sophie  Pohlmann,  Ellen  I.  Russel, 
Marie  Schiesswohl,  Sarah  Tatge. 

1843 — Susanna  Hand,  Kathrina  Ludwig, 
Mary  Miller,  Anna  Maria  Srom. 

1844 — Thurbar  Bergman,  Magdalena  Crocker, 
Christina  Eiszner,  Bessie  Green,  Mrs.  Chas. 
Moisle,  Anna  M.  Nanzie,  Lina  Clara  Osborn, 


/7 


/ 


{..  t 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


699 


Caroline  Russer,  Catherina  Schweinfurth,  Julia 
A.   Stanley. 

1845 — Kathrina  Barbian,  Dorothea  Dressier, 
Marie  Heyde,  Auguste  Hauslein,  Barbara  Hold- 
ship,  Barbara  Keil,  Marie  Peters. 

1846 — Ellen  M.  Broadway,  Anna  Burkhardt, 
Marg.  Clinton,  Katrina  Fischer,  Margaret 
Franz,  Catherina  Gage,  Anna  Maria  Ganshaw, 
Margarete  Hoffman,  Margaretha  Huber,  Emilie 
Jacobs,  Lena  Kemmler,  Julia  Lang,  Anna  Les- 
terheim,  Sophie  Mueller,  Sophie  Niemeyer, 
Katherine  Schmitz,  Maria  Vollmuth. 

1847 — Minnie  Aron,  Theresa  Bear,  Johanna 
F.  Bretthauer,  Emma  Butzow,  Catherine  Clark, 
Mary  L.  Charlette,  Lizzie  Clausen,  Marie 
Dieterich,  Dora  Dierks,  Anna  Friederich, 
Annie  Hartel,  Barbara  Hettinger,  Catharine 
Juergenson,  'Magdalena  Koch,  Marie)  Lauer, 
Catharine  Marno,  Elizabeth  McLaughlin, 
Louisa  Noll,  Maria  Runge,  Dorothea  S. 
Schmidt,  Anna  Sewell,  Margaretha  Schubert, 
Elizabeth  Thilo,  Elizabeth  Vickers,  Carolina 
Weihe,  Annie  Waarich,  Franzeska  K.  Wachter, 
Franciska  Zernitz. 

1848 — Anna  Apfel,  Saera  Cornell,  Mathilda 
Clotter,  Catharine  Dietch,  Sarah  Frank,  Marie 
Finster,  Katie  Gushhorst,  Anna  Hochsoll, 
Catharine  Henricks,  Anna  Hirsch,  Selma 
Hausman,  Eva  Kronenberger,  Theresa  Lubeck, 
Henrietta  Linsenbarth,  Mary  McClevy,  Marie 
A.  Miller,  Anna  B.  Miller,  Georgiana  Oyen, 
Helen  Renick,  Carrie  Stattfeld,  Bridget  Stew- 
art, t  Annie  Sedgwick,  Isabel  Seaton,  Catharine 
Schlecht,  Mary  Stryker,  Franziska  Zernitz. 

1849 — Elizabeth  Byrne,  Kate  Condon,  Annie 
Dwyer,  Kate  Franz,  Mary  Ann.  Glasebrook, 
Ella  J.  Griffith,  Margaret  Geier,  Margaret  Greg- 
ory, Louise  Hess,  Libby  Howe,  Louise  Hespen, 
Marie  Leopold,  Alice  Lavery,  Allen  Lavery, 
Clara  Mehrle,  Mary  Mansfield,  Helena  Manz, 
Carolina  Ohlerking,  Christina  Rosenberger, 
Magdalene  Schmidt,  Bridget  Swenie,  Augusta 
Schneider,  Julia  Sweenie,  Barbara  Weber, 
Mary  Weber. 

1850 — Mrs.  C.  Arnold,  Marie  Bartolmey,  Aug- 
usta Braasch,  Emma  Colby,  Rose  S.  Curney, 
Julia  Emersen,  Alma  Marie  Fink,  Adelheid 
Gunger,  Elizabeth  Gloor,  Maria  Gohuth,  Mar- 
garet Hammill,  Anna  Hoist,  Katherine  Keiser, 
Maria  Keller,  Mathilda  Kiich,  Annie  Lahl,  Mar- 


garet Leander,  Katharine  Maylor,  Emma 
Mahler,  Phillipina  Marquarhdt,  Marie  Martin, 
Amelia  Nurnberger,  Elizabeth  Nehls,  Anna 
Pomy,  Elizabeth  Press,  Clara  Redell,  Elisa 
Simon,  Mary  A.  Smith,  Resina  Sanger,  Mary 
Treble,  Mary  Walter,  Louisa  Winsauer,  Eliza- 
beth Weser,  Elizabeth  Wasserstrass,  Anna  M. 
Yunker,  Margaret  Zender. 

1851 — Margaret  Andre,  Josephine  Boche, 
Ernestine  Beck,  Fredericka  Ditt,  Emila  Eschen- 
burg,  Sophie  Goezlin,  Ellen  Heide,  Mary  Huber, 
Wilhelmina  Juritz,  Bertha  John,  Elizabeth 
Joslin,  H.  E.  Katz,  Catharina  Kruger,  Mary 
Long,  Mary  Mark,  Mathilda  Noe,  Agnes  Roth, 
Carrie  Smith,  Franziska  Strassheim,  Dora 
Smith,  Marie  Schroeder,  Sahra  Schoeneck, 
Elizabeth  Smith,  Mary  Specht,  Minnie 
Schroeder. 

1852 — Mary  Aubert,  Mrs.  James  Barry,  Cath- 
arine Berger,  Agathe  Baier,  Mary  Charleston, 
Elizabeth  Dietz,  Cathrina  Dornhecker,  A.  Mary 
Eul,  Anna  M.  Enders,  Charlotte  Ehlers,  Marie 
Eckstein,  Christine  Fischer,  Rachel  Force, 
Magdalena  Fritsch,  Pauline  Gensche,  Eliza 
Grimes,  Elizabeth  Goodjohn,  Mary  Goodjohn, 
Kate  Hoff,  Eva  'Heiss,  Ida  Hetzed,  Louifce 
Horethe,  Katharine  Hummel,  Carolina  Hoch- 
feld,  Wilhelmina  Hallen,  Emma  Heckman,  Ber- 
tha Kaseberg,  A.  M.  Kleusch,  Maria  Krauss, 
Caroline  Lende,  Emma  Liermann,  Emma  Mat- 
thei,  A.  McGinnis,  Mary  Nicolai,  Sophia  Naef, 
Barbara  Niedergang,  Maria  Netz,  Mary  Neu- 
man,  Sophia  Pohlmann,  Katharine  Phillipp, 
Bertha  Pappolt,  Elizabeth  Rich,  Hannah  Riihl- 
man,  Dorothea  Soelke,  Anna  Schergen,  Mary 
Schmidt,  Katherine  Simson,  Ernestine  Sickel, 
Caroline  Specht,  Christine  Sauter,  Magdalen 
Ulrich,  Johanna  Wickboldt,  Marie  Wolfram, 
Louise  Weller,  Marie  Welter,  Margaretha  Wal- 
ler, G.  L.  Zirngibl. 

1853 — Lizzie  Alber,  Louisa  Beck,  Helena 
Boser,  Maria  Burbach,  Carolina  Biederstedt, 
Frida  Doll,  Mathilda  Doss,  Johanna  Ebert, 
Wilhelmine  Fibich,  Louise  Fink,  Sarah  L. 
Gavitt,  Mary  Grube,  Elizabeth  Haas,  Marie 
Hoisington,  Marie  Haas,  Marie  Haenske,  Marie 
Heinrich,  Catharine  Hutt,  Mrs.  A.  Hunt,  Cath- 
arine Hildebrand,  Minnie  Katterbach,  Doretta 
Klinger,  Wilhelmina  Kummer,  Lina  Kaiser, 
Louise  Larand,  Fredericka  Lemmerthal,  M. 
Lang,  Crescentia  Locher,  Maggie  C.  Lester, 


700 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Emilie  Lynch,  Anna  Minwegen,  Rosnie  Mar- 
weden,  Mary  McGonagle,  Henrietta  Moeck,  Mrs. 
I.  A.  MacDonald,  Annie  Nelson,  Carolina  Nus- 
ser,  Margareth  Noll,  Mary  Neumeister,  Mary 
Peters,  Dora  Peters,  Nellie  J.  Peake,  Margar- 
ethe  Rutzer,  Ann  Riley,  Celina  Restatter,  Hen- 
rietta Stahl,  Marie  Scheib,  Dora  Schweer, 
Sophie  Simon,  Catharine  Stoffregen,  Frances 
Spahr,  Katie  Steele,  Wilhelmina  Schwuchow, 
Marie  Annie  Sedlu,  Catharine  Sampson,  Min- 
nie True,  Sarah  Voight,  Wilhelmina  Wippe, 
Margaret  Weisrock,  Anna  Martha  Weisgerber. 
1854 — Emilie  Berg,  Dora  Brandenburg, 
Sophie  Buhmann,  Mary  Brown,  F.  Buen- 
zow,  Anna  Busch,  Jakobine  Bresen,  Mary 
Bishop,  Marie  H.  Clemerin,  Emma  Colli- 
gan,  Friedericke  Dahlbohm,  Eva  Dietz, 
Dora  Duerk,  Blanca  'Dreyer,  Marie  Diehl, 
Paulina  Dahme,  Elizabeth  Dawson,  Frederika 
Debus,  Mary  Doll,  Teresia  Edgland,  Gertrude 
Edelman,  Regina  Eckhart,  Marie  Friedel, 
Babetta  Fuerstenberg,  Alwine  Friedler,  Maria 
Faust,  Elisabeth  Fischer,  Rosalie  Gunderman, 
Sophia  Grefer,  Bertha  Gruschow,  Anna  Gim- 
ble,  Anna  Grau,  Fredericke  Grotz,  Emilia 
Geortz,  Mina  Geist,  Barbara  Roman,  Sophia 
Halleman,  Maria  Hauselman,  Margarets,  Hoer- 
tig,  Margaretha  Hornberg,  Katie  Hunsche, 
Sophie  Justice,  Lizzie  Kemme,  Wilhelmine 
Krzikowsky,  Lizzie  Kniering,  Barbara  Kaep- 
pel,  Mina  Koch,  Barbara  Klein,  Mathilda 
Knaub,  Mary  Kehr,  Gertrude  Klatt,  Elizabeth 
Kiesling,  Margaret  Kirchner,  Katherine  Kar- 
penstein  Franziska  Kauff,  Maria  Karstner, 
Maria  Karthansen,  Minnie  Lutz,  Barbara  Link, 
Anna  H.  Lodge,  Jennie  Long,  Dora  Leonhardt, 
Elizabeth  R.  Lauer,  Catharine  Lichtenthal, 
Katharine  Maurer,  Alvine  Miller,  Cathrina 
Muller,  Lena  Mahler,  Matilda  Mather,  Eliza- 
beth Mueller,  Rosa  Mogerlein,  Barbara  Mayer, 
Eliza  Marriott,  Carolina  Oberndorff,  Mary  Off, 
Anna  Paus,  Matilde  Penner,  Franciska  Rie- 
man,  Sophie  Rehm,  Louise  Raseldouf,  Wilhel- 
mina Schlichting,  Sophie  Schramm,  Frieda 
Stacke,  Margaret  Schade,  Anna  Straper,  Anna 
Sleyer,  Ernestine  Steuernagel,  Amalie  Scholl, 
Elizabeth  Stetzler,  Elizabeth  Swissler,  Mrs. 
Theo.  Tresselt,  Mary  Wetterer,  Clara  Webber, 
Louise  Water,  Marie  Weinberger,  Catharine 
Zender. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


STOCK  YARDS  HISTORY. 


FIRST  SLAUGHTER  HOUSE  IN  CHICAGO — ORIGIN   AND 

DEVELOPMENT   OF  THE  PACKING   INDUSTRY THE 

FOUNDERS    AND   PROMOTERS   OF   THE   BUSINESS 

EARLY     STOCK     YARDS — ORGANIZATION     OF     THE 

UNION  STOCK  YARDS PHENOMENAL  GROWTH  OF 

THE   PACKING    AND   LIVE-STOCK   TRADE DESCRIP- 
TION    OF     BUILDINGS     AND     GROUNDS — BANKING 

INSTITUTIONS   STATISTICS       FOR       DIFFERENT 

YEARS — PAST     AND     PRESENT     OFFICERS INTER- 
NATIONAL  LIVE    STOCK    EXPOSITIONS,    1900-1904. 

The  first  slaughter  house  erected  in  Chicago 
was  built  by  Archibald  Clybourn  in  1827,  situ- 
ated on  the  North  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River, 
near  what  was  known  as  the  Bloomingdale  road, 
and  opposite  the  present  site  of  the  North 
Chicago  Rolling  Mills.  It  was  built  of  logs, 
and  was  followed  by  a  frame  structure  which 
remained  standing  for  more  than  fifty  years. 
The  original  use  was  for  the  killing  of  animals 
for  the  supply  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Dear- 
born. Following  Mr.  Clybourn  in  the  slaughter- 
ing and  packing  business  came  George  W.  Dole. 
In  October,  1832,  he  slaughtered  and  packed 
152  head  of  cattle  for  Oliver  Newberry,  of 
Detroit,  the  product  ultimately  finding  its  way 
to  New  York.  Mr.  Dole  purchased  his  live 
stock  from  Charles  Reed,  of  Hickory  Creek, 
paying  therefor  $2.75  per  hundred  pounds.  The 
cattle  were  slaughtered  upon  what  was  then 
an  open  prairie,  but  is  now  at  the  corner  of 
Michigan  Avenue  and  Madison  Street.  Mr. 
Dole  employed  but  two  men,  John  and  Mark 
Noble,  Jr.,  who  received  as  their  perquisites, 
the  hides  and  tallow  of  the  animals  killed. 
By  December  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Dole's  busi- 
ness had  increased  materially,  and  the  killing 
and  packing  of  hogs  was  made  the  prominent 
feature,  338  porkers  being  slaughtered  during 
that  month.  The  animals  were  bought  'from 
John  Blackstone  for  $3.00  per  hundred  pounds, 
net.  At  that  time  barrels  were  brought  from 
Detroit,  and  the  hogs,  which  were  slaughtered 
at  the  rear  of  the  warehouse,  were  stored  away 
in  bulk  until  the  necessary  supply  of  barrels 
could  be  secured.  Meanwhile  Archibald  Cly- 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


701 


bourn  had  become  Government  butcher  for  the 
Pottawatomies,  and  during  1833  packed  some 
250  head  of  cattle  and  about  2,000  hogs.  Mr. 
Dole  used  Mr.  Clybourn's  packing  house  this 
year,  packing  about  the  same  number  of  cattle 
and  about  1,000  hogs. 

In  1834  another  packing  and  slaughtering 
house  was  erected  on  the  South  Branch  by 
George  W.  Dole  and  Oliver  Newberry,  of 
Detroit.  The  output  of  this  establishment,  dur- 
ing the  first  year  of  its  existence,  was  about  300 
head  of  cattle  and  1,400  hogs.  The  same  year 
Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  transformed  into  a  pack- 
ing house  an  old  building  on  the  corner  of 
South  Water  and  La  Salle  Streets,  formerly 
used  as  a  bank.  He  slaughtered  5,000  hogs 
during  the  year,  but  encountered  no  little  diffi- 
culty in  procuring  barrels,  which  were  finally 
brought  from  Cleveland  at  a  cost  to  the  pur- 
chaser of  one  dollar  each.  Mr.  Hubbard  moved 
his  place  of  business  to  the  corner  of  Kinzie 
and  Rush  Streets,  where  he  erected  a  new 
and  improved  packing-house,  and  where  he 
remained  until  1840,  when  he  removed  to  a  new 
building  which  he  had  erected  on.  South 
Water  Street,  between  Clark  and  La  Salle 
Streets.  Here  he  remained  until  1848,  when  he 
removed  to  the  North  Branch. 

In  the  winter  of  1835  and  spring  of  1836, 
William  Jones  (father  of  Fernando  Jones),  of 
the  firm  of  Jones,  King  &  Co.,  hardware  mer- 
chants, joined  Archibald  Clybourn  in  packing 
a  large  quantity  of  meats  for  that  time,  in  the 
packing  house  located  on  the  river  bank  at  the 
corner  of  South  Water  and  Clark  Streets,  and, 
having  more  than  they  could  dispose  of  in  this 
market,  they  shipped  the  balance  to  Buffalo, 
N.  Y. 

Sylvester  Marsh,  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the 
packing  industry  in  the  West,  came  to  Chicago 
from  New  England  in  the  winter  of  1833.  At 
first  he  opened  a  market,  killing  beef  cattle  as 
needed  for  each  day's  consumption,  underneath 
an  old  elm  tree  on  the  prairie  on  what  is  now 
Monroe  Street,  about  100  feet  west  of  Fifth 
Avenue,  on  the  south  side  of  the  street.  Later 
he  engaged  in  the  packing  business  with  Mr. 
Hubbard,  continuing  in  this1  business  with 
brief  interruption,  until  1855  when  he  returned 
to  the  East.  He  was  a  witness  before  the 
United  States  Senate  Committee  on  Education 
in  1883,  and  gave  some  interesting  testimony 
regarding  the  state  of  this  business  during  the 
early  days  of  Chicago's  history.  He  stated 


that,  "There  was  hardly  anything  to -kill  but 
beef,  hardly  any  sheep,  very  few  hogs — and 
they  came  from  the  Wabash  in  Indiana.  I 
drove  them  from  there  to  Chicago  (150  miles), 
and  they  were  all  killed  for  local  consumption. 
In  1838  I  paid  $6.00  per  hundred  pounds  for 
pork  in  Chicago;  but  in  1841,  with  a  view  of 
finishing  the  canal  the  next  summer,  I  bought 
pork  for  $2.00  per  hundred  pounds  for  all  hogs 
that  weighed  200  pounds  or  over;  and  for  less 
than  that  weight,  $1.50  per  hundred  pounds. 
I  bought  beef  for  barreling  in  1843  for  $2.00  a 
hundred  for  the  fore-quarters,  if  the  ox  weighed 
600  pounds,  and  $1.50  if  he  fell  under  it — which 
was  the  lowest  price  I  ever  heard  of  its  being 
sold  for.  I  staid  in  the  business  until  I  killed 
185  head  of  large  cattle  and  500  hogs  per  day, 
which  was  not  more  than  a  teaspoonful  to 
what  they  have  come  to  since  I  left  the  busi- 
ness. In  the  fall  of  1850  I  shipped  a  propeller 
load  of  about  3,000  barrels  of  provisions  to 
Ogdensburg,  which  were  stored  there  until  the 
Ogdensburg  &  Lake  Champlain  and  the  Rut- 
land &  Burlington  Railways  were  completed 
in  January,  1851,  when  I  was  appointed  Freight 
and  Passenger  Agent  for  these  roads.  My  busi- 
ness was  to  procure  freight  and  passengers 
from  the  West  over  these  roads,  the  freight 
bound  for  the  Boston  market. 

"In  the  winter  of  1836-37  Fernando  Jones, 
John  C.  Haines  and  others  hit  upon  a  novel 
plan  for  securing  the  bounty  offered  by  the 
county  of  $1.25  each  for  the  scalps  of  prairie 
wolves.  By  placing  the  heads  of  the  slaugh- 
tered cattle  on  the  partially  thawed  ice  on  the 
Chicago  River  (between  Madison  and  Monroe 
Streets),  which  froze  solid  at  night,  they 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  wolves,  which 
were  easily  shot  by  the  watchers,  while  trying 
to  carry  off  the  heads  of  the  dead  animals." 

Other  packers  of  that  period  were  as  follows: 
O.  S.  &  R.  M.  Hough,  associated  with  Sylvester 
Marsh,  1839;  D.  H.  Underbill,  who  opened  a 
meat  market  at  the  corner  of  State  and  North 
Water  Streets  in  1837;  Eri  Reynolds,  who  com- 
menced business  in  1841  in  one  of  the  houses 
previously  occupied  by  George  W.  Dole,  while 
Oren  Sherman  and  N.  Pitkin  packed  several 
hundred  hogs  in  the  winter  of  1841-42. 

The  firm  of  William  Felt  &  Co.  (brothers) 
made  the  first  direct  shipment  of  beef  from  Chi- 
cago to  the  seaboard  in  the  winter  of  1842-43, 
when  Archibald  Clybourn  slaughtered  and 
packed  for  this  firm  some  3,000  head  of  cattle. 


702 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


In  1843-44  Thomas  Dyer  and  John  P.  Chapin 
formed  a  partnership  as  packers,  carrying  on 
business  in  the  house  recently  occupied  by  Eri 
Reynolds.  Julius  Wadsworth  entered  the  firm 
in  1844,  and  one  year  later,  on  the  retirement 
of  Mr.  Chapin,  the  firm  name  became  Wadsworth 
&  Dyer.  Hugh  Maher  was  the  cooper  who 
furnished  the  barrels  for  the  house  which,  in 
1844,  exported  the  first  piece  of  beef  from  Chi- 
cago to  Great  Britain.  George  Steele  was 
known  as  a  pork-packer  in  1843,  his  place  being 
on  South  Water  Street,  a  little  west  of  Frank- 
lin. During  the  next  few  years,  the  following 
named  parties  appear  among  others  who  have 
been  engaged  in  the  meat-packing  business  in 
Chicago: 


Firm.  Cattle. 

O.  S.  Hubbard  ft  Co 200 

Hough    &   Co 225 

Cragln  ft  Co 400 

Thomas    Nash    (afterwards    Van 

Brunt  ft  Watrous) , . .  . .    400 

A.    Brown   &  Co..  .. 200 

Tobey,  Booth  &  Co 

John   Hay  ward 140 

Jonea  ft  Culbertson 1,200 

J.  ft  J.   Stewart 

George  Steele  &  Co.. ... 

Moore,   Stevens   ft  Co 200 

\V.    Leland 

Small    Packing   Houses 1,400 

Totals    3,165     9,000  $154,100 

The  following  extract  from  the  Chicago 
"Daily  Democrat"  of  Sept.  26,  1848,  gives  a  pic- 
ture of  the  packing  business  of  Chicago  at  that 
period,  which,  being  written  from  a  contempo- 
raneous standpoint,  is  of  interest: 

"The  beef -packing  season  has  opened  unprec- 
edentedly  early  this  year,  and  already  a  brisk 
little  business  is  being  done  by  one  firm  in 
this  city — Messrs.  Marsh  &  Sherry.  This 
firm  kills  from  fifty  to  sixty  head  per  day, 
and  has  already  shipped  seven  hundred  bar- 
rels of  beef  to  the  East.  Chicago  will  rely 
for  its  supplies  of  cattle  this  season  princi- 
pally, if  not  altogether,  on  the  northern  por- 
tion of  the  State,  being  grass-fed  cattle, 
which  gives  the  beef  a  peculiar  richness.  One 
firm,  Wadsworth,  Dyer  &  Co.,  have  already 
contracted  for  one  thousand  head  of  cattle. 
We  have  seen  letters  from  their  commission 
house  in  Boston  stating  that  their  beef 
takes  the  lead,  altogether,  of  that  shipped 


Cost  of 

packing 

Hogs. 

house. 

1,000 

$10,000 

1,000 

25,000 

1,000 

45,000 

1,400 

19,100 

600 

10,000 

600 

10,000 

400 

5,000 

1,200 

9,000 

300 

3,000 

300 

3,000 

600 

15,000 

100 

500 

from  Maine;  also  one  from  England  to  Wads- 
worth,  Dyer  &  Co.,  stating  that,  as  long  as 
their  beef  is  kept  up  to  its  present  standard, 
there  is  no  fear  but  what  it  will  compete 
successfully  with  the  best  Irish  brands.  This 
firm  kills  none  but  the  best  cattle,  and  uses 
foreign  salt  altogether  in  packing.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  superiority,  most  of  the  beef 
packed  in  this  city  goes  to  England  or  Bos- 
ton. It  is  expected  that  eighteen  thousand 
barrels  of  beef  will  be  packed  this  season,  or 
perhaps  more.  Of  this  Marsh  &  Sherry  expect 
to  pack  four  thousand  barrels;  Wadsworth, 
Dyer  &  Co.,  ten  thousand;  and  the  remainder 
by  Slocum  &  Clapp,  and  one  other  firm.  Bar- 
rels are  selling  at  $1.00,  at  which  price  con- 
tracts for  large  numbers  have  been  made." 

On  November  16,  1850,  the  "Gem  of  the 
Prairie,"  published  by  Kiler  K.  Jones,  brother 
of  Fernando  Jones,  gave  an  exhaustive  review 
of  the  business,  mentioning  the  names  and 
describing  the  business  done  by  them  as  fol- 
lows: 

"The  slaughtering  and  rendering  establish- 
ment of  Sylvester  Marsh  is  situated  upon  the 
beach  immediately  north  of  the  north  pier. 
The  packing  house  is  situated  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  at  the  corner  of  North  Water 
and  Wolcott  Streets.  It  was  built  during  the 
present  year,  is  three  stories  high,  and  sixty 
by  eighty-four  feet  in  size.  He  employs 
seventy-five  hands,  and  slaughters  185  cattle 
per  day.  He  pays  out  for  the  season,  cash, 
for  cattle,  $90,000;  for  salt  and  barrels, 
$15,000;  for  labor,  $5,000— total  $110,000. 

"The  slaughtering  and  packing  house  of 
Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  is  situated  upon  the 
North  Branch  on  East  Water  Street,  between 
Michigan  and  Illinois  Streets.  Number 
slaughtered  per  day,  105;  hands  usually 
employed,  seventy-five.  He  packs  this  year 
for  Norman  Felt,  of  New  York,  Joseph 
Draper,  of  Boston,  and  W.  Smith,  of  New 
Haven.  Pays  for  cattle,  $100,000;  for  salt, 
barrels  and  labor,  $21,000 — total,  $121,000. 

"The  establishment  of  Wadsworth,  Dyer  & 
Co.  is  situated  upon  the  North  Branch,  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city.  The  various  buildings 
cover  half  an  acre.  The  number  of  cattle 
slaughtered  this  season  by  the  firm  will 
probably  exceed  6,000.  The  firm  employs  110 
men  and  slaughters  210  head  of  cattle  per 
day.  They  commenced  operations  here  seven 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


703 


years  ago.  Their  brand  in  the  London  and 
Liverpool  markets  takes  precedence  over 
beef  from  every  other  quarter  of  the  world. 
Their  hides  are  purchased  by  Gurnee,  Hayden 
&  Co.,  and  their  refuse  carted  by  C.  Beers  for 
his  farm  beyond  Bridgeport.  Paid  for  cattle, 
$132,000;  for  salt,  barrels  and  labor,  $28,000 
—total,  $160,000. 

"R.  M.  &  O.  S.  Hough  are  located  a  short 
distance  below  Bridgeport,  immediately  on 
the  bank  of  the  river.  Their  building  is 
thirty  by  sixty  feet  in  size,  with  wings.  They 
are  working  fifty  hands,  and  slaughtering  130 
head  of  cattle  per  day.  Cash  paid  for  cattle, 
$70,000;  for  salt,  barrels  and  labor,  $15,000 
—total,  $85,000. 

"Passing  down  the  river  until  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  tannery  of  Gurnee,  Hayden  & 
Co.,  we  come  to  the  slaughtering  and  packing 
house  of  William  B.  Clapp.  He  is  killing  one 
hundred  head  of  cattle  per  day,  and  working 
forty  hands.  He  has  a  contract  for  supply- 
ing one  thousand  eight  hundred  barrels  to 
the  United  States  Navy.  Cash  paid  for  cat- 
tle, $56,000;  for  salt,  barrels  and  labor, 
$16,000— total,  $72,000. 

"A  little  farther  down  is  the  establishment 
of  Eri  Reynolds,  a  brick  building  fifty  by  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  size.  He  packs 
for  himself  and  W.  &  H.  Felt  of  Earlville,  N. 
Y.,  employs  thirty  hands  and  slaughters 
about  ninety  head  of  cattle  per  day. 
His  estimates  for  the  season  are:  Cash  for 
cattle,  $48,000;  for  salt,  barrels  and  labor, 
$10,000— total,  $58,000. 

"The  seventh  and  last  establishment — that 
of  Messrs.  Clybourn  &  Ellis — we  did  not  find 
time  to  visit.  It  is  situated  upon  the  North 
Branch,  about  one  mile  above  Ogden's  bridge. 
They  will  slaughter  this  season  about  two 
thousand  head  of  cattle,  and  the  cost  of  the 
same,  including  salt,  barrels,  labor,  etc.,  will 
amount  to  about  $45,000. 

"Hence,  we  have  about  twenty-seven  thous- 
and, five  hundred  cattle  packed,  and  $651,000 
paid  out.  The  majority  of  cattle  are  fattened 
in  Illinois,  McLean  County  bearing  the  palm; 
but  a  portion  are  brought  from  Indiana  and 
Iowa." 

Oramel  T.  and  Roselle  M.  Hough,  who  had 
previously  *been  associated  with  Sylvester 
Marsh,  erected  a  packing  house  on  the  South 
Branch  in  1850,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  Their 


business  increased  so  rapidly  that,  in  1854, 
they  put  up  a  new  stone  structure  costing 
$20,000.  This  having  been  destroyed  by  fire 
two  years  afterward,  the  firm  rebuilt  in  1857, 
at  an  outlay  of  $25,000. 

The  firm  of  (Orville  H.)  Tobey  &  (Herman 
D.)  Booth  began  packing  pork  in  1853. 

John  L.  Hancock,  representing  Cragin  &  Co. 
of  New  York,  did  an  extensive  business  for 
those  days  in  a  house  erected  by  himself  at  a 
cost  of  $45,000,  on  the  South  Branch. 

In  1853-54,  Andrew  Brown  &  Co.  commenced 
packing,  and  one  year  later,  the  firm  of  Moore, 
Stevens  &  Co.,  in  the  fall  of  1854. 

The  following  table,  taken  from  the  Annual 
Review  of  "The  Chicago  Press  and  Tribune" 
for  1859,  affords  an  approximately  accurate 
report  of  the  quantity  of  beef  packed  in  Chi- 
cago during  that  year,  and  contains  a  fair 
catalogue  of  the  houses  engaged  in  that  line  of 
trade  at  the  time: 


Not.  of  AT.      No.  of 

Net 

Cattle.  Wt.       Tcs. 

Cragin  &  Co..  18,980  560       8,900 
R.  M.  &  O.   S. 

Hough    ....    6,483  575       1,006 
G.  S.  Hubbard 

&  Co.    5,453  563       1,100 

Andr'w   Brown 

&   Co 5,225  550        

J.    G.    Law    & 

Co 5,100  550       1,000 

Van    Brunt    & 

Watrous     ..    4,568  565       6,090 

Jno.   Hayward  5,000  550       [fc. . . . 

O.    M.    Morton  1,000  555 


No.  of       Tallow 


Bbls. 
28,600 

12,642 

11,426 

13,800 

8,475 


11,000 
2,200 


Lbs. 
940,000 

301,683 
254,151 
261,250 
234,600 

228,400 

225,000 

47,500 


Total     51,809 


18,096     88,143     2,492,584 


The  markets  at  that  period  open  to  Chicago, 
outside  of  that  at  home,  where  chiefly  the  Lake 
ports,  where  the  lumber  camps  bought  their 
supplies,  although  a  not  insignificant  percent- 
age of  the  output  found  its  way  to  the  seaboard. 

The  business  of  pork-packing  was  not  par- 
ticularly profitable  in  1859,  although  Chicago 
packers  fared  better  than  operators  in  other 
parts  of  the  country.  The  product  was  not 
sufficiently  large  to  admit  of  much  shipment  to 
the  East,  but  the  requirements  of  Canada  and 
the  lumber  regions  kept  the  Chicago  market 
considerably  higher  than  those  of  St.  Louis, 
Cincinnati  or  New  York. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  leading  houses 
engaged  in  this  branch  of  the  trade  at  that 


704 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


time:  R.  M.  &  O.  S.  Hough,  Cragin  &  Co., 
Jones  &  Culbertson,  G.  S.  Hubbard  &  Co.,  Flint 
&  Stearns,  Tobey  &  Booth,  Percival  Marriott, 
Thomas  Nash,  Bodel,  J.  G.  Law  &  Co.,  Leland 
&  Mixer,  Morton  Standish,  George  Steele  &  Co., 
G.  J.  W.  Steward,  Burt  &  Higgins,  Reynolds  & 
Law,  and  P.  Curtiss. 

The  year  I860  opened  with  a  heavy  stock  of 
beef  on  hand,  and  low  prices  ruled  during  the 
year.  Operators  were  extremely  cautious,  and 
Chicago  packers  slaughtered  only  25,209  head 
of  cattle  as  against  51,809  in  1859.  There  was 
an  extensive  demand  for  cattle  for  shipment  to 
the  East,  and  the  value  of  stock  was  higher 
than  buyers  had  anticipated.  The  curtailment 
of  purchases  resulted  in  light  stocks  at  the 
end  of  the  year,  not  more  than  enough  to  meet 
the  demands  of  the  lumber  and  Lake  Superior 
trade  being  in  store  by  the  end  of  the  season. 
Pork-packing  also  exhibited  some  falling  off, 
the  packers  using  167,918  hogs,  as  against 
185,000  the  previous  year. 

The  business  of  summer  packing  was  inaugu- 
rated during  1860,  two  houses  packing  12,000 
during  the  summer  months,  and  other  packers 
laying  in  a  supply  of  ice  during  the  winter 
with  a  view  to  operating  their  houses  during 
the  summer  following. 

During  the  four  succeeding  years  Chicago 
continued  to  advance  in  prominence  as  a  cattle 
market.  The  Government,  as  well  as  contract- 
ors, bought  largely  for  military  supplies,  and 
the  impetus  given  to  trade  by  speculation  was 
not  without  influence.  In  1864  the  newspapers 
of  the  day  made  the  boast  that  this  city  was 
the  largest  market  of  this  description  in  the 
West,  and  that  Chicago  packers  had  the  pick 
of  the  beeves  offered  for  sale.  During  the  sea- 
son of  1864-65  there  were  packed  in  the  city 
houses  some  95,000  head  of  cattle. 

The  list  of  beef-packers  had  undergone  some 
changes  since  1859,  being  in  1865  as  follows: 
Cragin  &  Co.;  Wooster,  Hough  &  Co.;  G.  S. 
Hubbard  &  Co.;  D.  Kreigh  &  Co.;  A.  E.  Kent  & 
Co.;  Steward,  Sanger  &  Holihan;  J.  E.  Nor- 
wood; Culbertson,  Blair  &  Co.;  Favorite  & 
Son;  Leland  &  Mixer;  Turner  &  Nicolls;  John 
Hay  ward;  Griffin  Bros.;  Jones,  Gifford  &  Co. 

The  business  of  pork-packing  increased  very 
rapidly  between  1859  and  1864.  In  the  season 
of  1852-53,  there  were  packed  in  this  city  only 
48,156  hogs;  in  1857-58  the  number  had 
increased  to  99,262;  in  1861-62,  to  514,118;  and, 
in  1862-63,  970,264  hogs  were  packed.  The  fol- 


lowing season  showed  a  falling  off,  the  number 
of  hogs  packed  being  904,658.  The  decline, 
however,  was  light  as  compared  with  that  at 
other  great  points  of  shipment,  the  number  of 
hogs  slaughtered  in  Cincinnati  having  decreased 
250,000.  The  progress  made  by  Chicago  in  this 
branch  of  business,  as  compared  with  Cincin- 
nati— long  known  as  "Porkopolis" — may  be 
perceived  from  the  following  table,  which 
shows  the  number  of  hogs  packed  at  the  two 
points,  respectively,  during  twelve  seasons, 
beginning  with  1852: 


SEASON. 

CHICAGO. 

CINCINNATI. 

1852-53 

48,156 

361,000 

1853-54 

52,819 

421,000 

1854-55 

73,694 

355,786 

1855-56 

80,380 

405,396 

1856-57 

74,000 

344,512 

1857-58 

99,262 

446,677 

1858-59 

185,000 

382,826 

1859-60 

167,918 

434,499 

186'0-61 

231,335 

433,179 

1861-62 

514,118 

474,116 

1862-63 

970,264 

608,547 

1863-64 

904,658 

357,640 

Some  new  packing  houses  were  built  during 
1864,  and  several  changes  were  made  in  the 
existing  firms,  as  well  as  improvements  in  all 
the  mechanical  branches  of  the  business. 
Leland  &  Mixer  occupied  the  old  "Brown"  pork 
and  beef  house  at  the  corner  of  Seventeenth 
and  Grove  Streets.  The  house  was  considered 
remarkable  at  that  time.  The  main  building — 
two  stories  and  basement — occupied  a  space  of 
100  by  112  feet,  having  a  wing  for  tanks,  ket- 
tles, boilers,  etc.,  30  by  55  feet.  The  hanging 
roof  afforded  accommodation  for  250  cattle  and 
2,500  hogs.  J.  E.  Norwood  removed  his  house 
from  the  South  Branch  to  the  lake  shore,  south 
of  Cottage  Grove  Avenue.  Keyt,  Blackmore  & 
Co.  had  obtained  possession  of  one  of  the  pack- 
ing houses  built  by  R.  McCabe,  a  few  years 
before.  The  old  house  used  by  Mr.  Norwood 
was  taken  by  Jones,  Gifford  &  Co.  The  firm 
of  Jones,  Culbertson  &  Co.  was  succeeded  by 
Culbertson,  Blair  &  Co.,  and  noticeable  improve- 
ments were  made  in  the  plant.  A  new  pack- 
ing house  was  erected  during  the  year  by  Dag- 
gett  &  Whitesiide,  on  Milwaukee  Avenue,  having 
a  capacity  of  400  hogs  per  day.  Another  was 
put  up  on  the  South  Branch  by  Shaw  &  Moody, 
capable  of  handling  about  500  hogs  daily.  The 
house  of  C.  C.  Palmer  had  passed  into  the  hands 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


705 


of  Ricker  &  Co.  The  building  on  Lake  Street, 
where  A.  E.  Kent  &  Co.  began  business,  was 
occupied  by  Bell  &  Deverill,  the  first  named 
concern  having  fitted  up  a  large  and  commo- 
dious house  elsewhere,  in  which  they  placed  a 
series  of  circular  saws  for  cutting  beef — proba- 
bly the  first  ever  brought  to  this  city. 

CHICAGO  LIVE  STOCK  TRADE. — 1848-1900  — 
Prior  to  1865  Chicago  possessed  several  stock 
yards  of  minor  importance  and  located  in  dif- 
ferent sections  of  the  city.  The  first  regular 
cattle  market  in  Chicago  was  opened  in  1848. 
It  was  located  at  the  south-east  corner  of  Ogden 
Avenue  and  West  Madison  Street,  and  was 
known  as  the  "Bull's  Head"  Stock  Yards.  At 
this  time  Chicago  had  a  population  of  only 
20,000,  but  was  growing  rapidly.  In  1854  the 
Michigan  Southern  Railway  opened  stock  yards 
at  the  corner  of  State  and  Twenty-second 
Streets.  John  B.  Sherman  made  what  was,  up 
to  1856,  the  boldest  venture  in  this  direction  in 
opening  the  Myrick  Yards,  also  known  as  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad  Yards,  on  Cottage 
Grove  Avenue  near  Thirty-first  Street,  with  a 
capacity  of  5,000  cattle  and  30,000  hogs,  which 
was  considered  something  wonderful.  The 
Fort  Wayne  Yards  were  located  on  Stewart 
Avenue  and  Sixteenth  Street,  and  Joseph 
McPherson  was  made  the  superintendent.  The 
yards  of  C.  F.  Loomis  &  Co.  were  small  and 
inadequate,  and  never  came  into  much  promi- 
nence. After  the  failure  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Yards  (which  had  been  estab- 
lished a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the  city)  to 
attract  business  to-  any  extent,  it  became  mani- 
fest that  the  live-stock  interests  of  Chicago 
should  be  concentrated  in  some  suitable  quarter 
to  facilitate  and  lessen  the  expense  of  transfers 
of  cattle  and  hogs.  The  delays  occasioned  by 
the  location  of  the  yards  at  long  distances  from 
one  another,  suggested  the  enterprise  of 

THE  UNION  STOCK  YARDS. 


This  enterprise,  the  first  of  its  kind,  began  as 
an  idea  in  the  mind  of  one  of  the  brightest  and 
ablest  organizers  and  managers  of  men  and 
affairs  of  his  time.  It  rapidly  assumed  tangi- 
ble shape.  A  prospectusi  was  issued  in  the 
autumn  of  1864,  which  resulted  in  a  subscrip- 
tion of  stock  to  the  extent  of  $1,000,000,  a  major 
portion  of  which  ($925,000)  was  taken  by  the 
nine  railways  chiefly  in  the  stock  trade,  vi&. : 
Illinois  Central;  Michigan  Central;  Pittsburg, 


Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago;  Chicago  &  Rock  Island; 
Chicago  &  Great  Eastern  (now  Pan  Handle) ; 
Michigan  Southern  &  Northern  Indiana;  Chi- 
cago &  Alton;  •  Chicago  &  Northwestern,  and 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy — the  balance 
being  allotted  to  the  packing  and  other  indus- 
tries. A  special  charter  was  granted  by  the 
Legislature  of  Illinois,  which  was  approved, 
Feb.  13,  1865,  to  "The  Union  Stock  Yard  & 
Transit  Co.  of  Chicago."  John  L.  Hancock, 
Virginius  A.  Turpin,  Roselle  M.  Hough,  Sidney 
A.  Kent,  Charles  M.  Culbertson,  Lyman  Blair, 
Martin  L.  Sykes,  Jr.,  George  W.  Cass,  James 
F.  Joy,  John  F.  Tracy,  Timothy  B.  Blackstone, 
John  H.  Moore,  John  S.  Barry,  Homer  E.  Sar- 
gent, Burton  C.  Cook,  John  B.  Drake,  William 
D.  Judson,  David  Kreigh,  Joseph  Sherwin  and 
John  B.  Sherman  were  the  incorporators. 

The  site  chosen  for  the  location  of  the  yards 
was  south  of  Thirty-ninth  Street,  between  Cen- 
ter Avenue  and  Halsted  Street,  Town  of  Lake, 
and  320  acres  were  purchased  from  the  Hon. 
John  Wentworth,  the  price  being  $100,000.  The 
land  was  considered  an  almost  valueless  marsh, 
impossible  to  be  drained.  Work  was  com- 
menced June  1,  1865,  and  on  Christmas  Day, 
December  25th  of  that  year,  the  yards  were 
thrown  open  for  business.  About  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  were  covered  with  pens 
when  the  yards  were  opened,  and  the  growth 
of  the  enterprise  since  has  necessitated  addi- 
tions from  time  to  time,  and  the  purchase  of 
more  land,  making  the  present  acreage  of  the 
yards  and  buildings  in  which  this  enormous 
business  centers,  four  hundred  and  seventy-five, 
and  its  present  capacity  seventy-five  thousand 
cattle,  three  hundred  thousand  hogs,  fifty  thou- 
sand sheep  and  six  thousand  horses. 

The  Presidents  of  the  Union  Stock  Yard  & 
Transit  Co.  of  Chicago  have  been  Timothy  B. 
Blackstone,  John  M.  Douglass,  Peyton  R. 
Chandler,.  James  M.  Walker,  Nathaniel  Thayer 
and  John  B.  Sherman.  The  present  officers 
are:  Nathaniel  Thayer,  Chairman  of  the 
Board;  John  A.  Spoor,  President;  Frederick  S. 
Winston,  Vice-President;  Arthur  G.  Leonard, 
General  Manager;  Charles  D.  Moyer,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer;  Robert  B.  Thomson,  Assistant 
Secretary  and  Assistant  Treasurer;  Charles  C. 
Chace,  Auditor;  James  H.  Ashby,  General 
Superintendent. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  UNION  STOCK  YARDS. — The 
pens  for  the  various  kinds  of  stock  —  which 
hold  from  one  to  ten  cars  each — are  laid  out 


706 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


in  divisions  distinct  from  each  other,  much 
after  the  manner  of  city  wards,  the  intersect- 
ing streets  running  through  them  at  right 
angles.  There  are  13,000  pens,  8,500  of  which 
are  covered  for  the  housing  of  hogs  and  sheep. 
These  enclosed  pens  cover  seventy-five  acres 
of  ground  and  a  large  proportion  of  them  are 
double-decked,  affording  unexcelled  facilities 
for  rapid  unloading  and  yarding-  of  the  heaviest 
runs.  Numerous  viaducts  lead  from  the  Yards 
to  the  packing  houses,  and  from  one  part  of 
the  Yards  to  another,  insuring  expeditious  de- 
livery of  stock  sold  and — by  affording  means 
of  rapid  transfer  of  stock — quick  relief  of  con- 
gestion in  any  section  of  the  Yards.  The 
Yards  contain  25  miles  of  streets,  brick  and 
plank  covered;  25  miles  of  water-troughs;  90 
miles  of  water-pipes  and  50  miles  of  sewerage. 
Six  artesian  wells  furnish  an  abundant  water 
supply.  The  least  depth  of  any  well  is  1,250 
feet,  and  the  greatest  depth  is  2,250  feet.  The 
water-tower  has  a  capacity  of  30,000  gallons 
and  the  combined  capacity  of  ponds  and  reser- 
voirs is  10,000,000  gallons;  7,000,000  gallons  of 
water  are  consumed  here  on  the  hottest  days. 
Every  part  of  the  Yards  and  the  vast  packing- 
house district  adjacent  is  connected  by  a  com- 
plete system  of  over-head  viaducts.  There  are 
625  chutes  for  loading  and  unloading  stock,  and 
the  employes  of  the  Stock  Yards  Company  re- 
lieve the  shipper  of  all  trouble  in  handling 
stock  after  it  is  received  at  the  Yards.  All 
kinds  of  feed  are  delivered  into  any  and  all 
pens  by  company  employes,  who  also  look  after 
the  watering,  feeding  and  yarding  of  all  stock. 
The  cars  of  live  stock  are  received,  unloaded 
and  delivered,  at  a  rate  reaching  400  car-loads 
at  one  time.  The  facilities  are  such  that,  by 
an  arrangement  of  chutes,  an  entire  train  may 
be  unloaded  as  rapidly  as  a  single  car.  After 
the  cars  have  been  unloaded  and  the  feeding 
and  watering  of  stock  has  been  accomplished, 
the  selling  begins,  the  stock  being  mostly  con- 
signed for  sale  on  commission.  There  are 
over  300  buyers  constantly  on  the  market,  in- 
suring a  constant  and  reliable  demand  for  all 
classes  of  stock. 

In  the  center  of  the  Yards  stands  the  Ex- 
change Building,  in  which  are  the  offices  of  the 
company,  as  well  as  those  of  commission  firms 
and  buyers.  The  National  Live  Stock  Bank, 
also  located  in  the  Exchange  Building,  com- 
menced business  on  March  1,  1888,  succeeding 
the  Union  Stock  Yards  National  Bank,  estab- 


lished in  1868,  the  latter  being  preceded  by 
the  banking  firm  of  Solomon  Sturges  &  Sons,  in 
1866-67.  The  capital  of  the  National  Live 
Stock  Bank  is  $1,000,000,  with  $750,000  surplus 
and  about  $553,906  undivided  profits  March  4, 
1904. 

The  Drovers'  Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  located 
at  Forty-second  and  Halsted  Streets,  began 
business  February  3,  1902,  with  a  capital  of 
$200,000.  It  has  a  surplus  of  $30,000  and 
$8,402.70  undivided  profits,  less  expenses  and 
taxes  paid.  The  Stock  Yards  Savings  Bank, 
situated  in  the  Exchange  Building,  was  or- 
ganized February  17,  1902,  with  a  capital  and 
surplus  of  $305,000.  The  amount  of  its  undi- 
vided profits  on  June  6,  1904,  was  $57,000.  The 
Peoples  Trust  &  Savings  Bank,  4711  Ashland 
Avenue,  was  organized  in  May,  1904,  and  began 
business  June  1,  1904.  It  is  capitalized  at 
$200,000.  The  Union  Stock  Yards  State  Bank, 
at  the  intersection  of  Forty-seventh  Street, 
Gross  and  Ashland  Avenues,  was  opened  June 
7,  1904,  with  a  capital  of  $200,000. 

On  Halsted  Street,  near  the  entrance  stands 
the  Transit  House  (formerly  known  as  the 
Hough  House)  a  first-class  hotel  which  is  owned 
and  conducted  by  the  company  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  stockmen  and  others  doing  busi- 
ness at  the  Yards,  and  is  especially  convenient 
for  dealers  and  patrons  of  the  horse  market. 
This  hotel  has  recently  been  completely  re- 
modeled and  refurnished,  and  will  be  fully  de- 
scribed further  on. 

Another  feature  of  the  Yards,  constantly  in- 
creasing in  interest  and  importance,  is  to  be 
found  in  the  extensive  structure  known  as  the 
Dexter  Park  Amphitheater,  designed  for  fancy 
horse  sales,  high  class  stock  shows  and  auction 
sales  of  fine  breeding  stock.  On  September  21, 
1899,  the  great  frame  building,  so,, widely  known 
as  the  "Horse  Pavilion"  and  the  largest  struc- 
ture of  its  kind  in  existence,  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  Before  the  flames  were  under  control, 
plans  had  been  started  for  a  new  building,  and 
in  an  almost  incredible  time  a  more  modern 
structure  had  been  completed.  This  new 
building  is  of  Romanesque  design,  600  feet  long 
by  200  feet  wide,  built  of  brick,  stone  and 
steel,  and  practically  fire-proof.  There  are 
perfect  stable  accommodations  for  600  animals, 
1,500  tons  of  hay  and  50,000  bushels  of  grain. 
This  building  is  lighted  by  electricity,  is 
thoroughly  heated  by  steam,  and  the  great  dome 
in  the  center  covers  an  amphitheater,  with  con- 


LEWIS   R.    HASTINGS 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


707 


necting  galleries,  from  which  5,000  people  can 
comfortably  view  the  thorough-bred  stock  sales, 
and  brilliant  horse  exhibitions,  or  the  high-class 
breeding  and  fat-stock  sales  and  shows,  for 
which  this  great  market  is  noted.  In  the  con- 
struction of  the  new  building  over  2,000,000 
bricks  have  been  used,  and  thousands  of  tons 
of  steel  and  stone.  The  cost  has  been  over 
$200,000,  and  in  every  particular  this  structure 
is  unrivalled,  being  not  only  the  largest,  but 
the  best  appointed  and  most  complete  of  its 
kind  in  the  world.  Both  private  and  auction 
sales  are  held  here,  as  well  as  competitive  live- 
stock and  agricultural  exhibits. 

The  Union  Stock  Yard  &  Transit  Company 
expends  for  construction  and  repairs  from 
$250,000  to  $750,000  per  year.  Special  atten- 
tion has  been  paid  to  the  matter  of  sewerage. 
The  drainage  of  the  Yards  is  carried  through 
50  miles  of  sewers  into  the  Chicago  River, 
through  which  it  finds  its  way  through  the 
Drainage  Canal  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The 
sanitary  conditions  and  provisions  for  the  care 
and  health  of  the  stock  are  as  perfect  as  scien- 
tific study  and  practical  experience  have  been 
able  to  devise.  In  the  last  year  a  large  sec- 
tion of  the  yards  has  been  permanently  im- 
proved with  brick  floorings  and  the  work  is 
being  extended  to  completion.  The  use  of 
brick  for  this  purpose  not  only  makes  a  per- 
manent improvement,  but  insures  increased 
cleanliness  and  safety  for  stock,  and  is  greatly 
appreciated  by  shippers  and  dealers  alike.  The 
plant  represents  an  enormous  outlay.  The 
company  has  about  2,000  employes,  while  the 
200  commission  firms  doing  business  here  em- 
ploy some  1,500  assistants.  About  50  firms  of 
packers  do  business  here,  some  twenty  of  whom 
are  prominent.  In  addition  to  the  local 
slaughterers  and  packers,  there  are  over  100 
buyers  for  eastern  and  foreign  markets.  The 
plants  of  the  local  packing  concerns,  which  are 
located  immediately  back  of  and  adjoining  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  proper,  are  estimated  to  be 
worth  fully  $25,000,000,  while  the  capital 
invested  in  their  business  falls  little,  if  at  all, 
below  $60,000,000. 

In  and  about  the  packing-houses  40,000  em- 
ployes are  kept  busy,  the  annual  wages  paid 
reaching  the  sum  of  $30,000,000,  while  the  total 
value  of  the  products  for  the  year  ending  Jan- 
uary 1,  1904,  reached  the  enormous  aggregate 
of  over  $288,000,000. 


CHICAGO   JUNCTION  RAILWAY  COMPANY. 


This  company,  which  is  controlled  by  the 
Chicago  Junction  Railway  and  Union  Stock 
Yards  Company,  is  a  consolidation  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Hammond  &  Western  Railway  Company, 
the  Chicago  &  Indiana  State  Line  Railway 
Company,  and  the  Transit  Department  of  the 
Union  Stock  Yard  &  Transit  Company,  with  a 
total  mileage  of  more  than  300  miles  of  main 
track  and  sidings,  including  150  miles  of  tracks 
in  and  around  the  Stock  Yards  and  packing 
house  district.  It  has  50  engines  and  700 
cars.  Its  tracks,  terminals  and  icing  facilities 
are  unexcelled,  and  it  is  the  best  equipped  of 
any  railroad  in  Chicago  to  transact  a  freight 
business.  This  railroad  extends  from  Whiting, 
Ind.,  to  Hammond,  with  lines  extending  on 
both  sides  of  the  Calumet  River  to  South  Chi- 
cago; from  Hammond  to  Blue  Island;  thence 
to  Franklin  Park,  forming  a  belt  line  outside 
and  around  the  city,  together  with  an  inner 
line  extending  from  Chappell  to  the  Union 
Stock  Yards;  thus  connecting  with  all  the  rail- 
roads entering  Chicago  and  placing  the  Union 
Stock  Yards  in  a  commanding  position.  It 
handles  the  vast  traffic  of  "Packingtown,"  its 
meats  and  supplies  of  all  kinds,  and  long  trains 
of  refrigerator,  coal,  grain  and  freight  cars 
are  constantly  moving  day  and  night  over  the 
mazes  of  tracks  threading  the  district  through- 
out. The  company  maintains  a  high  standard 
of  service  in  the  handling  of  shipments  to  and 
from  the  industries  located  on  its  lines,  and  in 
addition  furnishes  to  its  patrons  the  same 
basis  of  rates  as  applies  to  Chicago  proper. 
The  General  Officers  of  the  Company  (1900) 
are:  John  Spoor,  President;  R.  Fitzgerald, 
Vice-President;  Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
Charles  D.  Moyer;  Auditor,  Charles  C.  Chase; 
Agent  Industrial  Department,  W.  A.  Sumner. 

THE  WORLD'S  HORSE  MARKET. 


Chicago's  supremacy  as  a  horse  market  is 
as  marked  as  its  supremacy  as  a  live-stock 
market.  In  addition  to  the  great  Dexter  Park 
Amphitheater,  there  are  thirty  immense  horse 
and  mule  barns,  constructed  of  brick  two 
stories  high,  with  all  modern  improvements. 
The  following  table  will  give  an  idea  of  its 
size: 


708 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Capacity  for  horses  or  mules 6,000 

Area    covered    by    market...., 100  acres 

Area   covered   by   stables 45  acres 

Stable  floor  space ,. 75  acres 

Capacity    of    amphitheater 600  animals 

Length    of    amphitheater     600  feet 

Width    of    amphitheater 200  feet 

Cost  of  amphitheater    , $200,000 

Number   of   stables    30 

Number  of  employes    ,.,..  ..300  men 

Water  supply  pipe   line 10  miles 

For  over  thirty-eight  years,  horses  and  mules 
have  been  received  and  sold  at  auction  and 
otherwise  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  but  it  has 
only  been  some  fifteen  years  that  the  business 
has  been  handled  under  a  separate  department 
of  the  Stock  Yards  Company.  Where  now  are 
located  the  stables  and  auction  pavilion  were 
formerly  the  grounds  of  the  old  Dexter  Park 
race  course,  upon  which  transpired  some  of 
the  most  brilliant  contests  of  the  turf;  and 
here  all  the  celebrities  of  the  horse  world  per- 
formed, including  Flora  Temple,  record  2:19%; 
Dexter,  record  2:17^4;  Maud  S.,  record  2:08%; 
Johnson,  record  2:061/4,  and  many  others  that 
reigned  the  champions  of  their  day. 

In  1886,  and  during  the  years  immediately 
succeeding,  J.  S.  Cooper,  F.  J.  Berry,  J.  Koehler 
and  M.  Newgass  and  Son  located  here,  and  they 
were  soon  followed  by  other  commission  firms, 
now  comprising  the  National  Horse  Exchange. 
With  the  advent  of  these  men  the  market  took 
a  new  life,  the  business  increased  with  incred- 
ible rapidity,  new  brick  stables  were  put  up 
and  the  grounds  were  improved.  In  the  last 
year  four  immense  brick  stables,  as  well  as 
the  brick  amphitheater,  all  completely  equipped, 
and  in  every  way  modern  structures  of  their 
kind,  have  been  erected,  and  today  we  have  the 
greatest  horse  and  mule  market  in  the  world 
from  every  standpoint. 


HORSES  HANDLED. 

Largest  receipts  for  one  day    

Largest  receipts  for  one  week    

Largest  receipts  for  one  month    

Largest   receipts   for  one   year    

Carloads  of  horses  in  1898   . . 


1,697 

4,369 

17,782 

118,754 

6,260 

Valuation  of  horses  sold  in  1903    $13,455,651 

Grand  total  horses  received  in  37  years..  ..  1,847,323 

Grand  total  horses  shipped  in  37  years    . .  1,696,876 

AVERAGE  PRICES  OF  HORSES,  1901-1903.  — 
A  monthly  report  of  the  average  price  of 
horses  sold  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards  during  the 
past  three  years,  indicates  a  steady  advance  in 
each  grade  from  year  to  year.  The  figures  for 
each  year  are  as  follows: 


1901  1902  1903 

Draft    Horses    $157  $166  $171 

Carriage  Teams   400  455  455 

Drivers 137  145  150 

General   Use    102  117  122 

Bussers    and   Trammers    121  135  140 

Saddlers     147  154  156 

Southern  Chunks 52  57      •       62 

The  total  valuation  of  horses  sold  at  the 
Stock  Yards  during  the  year  1903  was  $13,455,- 
651,  against  $12,556,237  in  1899,  and  $10,235,000 
in  1898. 

MULE  DEPARTMENT. —  For  a  great  many 
years  mules  have  been  sold  on  this  market,  but 
it  has  not  been  until  a  comparatively  recent 
period  that  any  systematic  effort  has  been 
made  to  develop  the  business;  nevertheless,  the 
demand  has  increased  and  each  year  has  shown 
a  steady  increase  in  receipts  and  sales.  This 
has  necessitated  improved  facilities  and  large 
new  brick  barns,  with  all  improvements,  have 
been  erected  for  the  exclusive  accommodation 
of  the  mule  trade,  which  is  now  being  given 
special  attention. 

The  mule,  by  reason  of  its  hardiness  and 
capacity  for  hard  work,  and  the  further  fact 
that  it  is  subject  to  but  few  of  the  diseases  of 
the  horse  and  requires  less  attention  and  care 
than  a  horse,  is  rapidly  coming  to  be  appre- 
ciated for  draft  work,  not  alone  in  the  South 
but  also  for  railroad  and  mine  service  in  the 
North. 

THE  TRANSIT  HOUSE. —  On  Halsted  Street 
near  the  entrance  to  the  Union  Stock  Yards, 
stands  the  Transit  House.  This  famous  hos- 
telry has  probably  been  a  home  for  more  stock- 
men, horsemen,  commission  men  and  Stock 
Yards  people,  than  any  other  hotel  could  possi- 
bly be,  of  this  or  any  other  class  of  people,  as 
it  rarely  comes  within  the  scope  of  any  first- 
class  hotel  to  cater  to  a  people  with  such  a  com- 
munity of  interests  as  those  who  make  the 
Transit  House  their  home.  As  a  consequence 
there  are  many  pleasant  recollections  concerning 
it  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the  live-stock  peo- 
ple of  Chicago  and  the  visiting  fraternity.  The 
general  feeling  of  sorrow  expressed  when  the 
Transit  House  caught  fire  during  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  great  Horse  Pavilion,  September  21, 
1899,  can  thus  readily  be  understood.  Before 
the  fire  engines  had  ceased  to  play  on  the  ruins, 
contracts  were  awarded  for  the  reconstruction 
of  the  burned  pavilion  and  barns,  and  for  the 
remodeling  and  refurnishing  of  the  hotel.  The 
fire  had  destroyed  part  of  the  south  wing  and 


/(t  f 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


709 


center  of  the  house,  while  the  entire  hotel  was 
water-soaked.  Since  then,  in  keeping  with  the 
progressive  management  of  the  Yards,  the  in- 
terior of  the  hotel  has  been  practically 
remodeled  throughout,  while  the  exterior  archi- 
tecture remains  unchanged.  The  lobby  and 
corridors  have  been  enlarged  and  beautifully 
finished  in  dark  mahogany,  with  heavy 
beams  paneling  off  the  ceilings  in  an  artistic 
and  taking  way.  The  same  general  design 
is  followed  in  the  dining-room,  except  that 
the  walls  are  tinted  in  deep  red  with  white 
and  gold  ceiling,  while  the  general  tint  of  the 
lobby  and  office  is  green.  The  reading-room  has 
been  finished  in  a  fine  shading  of  red,  with 
painted  canvas  ceiling.  New  marble  floors  have 
been  put  in  and  the  building  made  modern  in 
every  way.  Every  room  in  the  house  has  been 
refurnished  and  a  large  number  of  bath-rooms 
installed;  new  carpets  have  been  put  down  and 
every  room  is  light  and  airy  and  scrupulously 
clean.  The  best  beds  obtainable  have  been 
placed  in  the  rooms,  and  everything  has  been 
done  that  would  make  the  house  more  home- 
like than  ever.  The  hotel  is  lighted  through- 
out by  electricity,  heated  by  steam  and  has  run- 
ning water  on  each  floor.  The  dining-room  has 
been  made  brighter  and  more  cheerful  with  its 
new  decorations  and  is  handsomely  lighted  by 
electricity.  The  meals  are  a  special  feature  and 
a  better  dinner,  breakfast  or  supper  cannot  be 
had  in  the  city  for  twice  the  money.  The  win- 
dows have  been  enlarged,  the  rooms  are  bright 
and  cheerful  throughout,  and  furnished  with 
electric  fans  for  the  comfort  of  guests  during 
the  summer  months.  There  has  been  a  hand- 
some caf6  added,  which  is  the  most  beautiful 
feature  of  the  hotel  in  style  and  design.  There 
is  also  a  recently  installed  watch  service,  which 
insures  constant  night  patrol.  Electric  cars 
pass  the  doors  constantly,  and  with  the  local 
service  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  South- 
ern Railroad,  easy  and  rapid  transportation  is 
afforded,  at  all  times  of  the  day  or  night,  to  and 
from  the  business  portion  of  the  city  and  thea- 
ter district. 

ENORMOUS  BUSINESS  DONE. —  There  is  no 
place  in  Chicago  which  compares  in  amount  of 
business  done  with  that  transacted  at  the  yards 
from  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  great  bulk  of  the 
stock  arriving  during  the  night.  Everything  is 
so  well  systematized  that  this  •  enormous  vol- 
ume of  business  is  conducted  with  a  celerity 


that  is  wonderful.  The  promptness  and  cer- 
tainty with  which  sales  are  conducted  and 
remittances  returned  to  shippers  on  the  day 
of  sale  are  unequaled  in  any  other  business. 
Shipments  are  now  being  made  to  nearly  every 
country  on  the  globe.  Direct  wires  for  tele- 
graph and  telephone  service  connect  the  Chi- 
cago Yards  with  all  the  prominent  cities, 
besides  leading  directly  to  the  main  offices  in 
Chicago,  many  of  the  firms  having  their  pri- 
vate wires,  giving  the  entire  system  a  capacity 
of  several  thousand  messages  an  hour. 

During  the  past  year  about  $500,000  has  been 
expended  by  this  company  in  new  improve- 
ments already  completed,  about  $100,000  worth 
are  now  under  headway,  and  other  extensive 
and  very  important  improvements  are  projected 
and  soon  to  be  undertaken. 

An  immense  addition  to  the  sheep  market 
has  just  been  completed,  with  the  latest 
improved  facilities  to  accommodate  the  rapidly 
increasing  sheep  business  of  this  market.  It 
has  a  capacity  of  20,000  sheep  per  day. 

The  largest  and  latest  improved  sheep  dip 
and  pool  in  the  world  is  in  operation  here, 
under  control  of  inspectors  appointed  by  the 
Government,  and  has  a  capacity  for  dipping 
10,000  per  day. 

IMPROVEMENTS. — Near  the  sheep  house,  where 
the  old  water-works  stood,  a  new  power  plant 
was  installed  in  1904  which  pumps  water 
from  the  new  8,000,000-gallon  reservoir,  and 
supplies  the  entire  Yards  with  arc  and  incan- 
descent lights.  In  addition  to  this,  three  brick 
scale  houses  were  erected.  In  the  shipping 
division  all  the  old  fixtures  were  torn  away  and 
new  ones  substituted,  thus  affording  much  bet- 
ter facilities  for  tagging  and  loading  export 
cattle.  During  the  same  year  the  new  Ham- 
mond plant,  transferred  from  Hammond,  Ind., 
was  opened  for  business.  'It  is  one  of  the  most 
up-to-date  slaughtering  establishments  in  the 
world,  and  has  a  much  greater  capacity  than 
the  old  plant. 

Among  the  improvements  contemplated 
(March,  1904)  for  the  coming  year,  are  exten- 
sive track  elevation  and  a  permanent  tube  ser- 
vice from  the  local  postoffice  to  the  city. 

In  the  presentation  of  this  industry  we  prove 
that  Chicago  stands  without  a  rival.  While 
reports  show  that  she  has  the  largest  grain, 
lumber  and  wholesale  dry-goods  market  in  the 
world,  yet  there  is  more  business  done  and 
more  actual  value  handled  in  Chicago's  live 


7io 


HISTOKIC'AL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


stock  trade  alone,  than  in  her  grain,  lumber  and 
dry  goods  combined.  Add  to  this  the  value 
created  by  the  packers  in  the  processes  of 
slaughtering,  manufacturing  and  distributing 
the  various  parts  and  products1  of  the  slaugh- 
tered animals,  and  we  have  an  enormous  grand 
total. 

From  various  sources  there  were  received  at 
the  Union  Stock  Yards  during  the  year  1903, 
302,915  cars  of  live  stock,  embracing, 

Cattle    , 3,432,486 

Calves     >, 271,743 

Sheep 4,582,760 

Hogs  (average  weight,  226  Ibs)    ..,.; 7,325,923 

Horses 100,603 


Total,   animals 15,713,515 

Valued    at    $228,152,707,    as    against    $42,765,328    in 
1866. 

In  thirty-eight  years   since  the  Yards   were 
established  there  have  been  received: 

Cattle      ..t., 71,499,896 

Calves     3,041,768 

Sheep    61,241,143 

Hogs 217,418,600 

Horses    .., 1,847,323 


Total,    animals 355,048,730 

Valuation     $6,393,742,642 

The  shipments  of  all  kinds  of  stock  from  the 
Yards  during  the  thirty-eight  years  have  been 
107,232,392  animals,  making  the  grand  total 
handled  by  the  Union  Stock  Yard  &  Transit 
Company  of  Chicago,  since  its  establishment, 
462,281,122  head. 

LARGEST  RECEIPTS. 

The  largest  receipts  of  stock  in  one  day  have 
been  as  follows: 

Cattle,  Sept   28,  1903    , 44,445 

Calves,  April  15,  1902    5,076 

Hogs,  Feb.  11,  1895    74,551 

Sheep,   Sept.   29,   1902    :. 59,362 

Horses,  March  25,   1901    1,697 

Cars,  Dec.  1,  1902    2,811 

The  largest  receipts  of  stock  in  one  week 
have  been: 

Cattle,  week  ending  Sept.  17,  1891    95,524 

Calves,  week  ending  May  9,  1903    9,236 

Hogs,  week  ending  Nov.  20,  1880    ..>, 300,488 

Sheep,  week  ending  Oct.  18,  1902    162,459 

Horses,  week  ending  Mar.  30,  1895    4,369 

Cars,  week  ending  Dec.  13,  1902   8,474 


The  largest  receipts  of  stock  in  one  month 
have  been: 

Cattle,   September,   1892    385,466 

Calves,    April,    1903    37,546 

Hogs,  November,   1880 1,111,997 

Sheep,  October,  1902    613,547 

Horses,    March,    1897    17,782 

Cars,  December,  1891 31,910 

The  largest  receipts  of  stock  in  one  year 
have  been: 

Cattle,    1892    3,571,796 

Calves,  1903 271,743 

Hogs,     1898 8,817,114 

Sheep,    1903    4,582,760 

Horses,    1898     118,754 

Cars,   1890    311,557 

In  reviewing  the  number  and  value  of  ani- 
mals received  at  this  market,  Hon.  George  F. 
Stone,  the  veteran  Secretary  of  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Trade,  says: 

"A  studious  contemplation  of  the  above 
figures  must  bring  before  the  mind  a  vast, 
complex  and  yet  systematic  volume  of  busi- 
ness, the  ramifications  of  which  extend  into 
every  department  of  mercantile  life,  affect- 
ing lard,  lumber  and  iron,  dry  goods  and 
grain,  transportation  and  banking;  indeed, 
nearly  every  activity  in  the  range  of  com- 
merce is  set  and  kept  in  motion  by  this  great 
industry,  from  its  inception  to  its  distribu- 
tion and  final  assimilation." 

PRESENT  OFFICERS. —  President,  J.  A.  Spoor, 
Chicago;  First  Vice-President,  Alvin  H.  San- 
ders, Chicago;  Second  Vice-President,  DeWitt 
C.  Smith,  Springfield,  111.;  General  Manager, 
W.  E.  Skinner,  Chicago;  Treasurer,  R.  Z.  Her- 
rick,  Chicago;  Secretary,  Mortimer  Levering, 
Lafayette,  Ind. 

The  Board  of  Directors  is  made  up  of  the 
Presidents  of  all  recognized  Breeding  Record 
Associations  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

INTERNATIONAL  LIVE-STOCK  EXPOSI- 
TIONS. 


We  have  shown  in  this  statement  of  the 
Rise  and  Progress  of  the  Live  Stock  and  Meat 
Packing  Industry  of  Chicago  from  1827  to  1904, 
that  Chicago  is  supreme  in  her  genius  for 
organizing  and  carrying  forward  to  complete 
success  any  enterprise,  no  matter  how  large  or 
how  difficult,  and,  as  an  epitome  or  condensed 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


711 


result  of  the  whole  movement  herein  described, 
is  presented  the  following  summary  of  Interna- 
tional Live-Stock  Expositions  held  in  the  last 
four  years,  beginning  with  1900: 

During  the  fall  of  1899  the  friends  of  live 
stock  and  agriculture  made  a  careful  survey  of 
the  conditions  of  these  two  great  industries 
throughout  the  United  States,  and  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  an  era  of  increased  and 
improved  live-stock  production  was  an  absolute 
necessity  in  order  to  prevent  a  period  of 
scarcity  of  animals  and  meats,  a  consequent 
decline  in  our  exports,  and  a  further  decrease 
in  the  fertility  of  the  soil  on  the  farms  of  the 
Middle  West,  upon  the  preservation  of  which 
must  necessarily  depend  the  continued  suc- 
cess of  both  stock-raising  and  crop-growing. 
It  was  noticed  that  live-stock  production  was 
not  keeping  pace  with  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion in  the  United  States,  that  the  producing 
area  could  not  expand,  and  that  henceforth 
intensive  use  of  productive  capacity  must  be 
relied  upon  to  supply  the  increased  needs  of  an 
increasing  population.  Efforts  had  been  made 
by  the  live-stock  and  agricultural  press  to 
arouse  the  stockmen  and  farmers  of  the  country 
to  a  realization  of  these  facts  and  the  neces- 
sity of  increasing  and  improving  their  live 
stock;  but  they  had  been  without  leadership, 
without  incentive,  and  without  the  practical 
object  lessons  which  the  magnitude  and  impor- 
tance of  the  subject  demanded.  It  was  seen 
that,  in  order  to  awaken  the  necessary  interest 
in  the  subject,  a  campaign  of  practical  educa- 
tion would  be  necessary. 

The  outcome  of  these  considerations  was  the 
establishment  of  an  International  Live-Stock 
Exposition  as  a  broad  educational  factor  for  all 
the  people.  The  mission  of  the  International 
Live-Stock  Exposition  was  to  gather  into  one 
place  the  best  specimens  of  cattle,  sheep,  swine, 
and  horses  that  could  be  found,  and  thereby 
present  to  the  agricultural  population  of  the 
United  States  a  great  and  valuable  educational 
opportunity,  wherein  the  eye  and  the  mind 
should  be  instructed  and  encouraged  to  the  pro- 
duction of  better  animals  for  breeding,  market- 
ing and  exporting,  thus  encouraging  greater 
consumption  of  American  animals  and  meats 
at  home  and  abroad. 

In  1902  a  new  live-stock  building,  called 
Pedigree  Cattle  Pavilion,  600x137  feet,  was  con- 
structed, of  brick  and  steel,  for  the  exhibition 
of  cattle  at  the  Exposition,  to  be  used  at  otHer 


times  for  special  sales  and  handling  pure-bred 
stock.  This  pavilion,  in  addition  to  the  Dexter 
Park  Amphitheater  and  the  other  large  show 
buildings,  afforded  ample  accommodations 
for  all  the  exhibits  at  the  stock  show. 

FIRST  INTERNATIONAL  STOCK  EXPOSITION. — 
On  December  1,  1900,  the  management  threw 
open  to  the  public  the  gates  of  the  first  Inter- 
national Live-Stock  Exposition,  and  the  exhibit 
which  continued  during  the  week,  December 
1-8,  proved  the  most  wonderful  and  complete 
of  its  kind  ever  made,  surpassing  even  the 
famous  Smithfield  show  of  England  and  second 
only  to  the  World's1  Columbian  Exposition  in 
interest  for  those  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits— even  surpassing  the  latter  in  this  par- 
ticular line,  as  the  whole  world  was  asked  to 
contribute  to  its  success. 

The  interest  awakened  was  intense  and 
instantaneous.  The  little  farmer  with  his 
dozen  animals,  the  large  feeder  with  his  several 
hundred  head,  and  the  range  man  with  his 
thousands,  came  and  saw  and  were  convinced 
that  there  were  living  machines  which  would 
produce  more  and  better  meats  on  the  same 
amount  of  feed,  than  would  the  heterogeneous 
animals  they  had  been  raising.  The  wonderful 
success  of  the  first  Exposition  removed  all 
uncertainty  as  to  whether  the  interest  in  pure- 
bred stock  was  confined  only  to  a  few  wealthy 
fanciers  who  held  their  herds  for  show  pur- 
poses, or  whether  it  was  a  lively,  vital,  every- 
day question  among  all  breeders  and  raisers. 
The  expectations  of  every  one  interested  in 
stock  were  realized,  and  it  was  unanimously 
decided  that  the  International  Live-Stock  Expo- 
sition should  become  an  annual  affair. 

THE  SECOND  INTERNATIONAL  LIVE-STOCK  EXPO- 
SITION was  held  from  November  30  to  December 
7,  1901.  There  were  over  4,000  entries,  com- 
peting in  600  classes  of  cattle,  sheep,  swine  and 
draft-horses,  for  premiums  aggregating  $110,- 
000.  Practically  12,000  animals,  coming  from 
all  parts  of  this  country  and  from  England, 
Scotland,  Argentine,  Canada  and  France,  were 
on  exhibition,  and  they  were  viewed  by  over 
400,000  people  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe. 
Special  auction  sales  of  pure-bred  stock  were 
held  during  the  show,  and  realized  enormous 
prices.  A  total  of  322  cows  and  bulls  of  stand- 
ard breeds  were  sold  at  public  auction,  and 
fully  as  many  at  private  sales. 

THE  THIRD  INTERNATIONAL  LIVE-STOCK  EXPO- 
SITION was  held  in  Dexter  Park  Amphitheater 


712 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


and  surrounding  buildings,  from  November  29 
to  December  6,  1902,  with  the  car-load  exhibits 
in  the  Union  Stock  Yards  proper,  as  in  the 
two  previous  Expositions.  It  was  a  demonstra- 
tion in  many  ways.  No  better  evidence  of  the 
immense  value  of  these  annual  expositions  to 
the  live  stock  industry  of  the  whole  North 
American  continent  could  be  desired  than  to 
witness  the  marked  improvement  since  the  first 
show  in  1900,  in  the  breeding,  quality,  and  con- 
dition, in  both  pure-bred  and  fat  classes,  of 
the  thousands  of  animals  gathered  from  every 
State,  and  exhibited  side  by  side  with  the  best 
imported  ones.  The  car-load  exhibits  and  show 
of  draft  horses  were  far  beyond  anything  of 
the  kind  ever  before  seen  in  this  or  any  other 
country.  One  of  the  important  events  of  this 
show  was  the  dedication,  on  December  1,  of  the 
Pure  Bred  Live-Stock  Record  Building,  at  the 
corner  of  Dexter  Park  and  Exchange  Avenues, 
near  the  main  entrance  to  the  Stock  Yards.  It 
was  erected  by  the  Union  Stock  Yard  and  Tran- 
sit Company  as  a  permanent  home  for  the 
various  National  Pure-Bred  Live  Stock  Record 
Associations,  the  Exposition  Association,  and 
as  the  chief  meeting  place  of  the  live  stock 
representatives  of  the  world. 

FOURTH  EXPOSITION. — When  the  fourth  Inter- 
national Live-Stock  Exposition  was  held  at  the 
usual  time  in  December,  it  was  noticed  that, 
in  every  department,  the  improvement  in  the 
quality  of  the  exhibits  was  most  pronounced. 
This  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Exposition 
Is  unquestionably  fulfilling  its  mission,  in  that 
it  is  creating,  for  the  breeders  and  the  feeders, 
ideals  that  call  forth  their  greatest  genius  to 
produce.  Live  stock  experts  made  the  state- 
ment that  it  was  hardly  possible  to  realize  that 
only  four  short  years  had  passed  since  the  first 
Exposition,  instead  of  a  century,  as  the  change 
in  ideals  or  standards  would  imply. 

THE  FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL  LIVE-STOCK  EXPO- 
SITION was  held  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  from 
November  26,  to  December  3,  1904.  In  point  of 
attendance  and  enthusiasm,  number  of  exhibit- 
ors and  value  of  awards,  it  was  the  greatest 
show  ever  held  by  the  International  Live-Stock 
Exposition  Association. 

The  first  day  of  the  show  was  devoted  to  a 
judging  contest  by  the  agricultural  students, 
in  which  five  from  each  of  the  following  insti- 
tutions participated:  Ontario  Agricultural 
College,  Guelph,  Ont.;  Iowa  Agricultural  Col- 


lege; Michigan  Agricultural  College;  Ohio 
Agricultural  College;  Texas  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, and  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege. The  contest  was  open  to  farmers'  sons 
as  well  as  students,  but,  of  the  hundreds  pres- 
ent at  the  opening  session,  only  one  young  man 
admitted  that  he  had  been  born  on  the  farm. 

Six  thousand  of  the  finest  cattle,  horses, 
sheep  and  hogs  that  North  America  is  capable 
of  producing,  as  well  as  a  number  of  foreign- 
bred  horses,  were  on  exhibition,  among  the 
latter  being  fifteen  horses  from  the  stables  of 
King  Leopold  II.  of  Belgium,  in  charge  of 
Baron  von  Schelle.  There  were  also  exhibits 
from  France  and  Germany.  A  great  deal  of 
interest  was  manifested  in  the  Horse  Fair  in 
Dexter  Park  Pavilion,  where  Belgian  and  hack- 
ney horses  were  shown  in  hand,  also  ponies  as 
well  as  four-in-hand  and  six-in-hand  draft- 
teams  of  a  half-dozen  packing  firms. 

The  entries  in  the  horse  classes  were  of  so 
high  a  standard  that  much  difficulty  was  found 
by  the  judges  in  separating  them.  The  Pabst 
Brewing  Company,  of  Milwaukee,  won  first 
prize  over  all  the  Stock  Yards  entries  in  the 
class  for  single  mares  or  geldings  weighing 
over  1,760  pounds.  Canada  made  almost  a 
clean  sweep  in  the  sheep  classes,  winning  in 
six  out  of  eight.  The  record-holding  Here- 
ford calf,  "General  Manager,"  owned  by  the 
Iowa  Agricultural  College,  won  the  grand 
championship  in  competition  with  the  best  cat- 
tle at  the  show,  and  also  received  two  first 
prizes.  Another  first  prize  winner  was  the 
Minnesota  Agricultural  College  steer,  "Clear 
Lake  Jute." 

A  new  feature  introduced  during  the  expo- 
sition was  a  corn  judging  contest,  in  which 
agricultural  students  participated. 

While  the  Horse  Fair  was  in  progress,  a 
mass-meeting  of  the  International  Live  Stock 
Association  was  held  in  the  Pedigree  Record 
Building,  at  which  it  was  definitely  settled 
that  there  is  to  be  an  elaborate  exhibition 
structure  erected  at  the  Stock  Yards  for  future 
stock  expositions.  Nearly  $11,000  of  the  $14,000 
necessary  to  complete  a  guarantee  fund  of 
$50,000  was  subscribed,  and  Vice-President 
Alvin  H.  Sanders  said  that  the  undertaking 
was  assured.  The  raising  of  this  guaranty 
fund  means  that  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and 
Transit  Company  will  enlarge  the  present 
Dexter  Park  Pavilion  to  make  it  one  of  the 
largest  coliseum  buildings  in  America.  It  will 


/      X 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


be  expanded  to  seat  six  thousand  persons,  while 
the  arena  space  will  be  340x202  feet. 

The  live  stock  at  this  exposition  occupied 
thirty  buildings,  with  twenty  acres  of  floor 
space,  it  having  been  found  necessary  to  erect 
temporary  structures  in  order  to  accommodate 
all  of  the  animals. 

The  total  attendance  during  the  week  was 
461,390,  or  nearly  150,000  more  than  that  of  last  year. 

"Scientific  agriculture  and  stock  raising  is 
fast  coming  to  be  recognized,"  said  President 
Edmund  J.  James,  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 
"The  fact  that  the  University  of  Minnesota 
students  carried  off  the  grand  champion  prize 
at  this  show  proves  its  value.  It  is  our  inten- 
tion that  the  University  of  Illinois  shall  have 
one  of  the  best  agricultural  schools  in  the  world." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


CHICAGO   GRAIN  TRADE. 


AN    EXAMPLE    OF    MARVELOUS    DEVELOPMENT PROG- 
BESS   OF   FIFTY    YEARS THE   CHICAGO   BOARD    OF 

TRADE — STATE  LAWS  REGULATING  WAREHOUSES 
AND  GRAIN  INSPECTION — LIST  OF  INSPECTORS 
AND  REGISTRARS CHICAGO  STANDARD  OF  IN- 
SPECTION WIDELY  ACCEPTED HISTORY  OF  ELE- 
VATOR SYSTEM A  CHICAGO  GEAIN  ELEVATOR 

AND    ITS     OPERATION     DESCRIBED GRAIN     TRADE 

STATISTICS — 1900    A   RECORD   BREAKING   YEAR. 

In  no  single  item  has  the  marvelous  develop- 
ment of  Chicago  trade  and  commerce  been  more 
strikingly  exemplified  than  in  the  statistics  of 
the  grain  trade.  An  illustration  of  its  growth 
in  this  respect  is  furnished  in  the  increase  in 
number  and  capacity  of  its  grain  warehouses 
and  elevators  during  a  period  of  half  a  century, 
which  virtually  covers  the  history  of  this  line 
of  business.  Situated  in  the  heart  of  an  agri- 
cultural region  of  unsurpassed  fertility  and  at 
the  connecting  point  between  the  vast  Missis- 
sippi Valley  with  the  great  Lakes,  affording  an 
easy  and  cheap  route  of  almost  uninterrupted 
water  transit  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  with  the 
demonstrated  possibility  of  a  direct  and  regular 
communication  with  European  ports,  the  de- 
velopment in  this  respect  has  been  one  of  the 
marvels  of  the  century,  though,  when  consid- 
ered in  the  light  of  the  growth  of  railways 


and  other  enterprises  on  the  American  con- 
tinent, a  natural  evolution. 

A  few  figures  from  the  statistics  of  Chicago 
trade  will  serve  to  illustrate  this  point.  In 
1838,  the  first  year  of  which  any  record  has 
been  furnished,  the  grain  shipments  for  the 
port  of  Chicago  amounted  to  a  total  of  78  bush- 
els of  wheat.  The  growth  of  the  next  few 
years  was  steady  but  gradual,  though  confined 
exclusively  to  the  wheat  trade.  In  1844  Chi- 
cago began  to  send  out  its  first  shipments  of 
flour,  amounting  to  6,320  barrels,  with  nearly 
900,000  bushels  of  wheat,  making  a  total  of  less 
than  925,000  bushels  of  this  commodity.  The 
completion  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal 
between  Chicago  and  LaSalle,  in  1848,  and  the 
organization  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  the 
same  year,  were  events  marking  an  epoch  in 
the  commercial  history  of  the  city,  and  from 
that  time  there  was  a  rapid  increase  in  both 
the  volume  and  variety  of  commodities  which 
found  a  market  here.  The  total  shipments  of 
grain  from  this  city  for  that  year  aggregated 
a  little  over  3,000,000  bushels,  of  which  more 
than  two-thirds  was  in  wheat  and  flour. 

The  influence  of  the  Board  of  Trade  in 
developing  this,  as  well  as  all  other  branches 
of  the  Chicago  produce  trade,  has  been  most 
marked.  It  has  been  largely  through  the  influ- 
ence of  that  organization  that  uniform  systems 
of  conducting  trade  and  improved  methods  of 
storage  and  transportation  have  been  adopted. 
It  is  also  due  to  its  efforts  that  the  annual 
statistics  of  trade  have  been  preserved,  making 
it  possible  to  trace  the  growth  of  business  from 
year  to  year.  The  first  State  law  regulating 
warehouses  and  the  business  of  warehousemen 
was  enacted  in  1851,  the  number  of  grain  ware- 
houses or  elevators  in  the  city  of  Chicago  at 
that  time  being  three,  with  an  estimated  capac- 
ity of  750,000  bushels.  In  1858  the  system  of 
inspecting  and  grading  grain  was  adopted — a 
device  of  the  Board  of  Trade  which  went  far 
to  establish  the  reputation  of  Chicago  grain 
in  the  markets  of  the  world,  and  at  the  follow- 
ing session  of  the  General  Assembly  (1859)  it 
was  recognized  in  the  enactment  of  a  State  law 
on  the  subject,  though  its  operation  was  prac- 
tically left  in  the  hands  of  the  Board  of  Trade. 
Messrs.  Julian  S.  Rumsey,  S.  H.  Butler  and 
Charles  S.  Dole  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
draft  a  new  system  of  wheat  inspection,  and 
George  Sitts  served  as  the  first  Chief  Inspector. 
At  first  the  system  applied  only  to  grain  re- 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ceived  by  railroads,  but  was  soon  after  ex- 
tended to  receipts  by  lake  and  the  canal. 

A  second  and  more  comprehensive  State  law 
was  enacted  in  1867.  By  this  time  the  three 
elevators  of  1851  had  been  increased  to  seven- 
teen, with  a  storage  capacity  of  10,880,000  bush- 
els. The  act  of  1867  took  the  matter  of  grain 
inspection  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  and  introduced  a  number  of  stringent 
regulations  which  were  found  impracticable  of 
enforcement,  and  some  of  its  main  provisions 
were  repealed  at  the  session  of  1869.  The  sub- 
ject was  taken  cognizance  of  in  the  Constitution 
of  1870,  making  it  the  duty  of  the  General 
Assembly  to  "pass  laws  for  the  inspection  of 
grain,  for  the  protection  of  producers,  ship- 
pers and  receivers  of  grain  and  produce,"  with 
the  result  that  elaborate  laws  have  been  enacted 
regulating  the  receipt,  inspection,  storage  and 
shipment  of  grain,  the  enforcement  of  which 
is  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Railroad  and 
Warehouse  Commission  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor. 

The  principal  executive  officer  connected  with 
the  Grain  Department  is  the  "Chief  Inspector," 
appointed  by  the  Governor  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commis- 
sion, who  have  authority  to  establish  rules  and 
regulations  for  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
his  office.  The  second  officer  connected  with 
the  warehouse  department  is  the  "Warehouse 
Registrar,"  who  receives  his  appointment  at 
the  hands  of  the  Commission.  It  is  the  duty 
of  the  Chief  Inspector  to  exercise  general  super- 
vision over  the  inspection  of  all  grain  received 
in  or  shipped  from  the  elevators  in  Chicago, 
under  rules  and  regulations  prescribed  by  the 
Railway  and  Warehouse  Commission,  and  to 
this  end  he  has  the  authority  to  recommend  to 
the  Board,  for  appointment,  as  many  assistant 
inspectors  as  may  be  needed  for  the  proper 
performance  of  the  work.  The  registrar  is 
the  accountant  of  the  Board,  whose  duty  it  is 
to  keep  an  account  of  and  report  upon  receipts 
of  the  different  kinds  of  grain  into  and  ship- 
ments out  of  the  several  elevators,  and  the 
amount  remaining  on  hand  in  each  at  the  end 
of  the  fiscal  year — which  terminates  with  the 
31st  of  October.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
incumbents  in  these  two  offices  since  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Com- 
mission under  the  act  of  1871: 


CHIEF   GRAIN    INSPECTORS. 

Wm.  F.  Tompkins 1871-73 

Wm.   H.   Harper 1873-75 

Gen.   John  C.  Smith 1875-77 

Wm.    H.    Sweet 1877-78 

John  P.  Reynolds 1878-82 

P.  Bird  Price  1882-83 

Frank   Drake 1883-85 

P.  Bird  Price 1885-93 

Geo.  P.  Bunker 1893-95 

D.  W.  Andrews 1895-97 

Edwin   J.    Noble 1897-01 

Jos.  E.  Bidwell 1901-04 

W.  S.  Cowen   1904- 

WAREHOUSE    REGISTRARS. 

Steven  Clary 1871-73 

Troilus  H.  Tyndale 1873-79 

Henry   S.  Dean 1879-81 

P.  Bird  Price 1881-82 

Wm.   C.   Mitchell 1882-86 

John   W.   Burst 1886-93 

Louis   Wagner 1893-97 

Daniel   Hogan 1897-04 

A.  J.  Lovejoy 1904- 

The  highest  compliment  to  the  system  of 
inspection  in  use  in  the  City  of  Chicago,  has 
been  the  high  standard  fixed  for  the  grain  from 
this  market  at  the  leading  export  points  and  in 
foreign  markets,  and  the  adoption  of  the  same, 
or  a  similar  system,  in  many  of  the  principal 
cities  both  in  this  country  and  in  Canada. 
The  number  of  elevators  in  the  City  of  Chi- 
cago at  the  time  of  the  great  fire  of  1871  was 
seventeen,  with  an  estimated  capacity  of 
11,750,000  bushels.  Of  these  six  were  destroyed 
with  over  one  and  a  half  million  bushels  of 
grain,  the  eleven  remaining  having  a  capacity 
of  nearly  9,000,000  bushels. 

The  intimate  relation  between  the  elevator 
system  of  Chicago  and  the  railroads  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that,  while  these  structures  were 
either  originally  built  beside  railroad  tracks, 
or  have  been  connected  therewith  by  switches 
or  side-tracks  for  purposes  of  convenience  in 
receiving  and  shipping  grain,  many  have  been 
erected  by  railroad  companies,  or  upon  their 
lands,  through  the  inducements  offered  to  cap- 
italists. Thus,  the  first  elevator  of  considerable 
size  erected  in  Chicago  was  built  by  Chicago's 
early  capitalist  and  grain  dealer,  Solomon 
Sturges,  in  partnership  with  Clarence  P.  and 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Alvah  Buckingham,  in  1854,  upon  ground 
leased  from  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany. In  1855  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island 
Company  erected  its  first  elevator  here,  with  a 
capacity  of  700,000  bushels,  at  a  cost  of 
$125,000,  and  in  1861  or  1862,  Messrs.  Munn  & 
Scott  entered  into  contract  with  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railroad  to  erect  a  large  elevator 
on  the  depot  grounds  of  the  latter.  While  the 
number  of  Chicago  elevators  was  diminished 
by  a  destructive  fire  a  few  years  ago,  the  sev- 
enteen separate  and  distinct  structures,  with 
some  half  dozen  "annexes,"  still  have  an  esti- 
mated storage  capacity  of  28,000,000  bushels. 

The  following  description  of  the  construction 
and  operation  of  a  Chicago  elevator,  taken  from 
the  "History  of  Chicago"  (Vol.  I.,  article 
"Trade  and  Commerce"),  issued  by  the  Munsell 
Publishing  Company  in  1895,  may  have  an 
interest  for  the  general  reader — one  of  the 
Armour  elevators  being  chosen  for  the  pur- 
pose of  description: 

"The  enormous  ground  floor  at  first  reminds 
one  of  the  transept  of  a  great  cathedral.  Here 
grain  is  received  from  wagons  or  cars, 
inspected  and  graded,  but  on  this  floor  there  are 
no  facilities  for  storage.  Above,  the  heavy  tim- 
bers which  form  its  top,  however,  rise  to  the  alti- 
tude of  nearly  150  feet,  tier  after  tier  of  lofts 
whose  areas  are  broken  by  long  rows  of  mighty 
bins  and  ponderous  weighing  machines.  There 
are  379  of  these  bins,  each  12x12x65  feet,  and 
capable  of  containing  7,000  bushels,  their  total 
capacity  exceeding  2,500,000  bushels — an 
amount  beyond  ordinary  comprehension.  They 
can  receive  and  weigh  500  cars,  or  300,000 
bushels,  per  day,  while  their  capacity  for  deliv- 
ery is  100,000  bushels  per  hour.  As  an  example 
of  what  may  be  accomplished  by  the  substitu- 
tion of  machinery  for  manual  labor,  this  rec- 
ord is  said  to  stand  unrivaled,  and  is  repeated 
over  and  over  again  each  year.  Seventy-five 
men  are  found  sufficient  to  operate  this  machin- 
ery, which  is  driven  by  a  Corliss  engine  of  1,200 
horse-power  of  the  description  known  as  'fore- 
and-aft  compound  valve-motion.'  The  main 
driving  belt,  which  is  made  of  eight-ply  rubber 
and  duck,  is  said  to  be  the  largest  in  the  world, 
being  250  feet  long  and  five  feet  wide.  It 
runs  very  nearly  vertically  from  the  engine  to 
the  pulley  on  the  counter-shaft,  which  is  sit- 
uated at  the  top  of  the  building.  All  along 
other  counter-shafts  are  pulleys  over  which 
run  no  less  than  twenty  8-inch  rubber  elevator 


belts,  each  of  which  carries  steel  buckets  riv- 
eted to  its  face  at  regular  intervals.  As  these 
belts  move  upward  they  carry  full  buckets  on 
one  side,  which,  as  they  pass  over  the  driving 
pulley  at  the  top,  are  emptied  and  descend 
empty  on  the  other  side. 

"The  grain,  once  discharged,  falls  through 
chutes,  by  force  of  gravitation,  to  the  main 
body  of  the  elevator,  whence  it  is  directed  by 
other  chutes  to  any  desired  point.  The  dis- 
tribution is  accomplished  by  means  of  a  chute 
rotating  on  a  vertical  axis,  the  prolongation  of 
which  would  pass  through  its  lower  mouth. 
Thus,  when  swinging  round  on  its  pivot,  its 
upper  (or  receiving)  mouth  remains  constantly 
in  the  same  position.  Around  its  lower  end 
are  arranged,  in  a  circle,  the  yawning  and 
insatiate  mouths  of  a  number  of  chutes,  each 
numbered  to  correspond  with  a  particular  bin, 
and  each  capable  of  being  connected  with  the 
central  shaft.  In  this  way  one  elevator  is 
made  to  feed  a  number  of  bins. 

"On  the  next  floor  below  the  chutes  are 
what  is  known  as  'garners,'  which  are  simply 
square  bins  holding  1,000  bushels  each.  Imme- 
diately under  each  is  a  platform  scale,  whose 
bin  contains  precisely  the  capacity  of  the  bin 
above  it,  and  receives  grain  therefrom  as 
desired.  There  are  28  of  these  scales  in  all — 
12  for  receiving  and  16  for  shipping — and  on 
them  the  grain  is  weighed,  the  capacity  of  each 
being  60,000  pounds.  Much  (probably  most) 
of  the  grain  received  is  simply  graded  and 
delivered  in  bulk, — i.  e.,  a  like  weight  is  given 
the  owner.  Other  grain  is  received  with  'iden- 
tity to  be  preserved.' 

"All  garners,  weighing  bins  and  storage  bins 
have  sloping  bottoms,  to  prevent  the  lodgment 
of  kernels  on  their  passage,  and  all  grain  is 
weighed  twice  (on  receipt  and  withdrawal), 
each  necessitating  its  elevation  to  the  top  of 
the  building  under  the  system,  which  has  been 
explained." 

Owing  to  irregularities  in  the  shipment  of 
grain  without  the  cancellation  of  receipts  (or 
"certificates")  in  recent  years,  the  General 
Assembly,  at  its  last  session  (1901),  passed 
an  act  making  it  the  duty  of  the  warehouse- 
man, on  the  receipt  of  grain  for  the  purpose 
of  storage,  to  issue  a  receipt  for  the  same, 
which  he  is  required,  within  twenty-four  hours, 
to  report  to  the  Warehouse  Registrar,  indicat- 
ing the  amount,  grade  of  grain,  the  name  of 
the  owner  and  the  number  of  the  receipt.  The 


716 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


warehouseman  is  prohibited,  under  heavy  pen- 
alties from  delivering  grain  upon  said  receipt, 
except  upon  its  return  "stamped  or  otherwise 
plainly  marked  by  the  Warehouse  Registrar 
with  the  words,  'registered  for  cancellation,' " 
with  the  date  of  such  entry.  Within  twenty- 
four  hours  thereafter,  the  warehouseman  is 
required  to  "report  said  receipts  to  the  Regis- 
trar cancelled."  The  warehouseman,  his  clerk 
or  agent,  failing  to  do  this,  is  subject  to  a  fine 
of  $100  for  each  offense.  The  law  further 
declares,  that  any  warehouseman  or  his  agent, 
delivering  grain  upon  which  such  receipts  have 
been  issued,  or  any  inspector  or  person  con- 
nected with  the  Grain  Department,  "knowingly 
permitting  said  •  grain  to  be  delivered,  without 
notice  from  the  Registrar  that  said  receipts 
have  been  registered  for  cancellation,  shall  be 
deemed  guilty  of  a  crime,"  and  liable  to  be 
fined  an  amount  equal  to  the  value  of  the  prop- 
erty wrongfully  delivered,  or  imprisoned  for  a 
period  not  less  than  one  nor  more  than  ten 
years. 

This  paper  cannot  conclude  more  fittingly 
than  by  the  incorporation  of  a  few  statistics 
from  the  Forty-Third  Annual  Report  of  the 
Chicago  Board  of  Trade  (for  1900).  From 
these  it  appears  that  the  receipts  of  grain  of  all 
kinds  for  the  year  (including  flour  in  its  grain 
equivalent)  was  the  largest  in  the  history  of 
the  Chicago  grain  market— being  349,637,295 
bushels,  against  320,670,441  (the  next  highest) 
in  1899.  The  shipments  for  the  same  period 
amounted  to  265,552,246  bushels,  being  exceeded 
only  by  those  of  1898.  The  receipts  of  wheat 
during  the  year  aggregated  48,048,298  bushels — 
a  little  more  than  two  millions  below  those  of 
1892,  the  highest.  The  receipts  of  corn  sur- 
passed all  previous  records,  amounting  to  134,- 
663,456  bushels,  while  the  shipments  (aggre- 
gating 111,099,653  bushels)  fell  short  of  those 
of  1898  and  1899 — 1898  being  the  record  year. 
The  receipts  of  oats  fell  short  of  the  four  pre- 
ceding years  from  four  to  seven  millions,  the 
aggregate  being  105,226,761  bushels.  In  the 
seventeen  principal  elevators  with  their  six 
annexes,  with  a  capacity  of  28,000,000  bushels, 
the  amount  in  store  at  the  end  of  the  year  was 
17,514,305  bushels,  against  22,395,014  at  the 
beginning.  Much  the  larger  proportion  of  the 
receipts  of  grain  of  all  kinds  came  by  rail, 
'  that  by  lake  and  canal  being  less  than  five  and 
a  half  million  bushels.  In  the  amount  of  the 
receipts  of  both  corn  and  oats,  the  Chicago, 


Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  holds  precedence 
(of  the  former,  30,910,300  bushels),  the  Illi- 
nois Central,  Chicago  &  Northwestern  and  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  following  sub- 
stantially in  the  order  named.  These  stupen- 
dous figures  indicate  that  Chicago  still  holds 
its  place  as  the  greatest  grain  market  of  the 
world,  yet  it  would  be  unsafe  to  say  that  it  has 
reached  its  limit. 

STATISTICS  FOR  1903.— While  1900  was  a 
record-breaking  year  in  respect  to  the  total 
receipts  of  grain  in  the  Chicago  market,  the 
receipts  of  wheat  during  that  year  were  sur- 
passed by  those  of  1901 — the  latter  amounting 
to  51,197,870  bushels,  against  50,234,556  bush- 
els in  1892,  the  next  highest  in  the  history  of 
the  city.  The  statistics  of  grain  receipts  and 
shipments  for  the  year  1903,  compiled  by  Mr. 
George  F.  Stone,  Secretary  of  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Trade  and  published  in  "The  Forty- 
Sixth  Annual  Report  of  the  Trade  and  Com- 
merce of  Chicago,"  present  the  following 
results: 

Bushels. 

Aggregate  Receipts  of  Grain 275,468,195 

Aggregate  Shipments    of   Grain 210,255,151 

Total  Receipts   of   Wheat 27,124,585 

"      Shipments  of   Same 21,369,548 

"      Receipts  of  Corn 98,545,534 

"      Shipments  of   Same 68,093,622 

"      Receipts  of  Oats 88,588,386 

"      Shipments   of   Same 63,539,179 

"      Receipts  of  Barley 23,273,519 

"      Shipments   of   Same 2,986,816 

According  to  the  same  report  there  were  in 
the  City  of  Chicago,  during  the  year  1903,  six- 
teen regular  warehouses  (or  elevators)  with 
six  annexes,  having  a  total  capacity  of 
26,750,000  bushels,  besides  fifty-two  private  ele- 
vators, with  a  total  capacity  of  30,400,000  bush- 
els— grand  total  storage  capacity,  57,150,000 
bushels.  The  aggregate  of  cereals  in  store  in 
Chicago  at  the  close  of  the  year  was  6,753,676 
bushels,  of  which  there  were  (in  bushels): 
Wheat,  2,768,291;  Corn,  2,244,068;  Oats,  1,277,- 
728;  Rye,  242,279;  Barley,  271,310.  The  aggre- 
gate amount  of  grain  in  store  at  the  beginning 
of  the  year  was  10,977,301  bushels,  showing  a 
reduction  during  the  year  of  4,223,625.  The 
range  of  prices  on  different  cereals  for  the  year 
(1903)  was  as  follows:  Wheat,  70 14  to  93 
cents;  Corn,  41  to  53  cents;  Oats,  31*4  to  45 
cents;  Rye,  48  to  60  cents. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


717 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


EDUCATIONAL— Y.  M.  C.  A.  ORGANIZATION 


CHICAGO  MANUAL  TRAINING  SCHOOL — ITS  ORIGIN 
AND  OBJECT — WORK  ACCOMPLISHED  IN  TWENTY- 
ODD  YEARS  OF  ITS  HISTORY NUMBER  OF  GRAD- 
UATES  MERGED  WITH  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

CHICAGO— ARMOUR      TECHNOLOGICAL      SCHOOL 

YOUNG       MEN'S       CHRISTIAN       ASSOCIATION       OF 

ILLINOIS — ITS       HISTORY      OF       FIFTY       YEARS 

PRESENT  STRENGTH  AND   STATUS  OF  THE  ORGAN- 
IZATION— Y.   M.   C.   A.  BUILDING  IN  CHICAGO. 

The  Chicago  Manual  Training  School  owes 
its  existence  to  "The  Chicago  Commercial 
Club,"  an  association  composed  of  prominent 
business  men,  whose  monthly  meetings  are 
devoted  to  the  discussion  of  social,  civil  and 
political  questions.  To  this  body  of  thoughtful 
and  observant  men  the  subject  of  education 
early  commended  itself  as  of  vital  importance 
to  the  welfare  of  the  commonwealth.  The  need 
of  something  more  than,  and  different  from,  the 
usual  grammar  and  high  school  education  was 
fully  *felt. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Club  held  March  25, 
1882,  it  was  resolved  to  raise  a  sum  of  $100,000 
to  establish  a  manual  training  school.  The 
money  was  raised,  and  the  same  evening  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  draft  a  plan  for  the 
organization  of  the  school.  This  committee 
reported  Dec.  30,  1882.  "The  Chicago  Manual 
Training  School  Association"  was  formed,  con- 
sisting exclusively  of  members  of  The  Com- 
mercial Club.  The  following  gentlemen  were 
elected  Trustees:  E.  W.  Blatchford,  R.  T. 
Crane,  Marshall  Field,  William  A.  Fuller,  John 
Crerar,  John  W.  Doane,  N.  K.  Fairbank,  Edson 
Keith,  George  M.  Pullman.  E.  W.  Blatchford 
was  chosen  President  of  the  Board ;  R.  T.  Crane, 
Vice-President;  Marshall  Field,  Treasurer,  and 
William  A.  Fuller,  Secretary.  On  June  9,  1883, 
Dr.  H.  H.  Belfield,  at  that  time  Principal  of  the 
North  Division  High  School,  was  elected 
Director. 

The  object  of  the  school  is  thus  stated  in  its 
charter : 

"Instruction  and  practice  in  the  use  of  tools, 
with  such  instruction  as  may  be  deemed  nec- 
essary in  mathematics,  drawing,  and  the  Eng- 
lish branches  of  a  high-school  course.  The  tool 


instruction,  as  at  present  contemplated,  shall 
include  carpentry,  wood-turning,  pattern-mak- 
ing, iron-chipping  and  filing,  forge-work,  braz- 
ing, and  soldering,  the  use  of  machine-shop 
tools,  and  such  other  instruction  of  a  similar 
character  as  may  be  deemed  advisable  to  add 
to  the  foregoing  from  time  to  time,  it  being  the 
intention  to  divide  the  working  hours  of  the 
students,  as  nearly  as  possible,  equally  between 
manual  and  mental  labor." 

The  site  of  the  school,  at  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  Michigan  Avenue  and  Twelfth  Street, 
was  purchased  March  28,  1883.  The  corner- 
stone was  laid,  with  appropriate  ceremonies, 
Sept.  24,  1883,  and  the  school  opened  its  doors 
to  pupils  Feb.  4,  1884. 

It  was  intended  that  the  course  of  the  school 
should  be  three  years,  since  it  was  believed 
that  the  essentials  of  a  high  school  curriculum, 
with  five  hours  per  week  of  drawing  and  ten 
hours  a  week  of  shop  work,  could  be  thoroughly 
accomplished  in  that  time.  This  belief  was  well 
founded.  About  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  graduates 
of  this  school  have  entered  technological  schools 
abundantly  well  equipped  for  their  work. 
Twelve  of  the  class  of  1893  were  fitted  for  the 
Sophomore  class  of  Sibley  College,  Cornell  Uni- 
versity. The  acceptance  by  the  technological 
schools  of  the  shopwork  and  drawing  of  man- 
ual-training school  graduates,  as  an,  equivalent, 
wholly  or  in  part,  of  similar  work  demanded 
by  the  school  of  technology  for  the  degree  of 
E.  E.  or  M.  E.,  saves  much  time  to  the  students 
possessing  it.  During  the  twenty-two  years  of 
the  school's  existence,  its  general  purpose  has 
been  maintained  without  essential  change.  As 
the  pedagogical  value  of  manual  training 
became  recognized,  the  optional  study  of  Greek 
was  added,  in  order  that  boys  desiring  to  pre- 
pare for  classical  colleges  might  have  the  ben- 
efit of  drawing  and  shopwork. 

The  technical  skill  of  boys,  when  directed  by 
competent  and  enthusiastic  teachers,  is  well 
illustrated  by  some  of  the  products  of  the 
school.  Besides  two  dozen  or  more  steam- 
engines  from  six  to  ten  horse-power,  the  pupils 
have  made  three  sensitive  drills,  a  large  drill- 
press,  a  dozen  half-speed  lathes,  a  pattern- 
maker's gap  lathe,  weighing  1,500  pounds,  and 
many  other  articles  in  wood,  iron  and  steel. 
The  tower-clock,  with  a  60-inch  dial,  a  West- 
minster chime,  etc.,  in  use  for  years,  was 
designed  and  built  by  pupils. 

The  drawing  includes  free-hand,  machine  and 


7i8 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


architectural  work.  About  fifty  per  cent,  of 
the  graduates  of  the  school  go  directly  into 
business.  The  others,  as  has  been  said,  enter 
college,  chiefly  to  engineering  departments. 
Over  two  hundred  college  degrees  are  known 
to  have  been  conferred  upon  graduates,  and 
one  hundred  and  forty  others  are  now  in  col- 
lege. The  number  of  graduates  is  now  (June, 
1901)  776. 

On  the  ninth  day  of  July,  1897,  the  school 
was  presented  by  its  Trustees — with  the  unan- 
imous approval  of  the  Chicago  Manual  Train- 
ing School  Association — to  the  University  of 
Chicago.  Its  legal  ownership  is  now  vested  in 
a  Board  of  nine  Trustees,  elected  by  and  from 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago. This  transfer  of  ownership  is  commem- 
orated by  a  handsome  bronze  tablet,  placed  in  the 
vestibule  of  the  school,  which  reads  as  follows : 

"THE  CHICAGO  MANUAL  TRAINING 
SCHOOL,  the  first  independent  school  of  this 
character  in  the  United  States,  was  founded 
by  The  Commercial  Club  of  Chicago;  was 
incorporated,  April  10,  1883;  the  corner-stone 
of  its  building,  corner  of  Michigan  Avenue 
and  Twelfth  Street,  was  laid  September  24, 
1883,  and  regular  school  exercises  began  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1884. 

"The  school  was  designed  to  give  instruc- 
tion and  practice  in  the  use  of  tools,  in  math- 
ematics, drawing,  modern  languages,  and  the 
English  branches  of  a  high  school  course. 

"That,  during  the  fourteen  years  of  the 
existence  of  the  school,  it  has  instructed 
over  sixteen  hundred  pupils,  of  whom  six 
hundred  and  three  have  been  graduated;  that 
it  has  caused  the  establishment  of  many  sim- 
ilar institutions — and,  especially,  that  it  has 
secured  the  incorporation  of  this  system  of 
education  into  the  public  schools  of  this  city 
and  of  many  other  cities — is  evidence  to  the 
founders  of  the  school  that  it  has  success- 
fully accomplished  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  organized.  In  the  belief  that  the  use- 
fulness of  the  school  will  thereby  be  enlarged 
and  its  perpetuity  secured,  the  membership 
of  the  Association  has  been,  by  unanimous 
action,  so  changed  that  the  administration  of 
the  school,  with  its  building,  grounds,  equip- 
ment, and  the  endowment  (a  bequest  of  the 
late  Mr.  John  Crerar),  has  been  this  day 
entrusted  to  a  membership  composed  of 
Trustees  of 

"THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO. 


"BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES     1896-97. 

"E.  W.  Blatchford,   President. 

"John  M.  Clark,        Vice-President. 

"Marshall  Field,        Treasurer. 

"William  A.  Fuller,  Secretary.  i 

"John   W.   Doane — Christoph    Hotz — Edson 
Keith— H.    H.    Porter— George    M. 

Pullman. 

"HENRY  H.  BELFIELD,  Director." 
"July  9,  1897." 

Mr.  Crerar's  bequest  was  $50,000.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  Messrs.  Blatchford,  Field,  Fuller, 
Doane,  Keith  and  Pullman  were  members  of  the 
original  Board  of  Trustees,  while  Messrs.  Cre- 
rar, Keith  and  Pullman  were  members  at  the 
time  of  their  death. 

ARMOUR  INSTITUTE  OF  TECHNOLOGY. 
Armour  Institute  of  Technology  was  founded 
in  1892  by  Mr.  Philip  D.  Armour  of  Chicago. 
The  work  of  instruction  was  begun  in  Sep- 
tember, 1893.  The  aim  of  the  Institute  was 
expressed  in  its  first  public  announcement  as 
follows: 

"This  institution  is  founded  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  to  young  men  and  women  an  oppor- 
tunity to  secure  a  liberal  education.  It  is 
hoped  that  its  benefits  may  reach  all  classes. 
It  is  not  intended  for  the  poor  or  the  rich,  as 
sections  of  society,  but  for  any  and  all  who 
are  earnestly  seeking  practical  education.  Its 
aim  is  broadly  philanthropic.  Profoundly  real- 
izing the  importance  of  self-reliance  as  a  factor 
in  the  development  of  character,  the  Founder 
has  conditioned  his  benefactions  in  such  a  way 
as  to  emphasize  both  their  value  and  the  stu- 
dent's self-respect.  The  Institute  is  not  a  free 
school,  but  its  charges  for  instruction  are  in 
harmony  with  the  spirit  which  animates  alike 
the  Founder,  the  Trustees  and  the  Faculty, 
namely:  the  desire  to  help  those  who  wish  to 
help  themselves." 

The  central  feature  of  the  Institute  is  the 
Technical  College,  which  offers  four  year 
courses  in  Mechanical  Engineering,  Electrical 
Engineering,  Civil  Engineering,  Architecture 
and  Science,  all  of  which  lead  to  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science.  The  equipment  for  these 
courses  has  been  made  so  complete  that  the 
educational  work  done  here  compares  favorably 
with  that  done  at  any  of  the  other  prominent 
Institutes  of  Technology  in  the  United  States. 
In  order  that  the  young  man  contemplating  a 
full  course  in  Engineering  may  receive  ade- 
quate preparation,  Armour  Scientific  Academy 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


719 


has  been  made  an  integral  part  of  the  Insti- 
tute. The  different  courses  here  offered  lay 
special  emphasis  upon  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Drawing  and  Mathematics  as  being  the  founda- 
tions for  future  success  in  applied  science. 

The  Associated  Department  of  Domestic 
Arts  and  Science  offers  instruction  in  sewing, 
dressmaking,  millinery,  cookery,  home-nursing, 
hygiene,  sanitation  and  ventilation.  Normal 
courses  are  offered  in  order  to  train  young 
women  who  desire  to  teach  these  subjects.  The 
Kindergarten  Normal  Department  offers  a  two- 
year  course  for  the  training  of  kindergarteners. 
The  Department  of  Music  offers  instruction  in 
organ  and  pianoforte  playing  and  voice  culture. 

The  building  erected  by  the  munificence  of 
Mr.  Armour  is  built  in  the  Romanesque  style 
with  Norman  windows,  and  is  absolutely  fire- 
proof. No  expense  was  spared  in  its  erection. 
In  the  basement  are  placed  the  shops  for  wood- 
work and  forging,  the  Mechanical  Engineering 
Laboratory  and  the  engine-room.  On  the  first 
floor  are  the  library,  offices  of  the  President 
and  Dean  and  Machinery  Hall.  On  the  second 
floor  are  the  Electrical  Engineering  Labora- 
tories, the  physics  lecture  and  apparatus  rooms 
and  the  Biology  Laboratory.  On  the  third  floor 
are  the  Chemical  Laboratory,  the  Civil  Engi- 
neering room  and  recitation  rooms.  The  fourth 
floor  is  devoted  chiefly  to  the  Department  of 
Domestic  Arts  and  Science.  On  the  fifth  floor 
are  a  large  drafting  room  and  a  gymnasium. 

The  aim  of  the  Institute  is  to  develop  thor- 
oughly and  scientifically  the  best  element  in 
any  individual.  With  this  end  in  view,  the 
instruction  in  the  preparatory  department  and 
in  the  associated  departments,  as  well  as  in  the 
Technical  College,  is  maintained  at  a  high 
standard.  Young  women  deserve  as  careful 
and  as  scientific  training  in  the  technical  pur- 
suits suited  to  them  as  the  young  men  who  are 
seeking  to  prepare  for  the  life  of  a  professional 
engineer.  The  conception  is  worthy  of  a  prince 
and  Mr.  Armour  has  carried  it  out  in  the  most 
princely  manner. 

THE   YOUNG  MEN'S    CHRISTIAN   ASSOCIA- 
TION  IN   ILLINOIS. 

There  were  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions in  existence  in  Illinois  as  early  as  1854. 
In  the  first  International  Convention  of  -Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations,  which  was  held 
at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  June  of  that  year,  two  del- 
egates were  present  from  Chicago — W.  P.  Mont- 


gomery and  Cyrus  Bentley;  and  one  from  Peo- 
ria — T.  C.  Moore;  while  a  delegate  was  also 
enrolled  from  the  "Young  Men's  Moral  and 
Christian  Union"  of  Quincy.  The  report  of 
Mr.  W.  P.  Montgomery,  one  of  the  delegates 
from  Chicago,  states  that  the  organization  in 
that  city  had  been  formed  about  eighteen 
months  previous  to  the  date  of  the  convention. 
At  the  time  of  the  second  convention,  which 
was  held  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  September, 

1855,  the   name   of    Chicago    had    disappeared 
from  the  list  of  Associations,  while  Springfield 
had   been   added.     Of  these  Associations  only 
Quincy  seems  to  have  survived  until  the  third 
convention  held  in  Montreal,  Canada,  in  June, 

1856,  and   even  this   disappears   from   the   list 
before  1858. 

The  oldest  existing  Association  in  Illinois  is 
the  present  organization  in  Chicago,  which  was 
organized  in  June,  1858.  For  some  fourteen 
years  after  that  date,  while  a  number  of  Asso- 
ciations were  organized  in  different  parts  of 
the  State,  no  effort  seems  to  have  been  made 
to  bring  them  into  relationships  of  mutual 
helpfulness.  In  1873,  however,  at  the  call  of 
Mr.  Robert  Weidensall,  acting  as  Agent  of  the 
International  Committee,  a  convention  was 
held  at  Bloomington,  November  6-9  of  that  year. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  an  effort  on  the  part 
of  the  Associations  to  unite  for  mutual  help- 
fulness and  for  the  extension  of  the  associa- 
tion work.  A  State  Executive  Committee  was 
appointed  at  this  time  which,  however,  accom- 
plished but  very  little  during  its  year  of  office. 
Nevertheless,  conventions  have  been  held  con- 
tinuously since  1873. 

In  the  convention  of  1875,  which  was  held  at 
Jacksonville,  111.,  definite  steps  were  taken 
toward  securing  the  services  of  a  State  Secre- 
tary whose  whole  time  should  be  given  to  asso- 
ciation work.  Such  an  officer  was  not  selected 
until  the  following  year,  when  on  Nov.  1,  1876, 
Mr.  Charles  M.  Morton  assumed  the  duties  of 
the  office.  This  position  he  held  for  one  year 
only,  during  which  time  a  large  amount  of 
evangelistic  work  was  done  in  different  parts 
of  the  State  and  a  number  of  Associations 
were  organized,  so  that  the  State  list  submitted 
at  the  Champaign  convention,  in  September, 
1877,  contained  the  names  of  sixty-two  organi- 
zations. At  the  close  of  one  year  of  service, 
Mr.  Morton  retired  from  the  State  Secretary- 
ship to  accept  the  pastorate  of  a  mission  in 
the  city  of  Chicago,  and  the  Associations  for 


720 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


nearly  three  years  were  left  without  close 
supervision. 

The  Decatur  convention  in  1879  urged  the 
securing  of  a  State  Secretary,  and  in  April, 
1880,  I.  E.  Brown  was  elected  to  that  position 
which  he  has  continued  to  occupy  until  the 
present  time  (1904).  The  names  of  sixteen 
Associations  were  put  into  his  hands  as  com- 
prising the  association  constituency  in  the 
State.  At  that  time  2,433  was  the  reported 
membership.  Two  Associations  (those  of  Chi- 
cago and  Aurora)  owned  buildings.  The  total 
value  of  association  property,  including  three 
building  funds,  was  reported  as  $126,500.  Thir- 
teen Secretaries  and  other  officers  were 
employed  by  the  Associations,  all  but  four  of 
these  being  in  Chicago.  There  was  one  small 
gymnasium  in  existence.  Five  Associations 
conducted  religious  meetings  for  men  only. 

Since  1880,  the  growth  of  association  work 
has  been  constant,  and  this  growth  has 
demanded  the  addition  of  one  Secretary  after 
another  until  seven  are  now  employed  in  the 
State  work. 

Beginning  with  the  year  1886,  the  develop- 
ment of  distinct  departments  of  State  work 
was  entered  upon.  This,  however,  was  not  fully 
carried  out  until  the  year  1890.  The  work 
of  supervision  is  now  divided  into  the  follow- 
ing departments: 

1.  General    Supervision,    with    State    Secre- 
tary and  Assistant  Secretary  in  charge. 

2.  Railroad   and   City   Department. 

3.  County  and  Town  Department. 

4.  Student  Department. 

5.  Corresponding  Membership  Department. 

6.  Office. 

With  the  exception  of  the  last  two,  which 
are  combined  under  one  head,  each  Department 
is  in  charge  of  an  employed  Secretary,  who 
is  responsible  for  its  development,  while  in  the 
Railroad  and  City  Department  and  in  the  office 
an  assistant  is  also  employed. 

The  whole  work  is  under  the  supervision  of 
a  State  Executive  Committee  of  twenty-seven 
members,  one-third  of  the  number  being  elected 
annually.  Of  this  Committee,  for  several  years 
Mr.  John  E,  Wilder  of  Chicago  has  been  Chair- 
man. The  State  Convention,  which  is  made  up 
of  delegates  from  the  different  local  associa- 
tions, is  the  creative  power  of  this  Committee 
and  the  source  of  its  instructions. 

The  last  available  report  (October,  1904) 
shows  126  Associations  in  the  State,  reporting 


a  total  membership  of  23,375.  Twenty-three 
Associations  own  their  own  buildings,  while 
eight  others  hold  their  buildings  on  long  time 
leases  from  railroad  companies.  The  total  value 
of  property  reported  is  $2,727,435.  Of  the  build- 
ings, eight  are  for  railroad  men,  two  for  stu- 
dents, while  the  remainder  are  owned  by  city 
Associations.  Instead  of  five  religious  gath- 
erings a  week  for  young  men,  as  in  1880,  248 
such  weekly  gatherings  were  reported  in  1898, 
and  the  number  has  been  largely  increased 
since.  In  addition  to  all  of  this  organized 
work,  the  system  of  representatives  or  corre- 
spondents in  unorganized  towns  has  been 
extended  to  1103  communities. 

The  development  has  not  been  solely  in  the 
number  of  organizations.  The  physical  work 
has  been  put  upon  a  scientific  basis,  and  has 
been  extended  to  40  associations. 

The  various  phases  of  educational  work  have 
been  largely  developed,  and  the  evening  class- 
work,  during  the  year  1903-04  enrolled  2,041 
pupils. 

Great  advances  have  been  made  in  equipment, 
not  only  in  the  fifteen-fold  increase  in  the 
number  of  buildings,  but  also  in  their  character. 
The  finest  building  ever  erected  in  the  world 
for  Young  Men's  Christian  Work,  was  entered 
by  the  Chicago  Association  in  1893. 

Some  association  work  has  been  done  among 
the  coal-miners,  and  an  association  has  for 
years  done  good  service  among  the  first  grade 
boys  of  the  Illinois  State  Reformatory,  while  a 
large  work  has  been  carried  on  at  the  Militia 
Camp  of  the  Illinois  National  Guard,  and  pre- 
liminary steps  have  recently  (1904)  been  taken 
for  an  Army  Association  at  Ft.  Sheridan. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


LIBRARIES. 


THE   CHICAGO   PURLIC   LIBRARY AN   OUTGROWTH   OF 

THE    GREAT    FIRE     OF     1871 THOMAS     HUGHES, 

THE  ENGLISH  AUTHOR,  A  LEADER  IN  THE 
MOVEMENT — HISTORY  OF  THE  LIBRARY  BUILD- 
ING  STATISTICS  FOR  THE  YEAR  1904 CHICAGO 

HISTORICAL  LIBRARY ITS  ORIGIN  AND  HIS- 
TORY  NEWBERRY  LIBRARY JOHN  CRERAB 

LIBRARY EVANSTON    FREE   PUBLIC   LIBRARY. 

On    January    3,    1872,    a    petition,    signed    by 
twenty-eight  leading  citizens,  was  presented  to 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


721 


Hon.  Joseph  Medill,  Mayor  of  Chicago,  request- 
ing him  to  call  a  public  meeting  of  citizens  to 
consider  the  establishment  of  a  free  public 
library.  The  names  signed  to  that  petition 
constitute  a  roll  of  honor.  It  would  have  been 
difficult  to  find  twenty-eight  names  more  truly 
representative  of  Chicago,  or  which  stand  for 
more  in  its  development  and  history. 

This  step  had  its  origin  in  a  movement 
started  by  Thomas  Hughes,  the  celebrated  Eng- 
lish author  and  Member  of  Parliament,  which 
received  the  endorsement  of  Queen  Victoria  and 
a  large  number  of  England's  most  distinguished 
statesmen  and  authors,  immediately  after  the 
great  Chicago  fire  of  1871,  looking  to  the  contri- 
bution of  books  and  means  for  the  founding  of 
a  free  public  library  in  the  fire-stricken  city. 
Mayor  Medill  issued  the  call  as  requested,  and 
a  large  and  enthusiastic  public  meeting  was 
held  Jan.  8,  1872,  at  Plymouth  Church.  Res- 
olutions were  adopted  thanking  Mr.  Hughes 
and  his  associates  for  the  steps  inaugurated  to 
this  end,  pledging  the  efforts  of  the  citizens  of 
Chicago  to  carry  on  and  complete  the  great 
work  so  successfully  begun. 

The  Mayor  appointed  a  committee  of  twenty- 
two  to  prepare  the  legislation  necessary  to 
establish  a  free  public  library  and  to  receive 
and  preserve  such  books  and  literary  property 
as  should  be  presented.  This  committee  pre- 
pared and  reported  a  free  library  bill  to  a 
meeting  held  in  the  City  Hall  January  20,  1872. 
This  bill  was  framed  from  copies  of  bills  at 
that  time  before  the  Legislature,  the  earliest 
of  which  had  been  prepared  by  Hon.  Daniel  L. 
Shorey  and  introduced  in  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives February  6,  1871,  by  Hon.  William 
H.  King  of  this  city. 

The  bill  presented  by  the  committee  was 
unanimously  approved  by  the  meeting  and  was 
in  substance  the  bill  which  became  a  law  and 
was  approved  March  7,  1872.  This  was  a  gen- 
eral law  and  is  the  statutory  foundation  of  all 
the  free  public  libraries  in  Illinois.  This  Act 
was  accepted  by  the  Common  Council  and  the 
Chicago  Public  Library  was  thereoy  established 
by  an  ordinance,  also  prepared  by  Mr.  Shorey, 
approved  April  13,  1872. 

As  the  books  were  received  they  were  depos- 
ited in  the  old  iron  water  tank,  which  was  sit- 
uated upon  the  lot  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Adams  and  La  Salle  Streets,  now  occupied  by 
the  Rookery  Building.  This  tank  had  been 
used  as  a  distributing  reservoir  for  the  South 


Division  and  stood  on  a  masonry  foundation 
thirty-five  feet  high.  It  had  the  merit  of  being 
fire-proof  and  was  selected  for  that  reason. 

A  reading  room  was  fitted  up  by  the  city  in 
the  third  story  of  the  temporary  City  Hall, 
adjacent  to  and  connecting  with  the  tank.  This 
was  opened  to  the  public  Jan.  1,  1873.  These 
quarters  having  soon  proved  inadequate  for  the 
rapidly  growing  accumulation  of  books,  on 
March  16,  1874,  the  Library  was  moved  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  Madison  Street  and  Wabash 
Avenue,  where  it  was  opened  for  the  circulation 
of  books  May  1,  1874,  with  17,355  volumes. 

On  May  27,  1875,  the  Library  was  again 
moved,  this  time  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
Lake  and  Dearborn  Streets,  where  it  remained 
until  May  24,  1886.  By  that  time  it  had  again 
outgrown  its  habitation,  and  its  120,000  vol- 
umes were  removed  to  the  fourth  story  of  the 
City  Hall. 

From  the  earliest  consideration  of  the  sub- 
ject of  a  future  library  building,  Dearborn 
Park  has,  by  common  consent,  been  deemed  the 
most  natural  and  appropriate  location.  It  was 
public  property,  by  the  utilization  of  which  the 
expenditure  of  a  large  sum  in  the  purchase  of 
land  was  rendered  unnecessary.  It  was  of  ade- 
quate size  and  of  symmetrical  shape.  It  was 
centrally  located  and  convenient  to  the  lines  of 
intramural  communication  and  travel.  It  filled 
more  completely  the  requirements  of  the 
Library  and  the  convenience  of  the  public  than 
any  other  site  obtainable,  but  the  difficulties  in 
securing  its  use  for  library  purposes  were  for 
many  years  insurmountable. 

On  the  plat  of  Fort  Dearborn  Addition,  Dear- 
born Park  was  marked  "Public  ground,  forever 
to  remain  vacant  of  buildings."  The  consent 
of  owners  of  abutting  property  therefore  had 
to  be  obtained  before  a  building  could  be 
erected.  June  4,  1889,  an  Act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Illinois  was  passed,  giving  to  the  Sol- 
diers' Home  in  Chicago  the  license  to  erect  a 
Memorial  Hall  on  the  north  one-fourth  of 
Dearborn  Park.  The  Soldiers'  Home,  however, 
was  unable  to  obtain  the  necessary  consent  of 
the  owners  of  abutting  property  and  never 
obtained  possession  from  the  city.  It  now 
became  apparent  that  the  whole  park  would 
ultimately  be  needed  for  library  purposes  and 
negotiations  were  entered  upon  for  the  acquisi- 
tion of  the  interest  of  the  Soldiers'  Home. 
This  finally  resulted  in  an  agreement  between 
the  parties. 


722 


HISTOKIC'AL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


An  ordinance  of  the  city  of  Chicago  was 
passed  May  19,  1890,  and  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature passed  and  approved  June  2,  1891,  which 
authorized  the  Library  to  purchase  the  interest 
of  the  Soldiers'  Home  and  to  erect  and  main- 
tain a  public  library  on  the  entire  park.  The 
consent  of  the  owners  of  abutting  property 
was  then  obtained.  The  preliminary  agreement, 
on  October  24,  1891,  ripened  into  a  final  con- 
tract by  the  delivery  of  a  deed  from  the  Sol- 
diers' Home  to  the  Chicago  Public  Library,  and 
by  the  execution  of  an  agreement  by  the 
Library  to  construct  a  Memorial  Hall  and  ante- 
rooms and  to  lease  them  for  fifty  years  at  a 
nominal  rental  to  the  Grand  Army  Hall  and 
Memorial  Association. 

The  plans  were  adopted  and  the  architects 
employed  February  13,  1892,  from  which  time 
the  work  of  construction  steadily  progressed. 

Ground  was  broken  July  27,  1892,  the  cor- 
ner-stone laid  Thanksgiving  Day,  1893,  and  on 
October  9,  1897,  the  building  was  dedicated  to 
the  people  of  Chicago  with  appropriate  exer- 
cises. On  December  1,  1904,  there  were  295,075 
volumes  in  the  library,  which  had  a  home  cir- 
culation during  the  year  of  1,859,750,  of  which 
535,457  were  issued  from  the  main  library,  and 
754,225  through  the  70  delivery  stations. 
Besides  this  346,807  volumes  were  consulted 
by  124,571  persons  in  the  reference  room,  while 
in  the  branch  reading  rooms  194,887  visitors 
consulted  88,558  books  and  151,930  periodicals. 
The  number  of  persons  entitled  to  draw  books 
on  cards  was  62,384. 

.  THE  CHICAGO   HISTORICAL  LIBRARY. 

The  Chicago  Historical  Society  was  organ- 
ized in  1856,  and  incorporated  in  1857.  As 
William  H.  Brown,  who  was  a  member  of  a 
Historical  Society  formed  at  Vandalia,  about 
1835,  was  the  first  President,  it  may  not  be 
inaptly  called  a  reorganization  or  continuation 
of  that  society.  Its  charter  members  were 
William  B.  Ogden,  J.  Young  Scammon,  Mason 
Brayman,  Mark  Skinner,  George  Manierre, 
John  H.  Kinzie,  James  V.  Z.  Blaney,  Edward 
I.  Tinkham,  Joseph  D.  Webster,  William  A. 
Smallwood,  Charles  H.  Ray,  Mahlon  D.  Ogden, 
Franklin  Scammon,  William  Barry,  Van  H. 
Higgins,  Dr.  Nathan  S.  Davis,  Samuel  D.  Ward, 
and  Ezra  B.  McCagg. 

The  objects  of  the  Society  were  declared  to 
be:  First,  the  establishment  of  a  library;  sec- 
ond, the  collection  into  a  safe  and  permanent 


depository  of  manuscripts  and  documents  of 
historical  value;  third,  to  encourage  the  inves- 
tigation of  aboriginal  remains;  and  fourth,  to 
collect  and  preserve  such  historical  materials 
as  shall  serve  to  illustrate  the  settlement  and 
growth  of  Chicago. 

When  the  destructive  fire  of  1871  occurred, 
the  Society  had  erected  a  commodious  brick 
building  for  its  use  on  a  portion  of  its  lot  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Dearborn  Avenue  and 
Ontario  Street,  in  which,  under  the  supervision 
of  Rev.  William  Barry,  had  been  accumulated 
a  library  of  14,000  volumes,  besides  priceless 
treasures  in  manuscripts  and  records,  includ- 
ing that  great  document,  the  Emancipation 
Proclamation,  with  President  Lincoln's  signa- 
ture affixed  thereto.  The  devouring  flames  left 
not  a  vestige  unconsumed. 

The  society  was  not  forgotten  in  the  work 
of  restoration,  but  the  liberal  contributions 
received  as  a  nucleus  for  a  new  library  were 
again  swept  away  by  the  great  fire  of  1874. 
The  friends  of  the  Society  were  naturally  dis- 
couraged, but  donations  of  books  were  made 
and  cared  for  by  Edwin  H.  Sheldon  at  his  office 
on  Clark  Street,  until,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Society  on  January  23,  1877,  it  was  determined 
to  erect  a  new  building.  An  appeal  to  the  mem- 
bers for  subscriptions  meeting  with  a  favorable 
response,  the  movement  resulted  in  the  erec- 
tion of  another  building,  which  was  ready  for 
occupancy  by  October  16,  1877.  There  for  fif- 
teen years  it  grew  and  prospered. 

In  1892  the  Henry  D.  Gilpin  fund  having,  by 
careful  investment,  more  than  doubled,  and  the 
legacy  under  the  will  of  John  Crerar  having 
become  available,  it  was  determined  to  solicit 
from  its  members  subscriptions  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  permanent  fire-proof  home  for  the 
Society,  on  the  site  at  the  corner  of  Dearborn 
Avenue  and  Ontario  Street,  so  long  identified 
with  the  Society's  history.  To  this  appeal  the 
members  responded  with  alacrity  and  their 
accustomed  liberality,  and  the  temporary  struc- 
ture having  been  removed,  on  November  12, 
1892,  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  building  was 
laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  The  new 
edifice,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $190,000,  is  of  fire- 
proof construction  and,  in  point  of  complete- 
ness, has  no  superior  for  similar  purposes  in 
the  world.  On  December  15,  1896,  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  building  took  place  in  the  presence 
of  a  brilliant  and  representative  assemblage 
of  members  and  friends  of  the  Society.  The 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


723 


absolute  safety  of  the  building  from  damage 
by  fire  has  made  it  a  favorite  repository  for 
donations  of  valuable  manuscripts,  relics,  por- 
traits, etc.,  from  a  variety  of  sources. 

At  the  request  of  the  History  Section  of  the 
Department  of  Anthropology  of  the  Louisiana 
Purchase  Exposition,  at  St.  Louis,  the  Society 
made  an  exhibit  of  fac-similes  of  some  of  its 
valuable  manuscripts  and  portraits,  illustrating 
the  exploration  and  development  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  1673-1817.  This  exhibit  was 
awarded  the  gold  medal  by  the  Superior  Jury 
of  Awards. 

During  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American 
Historical  Association,  held  in  Chicago  by  invi- 
tation of  this  and  other  institutions,  December 
28-30,  1904,  the  Society  was  able  to  assemble 
for  the  study  and  pleasure  of  its  guests  a  spe- 
cial loan  exhibit  of  several  important  collec- 
tions of  historical  material  displayed  at  the 
Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition.  This  collec- 
tion of  unique  and  priceless  documents  (of 
which  a  complete  catalogue  has  been  pub- 
lished) was  doubtless  the  most  valuable  that 
has  ever  been  assembled  for  a  loan  exhibition 
under  the  roof  of  any  private  institution  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  and  could  hardly  have  been 
secured  but  for  the  absolutely  fire-proof  char- 
acter of  the  massive  building  of  the  Chicago 
Historical  Society. 

Since  1901  the  library  and  collections  of  the 
Society  have  been  entirely  free  to  the  public, 
being  open  each  week  day — except  on  national 
holidays — from  9  a.  m.  to  5  p.  m.  A  course 
of  historical  lectures  is  maintained  during  the 
winter  months,  to  which  members  and  their 
friends  are  eligible. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Society  are  as  fol- 
lows: President,  Franklin  H.  Head;  First 
Vice-President,  Thomas  Dent;  Second  Vice- 
President,  Lambert  Tree;  Treasurer,  Orson 
Smith;  Secretary,  James  W.  Fertig;  Librarian, 
Caroline  M.  Mcllvaine;  Executive  Committee: 
Franklin  H.  Head,  Edward  E.  Ayer,  Joseph  T. 
Bowen,  William  A.  Fuller,  Charles  F.  Gunther, 
Samuel  H.  Kerfoot,  Jr.,  George  Merryweather, 
Walter  C.  Newberry,  Otto  L.  Schmidt. 

As  provided  in  its  constitution,  and  con- 
trary to  popular  impression,  the  field  of  this 
Society  is  not  confined  to  Chicago,  but  its  foun- 
dations are  laid  broad  and  deep  to  include  all 
the  States  carved  from  the  "Old  Northwest 
Territory,"  and  this  has  been  extended  by  com- 
mon consent  to  include  the  entire  Mississippi 


Valley.  The  number  of  books,  pamphlets,  and 
manuscripts  now  in  the  library  approximates 
140,000,  and  is  being  added  to  at  the  rate  of 
2,500  volumes  annually.  Besides  a  highly  spe- 
cialized collection  of  books,  maps,  and  news- 
papers treating  of  chosen  subjects,  the  Society 
has  an  extensive  collection  of  manuscripts — 
only  a  small  portion  of  which  have  been  drawn 
upon  for  material  for  its  published  collections, 
and  a  Museum  of  Relics  illustrating  the  various 
historical  periods  in  the  development  of  the 
Northwest. 

THE    NEWBERRY    LIBRARY. 

Chicago  has  been  fortunate  in  being  made 
the  recipient,  within  the  past  few  years,  of 
private  benefactions  destined  to  give  it  a  lit- 
erary prominence  unsurpassed  by  that  of  any 
other  city  in  the  country.  The  first  of  these 
gifts  came  from  the  late  Walter  Loomis  New- 
berry,  who  died  November  6,  1868,  leaving,  by 
a  conditional  bequest,  one-half  of  his  estate  for 
the  purpose  of  founding  a  Free  Public  Library, 
to  be  located  in  that  part  of  Chicago  known  as 
the  North  Division.  By  the  conditions  of  his 
will  this  bequest  became  available  on  the  death 
of  his  widow,  Dec.  9,  1885.  The  value  of  the 
one-half  of  the  estate,  the  sum  set  off  to  the 
Library  was  estimated,  at  that  time,  at  $2,512,- 
354.  The  larger  part  of  that  sum  being  in  real 
estate,  it  has  since  materially  increased  in 
value.  On  the  first  of  July,  1887,  the  Trustees, 
upon  whom  devolved  the  duty  of  "founding  the 
Library"  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
the  will,  as  a  tribute  due  to  the  memory  of  the 
founder,  gave  to  it  the  name  of  The  Newberry 
Library,  and  decided  that  it  should  be  a  library 
of  reference  open  to  the  use  of  the  public  on 
the  premises. 

Dr.  William  Frederick  Poole,  for  fourteen 
years  the  successful  head  of  the  Chicago  Public 
Library,  was  appointed  Librarian,  entering 
upon  his  duties  August  1,  1887.  The  first  tem- 
porary home  of  the  Library  was  at  90  La  Salle 
Street;  in  April,  1888,  it  was  removed  to  338 
Ontario  Street,  whence  after  two  years,  it  was 
transferred  to  convenient  quarters  for  its  tem- 
porary use  at  the  northeast  corner  of  North 
State  and  Oak  Streets.  Steps  were  taken  as 
early  as  1888,  looking  to  the  erection  of  a  per- 
manent building  upon  the  square  bounded  by 
Ontario,  Pine,  Erie  and  Rush  Streets,  which 
had  been  the  Newberry  homestead,  and  which 
had  been  reserved  by  the  Trustees  for  this  pur- 


724 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


pose.  The  site  was  changed,  however,  in  1889, 
for  a  more  desirable  location,  to  what  is  known 
as  the  Ogden  Block,  surrounded  by  Dearborn 
Avenue,  Walton  Place,  North  Clark,  and  Oak 
Streets,  where  the  erection  of  a  permanent 
library  building  was  begun  in  the  fall  of  1890, 
in  accordance  with  plans  prepared  by  the  Archi- 
tect, Henry  Ives  Cobb,  in  conjunction  with  the 
Librarian,  and  so  far  finished  as  to  be  ready 
for  partial  occupancy  in  the  fall  of  1893.  This 
building,  which  fronts  on  Walton  Place  directly 
opposite  Washington  Park,  is  constructed  of 
New  England  rose  granite  in  the  Romanesque 
style  of  architecture. 

The  dimensions  of  the  present  building  are 
318  feet  in  length  by  72  feet  in  depth  and  five 
stories  in  height,  with  a  capacity  for  the  stor- 
age of  1,000,000  volumes.  The  plan  of  the  build- 
ing contemplates  the  erection,  as  the  needs  of 
the  Library  may  demand,  of  three  additions  to 
the  main  structure  with  fronts  facing  east, 
north  and  west,  and  surrounding  an  inner 
court.  The  interior  of  the  building  is  simply 
and  substantially  finished,  and  is  strictly  fire- 
proof. Heat  is  furnished  by  steam  and  light  by 
electricity.  There  are  at  present  (October,  1904) 
196,484  volumes  and  70,123  pamphlets  in  the 
Library,  the  preference  in  the  selection  of 
which  has  been  given  to  works  of  a  solid  char- 
acter suited  for  general  reference,  including 
many  rare  and  choice  volumes  of  history,  bibli- 
ography, archaeology  and  fine  arts.  To  the 
department  of  medicine  special  attention  has 
been  given,  as  also  to  that  of  music. 

In  April,  1892,  The  Newberry  Library  was 
incorporated  under  an  Act  adopted  by  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  1891,  when  the  following 
Board  of  Trustees  was  elected:  Eliphalet  W. 
Blatchford,  President;  Edward  S.  Isham,  First 
Vice-President;  Lambert  Tree,  Second  Vice- 
President,  and  the  following  additional  mem- 
bers: Hon.  George  E.  Adams,  Edward  E.  Ayer, 
William  H.  Bradley,  Daniel  Goodwin,  Franklin 
MacVeagh,  Gen.  Alexander  C.  McClurg,  Gen. 
Walter  C.  Newberry,  Henry  J.  Willing,  and 
John  P.  'Wilson.  The  members  of  the  Board 
for  the  year  1904  are  the  same,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Messrs.  Goodwin,  MacVeagh,  Bradley, 
Isham,  McClurg  and  Willing,  whose  places 
have  been  filled  by  Bryan  Lathrop,  George 
Manierre,  David  B.  Jones,  Horace  H.  Martin, 
Moses  J.  Wentworth,  and  John  A.  Spoor. 

After  the  death  of  Dr.  W.  F.  Poole,  which 
occurred  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1894,  John 


Vance  Cheney  was  selected  as  Librarian,  and 
still  holds  the  position. 

THE    JOHN   CRERAR  LIBRARY. 

By  the  will  of  the  late  John  Crerar  of  Chi- 
cago, who  died  October  19,  1889,  the  residue  of 
his  estate,  after  the  payment  of  numerous  pri- 
vate and  public  bequests,  was  given  to  the  cre- 
ation and  endowment  of  a  free  public  library, 
to  be  called  "The  John  Crerar  Library,"  and  to 
be  located  in  the  City  of  Chicago.  In  1891  the 
validity  of  the  will  was  attacked,  but  it  was 
sustained  by  a  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  rendered  June  19,  1893. 
The  Library  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  Illinois,  October  12,  1894,  and  was  duly 
organized  January,  12,  1895. 

By  special  request  contained  in  Mr.  Crerar's 
will,  Norman  Williams  was  made  the  first  Pres- 
ident of  the  Board  of  Directors,  the  remaining 
members  of  the  Board — also  named  by  Mr. 
Crerar — being:  Huntington  W.  Jackson,  Mar- 
shall Field,  E.  W.  Blatchford,  T.  B.  Blackstone, 
Robert  T.  Lincoln,  Henry  W.  Bishop,  Edward 
G.  Mason,  Albert  Keep,  Edson  Keith,  Simon  J. 
McPherson,  John  M.  Clark,  and  George  A. 
Armour.  Huntington  W.  Jackson  was  elected 
First  Vice-President,  Marshall  Field  Second 
Vice-President  and  George  A.  Armour  Secre- 
tary. The  administrative  force  was  completed 
during  the  following  year  (1895)  by  the 
appointment  of  William  J.  Louderback,  Treas- 
urer, and  Clement  W.  Andrews,  Librarian.  The 
library  was  opened  without  formality  April  1, 
1897,  on  the  sixth  floor  of  the  Marshall  Field 
Building,  at  87  Wabash  Avenue,  which  it  has 
continued  to  occupy  to  the  present  time. 

Having  sympathetically  reviewed  the  li-brary 
section  of  Mr.  Crerar's  will,  and  carefully  con- 
sidered the  library  facilities  and  needs  of  the 
city,  the  Directors  unanimously  decided  to 
establish  a  free  reference  library  of  scientific 
literature.  This  decision  seemed  to  them  to 
accord  with  the  particular  business  activities 
by  which  the  greater  part  of  the  founder's  for- 
tune had  been  accumulated  here,  to  exclude, 
naturally,  certain  questionable  classes  of  books 
which  his  will  distinctly  prohibits,  and  to  favor 
the  supreme  aim  and  object  which  it  expressly 
points  out.  As  personal  friends,  who  had 
been  acquainted  with  his  wise  and  generous 
purposes  and  with  his  civic  patriotism  and 
gratitude,  they  believed  that  he  would  have 
promptly  and  cordially  approved  of  their  deci- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


725 


sion  as  highly  advantageous  to  the  whole  city. 
They  are  firm  in  the  conviction  that  he  would 
have  wished  his  large  legacy  to  supplement,  in 
the  most  effective  way,  the  existing  and  pros- 
pective library  collections  of  Chicago.  Accord- 
ingly, the  Directors  instituted  a  series  of  con- 
ferences with  the  Chicago  Public  Library  and 
the  Newberry  Library.  An  elastic  scheme  was 
jointly  adopted  for  dividing  among  them  the 
available  world  of  books.  This  co-operation 
will  prevent  unnecessary  duplication  and  waste- 
ful rivalry.  The  special  field  of  the  John  Cre- 
rar  Library  is,  therefore,  that  of  the  natural, 
the  physical  and  the  social  sciences,  with  their 
applications. 

President  Williams  died  in  1899,  and  First 
Vice-President  Huntington  W.  Jackson  was 
elected  his  successor,  but  survived  only  one 
year,  dying  in  January,  1901.  Judge  Peter  S. 
Grosscup  was  then  elected  President,  and  has 
held  the  position  to  the  present  time.  The  full 
Board  at  the  present  time  (1904)  is  composed 
of  the  following  named  persons:  Marshall 
Field,  E.  W.  Blatchford,  Robert  T.  Lincoln, 
Henry  W.  Bishop,  Albert  Keep,  John  M.  Clark, 
Frank  S.  Johnson,  Peter  Stenger  Grosscup, 
Arthur  J.  Caton,  Marvin  Hughitt,  Thomas  D. 
Jones,  John  J.  Mitchell,  and  Leonard  A.  Busby, 
with  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Mayor,  and  Lawrence 
E.  McGann,  Comptroller  of  Chicago,  ex-offlcio 
members  under  an  amendment  of  the  By-Laws 
adopted  in  1901.  The  present  officers  of  the 
Board  (1904)  are:  President,  Peter  Stenger 
Grosscup;  First  Vice-President,  Henry  W. 
Bishop;  Second  Vice-President,  Thomas  D. 
Jones;  Secretary,  Arthur  J.  Caton;  Treasurer, 
William  J.  Louderback;  Librarian,  Clement  W. 
Andrews.  The  latter,  formerly  Librarian  of 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  has 
had  charge  of  the  Crerar  Library  from  the  date 
of  its  opening. 

Besides  Presidents  Williams  and  Jackson,  the 
following  named  former  members  of  the  Board 
are  now  deceased:  T.  B.  Blackstone,  Edward 
G.  Mason  and  Edson  Keith,  while  Rev. 
Simon  McPherson  and  George  A.  Armour,  hav- 
ing removed  from  the  City  of  Chicago,  have  re- 
signed. Messrs.  Blackstone  and  Mason  ten- 
dered their  resignations  previous  to  their 
decease.  (Arthur  J.  Caton,  Treasurer,  died 
since  the  preparation  of  this  sketch  of  the 
Library.) 

According  to  the  report  of  the  Librarian  for 
1903,  the  Library  contained  at  the  close  of  the 


year  103,291  volumes  and  was  in  the  receipt  of 
1,870  periodicals  and  3,464  other  continuations. 
During  the  year  the  Library  had  76,500  visitors, 
while  the  number  of  volumes  and  periodicals 
consulted  amounted  to  over  190,000.  The  acces- 
sions for  the  year  amounted  to  14,280  volumes, 
of  which  2,899  were  in  the  form  of  gifts,  while 
11,381  were  obtained  by  purchase. 

The  amount  of  the  bequest  for  the  establish- 
ment and  maintenance  of  the  Library,  imme- 
diately following  Mr.  Crerar's  death,  was  esti- 
mated at  two  and  a  half  million  dollars.  The 
total  assets  at  the  close  of  the  year  1903 
amounted  to  $4,159,157.69,  of  which  $3,400,000 
had  been  set  apart  as  an  "endowment  fund," 
and  $523,117.23  as  a  "building  fund"  derived 
from  the  income  from  the  original  bequest — 
showing  an  increase  in  the  building  fund,  dur- 
ing the  year,  of  over  $66,000,  besides  $17,500  set 
apart  for  the  purchase  of  books. 

Under  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved 
March  29,  1901,  and  an  ordinance  of  the  City 
Council  passed  during  the  same  month,  a  vote 
was  taken  of  the  legal  voters  of  the  South 
Park  District,  empowering  the  Park  Commis- 
sioners to  grant  authority  to  the  Crerar  Library 
Board  to  locate  a  library  building  on  Grant  (or 
Lake  Front)  Park,  and  the  proposition  was 
adopted  by  a  vote— in  round  numbers — of  51,000 
to  9,000.  The  site  granted  is  in  the  space 
between  Monroe  and  Madison  Streets,  facing 
Michigan  Avenue  and  one  block  north  of  the 
Art  Institute.  The  space  proposed  to  be  occu- 
pied will  embrace  approximately  400  feet  front 
by  300  feet  in  depth,  and  upon  this  it  is  pro- 
posed to  erect  a  rectangular  building  in  classic 
style  of  architecture,  with  a  frontage  of  300 
feet  and  capacity  for  the  storage  of  1,000,000 
volumes  and  the  accommodation  of  500  readers. 

THE  EVANSTON   FREE   PUBLIC  LIBRARY, 

Which  was  organized  June  21,  1873,  under 
the  State  Library  Law,  is  the  outcome  of  the 
Evanston  Library  Association,  which  was 
formed  in  1870;  Luther  L.  Greenleaf  was  elected 
President  October  18,  1870.  It  was  largely 
through  Mr.  Greenleaf's  liberality  that  the  orig- 
inal Library  Association  was  enabled  to  make 
so  successful  a  start,  and  a  substantial  collec- 
tion of  books  passed  into  the  possession  of  the 
Public  Library,  as  a  gift  from  the  older  insti- 
tution, and  which  formed  the  foundation  of 
what  the  library  is  today,  and  what  it  will 
become  in  the  future.  The  rooms  first  occu- 


726 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


pied  by  the  Association  were  located  in  Dr.  W. 
S.  Scott's  building,  now  numbered  613  Davis 
Street,  where,  on  July  3,  1873,  the  books  and 
other  property  belonging  to  the  Association 
were  transferred  to  the  Directors  of  the  Free 
Public  Library  of  Evanston,  whose  organiza- 
tion had  been  effected  June  21,  1873. 

In  1889  the  Library  was  moved  to  1574  Sher- 
man Avenue,  and  in  1893  it  was  again  moved 
to  the  rooms  now  occupied  in  the  City  Hall. 
Efforts  toward  securing  a  library  building 
have  been  in  progress  for  several  years.  In 
June,  1904,  the  city  purchased  the  property 
on  the  northeast  corner  of  Orrington  Avenue 
and  Church  Street,  to  be  used  as  a  site  for  a 
new  library  building.  The  site  thus  being 
assured,  it  now  seems  probable  that  the  nec- 
essary fund  for  erecting  a  building  may  soon 
be  secured.  Total  number  of  books  in  the 
library  May  31,  1904,  34,617.  Total  number  of 
periodicals  currently  received,  115. 

The  circulating  department  reports  102,595 
volumes  issued  for  home  use,  28,304  volumes 
for  consultation  in  the  library  and  27,066  were 
circulated  or  used  in  the  several  schools,  mak- 
ing a  total  of  157,965  volumes  used  during  the 
year  ending  May  31,  1904,  showing  a  gain  of 
4,667  volumes  in  home  circulation.  The  daily 
average  circulation  for  the  year  was  335.  The 
largest  issue  of  any  one  day  was  962  volumes  on 
February  13,  1904;  the  smallest  issue  was  on 
July  17, 1903, 219  volumes;  the  largest  month's 
circulation  was  in  February,  1904,  amounting  to 
13,388  volumes;  the  smallest  was  in  July,  1903, 
amounting  to  8,501  volumes.  There  are  4,962 
readers'  cards  in  force  at  the  present  time. 
Every  permanent  resident  of  Evanston,  without 
limitation  as  to  age,  is  entitled  to  a  reader's  card. 

Officers. — The  Officers  of  the  Library  for  the 
year  1904  are:  J.  W.  Thompson,  President; 
J.  S.  Currey,  Vice-President;  Mary  B.  Lindsay, 
Librarian  and  Secretary. 

Library  Staff. — Mary  B.  Lindsay,  Librarian; 
Gertrude  Leroy  Brown,  Head  Cataloguer; 
Bertha  Strong  Bliss,  Superintendent  of  Loan 
Department;  Flora  N.  Hay,  Superintendent  of 
Reference  and  School  Work;  with  Gertrude  E. 
Aiken,  Ida  F.  Wright  and  Maud  Chidester, 
Assistants;  Charles  S.  Blair  and  Lloyd  L.  Dines, 
Pages,  and  Win.  E.  Lee,  Janitor. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


CHICAGO  POSTOFFICE. 


PIONEER  MAIL  SERVICE — HOW  LETTEBS  WERE 
BROUGHT  TO  FORT  DEARBORN  IN  1817 — THE 
FIRST  POSTOFFICE  IN  CHICAGO  ESTABLISHED  IN 
1831 — PICTURE  OF  FIRST  OFFICE — GROWTH  OF 
BUSINESS  IN  SEVENTY-TWO  TEARS — VOLUME  OF 
BUSINESS  IN  1903 — PERSONAL  SKETCHES  OF 
POSTMASTERS  —  NEW  POSTOFFICE  BUILDING — 
NUMBER  OF  EMPLOYES  AND  HEADS  OF  DEPART- 
MENTS— STATISTICS  OF  BUSINESS  FOB  YEAR 
ENDING  JUNE  30,  1904. 

A  correct  barometer  of  the  growth  and  in- 
crease in  wealth  and  business  of  any  city  or 
locality  is  well  shown  by  the  development  of 
its  mail  service,  and  to  no  locality  in  the  world 
will  this  apply  more  appropriately  than  to  the 
city  of  Chicago,  as  shown  by  the  following  con- 
densed statement  of  the  business  of  the  Chi- 
cago Postoffice  from  its  beginning  up  to  the 
present  time. 

Letters  were  first  brought  to  Chicago  by  the 
annual  arrival  of  a  vessel  at  the  fort,  or  by 
some  chance  traveler  who  came  to  the  place 
through  the  wilderness,  and  later  by  Govern- 
ment mail-carriers,  who  brought  the  mail  to 
the  fort  from  Detroit,  Ft.  Wayne  or  St.  Joseph, 
about  once  a  month.  These  were  the  only  ave- 
nues through  which  the  outside  world  could 
be  heard  from  till  1831,  up  to  which  time  no 
postoffice  had  been  established,  and  private  per- 
sons were  dependent  on  the  courtesy  of  the 
commander  of  the  fort  for  the  receipt  of  let- 
ters. 

The  first  mention  of  mail  communication 
between  Chicago  and  the  East,  after  the  de- 
struction of  Fort  Dearborn,  was  in  1817.  In 
Keating's  narrative  of  an  expedition  to  the 
source  of  St.  Peter's  River,  published  in  Lon- 
don, England,  in  1825,  it  is  stated  that  in  May, 
1823,  an  exploring  party  met  with  an  express- 
man named  Bemis,  sent  from  Chicago  for  let- 
ters at  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  and  detained  him  as 
a  guide.  A  carrier  was  at  that  time  despatched 
once  a  month  for  letters  from  Fort  Dearborn 
to  Fort  Wayne  and  in  1831  half  a  dozen  letters 
weekly  was  considered  a  heavy  mail,  and  the 
carrier's  hat  was  used  as  a  mail-bag  and  post- 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


727 


office.  The  first  list  of  advertised  letters 
appeared  in  the  "Chicago  Democrat"  of  Jan.  7, 
1834,  consisting  of  one  letter  to  Erastus  Bowen. 
Now  the  weekly  list  averages  4,000. 

Now,  instead  of  one  letter-carrier  doing  all 
the  work,  for  the  month  of  July,  1903,  the  num- 
ber of  letter-carriers  employed  by  the  Chicago 
Postoffice  was  1,926,  besides  2,076  clerks  re- 
quired in  the  several  departments,  and  there 
were  2,315  collections  of  mail  each  day,  requir- 
ing 405  horses,  320  wagons  and  90  drivers  in 
the  performance  of  this  service. 

In  1896,  19,814,029  pieces  of  mail  matter  were 
handled  in  six  days.  The  yearly  receipts  for 
1903  aggregated  744,083,710  pieces,  and  of  this 
amount  200,000  pieces  were  received  daily  from 
street  railway  postal  stations  on  Madison 
Street,  Clark  Street,  Milwaukee  Avenue  and 
Cottage  Grove  Avenue. 

The  total  receipts  of  the  Postoffice  for  1833 
were  from  $60  to  $80.  The  total  receipts  for 
1903  were  $10,066,237.58  for  Chicago,  being 
about  7  per  cent  of  the  whole  amount  for  the 
United  States.  , 

In  1833  letter  postage  ranged  from  6*4  to  25 
cents  for  each  letter,  according  to  distance, 
reckoning  from  30  to  400  miles  or  over,  and 
people  came  from  30  to  40  miles  to  Chicago 
for  their  mail,  and  often  were  trusted  for  their 
postage. 

Now,  for  one  year,  according  to  the  Post- 
master's Report  for  1903,  the  demand  for 
stamps  and  postal  cards  was  as  follows: 

One  cent  stamps 172,759,300 

Two  cent  stamps 216,084,700 

Three  cent  stamps 7,058,900 

Four  cent  stamps 7,081,300 

Five   cent   stamps 7,426,800 

Six  cent  stamps 2,801,200 

Eight  cent  stamps 2,845,300 

Ten  cent  stamps 4,396,500 

Fifteen  cent  stamps 1,612,300 

Fifty  cent  stamps 48,100 

One  dollar  stamps 2,090 

Two  dollar  stamps 307 

Five    dollar   stamps 350 

Special  Delivery   (10   cents) 535,150 

Postal    Cards 63,442,250 

Auditor  reports  for  years  ending  June  30, 
1903: 


Number.  Value. 

Money  Orders  Issued  . .     827,115     $  9,672,203.82 

Money  Orders  paid 7,639,567       44,704,172.54 

The  expenses  for  the  year  1836,  including  the 
salaries  of  the  Postmaster  and  two  assistants, 
were  $4,350.00. 

The  expenditures  for  1903  were  as  follows: 

Clerks'   pay-roll $1,763,460.35 

Carriers'  pay-roll 1,616,281.14 

Special   Delivery  Messengers 50,465.81 

Miscellaneous   bills 161,565.18 

Postmaster's   salary 7,000.00 


Total    $3,588,772.88 

Seventy-two  years  ago  Postmaster  Jonathan 
N.  Bailey  opened  the  first  regular  mail,  in  the 
first  Chicago  Postoffice  in  the  old  Kinzie  resi- 
dence. This  postoffice  was  soon  removed  to  a 
small  log  building  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Lake  and  South  Water  Streets,  and  in  July, 
1834,  the  postoffice  was  again  removed  from 
this  building  to  another  log  building  45  feet  in 
length  and  18  feet  in  width,  situated  on  the 
corner  of  Franklin  and  South  Water  Streets. 
One-half  of  this  building  was  used  by  Post- 
master Hogan  as  a  postoffice,  which  gave  him 
plenty  of  room  to  accommodate  all  of  Uncle 
Sam's  mail  for  Chicago,  and  the  other  half  of 
the  building  was  occupied  by  Brewster,  Hogan 
&  Co.,  fur-traders. 

The  first  Postmaster  of  Chicago,  Jonathan 
Nash  Bailey,  was  born  on  the  3d  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, A.  D.  1789,  in  Hartford,  N.  J.  He  was 
appointed  Postmaster  by  Postmaster-General 
William  T.  Barry,  March  31,  1831,  during  the 
first  term  of  President  Andrew  Jackson's  ad- 
ministration and  served  until  Nov.  2,  1832.  He 
was  well  fitted  for  his  arduous  duties,  having 
served  from  April  25,  1825,  to  August  21,  1829, 
as  Postmaster  at  Mackinac,  Mich.  There  were 
no  established  mail  routes  or  post-roads  north 
of  Chicago  in  those  days.  Half  a  dozen  letters 
weekly  were  considered  a  heavy  mail.  The 
mail  was  received  twice  a  week,  coming 
through  Niles,  Mich.,  the  nearest  distributing 
office,  there  being  no  other  mail-route  in  North- 
ern Illinois  nearer  than  that  leading  from  Peo- 
ria  or  Galena.  The  mail  was  carried  to  Niles 
by  stage  from  Detroit,  Mich.,  to  which  point 
it  came  from  Cleveland,  Ohio.  It  required,  even 
down  to  1837,  fourteen  days  for  a  letter  to  come 
from  New  York  or  Washington,  D.  C.,  to  De- 
troit, Mich.,  and  the  stage  time  from  the  latter 


728 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


point  to  Chicago  was  five  days,  more  or  less, 
being  largely  a  matter  of  adventitious  circum- 
stances. Now  the  time  for  delivery  between 
New  York  and  Chicago  is  the  same  number  of 
hours.  The  population  of  Chicago,  during  Post- 
master Bailey's  term,  was  about  2,000. 

John  Stephen  Coats  Hogan,  the  second  Post- 
master of  Chicago,  was  born  on  the  6th  day  of 
February,  A.  D.  1805.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 
1830,  was  appointed  Postmaster  by  President 
Andrew  Jackson,  Nov.  2,  1832,  and  served  until 
March  3,  1837.  In  1833  there  was  but  one 


newspaper  slips  and  Government  despatches. 
Triple  rates  were  charged  for  letters  and  news- 
papers. The  experiment  was  not  a  success 
financially  and  was  abandoned. 

The  third  Postmaster  of  Chicago,  Sidney 
Abell,  was  born  in  Bennington,  Vt.,  March  10, 
1809,  and  was  appointed  Postmaster  March  3, 
1837,  by  Postmaster-General  Amos  Kendall 
under  President  Martin  Van  Buren's  adminis- 
tration. In  June,  1837,  the  postoffice  was  re- 
moved to  the  Bigelow  building  on  Clark  Street, 
between  Lake  and  South  Water  Streets,  and 


j.  s.  c.  HOGAN'S  STORE,  WHERE  THE  FIRST  CHICAGO 

POST   OFFICE   WAS   KEPT. 
From  an  Original  Painting  Taken  by  FERNANDO  JONES. 


eastern  mail  per  week,  to  and  from  Niles,  Mich- 
igan, and  it  was  carried  on  horse-back.  Dr. 
John  T.  Temple  was  awarded  the  contract  for 
carrying  mail  from  Chicago  to  Ottawa  in 
1833,  but  on  his  first  trip  there  was  no  mail 
to  carry.  The  first  recorded  Assistant  Post- 
master was  Thomas  Watkins,  who  served  under 
Postmaster  Hogan,  and  who  created  a  local 
sensation  by  marrying  Theresa  Laframboise, 
the  half-breed  daughter  of  Joseph  Laframboise, 
a  French  fur-trader  and  chief  of  the  Pottawat- 
tomies.  In  1836  Postmaster-General  Amos 
Kendall  established  horse-back  express  mails 
to  convey  letters  requiring  great  expedition, 


again  removed  in  1838  to  the  Saloon  Build- 
ing, 37  Clark  Street,  on  the  southeast  corner 
of  Lake  Street.  There  was  one  daily  Eastern 
mail.  Postmaster's  assistants  were  Ralph  M. 
P.  Abell  and  Charles  Robert  Starkweather,  the 
latter  remaining  in  the  postoffice  until  1860. 
The  salary  of  the  postmaster  was  fixed  at  $4,000 
per  annum.  In  1836  the  receipts  of  the  Chi- 
cago postoffice  were  $2,148.29  and  the  expenses 
$350. 

During  the  term  of  Postmaster  Abell  the  pos- 
tal business  increased  so  that  Chicago  became 
a  distributing  Postoffice  and  its  dependence  on 
Niles,  Mich.,  was  discontinued.  A  daily  mail 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


729 


to  the  East  was  established,  and  railway  postal 
routes  were  established  in  1838;  but  as  Chicago 
was  only  beginning  to  be  approached  by  rail- 
roads, it  obtained  no  direct  benefit  from  the 
system  except  as  the  mails  were  more  speedily 
transported  on  the  lines  running  toward  the  west. 

William  Stewart,  publisher  of  the  "Chicago 
Daily  American,"  the  fourth  Postmaster  of  Chi- 
cago, was  born  in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  23, 
1810,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1835.  On  July 
10,  1841,  he  was  appointed  Postmaster,  by  Post- 
master-General Francis  Granger,  under  Presi- 
dent John  Tyler's  administration.  He  moved 
the  postoffice  into  a  brick  building  at  No.  50 
Clark  Street.  In  1844  forty-four  mails  were 
received  and  made  up  weekly  at  the  Chicago 
Office.  No  letter  carriers  were  then  employed. 
There  were  no  postal  orders,  postage  stamps, 
envelopes  or  registered  letters.  The  population 
of  Chicago  was  5,752.  Postmaster  Stewart  was 
the  first  newspaper  man  to  hold  this  office.  An 
act  was  passed  by  Congress  in  1845  repealing 
the  act  of  1816,  and  reducing  letter-postage  to 
5  and  10  cents  a  letter,  based  on  the  distance 
letters  were  carried. 

The  fifth  Postmaster  of  Chicago,  Hart  L. 
Stewart,  was  born  in  Bridgewater,  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  August  29,  1803.  He  received  his 
appointment  from  President  James  K.  Polk, 
April  25,  1845.  The  population  of  Chicago  at 
that  time  was  about  12,000.  In  1844  he  pur- 
chased the  lot  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
State  and  Washington  Streets,  now  occupied 
by  the  Stewart  Building,  90  by  91  feet,  for  $360, 
paying  for  it  in  Canal  scrip,  and  thought  he 
had  made  a  bad  trade. 

Richard  Lush  Wilson,  sixth  Postmaster  of 
Chicago,  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1814, 
came  to  Chicago  in  1834  and  was  appointed 
Postmaster  by  President  Zachary  Taylor  on 
April  23,  1849,  but  was  removed  by  President 
Fillmore  on  September  25,  1850. 

The  seventh  Postmaster  of  Chicago,  George 
Washington  Dole,  was  born  in  1815  in  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  was  appointed  Postmaster  by  President 
Millard  Fillmore,  Sept.  25,  1850,  and  moved  the 
postoffice  to  Nos.  51  and  53  Clark  Street,  the 
present  site  of  the  Ashland  Block.  The  receipts 
of  the  office  in  1850  amounted  to  $14,630,  and 
the  expenses  to  $11,863.  The  population  of 
Chicago  then  was  28,269.  The  Assistant  Post- 
master was  Charles  S.  Dole. 

Isaac  Cook,  who  served  the  eighth  and  tenth 
terms  as  Postmaster  of  Chicago,  was  born  near 


Long  Branch,  N.  J.,  on  July  4,  1813,  and  came 
to  Chicago  in  1834.  He  was  appointed  Post- 
master by  President  Franklin  Pierce,  March  22, 
1853,  and  again  by  President  James  Buchanan 
on  March  10, 1858.  In  December,  1854,  complaint 
was  made  of  insufficient  space  and  that  the 
clerks  were  overworked.  During  Cook's  first 
term  the  postoffice  was  moved  to  the  ground 
floor  of  84  and  86  Dearborn  Street,  where  it  re- 
mained until  the  completion  of  the  first  Govern- 
ment Building  in  1860,  on  the  present  site  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
Dearborn  and  Monroe  Streets,  when  it  was 
again  moved  to  that  structure.  This  building 
was  occupied  by  the  postoffice  and  other  Gov- 
ernment offices  and  was  burned  in  the  fire  of 
Oct.  9,  1871. 

The  ninth  Postmaster  of  Chicago,  William 
Price,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Nov.  15, 
1821.  He  was  appointed  Postmaster  by  Presi- 
dent James  Buchanan,  March  18,  1857,  and 
served  until  March,  1858. 

The  eleventh  Postmaster,  John  Locke  Scripps, 
was  born  near  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.,  Feb.  27, 
1818,  and  was  appointed  Postmaster  by  Presi-. 
dent  Abraham  Lincoln,  March  28,  1861.  The 
Postmaster-General,  in  a  letter  to  the  Postmas- 
ter of  Cincinnati  during  Mr.  Scripp's  adminis- 
tration, spoke  of  the  Chicago  office  as  a  model, 
with  perfect  discipline  pertaining  to  all  its 
affairs.  Notice  calling  for  payment  of  one 
cent  postage  on  drop-letters  was  issued  in  ac- 
cordance with  an  act  of  Congress,  approved 
Feb.  27,  1861. 

Samuel  Hoard,  Chicago's  twelfth  Postmaster, 
was  born  in  Westminster,  Mass.,  May  20,  1800, 
and  was  appointed  Postmaster  of  Chicago  by 
Abraham  Lincoln,  March  9,  1865.  A.  S.  Rey- 
nolds was  his  Assistant  Postmaster. 

The  thirteenth  Postmaster  of  Chicago,  Thomas 
Ogden  Osborne,  was  born  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  was  nominated  by  President  Andrew 
Johnson  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate  as  Post- 
master, July  23,  1866;  but,  owing  to  his  unwill- 
ingness to  endorse  the  policy  of  the  President, 
the  appointment  was  withdrawn,  and,  later,  he 
was  elected  Treasurer  of  Cook  County. 

Postmaster  number  fourteen,  Robert  Addison 
Gilmore,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  April  18,  1833.  In  the  fall  of 
1866,  President  Andrew  Johnson  offered  him 
the  position  of  Postmaster,  which  was  accepted 
on  condition  that  he  be  permitted  to  retain  his 
position  as  General  Ticket  Agent  of  the  Chi- 


730 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


cago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway.  There 
were  three  divisions  in  the  Postoffice  at  that 
time,  viz.:  City  Delivery,  Mailing  and  Registry 
departments,  and  but  eighty-five  carriers  as 
the  carrier  system  had  but  recently  been  inaug- 
urated. Postage  was  three  cents  for  mail  let- 
ters and  two  cents  for  local.  Mr.  Gilmore  was 
drowned  in  Lake  Michigan,  August  9,  1867, 
while  engaged  in  his  favorite  pastime  of  row- 
ing. A.  S.  Reynolds  was  his  assistant. 

The  fifteenth  Postmaster  of  Chicago,  Francis 
Trowbridge  Sherman,  was  born  in  Newton, 
Conn.,  Dec.  31,  1825.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 
April,  1834,  and  in  1844,  was  appointed  to  a 
clerkship  in  the  postoffice  by  General  Hart  L. 
Stewart.  He  was  appointed  Postmaster  by 
President  Andrew  Johnson,  August  27,  1867,  to 
fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  drowning  of 
Postmaster  Gilmore.  During  his  administra- 
tion many  improvements  were  introduced  by 
the  department,  notably  the  free  delivery  sys- 
tem, the  money  order  system  and  the  railroad 
mail  service. 

Collins  S.  Squiers  entered  the  service  under 
Postmaster  Hoard  as  Assistant  Postmaster  and 
occupied  this  position  during  five  administra- 
tions, beginning  with  that  of  Sherman,  and 
ending  during  the  early  part  of  Judd's  admin- 
istration in  1885. 

Postmaster  number  sixteen  of  Chicago  was 
Francis  Ambrose  Eastman,  who  was  born  at 
Littleton,  N.  H.  In  1858  he  came  to  Chicago, 
and  on  April  5,  1869,  was  appointed  Postmaster 
by  President  U.  S.  Grant.  After  the  second 
year  of  his  incumbency,  Chicago  became  the 
second  postoffice  in  the  United  States.  The 
business  of  the  office  was  admirably  conducted 
through  the  great  fire  of  1871.  Premises  were 
secured  in  Burlington  Hall,  northwest  corner 
State  and  Sixteenth  Streets,  and  afterwards  in 
the  Methodist  Church  Building,  northw.est  cor- 
ner of  Wabash  Avenue  and  Harrison  Street. 
Before  his  appointment  as  Postmaster,  Mr. 
Eastman  served  one  term  (1863-65)  as  repre- 
sentative in  the  General  Assembly,  and  one 
term  (1865-69)  as  State  Senator. 

John  McArthur,  the  seventeenth  Postmaster 
of  Chicago,  was  born  in  the  County  of  Ren- 
frew, Scotland,  Nov.  17,  1826,  and  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1849.  He  was  appointed  Postmaster 
by  President  Grant,  Dec.  18,  1872,  and  served 
until  March,  1877.  During  his  administration 
the  postoffice  was  located  in  the  Methodist 
Church  Building,  corner  of  Wabash  Avenue  and 


Harrison  Streets.  The  postoffice  was  burned 
during  the  second  great  fire  of  1874,  but  its 
business  went  on  uninterruptedly  and  the  serv- 
ice was  highly  complimented  by  the  citizens. 
New  quarters  were  subsequently  secured  in  the 
Honore  Building,  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
Adams  and  Dearborn  Streets. 

Francis  Wayland  Palmer,  the  eighteenth 
Postmaster  of  Chicago,  was  born  at  Manches- 
ter, Dearborn  County,  Ind.,  Oct.  11,  1827.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  1872,  was  appointed  Post- 
master by  President  U.  S.  Grant  in  February, 
1877,  and  served  until  July  1,  1885.  In  January 
1879,  the  Honore  Building  on  Dearborn  Street, 
in  which  the  postoffice  was  located,  having  been 
destroyed  by  fire,  the  basement  of  the  Singer 
Building  (now  the  Marshall  Field  &  Company's 
retail  store)  was  secured  as  a  temporary  shel- 
ter for  the  postoffice,  and,  without  the  loss  of 
a  single  piece  of  mail,  the  removal  of  the 
office  was  effected  and  the  ordinary  business 
resumed.  The  Postmaster-General  sent  a  letter 
of  thanks  to  the  Postmaster  for  the  manner  in 
which  the  work  of  removal  and  re-establish- 
ment of  the  office  had  been  performed.  Before 
the  close  of  Mr.  Palmer's  administration  the 
Government  Building  on  the  site  of  the  one 
now  in  process  of  erection  was  completed  and 
occupied. 

The  nineteenth  Postmaster  of  Chicago  was 
Solomon  Corning  Judd,  who  was  born  in  Otis 
County,  N.  Y.,  July  21,  1827,  and  removed  to 
Chicago  in  1873.  He  was  appointed  Postmaster 
in  May,  1885,  by  President  Grover  Cleveland 
and  held  the  office  until  November,  1888. 

Postmaster  number  twenty  of  Chicago  was 
Walter  Cass  Newberry.  He  was  born  at  Water- 
ville,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  23,  1835,  re- 
moved to  Chicago  in  1876,  and  was  appointed 
Postmaster  by  President  Grover  Cleveland, 
Nov.  19,  1888. 

The  twenty-first  Postmaster,  James  Andrew 
Sexton,  was  born  in  Chicago,  Jan.  5,  1844.  He 
was  appointed  Postmaster  April  16,  1889,  by 
President  Benjamin  Harrison.  During  the 
World's  Fair  of  1893  the  pressure  of  business 
upon  the  office  was  extremely  heavy,  but  its 
admirable  administration  proved  fully  equal  to 
the  emergency. 

Washington  Hesing,  Postmaster  number 
twenty-two,  was  born  in  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
May  14,  1849;  came  to  Chicago  in  1854,  and 
was  appointed  Postmaster  by  President  Grover 
Cleveland,  Nov.  25,  1893.  He  resigned  his  posi- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


tion,  March  15,  1897,  in  order  to  become  a  can- 
didate for  Mayor  of  Chicago.  He  died  in 
Chicago,  Dec.  18,  1897.  At  the  time  Mr.  Hesing 
became  Postmaster  there  were  fifty-seven  inde- 
pendent postoffices  within  what  are  now  the 
corporate  limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  All 
of  these  were  discontinued  and  merged  into  the 
Chicago  Postoffice.  During  his  term  of  office, 
on  account  of  the  extension  of  the  city  limits, 
the  number  of  postal  stations  was  increased 
from  twelve  to  thirty-seven,  sub-stations  from 
twenty-four  to  fifty-eight,  and  stamp  agencies 
from  seventy  to  one  hundred  and  ninety,  and 
the  number  of  square  miles  receiving  free  de- 
livery service  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight.  The  letter-carrier  force  was 
increased  during  the  same  period  from  935  to 
1,096  men;  the  clerical  force  from  998  to  1,319; 
number  of  daily  deliveries  from  2,878  to  3,714; 
daily  collections  from  570  to  1,007;  letter-boxes 
from  1,987  to  2,827;  package  boxes  from  50  to 
244;  and  the  receipts  of  the  office  from  $4,694,- 
905.47  in  1893  to  $5,224,659.76  in  1896.  While 
Postmaster,  Mr.  Hesing  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  bringing  about  the  passage  of  the 
act  of  Congress  authorizing  the  erection  of  the 
new  Federal  Building  on  the  block  bounded  by 
Adams,  Dearborn  and  Clark  Streets  and  Jack- 
son Boulevard  at  an  originally  estimated  cost 
of  $4,000,000. 

CHARLES  ULYSSES  GORDON,  Chicago's 
twenty-third  Postmaster,  was  born  April  3, 
1865,  in  the  village  of  Dunlap,  Peoria  County, 
111.,  the  son  of  Andrew  J.  Gordon,  a  native  of 
Surrey  County,  N.  C.  At  sixteen  years  of  age 
Mr.  Gordon  came  to  Chicago  and  entered  Bry- 
ant &  Stratton's  Business  College,  a  year  later 
engaged  as  a  teacher  near  Jamestown,  Ind., 
after  which,  having  completed  his  course  at 
Bryant  &  Stratton's,  on  Jan.  1,  1883,  he  became 
cashier  and  bookkeeper  for  Stevens,  Wilce  & 
Co.,  lumber  manufacturers,  still  later  engaging 
in  the  real-estate  business  as  head  of  the  firm 
of  Charles  U.  Gordon  &  Co.,  continuing  until 
Jan.  1,  1896.  March  19,  1897,  he  was  appointed 
Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Chicago  by  President 
McKinley,  was  confirmed  by  the  Senate  the 
same  day,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office 
April  1,  1897,  as  successor  of  the  late  Washing- 
ton Hesing,  serving  until  April  1,  1901.  Mr. 
Gordon  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Mar- 
quette  Club  which  he  served  as  Secretary,  and 
later  as  President.  He  was  chosen  Secretary 
of  the  Real  Estate  Board  in  1890,  is  a  member 


of  the  Union  League  Club,  and  an  enthusiastic 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party. 

FREDERICK  E.  COYNE,  present  Postmaster 
of  Chicago,  and  twenty-fifth  in  order  of  suc- 
cession, was  born  in  East  Orange,  N.  J.,  Sept. 
25,  1860,  attended  public  school  until  his 
twelfth  year,  when  the  necessity  of  "making  a 
living"  having  forced  him  into  the  field  of 
labor,  he  was  employed  at  odd  jobs  until  his 
nineteenth  year.  Then  starting  west,  he  got  as 
far  as  Kansas  City  on  his  way  to  Colorado, 
when  his  mother's  sickness  called  him  back  to 
New  Jersey.  Stopping  one  day  in  Chicago  on 
his  return,  he  then  determined  if  he  should 
leave  home  again,  he  would  locate  in  that  city, 
which  he  did  in  1883.  For  a  time  he  earned  his 
living  driving  a  milk-wagon,  but  later  engaged 
in  the  lunch-counter  business  on  a  small  scale, 
which  by  shrewd  business  management  has 
grown  into  the  present  large  bakery  business 
conducted  by  him,  besides  two  restaurants  on 
Madison  and  Lake  Streets.  Mr.  Coyne  entered 
politics  by  way  of  recreation,  and  his  rise  in 
this  field  has  been  due  to  the  application  of 
the  same  principles  that  won  success  for  him 
in  business.  His  knowledge  of  men,  clear  judg- 
ment and  sound  methods  made  him  a  success- 
ful organizer  and  leader  in  local  and  State 
politics.  While  he  has  never  held  an  elective 
office,  his  influence  was  potent  in  the  first  Mc- 
Kinley campaign,  and  the  President,  seeking  a 
man  of  ability  and  business  capacity,  in  1897 
appointed  Mr.  Coyne  Collector  of  Internal  Rev- 
enue for  the  Chicago  District.  The  collection 
of  the  increased  taxes  consequent  upon  the 
Spanish-American  War  made  the  position  one 
of  more  than  ordinary  difficulty.  The  business 
of  the  office  increased  from  over  $5,000,000  in 
1898,  to  more  than  $14,000,000  in  1899,  and  the 
accounts  of  the  Chicago  office  balanced  to  a 
cent — a  record  probably  not  equaled  by  any 
other  large  district  in  the  country.  So  thor- 
ough was  Mr.  Coyne's  administration  of  the 
Government  business,  that  it  was  the  occasion 
of  special  recognition  by  President  McKinley. 
In  April,  1901,  President  McKinley  appointed 
Mr.  Coyne  Postmaster  of  Chicago  as  successor 
to  Mr.  Gordon,  and  he  was  reappointed  by  Pres- 
ident Roosevelt  on  the  assembling  of  Congress 
in  December  following. 

His  application  of  those  business  methods 
and  attention  to  detail  that  brought  success  in 
the  bakery  business  and  the  collection  of  Gov- 


732 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


eminent  revenue,  is  operating  to  the  advantage 
of  the  Chicago  Postoffice.  Through  conditions 
for  which  no  one  can  be  criticised,  the  Chicago 
office  was  in  social  and  material  disorder  when 
Mr.  Coyne  took  charge  of  it;  but  through  his 
skillful  management  the  postofflce  family  of 
4,000  employes  are  in  business  harmony  and, 
for  the  past  fourteen  months,  there  has  been 
a  daily  "clean  up"  of  postoffice  work.  In  1886 
Mr.  Coyne  married  Miss  Pauline  Niehaus,  of 
Chicago,  and  five  small  Coynes  have  been  added 
to  the  family  purse. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  employes  at  the 
head  of  different  departments  of  branches  of 
the  service  under  the  present  incumbent: 

Secretary  of  Postmaster Eugene  B.  Fletcher 

Assistant  Postmaster John.  M.  Hubbard 

Auditor  John  Matter 

Superintendent  of  Mails F.  H.  Galbraith 

Superintendent  of  Delivery . .  Leroy  T.  Steward 
Superintendent  Registry  Division 

Perry  H.  Smith,  Jr. 

Superintendent  Money  Order  Division 

Joseph  B.   Schlossman 

Superintendent  Inquiry  Division 

John    T.    McGrath 

Superintendent   Second-class   Matter 

Paul  Hull 

Superintendent    Bureau    of    Printing    and 

Supplies James  N.  Brady 

Cashier Theron  W.  Bean 

Topographer Lester  J.  Barr 

Secretary  Civil  Service  Board Peter  Newton 

Postoffice  Inspector  (in  charge) 

James  E.  Stewart 

Superintendent     Sixth     Division     Railway 

Mail  Service E,  L.  West 

The  pneumatic  tube  service  connection  with 
the  Chicago  Postoffice  was  formally  opened  in 
August,  1904.  The  first  matter  to  be  received 
through  the  tubes  was  a  silk  American  flag. 
The  first  letter  to  pass  through  the  tubes  was 
addressed  to  President  Roosevelt.  After  the 
first  batch  of  mail  had  been  sent  through  the 
bore,  the  system  was  formally  turned  over  to 
the  Government  and  was  accepted  on  behalf 
of  the  Federal  authorities  by  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral Payne.  The  system  consists  of  nine  miles 
of  brass  tubes  through  which  bags  of  mail  are 
transported  by  compressed  air  to  various  sta- 
tions, including  those  located  at  all  railway 
depots.  The  system  here  is  said  to  be  the 
largest  thus  far  installed  in  the  United  States, 


but  will  undoubtedly  be  largely  extended  as 
required  by  the  growing  business  of  the  office 
and  as  its  value  is  demonstrated  by  its  practical 
use. 

From  the  days  in  which  Postmaster  Bailey 
carried  his  weekly  supply  of  letters  in  his  hat 
to  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  mag- 
nificent steel  and  stone  structure  in  which  the 
Postoffice  is  to  be  housed,  seventy-two  years 
have  elapsed  and  there  are  now  employed  in 
its  service  more  than  twice  as  many  people 
as  there  were  residents  of  Chicago  at  the  time 
the  first  postoffice  was  opened. 

The  expenses  of  the  office  in  1836  were  $350, 
and  its  commissions  for  the  same  year  were  $2,- 
148.29  exclusive  of  the  salary  of  the  Postmas- 
ter. In  comparison,  the  following  statistics 
fr6m  the  report  of  the  fiscal  year  ending  June 
30,  1904,  will  indicate  the  growth  of  business 
in  the  office: 

Receipts  for  fiscal  year,  ended  June 

30,  1904 $10,056,237.58 

Expenditures  for  fiscal  year,  ended 

June  30,  1904 3,598,772.48 

Surplus  for  fiscal  year,  ended  June 

30,  1904 6,457,465.10 

Total  area  of  Chicago  Postal  dis- 
trict (square  miles) 190.26 

Area  of  free  delivery  district 

(square  miles)  187.00 

Size  of  present  office  building 

(feet)  240x523 

Number  of  Clerks  employed  in 

general  office 2,076 

Number  of  Clerks  employed  at 

stations 354 

Number  of  Clerks  detailed  at  street 

railway  offices  40 

Number  of  Carriers 1,526 

Carriers  detailed  to  collection 

service  303 

Total  number  of  deliveries  per  day.  4,044 

Total  number  of  collections  per 

day  2,315 

Number  of  free-delivery  stations. .  45 

Stations  without  carriers 5 

Number  of  substations 205 

Annual  rent  paid  for  stations $  78,207.40 

Annual  cost  of  substations 14,238.78 

Despatches  from  General  Postoffice 

to  stations  (daily) 418 

Despatches  from  stations  to  Gen- 
eral Postoffice  (daily) 463 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


733 


Total  number  of  exchanges  be- 
tween stations  (daily) 

Number  of  street  railway  postal 
cars  

Number  of  canceling  machines 

Number  of  letter  boxes 

Number  of  package  boxes 

Number  of  horses  employed  in  col- 
lection service  

Number  of  wagons  employed  in 
collection  service  

Number  of  horses  employed  in 
messenger  service  

Number  of  wagons  employed  in 
messenger  service  

Number  of  drivers  employed  in 
messenger  service 

Car  fare  allowance,  per  annum ....  $ 

Yearly  cost  of  messenger  service . . 


26 
108 


539 

13 

45 

3,944 
672 

275 

239 

130 

81 

90 

000.00 
,350.00 


The  Postoffice  now  (1904)  occupies  temporary 
quarters  in  a  two-story  brick  building  in  Grant 
Park,  facing  Michigan  Avenue  between  Ran- 
dolph and  Washington  Streets,  and  having  a 
frontage  of  457  feet,  by  220  feet  in  depth,  orig- 
inally with  a  floor  space  of  144,132  square  feet, 
which  has  been  increased  by  subsequent  addi- 
tions by  about  3,000  square  feet.  Here  the 
office  will  remain  until  the  building,  now  in 
process  of  construction  on  the  site  of  the  old 
building  on  the  square  bounded  by  Adams, 
Clark  and  Dearborn  Streets  and  Jackson  Boule- 
vard, shall  be  completed.  Besides  the  space 
mentioned  as  occupied  in  the  central  office 
building,  there  are,  in  different  parts  of  the 
city,  46  free-delivery  carrier  stations,  besides 
five  other  stations  and  205  sub-stations,  in- 
creasing the  total  area  occupied  for  postal  serv- 
ice in  all  parts  of  the  city  by  perhaps  one  hun- 
dred per  cent. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  new  Postoffice  Build- 
ing, now  in  course  of  construction,  was  laid 
with  imposing  ceremonies  October  9,  1899.  The 
main  building  rises  to  a  height  of  eight  stories 
above  the  basement,  with  an  additional  height 
of  eight  stories  in  the  great  dome,  making  a 
total  of  sixteen  stories  in  the  central  portion. 
The  original  estimated  cost  was  $4,000,000  (not 
including  furnishings),  which  will  be  increased 
by  changes  somewhat.  The  building  occupies 
the  entire  block,  and  will  have  an  aggregate 
floor-space  of  over  300,000  square  feet,  to  which 
material  additions  will  probably  be  made  in 
basement  and  subways.  It  is  now  promised 


that  the  upper  stories  of  the  building,  which 
has  been  in  process  of  construction  for  over 
five  years,  will  be  ready  for  occupancy  by  July 
1,  1905,  the  completion  of  the  portion  of  the 
building  to  be  used  for  the  postofflce  being  de- 
layed in  consequence  of  changes  in  construction 
some  months  later. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


CHICAGO  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 


HISTORY  OF  ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS  OF  FIRE  DEPART- 
MENT— FIRST  VOLUNTEER  FIRE  COMPANY 
ORGANIZED  IN  1832 — EARLY  METHODS  OF  FIGHT- 
ING FIRES FIRST  CHICAGO  FIRE  IN  1834 — LOSS 

CONTRASTED  WITH  THE  FIRE  OF  1871 — EARLY 
VOLUNTEER  FIRE  ORGANIZATIONS — LIST  OF  CHIEF 

ENGINEERS PAID    FIRE    DEPARTMENT   ORGANIZED 

IN  1859 CHIEF  MARSHALS,  1859-1904 — PRES- 
ENT ORGANIZATION  OF  DEPARTMENT OUTFIT 

AND     VALUE    OF     FIRE      APPARATUS,      BUILDINGS 

AND    OTHER    PROPERTY THE    FIRE-BOAT    SERVICE 

A  GREAT  FIRE  TRAGEDY — THE  IROQUOIS  THE- 
ATER DISASTER  OF  DECEMBER  30,  1903 — HIS- 
TORY OF  THE  FIRE  ALARM  SERVICE. 

The  first  fire  company  in  Chicago,  called  the 
Washington  Volunteer  Company,  was  organized 
in  1832,  "under  an  act  passed  by  the  State  Leg- 
islature in  1831,  conferring  power  on  Town  and 
Village  Trustees  to  organize  Fire  Companies, 
the  membership  to  be  limited  to  thirty  and 
exempt  from  military  duty  except  in  time  of 
war,"  but  as  Chicago  did  not  have  a  dozen 
buildings,  and  was  not  even  a  town,  the  Wash- 
ington Volunteers  were  not  incorporated  and 
never  owned  any  apparatus.  They  are  only 
a  memory  of  the  past,  as  only  three  names  have 
been  handed  down  to  posterity,  viz:  J.  J.  Gil- 
luffy,  Secretary,  and  "high  privates"  A.  V. 
Knickerbocker  and  H.  Williams.  They  did 
nothing  but  hold  meetings  until  the  spring  of 
1833.  The  town  of  Chicago  was  incorporated 
in  August,  1833,  and  contained  250  inhabitants. 
Estimates  for  the  year  1904 — 71  years  later — 
give  it  about  2,000,000.  The  first  fire  ordinance 
was  passed  November  6,  1833,  prohibiting  pass- 
ing stove  pipes  through  roofs,  partitions  or 


734 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


sides  of  the  building,  unless  protected  from 
contact  with  the  wood,  by  at  least  six  inches  of 
two  sheets  of  iron.  To  enforce  this  prohibition 
a  "Fire  Warden"  was  necessary,  and  Benjamin 
Jones  was  the  first  to  hold  that  office.  When 
in  September,  1834,  the  town  was  divided  into 
four  wards,  a  warden  was  appointed  for  each 
division,  viz:  W.  Worthington,  First  Ward;  E. 
E,  Hunter,  Second;  Samuel  Resague,  Third, 
and  James  Kinzie,  Fourth.  These  officials  were 
charged  not  only  with  the  enforcement  of  the 
ordinance,  but  also  with  the  supervision  and 
direction  of  the  action  of  such  citizens  as  might 
respond  to  an  alarm  of  fire,  which  was  then 
given  only  by  the  human  voice.  The  pecuniary 
emoluments  of  the  position  were  confined  to  a 
per  diem  stipend  for  the  examination  of  tene- 
ments, on  the  first  Monday  of  each  month,  with 
a  view  to  ascertaining  whether  the  stove-pipes 
were  properly  protected. 

The  first  fire  in  Chicago,  of  which  any  re- 
port had  been  preserved,  occurred  at  the  corner 
of  Lake  and  La  Salle  Streets,  October  7,  1834, 
at  10  o'clock  A.  M.,  which  was  just  37  years 
to  a  day  before  the  first  part  of  the  great  fire 
of  1871  took  place.  The  citizens  hurried  to  the 
scene  of  the  first  conflagration  with  a  prompt- 
ness worthy  of  commendation,  and,  by  their 
exertion,  succeeded  in  arresting  its  progress 
after  four  buildings  had  been  destroyed,  al- 
though the  wind  was  very  high  at  the  time  and 
threatened  the  destruction  of  several  of  the  sur- 
rounding buildings.  The  combined  loss  amounted 
to  |2,230,  including  $230  in  money — $125  being 
"Jackson  money"  found  in  the  ruins,  and  the 
balance  "rag  currency,"  which  was  destroyed. 
This  seems  an  insignificant  blaze  compared  with 
the  great  conflagration  of  1871,  when  the  total 
number  of  buildings  destroyed  was  about  20,000 
the  property  loss  $350,000,000,  and  nearly  300 
lives  sacrificed.  The  fire  of  1834  was  started 
by  a  coal  dropping  from  a  shovel  while  being 
carried  from  one  building  to  another. 

For  the  want  of  suitable  officers  to  take 
charge  of  and  oversee  in  case  of  fire,  it  was 
found  that  protection  at  that  time  was  inade- 
quate in  case  of  emergencies.  Two  days  later 
the  Board  of  Trustees  ordered  the  fire  wardens 
to  wear  badges  of  office,  authorized  them  to 
summon  bystanders  to  their  assistance — some- 
what after  the  manner  of  a  Sheriff's  posse  com- 
itatus — and  making  each  warden  a  temporary 
"chief"  in  his  own  ward.  This  excitement  and 
zeal  caused  the  imposition  of  a  fine  (for  the 


first  time)  for  a  violation  of  the  "stove-pipe 
ordinance."  The  amount  of  the  penalty  is  not 
known,  but  the  name  of  the  unlucky  culprit 
was  "Mrs.  Hopkins,"  and  she  owed  her  misfor- 
tune to  the  zeal  of  fire  warden  No.  2.  The  next 
action  of  the  Trustees  was  the  passage,  on 
Nov.  3,  1834,  of  another  "fire  ordinance"  pro- 
hibiting the  conveying  of  "fire  brands  or  coals 
of  fire  from  one  building  to  another,  within  the 
limits  of  the  town,  unless  in  a  covered  earthen 
or  fire-proof  vessel."  The  penalty  attached  to 
each  violation  was  a  fine  of  five  dollars,  which 
might  be  imposed  by  any  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
which  ordinance,  as  passed,  was  attested  by 
the  signatures  of  John  H.  Kinzie,  President  of 
the  Board,  and  E.  W.  Casey,  "Clerk,  pro  tern." 
Meanwhile  the  town's  provisions  against  fire 
remained  ridiculously  inadequate  to  the  wants 
of  a  rapidly  growing  community,  and  for  the 
want  of  proper  appliances,  the  work  of  the 
citizens,  and  later  of  the  volunteer  department, 
was  very  often  unsuccessful,  and  dangerous. 

The  "Chicago  Democrat"  is  authority  for  the 
assertion  that,  in  May,  1835,  there  was  "not 
even  a  fire  bucket"  in  the  town,  but,  on  Sep- 
tember 19,  1835,  the  Board  of  Trustees  pledged 
the  credit  of  the  corporation  for  the  purchase 
of  two  engines  of  the  pattern  to  be  selected  by 
the  President,  W.  B.  Ogden,  as  Agent.  On 
October  7,  1835,  the  TJrustees  ordered  two  "fire 
hooks"  with  chains  and  ropes,  two  "ladders" 
16  feet  long,  four  "axes"  and  four  "hand  saws," 
at  an  expenditure  of  $29.63. 

On  the  same  date  the  "Pioneer"  Hook  and 
Ladder  Co.  was  formed,  the  first  citizens  to  sign 
the  roll  being  Philip  F.  W.  Peck,  Joseph  L. 
Hanson,  Joseph  Meeker  and  Jason  McCord; 
other  names  were  enrolled  as  follows:  John  L. 
Wilson,  E.  C.  Brackett,  John  Holbrook,  T.  Jen- 
kins, T.  F.  Spaulding,  Isaac  Cook,  J.  J.  Gar- 
land, George  Smith,  J.  K.  Palmer,  Thomas  S. 
Ellis,  John  R.  Livingston,  Henry  G.  Hubbard, 
George  W.  Snow,  Thomas  J.  King,  N.  F.  J. 
Munroe,  George  W.  Merrill,  Samuel  S.  Lathrop, 
and  Thomas  S.  Hyde.  This  action,  however, 
was  only  tentative,  and  not  until  November  4, 
1835,  was  the  first  Chicago  Fire  Department 
really  organized.  On  that  day  an  ordinance 
was  passed  making  the  Board  of  Trustees  ex- 
officio  Fire  Wardens,  and  authorizing  them  to 
appoint  a  chief  engineer  with  two  assistants 
besides  four  additional  fire  wardens.  The  house 
to  house  inspection  by  the  fire  wardens  was 
continued  and  every  householder  was  required 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


735 


to  keep  "one  good  painted  leather  fire  bucket" 
with  the  owner's  initial  painted  thereon,  for 
either  fire-place  or  stove,  provided  he  used  only 
one.  If  he  had  more  he  must  have  two  buckets 
under  a  fine  of  two  dollars  for  each  deficiency, 
besides  the  further  sum  of  one  dollar  for  each 
month  that  he  shall  neglect  to  provide  himself 
with  such  bucket  or  buckets,  after  he  shall 
have  been  notified  by  a  fire  warden  so  to  do. 
There  were  many  buckets,  and  in  case  of  fire 
every  man  who  owned  one  might  be  required  to 
turn  out,  and  work  like  a  Trojan,  under  the 
supervision  and  instruction  of  the  fire  warden. 
Should  he  fail  to  respond  he  was  liable  to  a 
fine  of  two  dollars.  This  led  to  the  formation 
of  the  first  Bucket  Company,  which  existed 
for  five  years.  The  only  one  of  these  original 
leather  buckets  known  to  be  in  existence  hangs 
in  the  rooms  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society 
and  bears  the  name  of  "C.  Stose." 

A  new  fire  engine  was  received  in  December, 
1835,  the  purchase  being  authorized  in  Septem- 
ber of  that  year.  The  sellers,  Hubbard  & 
Co.,  kindly  favored  the  corporation,  by  accept- 
ing its  price,  $894.38,  to  be  paid  in  two  annual 
installments. 

On  December  12,  1835,  the  first  Fire  Company 
under  the  new  ordinance  was  formed.  It 
adopted  the  name  of  "Fire  Kings,  No.  1."  The 
first  signatures  to  the  roll  were  those  of  H.  G. 
Loomis,  H.  H.  Magie,  J.  M.  Morrison,  W.  M. 
Clarke,  John  Calhoun,  Alvin  Calhoun,  W.  H. 
Stow,  C.  Beers,  Peter  L.  Updike,  A.  Gilbert  and 
J.  C.  Walters.  Its  motto  was  "Pro  Bono  Pub- 
lico,"  and  its  first  officers  were:  S.  G.  Trow- 
bridge,  Foreman;  H.  G.  Loomis,  Treasurer;  A. 
C.  Hamilton,  Clerk,  and  Ira  Kimberly,  Steward. 
On  December  17,  1835,  Hiram  Hugunin,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  was  made  Chief 
Engineer,  his  first  and  second  assistants  being 
William  Jones  and  Peter  L.  Updike.  Owing  to 
a  feeling  among  the  firemen  that  they  should  be 
allowed  to  select  their  own  chief,  Mr.  Hugunin 
resigned  his  position  February  17,  1836,  being 
succeeded  by  George  W.  Snow  of  the  "Pioneer" 
Hook  and  Ladder  Company.  The  County  Com- 
missioners granted  permission  to  erect  an 
engine  house  on  the  public  square,  on  La  Salle 
Street,  and  to  occupy  the  same  without  paying 
rent  therefor  for  five  years.  The  size  of  the 
building  was  24  by  12  feet,  and  the  members  of 
the  Company  induced  the  Board  of  Trustees  to 
promise  that  there  should  be  a  cistern,  made 
of  good  pine  lumber  to  hold  two  hogsheads  of 


water.  The  contract  for  the  construction  of 
the  building  was  made  with  Levi  Blake  in 
December,  1835,  and  was  completed  in  1836. 

CHIEF  ENGINEERS  CHICAGO  VOLUNTEER  FIRE 
DEPARTMENT. — 1835,  Hiram  Hugunin;  1836, 
George  W.  Snow;  1837,  John  M.  Turner;  1838, 
Alexander  Lloyd;  1839,  Alvin  Calhoun;  1840, 
Luther  Nichols;  1841-2,  A.  S.  Sherman;  1843-6, 
Stephen  F.  Gale;  1847-8,  C.  F.  Peck;  1849,  Ash- 
ley Gilbert;  1850-1,  C.  P.  Bradley;  1852-3,  U.  P. 
Harris;  1854,  J.  M.  Donnelly;  1855-7,  Cyrus  Mc- 
Bride;  1858-9,  Denis  J.  Swenie. 

CHIEF  ENGINEERS  PAID  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. — 
1859,  Denis  J.  Swenie;  1860-8,  U.  P.  Harris;  1868- 
73,  R.  A.  Williams;  1873-79,  M.  Benner;  1880- 
1901,  Denis  J.  Swenie;  1901-04,  William  H. 
Musham;  1904,  John  Campion. 

In  September,  1841,  the  "Chicago  Bag  and 
Fire  Guard  Company"  was  organized.  Its  mem- 
bers were  provided  with  wrenches,  canvas  bags 
and  ropes,  and  the  character  of  its  parapher- 
nalia probably  suggested  the  sobriquet  of  the 
"Forty  Thieves,"  under  which  cognomen  it  gave 
"swell  socials"  for  five  years,  when  it  was  dis- 
banded and  its  members  assigned  to  other  com- 
panies. The  names  of  the  famous  "Forty" 
were  as  follows:  L.  M.  Boyce,  D.  S.  Lee,  W. 
H.  Adams,  J.  C.  Haines,  L.  P.  Hilliard,  J.  Gross, 
J.  W.  Mitchell,  W.  Dunlop,  W.  M.  Larrabee,  Ira 
Couch,  J.  B.  Wier,  F.  A.  Howe,  J.  W.  Streh,  J. 
H.  Ries,  George  Raymond,  A.  Follansbee,  C.  N. 
Holden,  E,  I.  Tinkham,  A.  H.  Burley,  Sol  Tay- 
lor, A.  McClure,  T.  P.  Robb,  H.  W.  Stow,  S,  J. 
Surdam,  H.  W.  Bigelow,  Thomas  George,  R.  F. 
Hamilton,  A.  E.  Fuller,  P.  C.  Sheldon,  I.  S. 
Harbley,  E.  R.  Rogers,  C.  R.  Vandercock,  E.  C. 
Hall,  J.  C.  Hodge,  W.  S.  Newberry,  J.  H.  Burch, 
J.  E.  Davis,  J.  H.  Dunham,  E.  Emerson  and 
Luther  Nichols.  The  first  Foreman  was  T.  P. 
Robb,  and  its  last,  L.  M.  Boyce. 

In  September,  1841,  "Bucket  Company  No.  1" 
(the  Neptune),  was  formed,  and  at  first  boasted 
of  twenty-five  members  with  headquarters  at 
the  foot  of  La  Salle  Street.  In  November,  1846, 
the  Company  was  disbanded  and  its  members 
formed  an  association  known  as  the  "Red 
Jackets,"  which  Company  became  famous  in 
the  annals  of  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department. 
Engine  Company,  No.  3,  "Osceola,"  later  the 
"Niagara,"  was  organized  November  24,  1844, 
with  W.  F.  Foster,  Foreman,  and  W.  M.  Larra- 
bee, Assistant.  The  members  were  from  the 
best  society  on  the  North  Side,  and  "No.  3"  was 
known  as  the  "Kid  Glove"  Company. 


736 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


In  January,  1845,  the  Philadelphia  Hose  Com- 
pany, No.  1,  was  organized,  Jacob  R.  Johnson, 
Foreman.  "Red  Jackets,  No.  4,"  were  organized 
and  in  May,  1852,  were  made  happy  by  the 
reception  of  a  ten-inch  cylinder  and  twelve-inch 
stroke  engine  built  by  L.  Button  &  Com- 
pany. 

"Excelsior  No.  5"  was  organized  November, 

1846,  with  A.   S,   Sherman,  Foreman;    "Rough 
and  Ready  Bucket  Company  No.  1"  in  January, 

1847,  with  Charles  Harpel,  Foreman. 

The  "Firemen's  Benevolent  Association"  was 
formed  October,  1847,  with  S.  F.  Gale,  President, 
and  incorporated  by  the  Legislature  June  21, 
1852. 

"Hope  Hose  Company  No.  2"  was  organized 
in  March,  1848.  The  career  of  this  Company 
was  a  brilliant  one,  and  it  was  known  as  the 
"brag"  Company,  not  only  of  Chicago  but  of 
the  West.  The  crack  companies  of  Alton, 
Springfield  and  other  cities  could  never  suc- 
cessfully cope  with  the  "Hope"  boys. 

The  "Garden  City  Engine  Company,  No.  6" 
was  organized  in  August,  1849.  In  October, 
1850,  there  was  a  "Fireman's  Festival,"  an 
occasion  much  prized  by  the  boys  who  "ran 
with  the  machine."  Twenty-three  Companies 
were  in  line,  representatives  being  present  from 
Buffalo,  Detroit,  Milwaukee,  Racine  and  Ke- 
nosha.  A  dinner  was  given  at  the  "Tremont 
House,"  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  engineer 
a  torch-light  procession,  but  the  wind  pre- 
vented its  successful  accomplishment. 

"Lawrence  Engine  Company,  No.  7,"  was 
organized  in  September,  1850,  and  re-organized 
in  1852  as  the  "Eagle."  In  December,  1851, 
"Hose  Company,  No.  3,"  was  formed  (called  at 
first  the  "Lone  Star,"  but  afterwards  the  "Illi- 
nois"). December  22,  1851,  "Phoenix  Engine 
Company,  No.  8,"  came  into  existence  and  was 
re-christened  the  "Cataract."  Its  members 
were  mostly  sailors,  and  during  the  season  of 
navigation  it  was  of  comparatively  little  value. 
February,  1854,  the  "New  Northern,"  subse- 
quently known  as  "America,  No.  9,"  was  organ- 
ized and  in  1853,  "Washington,  No.  10." 

An  ordinance  was  passed  July  23,  1855,  divid- 
ing the  city  into  six  fire  districts,  two  in  each 
Division.  The  alarm  was  to  be  given  by  eight 
strokes  of  the  bell,  and  the  number  of  the  dis- 
trict indicated  by  the  additional  strokes  follow- 
ing. The  bell  first  used  for  that  purpose  was 
that  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  which  was 
the  most  resonant  in  the  city;  but  in  February, 


1856,  a  large  bell  was  hung  in  the  new  tower 
of  the  Court  House.  A  watchman  was  also 
constantly  on  duty  there  to  fling  out  his  flags 
by  day,  or  lanterns  by  night,  in  order  to  direct 
the  firemen  to  the  locality  in  which  the  flames 
had  been  discovered. 

The  rivalry  between  all  the  Companies  con- 
stituting the  Volunteer  Department  was  intense 
if  not  bitter.  In  July,  1852,  the  "Red  Jackets" 
went  East.  There  was  to  be  a  grand  tourna- 
ment in  Providence,  and  they  were  desirous  of 
winning  the  first  prize.  On  reaching  New  York, 
they  learned  that  this  tournament  had  been 
postponed.  For  a  week  they  remained  in  that 
city  the  guests  of  the  "Live  Oaks."  U.  P.  Har- 
ris, who  was  Chief  of  the  Chicago  Department 
at  that  time,  was  a  member  of  the  party,  and 
largely  through  his  exertions  a  contest  was 
arranged  between  the  visiting  company  and 
some  of  the  New  York  companies.  The  New 
Yorkers  regarded  it  as  a  piece  of  absurd  pre- 
sumption for  an  unknown  Western  organization 
to  attempt  to  compete  with  the  "crack"  com- 
panies of  the  metropolis.  The  result,  however, 
showed  how  well  founded  was  their  confidence. 
The  contest  ended  in  a  complete  triumph  of  the 
"Red  Jackets,"  who  received  the  hearty  con- 
gratulations of  their  rivals.  Horace  Greeley, 
editor  of  the  "New  York  Tribune,"  under  date 
of  July  5,  1852,  said: 

"The  grand  parade  took  place  this  morn- 
ing and  the  spectacle  was  one  truly  magnif- 
icent. The  citizens  of  Chicago,  of  course, 
furnished  the  most  imposing  part  of  it. 
I  never  witnessed  anything  so  superb  as  the 
appearance  of  the  fire  companies  with  their 
ornamented  engines  drawn  by  led  horses, 
tastefully  caparisoned.  Our  New  York  fire- 
men must  try  again;  they  have  certainly 
been  outdone." 

The  first  steam  fire-engine  ever  seen  in  Chi- 
cago was  brought  here  from  Cincinnati  in  1855. 
The  engine  was  known  as  the  "Joe  Ross,"  and 
on  its  first  trial  the  engineer,  through  his  own 
carelessness,  succeeded  in  bursting  the  boiler, 
the  result  being  his  immediate  death.  The 
second  contest,  however,  proved  entirely  suc- 
cessful. Subsequently  a  trial  was  arranged 
between  the  steamer  and  the  hand  engines  of 
the  Volunteer  Department.  Nos.  2,  8  and  10, 
succeeded  in  beating  the  new  arrival.  The 
steam-engine  did  not  give  satisfaction,  and  was 
later  sold  to  the  city  of  St.  Louis. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


737 


It  was  the  custom  in  those  days  for  the  mem- 
bers of  the  department  to  meet  in  convention 
to  nominate  candidates  for  the  election  to  offi- 
cial positions  in  the  Fire  Department.  Chief 
Cyrus  McBride  called  such  a  convention  for 
January  28,  1858,  to  be  held  in  the  South  Side 
Market  Hall.  Three  candidates  were  in  the  field: 
D.  J.  Swenie,  Peter  Casey  and  John  Egan.  The 
session  was  a  tumultuous  one,  and  many  of  the 
companies  left  the  hall  to  meet  in  another  con- 
vention at  the  same  place  on  the  following  day. 
Mr.  Egan  received  the  nomination  of  the  regu- 
lar convention,  but  offered  to  effect  a  compro- 
mise with  the  Swenie  faction  by  resigning  in 
favor  of  U.  P.  Harris.  This  overture  was  not 
accepted,  and  the  next  day  Mr.  Swenie  was 
nominated  by  the  bolters  with  M.  W.  Powell 
for  First,  and  L.  Walters,  Second  Assistant. 
The  other  names  upon  the  Egan  ticket  were 
John  Shark,  for  First  and  Jacob  Held,  for  Sec- 
ond Assistant.  The  Swenie  ticket  was  elected. 

On  February  5,  1858,  there  was  another  test 
of  a  steam  fire-engine,  known  as  the  "Long 
John,"  which  occurred  at  the  foot  of  La  Salle 
Street,  and  the  machine  met  with  the  approval 
of  the  experts  and  citizens  generally.  The 
members  of  the  Volunteer  Department  were 
quick  to  recognize  that  this  was  a  death-blow 
to  their  system. 

Mr.  Swenie  had  been  recognized  as  the  ex- 
ponent of  the  idea  of  a  paid  Fire  Department, 
and  his  election,  at  the  time,  engendered  much 
bad  feeling.  On  July  6,  1858,  Engine  Com- 
panies Nos.  4,  10  and  14,  Hose  Companies,  Nos. 
3  and  5,  and  Hook  &  Ladder,  No.  3,  met  on 
Clark  Street  and,  by  way  of  defiant  protest, 
marched  down  that  thoroughfare  headed  by  the 
"Great  Western  Band,"  and,  after  traversing 
the  principal  streets,  assembled  in  the  Court 
House  Square,  where  a  large  crowd  had  col- 
lected. The  Mayor  was  apprehensive  of  a  riot 
and  sent  two  hundred  policemen  to  the  scene. 
The  arrest  of  the  firemen  for  disorderly  con- 
duct was  ordered  and  a  precipitate  fight  fol- 
lowed, the  machine  being  abandoned.  About 
a  dozen  of  the  firemen  were  taken  into  custody, 
but  were  subsequently  ordered  released  by  the 
Mayor.  The  engines  were  taken  to  the  Armory 
and  locked  up,  while  arrangements  were  made 
with  special  policemen  to  man  them  in  case  of 
fire.  The  engine  and  hose  house  were  guarded 
by  squads  of  police,  as  it  was  feared  that  a 
demonstration  might  be  made  against  the  new 
steamer. 


No  further  trouble  occurred,  however,  and  the 
Council,  on  March  22,  1858,  ordered  the  dis- 
bandment  of  the  organization  which  had  par- 
ticipated in  the  procession. 

On  August  2,  1858,  an  ordinance  was  passed 
organizing  a  paid  fire  department,  which  gave 
the  Chief  and  Assistant  Engineers  full  charge, 
with  power  to  make  all  rules.  The  Board  of 
Control  consisted  of  the  Mayor,  the  Chairman 
of  the  Council  Committee  on  Fire  and  Water, 
and  the  Chief  Engineer  and  Water  Commis- 
sioner, who  was  to  be  chosen  by  themselves. 
The  rules,  when  adopted,  were  to  have  the 
form  of  ordinances.  Salaries  were  fixed  as 
follows:  Captain,  $200  per  annum;  Lieuten- 
ants, $100  per  annum;  Engineers,  $600  per  an- 
num; pipemen,  drivers  and  stokers,  $1.00  per 
day,  and  all  others  $25  per  month.  Badges 
were  to  be  worn  and  no  engines  to  be  used 
except  such  as  belonged  to  the  city.  The 
number  of  men  who  were  to  compose  the  sev- 
eral companies  was  also  regulated  by  the 
ordinance.  A  full  company  was  convened  in 
July,  1858,  to  operate  the  "Long  John,"  which 
was  installed  in  quarters  on  La  Salle  near  the 
corner  of  Washington  Street.  The  first  mem- 
bers of  this  Company  were  as  follows:  Joel 
A.  Kenney,  Foreman;  Alexander  McMonagle, 
John  McLean,  Thomas  Barry,  Thomas  O'Brien, 
William  Mullen  and  James  Quirk,  Pipemen; 
Joel  A.  Prescott,  Engineer;  Robert  Elleridge, 
Assistant-Engineer;  Alvin  C.  King  and  Dennis 
O'Connell,  Drivers,  and  John  Farrel,  Watch- 
man. 

Three  more  steamers  were  tried  in  September, 
1858,  on  the  lake  shore  at  the  foot  of  Washing- 
ton Street.  These  were  known  as  the  "Atlan- 
tic," "Enterprise"  and  "Island  Queen."  The 
city  already  owned:  the  first  named,  and  the 
two  latter,  proving  satisfactory,  were  pur- 
chased. In  February,  1860,  the  "U.  P.  Harris" 
and  "Little  Giant"  were  added  to  the  list.  The 
Department  also  owned  three  hand-engines, 
two  hose-carts  and  hook  and  ladder  trucks. 
In  1859,  U.  P.  Harris  was  again  elected  "Chief 
Engineer,"  his  assistants  being  Darius  Knight 
and  James  J.  Langdon.  Under  the  amended 
charter  of  February  16,  1865,  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  Board  of 
Police  and  Fire  Commissioners.  Under  this 
act,  in  October,  1865,  the  Council  passed  an 
amended  ordinance  defining  new  fire  limits  and 
adopting  regulations  for  service.  "The  Fire 
Commissioners"  were  A.  C.  Coventry,  John  S. 


738 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Newhouse,  and  John  Wentworth.  The  under- 
writers secured  an  amendment  to  the  ordin- 
ance, and,  in  1867,  William  James  was  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  Board,  as  a  special 
representative  of  the  Insurance  interest.  In 
1866  the  department  owned  eleven  steamers, 
two  hand  engines,  thirteen  hose-carts  and  hook 
and  ladder  trucks,  and  had  120  paid  members, 
126  volunteers  and  owned  53  horses.  Within  the 
next  five  years  the  hand  engines  had  disap- 
peared. The  number  of  steamers  had  increased 
to  seventeen.  There  were  twenty-three  hose- 
carts,  194  paid  members,  and  91  horses. 

The  report  of  Fire-Marshal  Musham  to  the 
City  Council  of  Chicago,  December  31,  1903— 
seventy-one  years  after  the  first  volunteer  com- 
pany was  formed — shows  wonderful  growth. 
The  apparatus  of  the  Department  includes  5 
fire-boats,  2  water-towers,  102  steam  fire-en- 
gines, 3  hand-engines,  23  chemical  engines,  59 
hose  wagons,  30  hose  carriages,  33  hook  and 
ladder  trucks  (all  kinds),  8  chemical  extin- 
guishers, 112  portable  pumps,  207,491  feet  of 
hose,  128  Siamese  connections,  2,  3  and  4  ways; 
30  one-horse  wagons,  20  two-horse  wagons,  127 
fire  cisterns,  19,922  fire  hydrants,  1,847  miles  of 
water  mains,  and  478  horses  in  service. 

Value  of  fire  apparatus $1,022,872.00 

Value  of  buildings 753,800.00 

Value  of  land 381,410.00 


Total   value $2,158,082.00 

There  are  1,152  uniformed  men  in  the  present 
force,  including  the  Fire-Marshal  and  Chief  of 
Brigade,  First  Assistant  Fire-Marshal  and  De- 
partment Inspector,  Second  and  Third  Mar- 
shal, Assistant  Fire-Marshal  and  Department 
Secretary,  Fire  Inspector,  Chiefs  of  Battalions 
Captains,  Lieutenants,  Engineers  and  Assistant 
Engineers,  Pipemen,  Pilots,  Stokers  and 
Watchmen,  and  seven  not  uniformed  men  in- 
cluding Chief  Clerk  and  clerks,  stenographers, 
superintendent  of  houses  and  hostlers. 

In  addition  there  are  three  volunteer  com- 
panies located  at  Riverdale,  Hansen  Park,  Nor- 
wood Park  and  Mt.  Clair,  numbering  63  men 
who  are  furnished  supplies  and  apparatus,  and 
make  reports  to  the  department. 

The  expenses  of  the  department  for  1903  were 
$1,699,162.37,  as  against  $336,700.66  in  1870. 

FIRE-BOAT  SERVICE. — Owing  to  a  large  fire 
occurring  in  the  lumber  district  on  the  South 


branch  of  the  Chicago  River  on  May  8,  1885, 
resulting  in  an  estimated  loss  of  $421,000,  the 
lumber  merchants  earnestly  demanded  better 
protection,  and  it  was  largely  due  to  this  fact 
that,  about  Sept.  1,  1885,  the  first  river  fire- 
boat  was  placed  in  service.  This  was  chartered 
by  the  members  of  this  line  of  trade,  and  was 
known  as  the  iron  tug,  "Alpha" — they  furnish- 
ing the  fuel,  while  the  city  paid  the  salaries  of 
the  men  employed  upon  her.  Although  poorly 
adapted  to  the  purpose  for  which  she  was  de- 
signed, the  valuable  service  rendered  by  this 
boat  at  another  large  fire  in  the  same  district 
on  Sept.  25,  1885,  demonstrated  the  great  value 
of  such  an  addition  to  the  Department's  equip- 
ment. In  January,  1886,  the  Council  passed  an 
order  authorizing  the  construction  of  a  fire- 
boat,  and  officials  of  the  department  visited 
New  York,  Brooklyn  and  Boston,  with  a  view 
to  examining  this  description  of  fire  service  in 
those  cities.  Upon  their  return  steps  were 
taken  for  the  construction  of  the  proposed 
craft,  which  was  launched  on  July  26,  1886, 
christened  by  the  appropriate  name  of  the 
"Geyser,"  and  placed  in  commission  Nov.  29, 
1886.  The  total  cost  of  the  boat  was  $39,000, 
which  has  proved  to  be  a  judicious  investment. 

The  "Alpha"  having  been  found  unsatisfac- 
tory for  fire-service,  on  Dec.  6,  1886,  the  Coun- 
cil authorized  the  purchase  of  the  powerful  tug 
"W.  H.  Alley"  to  take  its  place.  The  pumps 
were  transferred  from  the  "Alpha"  and  on 
Dec.  31,  1886,  the  "Alley"  was  put  in  commis- 
sion. In  the  latter  part  of  1887  she  was  over- 
hauled and  the  old  pumps  replaced  by  two  new, 
and  more  powerful  ones,  and  her  name  changed 
to  the  "Chicago." 

There  is  now  lying  at  the  dock  at  the  foot 
of  La  Salle  Street  another  evidence  of  the  re- 
markable strides  that  have  been  made  by  Chi- 
cago in  public  improvements.  Instead  of  the 
little  tug  "Alpha,"  we  find  the  magnificent  fire- 
boat  "Illinois,"  which  is  the  most  powerful 
and  complete  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  was 
placed  in  commission  Jan.  14,  1899,  at  a  cost  of 
$125,000. 

The  "Illinois"  has  a  capacity  of  287  gross 
tons,  which  is  44  tons  greater  than  that  of  the 
fire-boat  "New  Yorker,"  which  was  the  largest 
in  the  world.  The  length  of  the  boat  is  118 
feet  with  a  26-foot  beam.  The  hull  is  built  of 
steel  plates  five-eighths  of  an  inch  thick,  with 
three  plates  forward  and  three  plates  aft,  mak- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


739 


ing  a  thickness  of  nearly  two  inches,  and  hav- 
ing 12  water  tight  compartments  with  a  draft 
of  eleven  feet.  There  are  two  800-horsepower 
boilers,  with  two  injectors  for  putting  the  water 
in  the  boilers,  and  two  pumps  (10x12x5%)  for 
the  boilers.  One  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of 
steam  is  carried.  There  is  one  1,000-horse- 
power  steam  propelling  engine,  and  a  trimming 
tank  for  fresh  water  for  the  boilers,  with  a 
capacity  of  16,128  gallons  or  60  tons.  The 
steering  gear  furnished  by  the  Globe  Iron 
Works,  was  shown  at  the  World's  Fair,  and  is 
the  only  one  of  the  kind  in  the  world  being 
propelled  by  steam  and  interchangeable  to  hand- 
gear,  also  having  a  steam  fire-whistle.  The 
water  is  delivered  naturally  to  the  base  of  the 
pump,  and  discharged  through  an  18-inch  pipe, 
which  envelopes  the  entire  boat.  The  smoke- 
stack is  also  lowered  by  steam  power. 

It  has  three  sets  of  fire  pumps  (size  17x11x10), 
the  same  as  steam  fire  engines,  which  deliver 
the  water  through  fourteen  foot  three  and  one- 
half  inch  ports,  which  can  be  divided 
so  as  to  give  twenty-eight  streams  of 
the  size  used  by  steam  fire-engines,  and  a 
capacity  of  14,000  gallons  per  minute,  with  5,000 
feet  of  3% -inch  hose,  besides  a  supply  of  regu- 
lar size  fire-engine  hose,  and  nozzles  from  4% 
to  5^  inches.  The  two  stand-pipes  can  be 
made  to  revolve  and  change  to  any  direction 
required,  and  will  deliver  10,200  gallons  of 
•water  per  minute.  A  10-horsepower  dynamo 
furnishes  100  incandescent  electric  lights,  and 
the  bath-room  is  fitted  up  in  the  most  modern 
style. 

The  "Illinois"  is  also  the  fastest  running 
fire-boat  ever  made,  capable  of  making,  eight- 
een miles  per  hour  without  straining  her,  and 
giving  another  proof  of  the  old  adage,  that 
"whatever  belongs  to  Chicago  and  her  institu- 
tions can't  be  beat." 

THE  IBOQUOIS  THEATER  FIRE. — Not  since  the 
conflagration  of  1871  has  Chicago  witnessed 
such  an  appalling  loss  of  life  as  occurred  at 
the  destruction  of  the  Iroquois  Theater,  on  the 
afternoon  of  December  30,  1903.  The  theater 
was  filled  with  a  holiday  crowd,  consisting  prin- 
cipally of  women  and  children,  the  play  being 
a  spectacular  performance  called  "Mr.  Blue- 
beard." The  fire  is  supposed  to  have  originated 
from  an  arc-lamp  (called  a  "flood  light")  on 
the  stage,  which  ignited  the  flimsy  scenery 
during  the  second  act.  The  ventilators  in  the 
roof  above  the  stage  were  closed,  and,  when 


the  doors  upon  the  stage  were  opened  by  mem- 
bers of  the  company  in  their  efforts  to  escape, 
the  flames,  heat,  smoke  and  generated  gases 
were  forced  out  into  the  audience  room.  Num- 
bers perished  instantly  by  suffocation,  many 
being  found  still  in  their  seats.  Others,  hin- 
dered in  their  egress  by  the  confusion  resulting 
from  the  panic,  were  burned,  suffocated,  or 
trampled  to  death. 

The  Fire  Department  was  upon  the  scene 
within  two  minutes  after  the  receipt  of  the 
alarm,  but  in  that  short  time  most  of  the  lives 
had  been  sacrificed.  The  total  fatality  record 
was  582.  Within  thirty  minutes  from  its  incep- 
tion the  fire  was  extinguished.  The  damage 
to  the  building  was  comparatively  slight, 
amounting  to  about  $50,000  on  furnishings  and 
refinishing.  One  hundred  and  four  persons 
were  rescued  by  members  of  the  Department. 

FIRE-ALARM   SERVICE. 

In  the  early  days  of  Chicago,  as  the  majority 
of  the  inhabitants  had  good  lungs,  the  alarm  for 
a  fire  was  given  by  a  shout  from  the  one  who 
discovered  it.  Later  the  bell  on  the  church, 
situated  between  Dearborn  and  Clark  Streets 
on  Washington  Streets,  was  rung  in  case  of 
fire.  In  1850  a  bell  was  placed  in  the  dome  of 
the  Court  House,  another  in  the  tower  at 
Twelfth  and  State  Streets,  with  others  at  Blue 
Island  Avenue  and  Harrison  Street,  Milwaukee 
Avenue  near  Chicago  Avenue,  Dearborn  Street 
near  Chicago  Avenue,  and  on  the  North  Market 
Building.  When  a  fire  occurred  the  nearest 
bell  was  struck  eight  times  continuously,  and 
then  the  number  of  times  for  the  district. 
There  were  six  districts;  two  each  on  the 
South,  North  and  West  Sides.  j.  ne  first  district 
was  located  east  of  Clark  Street. 

In  the  daytime  the  watchman  in  the  Court 
House  Tower  would  wave  the  flag  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  fire  and,  at  night,  hoist  red  lamps 
for  the  number  of  the  district;  but  not  until 
1858  did  the  authorities  wake  up  to  the  idea 
that  Boston  was  ahead  of  us  in  regard  to  a 
fire-alarm  telegraph,  by  adopting  the  invention 
of  Dr.  Channing  of  that  city,  who  was  repre- 
sented here  by  J.  N.  Gamewell  (assignee  of  the 
Channing  patent),  and  who  first  exhibited  that 
system  for  the  use  of  the  Fire  Department  in 
the  Council  Chamber,  which  was  thrown  open 
to  the  public  during  certain  hours  of  the  day. 
D.  J.  Swenie  was  at  the  time  Chief  of  the  Fire 
Department,  and  he  urged  the  immediate  adop- 


740 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


tion  of  the  system.  Owing  to  timidity  on  the 
part  of  the  tax-payers,  however,  no  definite 
action  was  taken  until  May  18,  1863.  Mean- 
time the  Civil  War  had  broken  out,  and  Mr. 
Gamewell  (who  was  a  native  of  South  Caro- 
lina, and  in  Charleston  constructing  a  fire- 
alarm  system  for  that  city  when  Fort  Sumter 
was  fired  upon)  elected  to  cast  his  fortunes  with 
his  native  State.  Former  employes  of  his — 
notably  John  F.  Kennard  and  William  H.  Men- 
dell,  of  Boston — in  order  to  preserve  the  Chan- 
ning  patents  in  their  entirety,  bought  them  at 
a  confiscation  sale  in  Washington  before  the 
close  of  the  first  year  of  the  war,  and  organized 
the  firm  of  J.  F.  Kennard  &  Co.,  and  proceeded 
to  exploit  the  fire-alarm  service  wherever  they 
could  induce  cities  to  adopt  it. 

In  1863,  as  above  mentioned,  the  Common 
Council  of  Chicago  passed  a  resolution  looking 
toward  ascertaining  the  cost  of  constructing 
such  a  telegraph.  In  1864  a  contract  for  its  con- 
struction was  awarded  to  W.  H.  Mendell,  of 
the  firm  of  John  F.  Kennard  &  Co.,  Mr.  Men- 
dell  having  been  interested  in  the  construction 
of  the  system  in  other  cities.  The  contract 
price  was  $70,000,  and  the  system  embraced  the 
following  apparatus:  125  miles  of  wire,  106 
boxes;  14  engine-house  gongs;  6  electric  tower 
bell  strikers;  6  instruments  for  police  pur- 
poses, and  the  necessary  office  fixtures.  On 
June  2,  1865,  the  system  was  formally  turned 
over  to  the  city  and  pronounced  to  be  in  per- 
fect working  order.  The  first  test  proved  to 
be  entirely  satisfactory,  and  the  bells  were 
superseded  by  this  invention,  excepting  the 
Court  House  bell,  which  remained  until  the  fire 
of  October  8,  1871. 

Since  the  introduction  of  the  system,  many 
improvements  have  been  made  in  the  appara- 
tus. The  central  office  was  originally  located 
in  the  dome  of  the  old  Court  House,  from  which 
radiated  a  network  of  wires  to  the  tops  of  the 
buildings  which  surrounded  the  Public  Square. 
The  operating  officers  consisted  of  E.  B.  Chan- 
dler, Superintendent;  John  P.  Barrett  and  Will- 
iam J.  Kirkman,  operators;  and  Alfred  Ranous, 
repairer.  Mr.  Chandler  continued  to  be  Super- 
intendent for  eleven  years,  when  he  resigned 
the  office  to  accept  the  General  Western  Agency 


of  the  Gamewell  Fire-Alarm  Telegraph  Com- 
pany, in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  was  succeeded 
as  Superintendent  by  John  P.  Barrett,  on  the 
1st  day  of  May,  1876.  The  system  suffered 
severely  in  the  great  fire  of  October,  1871,  but 
the  telegraph  corps,  under  the  direction  of 
Superintendent  Chandler,  worker  with  such 
energy  that,  on  the  evening  of  October  11,  1871, 
with  instruments  secured  wherever  possible  and 
altered  to  suit  their  needs,  the  Western  Division 
lines,  embracing  nearly  one-half  of  the  entire 
system,  were  ready  for  service  and,  by  the 
end  of  the  week,  connection  was  completed  with 
as  much  of  the  system  in  the  South  Division 
as  had  escaped  the  flames.  In  1872  a  four-wire- 
Ke-rite  cable  was  laid,  fifty  feet  under  the 
South  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River,  at  Archer 
Avenue,  through  the  brick  tunnel  which  con- 
tains the  water-main,  and  a  six-wire  Ke-rite 
cable  was  laid  in  the  water-pipe  tunnel  under 
the  Ogden  slip  at  Division  Street.  In  connec- 
tion with  the  Telegraph  Company  a  cable  was 
laid  under  the  North  Branch,  at  Clybourn 
Place,  two  wires  of  which  belonged  to  the  fire- 
alarm  system.  In  1873  a  four-wire  Ke-rite 
cable  was  laid  from  the  water-works  crib  in 
the  lake,  through  the  new  tunnel  before  the 
water  was  admitted  (a  distance  of  three  miles), 
while  other  additions  and  improvements  were 
made  in  the  fire-alarm  system.  In  October, 
1877,  John  P.  Barrett  laid  the  first  Ke-rite  cable 
along  Cass  Street  between  Superior  and  Erie 
Streets.  This  was  the  first  underground  cable 
that  was  not  laid  in  the  water-pipe  tunnels  or 
through  water-mains. 

In  1885  and  1886  the  telegraph  system  was 
materially  improved  by  the  erection  of  new 
aerial  lines,  the  laying  of  underground  wires 
and  the  placing  of  new  fire-alarm  boxes. 

The  Superintendents  of  the  Fire-Alarm  Tel- 
egraph have  been:  Edward  B.  Chandler,  1865- 
76;  John  P.  Barrett,  1876-97;  and  then  Edward 
B.  Ellicott,  who  still  remains  in  charge  of  the 
Department.  The  signal,  or  alarm  system  (by 
telegraph  or  telephone),  has  been  improved 
year  by  year,  until  it  has  reached  a  degree  of 
efficiency  unsurpassed  by  that  of  any  other 
American  city. 


CHICAGO    THOROUGH  PARK 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


MUNICIPAL  LIGHTING. 


FIRST     ATTEMPT     AT     ILLUMINATION     AT    OLD     FORT 
DEARBORN — PROGRESS    OF    ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS 

FROM  THE  PINE-KNOT  TO  THE  ELECTRIC  LIGHT 

SYSTEM ELECTRIC      LIGHTING      INTRODUCED      IN 

1887 HISTORY     AND     EQUIPMENT     OF     CENTRAL 

STATIONS AGGREGATE     COST     OF      THE       ENTIRE 

MUNICIPAL  LIGHTING  SYSTEM — POLICE  AND  FIRE 
ALARM    TELEGRAPH    SERVICE. 

In  the  year  1805,  Captain  Whistler,  command- 
ing the  troops  at  the  first  Fort  Dearborn,  or- 
dered a  beacon  made  from  a  pine-knot  to  be 
lighted  nightly  near  the  main  entrance  of  the 
fort  to  guide  aright  the  steps  of  returning  hunt- 
ers. This  was  the  first  attempt  at  illumina- 
tion for  public  benefit  within  the  present  limits 
of  the  city  of  Chicago.  In  less  than  one 
hundred  years,  Chicago,  with  its  multitude  of 
brilliant  electric  lamps,  and  its  far-reaching 
lines  of  gas-jets,  now  possesses  the  most  elab- 
orate system  of  street  illumination  under 
municipal  control  in  the  whole  world.  When 
Captain  Whistler  wished  to  communicate  with 
the  settlers  who  had  built  their  cabins  at 
"Hardscrabble,"  situated  near  the  present 
thoroughfare  of  Archer  Avenue,  he  dispatched 
a  soldier  courier  who  made  his  difficult  trip 
over  slough,  bog  and  prairie,  and  thought  him- 
self lucky  if  he  could  return  an  answer  to  his 
chief  within  the  space  of  twelve  hours.  To- 
day, the  policeman  who  stands  guard  at  Rush 
Street  bridge  (adjoining  the  site  of  old  Fort 
Dearborn)  steps  into  the  barge  office,  makes  a 
wire  connection  and,  within  the  space  of  thirty 
seconds,  has  delivered  a  message  to,  and  re- 
ceived an  answer  from  the  Harbormaster  on 
duty  far  up  the  south  branch  of  the  river,  near 
the  place  where  the  Hardscrabble  settlers 
lighted  their  first  camp-fire.  Chicago  not  only 
possesses  the  most  elaborate  street  illumination 
under  municipal  control  in  the  world,  but  also 
has  a  more  complete  telephone  and  telegraph 
system,  under  its  own  management,  than  is 
possessed  by  any  city  at  home  or  abroad.  The 
lighting,  fire-alarm,  police  telegraph  and  tele- 
phone facilities  of  Chicago  have  grown  like 


the  great  city  itself,  from  the  humblest  be- 
ginnings. 

The  father  of  the  plan  of  gradually  placing 
the  lighting  of  Chicago  in  the  hands  of  the  city 
itself,  was  the  late  ex-Mayor  John  A.  Roche. 
The  practicability  of  Mayor  Roche's  scheme  so 
soon  became  manifest  that  it  was  shown  that 
it  would  be  but  a  question  of  a  few  years  when 
the  city  would  become  the  producer  and  con- 
troller of  all  its  lighting  facilities.  .From  the 
year  1864,  when  the  first  fire-alarm  telegraph 
apparatus  was  installed  in  Chicago,  until  the 
month  of  January,  1898,  everything  electrical 
in  Chicago  under  municipal  control  was  in 
charge  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Fire-Alarm 
Telegraph,  owing  to  the  growth  of  the  electric 
street  lighting  plants,  and  the  fire  and  police 
telegraph  lines  were  so  wide-spread  it  became 
necessary  to  form  a  new  branch  of  the  City's 
service,  which  was  known  as  the  "Department 
of  Electricity." 

Edward  B.  Ellicott  was  appointed  City  Elec- 
trician July  1,  1897.  The  Department  consists 
of  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Lighting,  Fire-Alarm 
Telegraph,  Police  Telephone  and  Signal,  Elec- 
trical Inspection,  Gas-Lighting  and  Repairs. 
The  City  possesses,  today,  three  electrical  pow- 
er-houses located  respectively,  at  Wentworth 
Avenue  and  Sixty-third  Street,  at  Lincoln  and 
Rice  Streets,  and  at  Halsted  Street  and  Blue 
Island  Avenue,  which  are  equipped  in  every 
particular  with  the  most  modern  appliances, 
having  a  total  capacity  of  5,850  street  arc- 
lamps  of  2,000  candle  power  each,  and  5,400 
horsepower  engines  installed.  There  were  in 
use  December  31,  1899,  3,502  arc-lamps  and,  on 
December  31,  1900,  5,675  arc-lamps,  850  incan- 
descent, 25,044  gas-burners  and  4,478  gasoline 
lamps. 

The  following  table  shows  the  cost  per  mile 
for  lighting  the  streets  during  1899,  and  a  com- 
parison of  the  different  illuminants  used  is  also 
given.  When  electric  lights  are  used  the 
streets  are  much  better  lighted  than  those  on 
which  other  illuminants  are  used;  but,  without 
taking  the  question  of  light  into  consideration, 
the  comparison  is  favorable  to  electric  lighting. 

In  1899. In  1900 

Miles  of  streets  lighted  by  gas 713  725 

Miles  of  streets  lighted  by  gasoline.  .327  340 
Miles  of  streets  lighted  by  electric 

light  270 

Total  miles  lighted 1,310 


742 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Cost  of  gas  lighting  per  mile  ($20  per 
lamp)  $784.60 

Cost  of  electric  lighting  per  mile 567.45 

Cost  of  gasoline  lighting  per  mile  (27.60 
with  mantel)  442.48 

Average  cost  per  mile  of  street  lighting. .  654.48 

HISTORY  OF  MUNICIPAL  STREET  LIGHT- 
ING BY  ELECTRICITY. 
(1887-1901). 

The  first  power  house  was  located  in  the 
basement  of  Chemical  Engine  House  No.  1,  cor- 
ner of  Washington  and  Clinton  Streets.  The 
first  machinery  consisted  of  four  low-tension 
30-light  Western  electric  dynamos,  and  one 
each  150  horsepower  Buckeye  engine,  and  150 
horsepower  Porter  boiler.  (The  engine  and 
boiler  are  now  in  service  at  the  Fourteenth 
Street  Lighting  Station).  The  first  one  hun- 
dred lights  were  placed  on  both  sides  of  the 
Chicago  River  from  Rush  to  Twelfth  Streets, 
and  were  started  December  25,  1887,  and  the 
plant  remained  in  that  location  for  one  year 
until  removed  December  31,  1888,  to  Truck 
House  No.  2  on  Jefferson  near  West  Van  Buren 
Street,  which  was  made  a  powerhouse  and  the 
capacity  increased  to  300  lights.  After  one  year 
the  plant  was  removed  to  Throop  Street,  be- 
tween Congress  and  West  Van  Buren,  and  the 
capacity  having  been  increased  to  1,000  lights, 
it  was  started  March  17,  1889.  This  plant  was 
run  for  about  six  years,  until  the  Metropolitan 
Elevated  Railroad  Company  bought  the  real 
estate  for  use  of  that  company.  The  Rice  and 
Lincoln  Streets  plant  was  started  April,  1889, 
and  the  Chicago  Avenue  and  Sedgwick  Street 
plant  February  22,  1889.  The  Fourteenth  Street 
Station  was  started  December  25,  1890,  and  the 
machinery  from  Jefferson  Street  having  been 
moved  to  the  Fourteenth  Street  Station,  is  still 
in  service  there. 

RICE  AND  LINCOLN  STREETS  STATION. — The 
plant  at  this  station  began  running  April,  1889. 
The  building  is  100  feet  long,  95  feet  wide,  28 
feet  clear  of  the  trusses  in  the  engine  room  and 
18  feet  clear  of  the  trusses  in  the  boiler  room.  It 
is  built  of  brick  with  iron  trusses,  a  slate  roof 
on  the  engine-room  and  an  iron  roof  on  the 
boiler-room,  with  cement  floors  in  both  rooms, 
making  it  practically  fire-proof.  The  engine 
room  is  80  feet  long,  by  50  feet  wide,  and  the 
boiler  room  93  feet  long  by  40  feet  wide.  In 
addition  to  these  there  are  coal  storage  and 
supply  rooms  located  in  the  rear  of  the  building. 


In  the  engine  room  there  are  installeu  two  700- 
horsepower  Elmes  marine  type  of  engines,  di- 
rectly connected  to  each  end  of  the  line  shaft. 
These  engines  are  vertical,  cross-compound, 
condensing,  and  economical  results  have  been 
obtained  from  their  use.  T,he  shaft  between 
the  engines  is  mounted  in  ball  socket,  self- 
aligning  bearings,  and  equipped  with  the  nec- 
essary friction  clutches  to  cut  out  each  engine, 
if  so  desired.  There  are  72xl8-inch  solid  hub 
wood  rim  pulleys,  mounted  on  the  shaft  for 
driving  the  dynamos. 

The  electric  equipment  consists  of: 

9  150-light  Western  Electric  dynamos. 

5  100-light  Brush  dynamos. 

1  marble  switchboard. 

The  dynamos  are  all  of  modern  type,  in  excel- 
lent condition,  and  operate  1,850  arc-lights. 

The  boiler  room  is  provided  with  two  Ault- 
man-Taylor  water-tube  boilers,  each  having  a 
capacity  of  500-horse  power  and  four  return- 
tubular  boilers  equipped  with  Roney  stokers, 
each  boiler  having  a  capacity  of  100-horse 
power.  To  these  boilers  are  attached  two  feed- 
water  pumps,  each  having  a  sufficient  capacity 
to  supply  all  the  boilers.  The  boilers  are  con- 
nected to  a  brick  stack  175  feet  high  and  96 
inches  in  diameter.  Each  engine  is  equipped 
with  a  1,000-horse-power  syphon  condenser,  and 
to  these  condensers  is  connected  a  pump  of 
sufficient  capacity  for  the  purpose  of  supply- 
ing them  with  water  in  the  event  of  the  city 
pressure  being  too  low. 

The  steam  piping  is  all  new,  of  double 
strength  and  properly  covered  with  a  first-class 
quality  of  steam-pipe  covering.  The  station  is 
thoroughly  equipped  with  a  gravity  oiling  sys- 
tem and  provided  with  oil  filterers,  by  which 
means  the  oil  is  used  several  times. 

HALSTED  STREET  STATION. — This  station  com- 
menced operating  October  9,  1894.  The  build- 
ing is  208  feet  long,  by  50  feet  wide,  25  feet 
clear  of  trusses  in  both  engine  and  boiler  rooms. 
It  is  built  of  brick,  with  iron  trusses,  a  tile-roof 
and  cement  floor,  making  it  as  nearly  fire-proof 
as  a  building  can  be.  It  is  divided  into  two 
rooms;  the  engine  room,  142  feet  long,  by  46 
feet  6  inches  wide,  and  the  boiler  room  39  feet 
long,  by  46  feet  6  inches  wide.  In  addition  to 
the  above  there  is  a  supply  room  located  in  the 
rear  of  the  building. 

In  the  engine-room  there  are  installed  two 
600-horse-power  Corliss  type  of  engines,  belted 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


743 


to  a  line  shaft,  and  one  Elmes  marine  type  of 
engine  of  800-horse-power,  directly  connected 
to  the  line  shaft.  These  engines  are  all  ver- 
tical, cross-compound,  condensing,  and  econom- 
ical in  operation.  A  counter-shaft  extends  the 
full  length  of  the  engine  room  and  is  mounted 
in  ball  and  socket  with  self-aligning  bearings, 
equipped  with  friction  clutches  to  cut  out  each 
engine,  and  to  divide  the  shaft  into  two  equal 
parts  if  so  desired.  There  are  18  pulleys 
mounted  on  the  shaft  for  driving  the  dynamos. 
The  electrical  equipment  consists  of: 

4  100-light  Western  Electric  dynamos. 

2  100-light  Brush  Electric  dynamos. 
10  150-light  Western  Electric  dynamos. 

1  Marble   switchboard. 

1  50-light  110-volt  T.  H.  dynamo  (incandes- 
cent) . 

1  alternating  Westinghouse  800-light  incan- 
descent (for  use  at  City  Hall,  saving  to  the 
City  between  $200  and  ?300  per  month). 

The  arc-dynamos  are  of  the  latest  and  best 
type  made  and  in  excellent  condition,  with  a 
capacity  of  2,100  arc-lights. 

The  boiler  room  is  provided  with  two  Heine 
water-tube  boilers,  one  Aultman-Taylor  water- 
tube  boiler,  and  one  Garry  boiler,  each  500- 
horse  power  capacity.  To  these  boilers  are 
connected  two  feed-water  pumps,  each  of  suffi- 
cient capacity  to  supply  all  the  boilers.  Each 
engine  is  equipped  with  a  syphon  condenser  of 
1,000-horse-power  capacity.  To  these  conden- 
sers there  is  connected  a  pump  for  the  purpose 
of  supplying  water  in  case  there  is  a  lack  of 
pressure  from  the  city  mains.  The  feed-water 
heater  receives  the  exhaust  steam  from  all  the 
pumps,  and  the  feed-water  for  the  boilers  is 
passed  through  the  heater  for  the  purpose  of 
increasing  the  temperature  of  the  water  before 
it  reaches  the  boilers.  The  steam  piping 
throughout  the  plant  is  in  excellent  condition, 
having  been  refitted  during  the  past  year,  and, 
wherever  necessary,  new  double  strength  pipe 
has  been  put  in.  It  is  covered  throughout  with  a 
first-class  quality  of  steam  pipe  covering.  The 
station  is  thoroughly  equipped  with  a  gravity 
oil-system  and  provided  with  oil  filterers  by 
which  means  the  oil  is  used  several  times. 

ROBERT  A.  WALLACE  STATION,  Sixty- 
fourth  Street  and  Wentworth  Avenue,  com- 
menced running  April  6,  1900,  The  building  is 
178  feet  long,  by  44  feet  wide,  20  feet  clear  of 
trusses  in  the  engine  room  and  23  feet  clear 
of  trusses  in  the  boiler  room.  It  is  built  of 


brick  with  iron  trusses,  tile-roof,  cement  floor, 
and  is  thoroughly  fire-proof  in  every  way. 

The  engine  room  is  100  feet  long,  by  42  feet 
wide.  In  the  engine  room  there  is  installed  one 
800-horse  power  Elmes  marine  type  of  engine, 
directly  connected  with  the  line  shaft,  and 
provision  has  been  made  for  two  additional 
engines  of  the  same  capacity.  The  engine  in- 
stalled is  vertical,  cross-compound,  condens- 
ing, of  the  same  general  type  as  installed  at 
Rice  and  Lincoln  Streets.  The  counter-shaft  is 
mounted  in  ball  sockets,  with  self-aligning 
bearings,  and  equipped  with  friction  clutch 
where  it  is  connected  to  the  engine.  There 
are  four  pulleys  mounted  on  this  shaft  for  driv- 
ing the  dynamos.  There  is  also  one  Westing- 
house  800-horse  power  engine,  which  went  into 
service  March  1,  1901. 

The  electrical  equipment  consists  of  nine  160- 
light  Brush  General  Electric  Dynamos. 

Five  of  the  above  dynamos  are  run  on  a 
continuous  shaft,  so  that  each  dynamo  can  be 
disconnected  one  from  the  other  if  desired. 
The  dynamos  are  of  the  latest  and  best  type 
made,  and  are  in  excellent  condition.  There 
is  also  one  marble  switch-board. 

At  the  present  time  the  boiler  room  is  pro- 
vided with  one  Heine  water-tube  boiler  of  500- 
horse  power  capacity,  which  is  connected  to  a 
brick  stack  175  feet  high  and  96  inches  in  diam- 
eter. The  boiler  is  equipped  with  a  McKen- 
zie  mechanical  stoker  and  smoke  consuming  de- 
vice. In  addition  to  the  above  there  are  in 
use  two  500-horse  power  Garry  boilers,  and 
feed-water  pumps  of  sufficient  capacity  for  sup- 
plying four  boilers  of  500-horse  power  each  are 
installed.  Each  engine  is  equipped  with  a  1,000- 
horse  power  syphon  condenser  (Baragwanath). 
The  steam  piping  i-s  all  new,  of  double  strength 
and  covered  with  a  first-class  quality  of  steam- 
pipe  covering.  It  is  intended  to  operate  at 
least  2,000  lights  from  this  station;  1,200  lights 
are  now  in  use. 

COST  OF  OPERATING  ARC  LIGHTS    (1899). 

The  following  statement  gives  the  different 
items  of  expense  involved  in  the  operation  of 
the  municipal  lighting  plants,  three  of  which 
were  operated  during  the  year.  A  stipulated 
sum  is  appropriated  each  year  for  operating 
the  plants,  and  as  no  amount  is  set  aside  for 
replacing  worn-out  machinery  (commonly 
known  as  "depreciation"),  it  has  been  neces- 
sary during  the  year  to  charge  to  operating 


744 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


expenses  such  amounts  as  were  necessarily 
paid  out  for  renewing  any  part  of  the  plants. 
These  amounts  aggregate  $10,300.41,  and  the 
actual  cash  cost  of  furnishing  the  lights  is  rep- 
resented by  deducting  that  amount  from  the 
total  amount  expended.  This  deduction  is 
made  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  the  ordi- 
nary depreciation  of  the  plants  is  taken  care 
of  in  the  annual  expenses  of  maintaining  the 
lights,  and  an  examination  of  the  plants  will 
show  that  the  application  of  a  further  and 
theoretical  per  cent,  for  depreciation  is  not 
necessary  or  warranted  in  order  to  obtain  the 
true  cost  to  the  city. 

A  substantial  reduction  in  the  cost  per  light 
from  that  shown  in  1898  has  been  obtained,  not- 
withstanding the  increase  in  wages,  coal,  car- 
bons— and,  in  fact,  almost  every  kind  of  mate- 
rial used  in  maintaining  an  electrical  lighting 
system.  The  decrease  in  cost  is  due  entirely  to 
the  more  economical  operating  conditions  that 
are  produced  by  the  extensions  of  the  system. 
The  most  economical  conditions  will  exist  when 
each  of  the  plants  has  been  increased  to  about 
2,000  lights — the  cost  per  light  for  each  year 
should  then  be  about  $45. 

If  the  present  plants  are  increased  to  this 
capacity,  the  yearly  cost  per  light  will  decrease 
until  the  2,000  lights  are  operated  from  each 
plant.  From  that  time  on  the  cost  will  vary 
with  the  cost  of  labor  and  materials  used — 
assuming,  of  course,  that  the  plants  are  oper- 
ated practically,  with  reasonable  economy  and 
with  business  judgment. 

COST  OF  LIGHTING  FOR  1903. 
The  total  cost  of  municipal  lighting  for  the 

year  1903 — according  to  the  latest  report  now 

accessible — was  as  follows: 

Municipal  Electric  Lights $262,088.38 

Gas  Lamps    420,728.52 

Gasoline  Lamps  159,844.30 

Rented  Electric  Lights 63,871.85 

Gas  office  Expenses 9,679.82 


Total $916,212.87 

The  average  number  of  electric  lamps  oper- 
ated during  the  year  was  4,827,  and  the  total 
number  in  operation  at  the  close  of  the  year 
5,007.  The  total  amount  expended  for  the  con- 
struction and  operation  of  electric  lights  during 
the  year  was  $319,436.35. 
POLICE  AND  FIRE-ALARM  TELEGRAPH 

SERVICE. 
In  1882  Superintendent  Barrett  made  a  propo- 


sition to  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Senior,  and  to 
Austin  J.  Doyle,  Secretary  of  the  Police  Depart- 
ment, to  place,  at  his  own  expense,  the  Police 
Telegraph  and  Telephone  Service  in  the  worst 
district  in  the  city,  viz.:  Twelfth  Street — and 
if,  after  three  months'  service,  the  system  was 
not  entirely  satisfactory,  he  agreed  to  remove  it 
at  his  personal  expense.  After  ten  days'  serv- 
ice it  was  accepted  by  Mayor  Harrison  and  paid 
for  by  the  city,  adopted  and  generally  extended 
throughout  the  city. 

The  inauguration  of  Police  Telegraph  and 
Telephone  Service  occurred  under  the  first 
mayoralty  of  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Senior.  The 
electrical  apparatus  is  placed  in  a  box  attached 
to  a  solid  iron  booth  which  also  serves  as  a 
lamp-post.  On  opening  one  side  of  these  boxes, 
one  is  confronted  with  approved  appliances  for 
signaling  alarms  of  every  description;  by  sim- 
ply operating  a  lever  and  pressing  upon  a  but- 
ton, the  citizen  or  officer  may  notify  the  near- 
est station  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  fire.  Each 
box  also  contains  a  telephone  by  means  of 
which  any  patrolman  may  at  once  communicate 
verbally  with  his  immediate  superior.  In  1887 
there  were  but  473  of  these  boxes  placed  at 
the  most  prominent  street  corners  throughout 
the  city.  By  1891  the  number  had  increased  to 
675,  connected  with  which  was  601  miles  of 
aerial,  and  40  miles  of  underground  wire,  and 
the  total  value  of  the  plant  was  $81,883.50. 
For  the  year  1903  there  were  1,335  miles  of 
aerial  and  2,607  miles  of  underground  wire, 
operating  1,022  police  patrol  boxes,  and  1,437 
fire  alarm  boxes. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 


CHICAGO  WATER  SERVICE. 


EARLY     CONDITIONS     AS     TO     THE     CHICAGO     WATER 

SUPPLY PUBLIC      WELL      DUG      IN      1834 — FIRST 

PUMPING   STATION   AND  RESERVOIR   CONSTRUCTED 

IN  1840 NEW  WATER  WORKS  SET  IN  OPERATION 

IN   1854 THE   SYSTEM   ADOPTED   AND  THE   FIRST 

TWO-MILE   TUNNFX   COMPLETED    IN    1867 OTHER 

TUNNELS       CONSTRUCTED PRESENT       CONDITION 

OF    THE    CHICAGO    WATER    SYSTEM. 

Previous  to  1834  the  inhabitants  of  the  Town 
of  Chicago  were  dependent  for  that  essential 
element  of  human  existence,  "water,"  upon  the 
water  peddler,  who  sold  it  by  the  gallon,  bucket 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


745 


or  barrel,  from  house  to  house,  having  brought 
it  from  Lake  Michigan  in  a  water  cart. 

In  1834  a  public  well  was  dug  by  order  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  at  a  point  in  Kinzie's  addi- 
tion, which  is  now  at  the  intersection  of  Cass 
and  Michigan  Streets.  The  movement  for  a 
better  water  service  was  made  in  1836,  when 
the  State  Legislature  granted  a  charter  to  the 
Chicago  Hydraulic  Company,  for  the  purpose 
of  establishing  the  first  pumping  works  com- 
mensurate with  the  needs  of  the  people;  but 
the  company  was  unable  to  organize  until 
1840,  when  it  began  the  construction  of  a  reser- 
voir, at  the  corner  of  Lake  Street  and  Michigan 
Avenue.  The  reservoir  was  twenty-five  feet 
square,  was  elevated  about  eighty  feet  above 
the  ground,  and  was  supplied  by  an  18-inch  iron 
intake  pipe  laid  on  a  crib-work  pier  extending 
from  a  crib  in  Lake  Michigan  700  feet  to  a 
pump-well  15  feet  deep,  from  which  the  water 
was  forced  by  a  25-horse  power  engine  and 
pumped  through  "bored  logs."  By  this  means  a 
few  of  the  citizens  of  the  South  Side  were  sup- 
plied with  water.  The  capacity  of  this  "ex- 
tensive and  wonderful"  plant  was  twenty-five 
barrels  per  minute,  which  was  forced  through 
about  two  miles  of  2,  3,  and  6-inch  pipe  to  the 
reservoir.  The  total  outlay  of  the  company  up 
to  1842,  when  the  works  were  so  far  complete 
as  to  be  used,  was  $24,000.  Water  rates  ranged 
from  $10.00  per  annum  for  a  family  of  five  per- 
sons, to  $500  for  large  manufacturing  establish- 
ments. In  1842  James  Long  contracted  with  the 
Hydraulic  Company  to  do  all  of  the  pumping 
for  the  city  of  Chicago  for  ten  years,  without 
any  cost  to  the  company,  in  consideration  of  his 
having  the  free  use  of  the  surplus  power  of  the 
25-horse  power  engine;  but  long  before  the  con- 
tract expired  the  engine  proved  too  small  to  do 
the  work.  The  works  first  established  had 
never  given  the  people  satisfactory  results,  the 
water  as  a  rule  being  neither  pure  nor  suf- 
ficiently abundant  in  supply.  The  population  of 
Chicago  at  that  time  was  about  4,500. 

In  1851  when  the  population  had  increased  to 
35,000,  the  city  obtained  a  charter,  and  the  Leg- 
islature passed  an  act  incorporating  the  "Chi- 
cago City  Hydraulic  Company,"  composed  of 
John  B.  Turner,  Horatio  G.  Loomis  and  Alson 
S.  Sherman;  a  Board  of  Water  Commissioners 
were  appointed  and  this  company  purchased 
the  rights  of  the  old  private  company.  W.  J. 
McAlpine,  a  civil  engineer,  was  the  designer  of 
the  new  works,  which  were  built  in  1852-54,  and 


were  put  in  operation  during  the  latter  year, 
the  population  then  being  70,000.  The  build- 
ings and  tower  were  completed  in  1853,  a  tim- 
ber crib  was  built  600  feet  from  the  shore, 
the  water  was  led  from  the  lake  to  a  pump- 
well  20x30  feet  and  25  feet  deep,  and  thence 
pumped  to  the  top  of  the  tower,  136  feet  high, 
by  a  vertical  beam  engine  having  a  steam- 
cylinder  44x108  inches,  and  two  single  acting 
pump  cylinders  36x66  inches.  There  were  also 
about  eight  and  three-quarter  miles  of  iron  pipe 
and  a  reservoir  of  500,000  gallons  capacity. 
Water  was  first  furnished  from  the  new  works 
February  12,  1854,  up  to  which  date  they  had 
cost  $393,045.  In  1856  the  first  pipe  across  the 
river  was  laid.  In  1854  and  1856  three  iron 
storage  tanks,  on  masonry  towers,  were  built, 
being  60  feet  in  diameter  by  28  feet  high,  with 
the  bottom  eight  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
lake.  The  intake  was  at  first  from  the  open 
water  of  the  lake  shore  but,  in  1855,  a  curved 
breakwater  was  built  and  an  inlet  basin  dredged 
within  it.  By  May  1,  1857,  the  cost  of  the  works 
had  increased  to  $738,436,  at  which  time  7,053 
buildings  were  being  supplied  with  water. 

Before  1860  the  water  began  to  give  trouble 
from  its  foul  condition,  owing  to  the  discharge 
into  it  of  filth  and  refuse  from  the  distilleries, 
packing-houses,  and  from  the  fish  nuisance, 
which  had  increased  to  an  intolerable  degree. 
The  question  how  to  secure  an  adequate  supply 
of  pure  water  became  a  pressing  one.  The  plan 
proposed  by  E.  S.  Chesbrough,  City  Engineer, 
was  adopted  in  1863.  It  involved  the  tapping 
of  the  lake  at  a  distance  of  two  miles  from  the 
shore  by  means  of  an  intake  tunnel  extending 
out  to  clear  water,  and  constructed  underneath 
the  lake  bottom.  The  work  of  excavation  from 
the  shore  shaft,  at  the  east  end  of  Chicago 
Avenue,  was  begun  March  17,  1864.  The  tun- 
nel is  five  feet  in  width  and  five  feet  two 
inches  in  height,  and  is  lined  with  brick 
masonry  eight  inches  thick.  The  great  crib  to 
hold  the  water  was  launched  and  sunk  at  the 
east  end  of  the  tunnel  July  25, 1865.  It  is  forty 
feet  high  and  built  of  timbers  strongly  framed 
in  pentagonal  form,  98^  feet  in  diameter  with 
openings  at  the  bottom  for  the  admission  of 
water.  Inside  the  wall  is  constructed  an  iron 
cylinder,  nine  feet  in  diameter,  running  from 
the  water-line  to  the  tunnel,  64  feet  below 
the  surface,  and  31  feet  below  the  bed  of  the 
lake  at  that  point.  A  house  was  erected  over 
the  crib  for  the  use  of  the  employes.  The  lay- 


746 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ing  of  brick  began  at  the  crib  end  Dec.  22,  1865, 
and  the  entire  work  was  complete,  and  water 
let  into  the  tunnel,  to  flow  through  the  water- 
pipes  and  hydrants  of  the  city,  March  25,  1867. 
The  entire  cost  of  the  tunnel  was  $457,845,  and 
the  total  water  debt  in  1868  was  $2,483,000.  Up 
to  1870  the  tunnel  supplied  the  city  with  20,000,- 
000  gallons  of  water  daily.  The  total  amount  of 
water-pipe  laid  in  1860  was  91  miles.  At  the 
close  of  1869  it  was  239  miles.  The  cost  of 
maintaining  the  water  system  in  1862  was 
$42,635,  and  from  that  year  the  amount  in- 
creased yearly  until,  in  1870,  it  rose  to  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  $2,836,852,  and  the  cost  of  the 
system,  including  that  year,  reached  an  aggre- 
gate of  $8,288,624;  the  total  amount  received 
during  that  period  was  $3,175,479.  This  mode 
of  supplying  the  city  proved  a  great  success; 
but  enormous  as  was  the  capacity  of  the  works, 
such  was  the  extension  of  Chicago  in  every 
direction,  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  make 
still  more  extensive  improvements  of  the  same 
kind. 
The  second  tunnel  was  completed  in  July, 

1874,  and   put  in   active   service  in   February, 

1875.  The  intake  shaft  was  sunk  in  the  lake 
near  the  existing  intake  crib,  and  a  cross  tun- 
nel  was    driven   from   this    shaft   to   the   line 
of  the  new  tunnel.    In  sinking  this  shaft  great 
difficulty   was    experienced    in    consequence    of 
water  passing  from  the  old  tunnel  to  the  new 
work,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  introduce 
the  pneumatic  system.     This,  however,  created 
a  new  difficulty  in  consequence  of  the  air  escap- 
ing up  along  the  outside  of  the  cylinder  to  the 
lake;    but,  like  everything  that  Chicago  under- 
takes, the  troubles  were  overcome  and  the  water 
turned  in   again   after  seventeen   days,  during 
which   time   the   city   supply   had    been   taken 
from  the  old  inlet  basin.     The  capacity  of  the 
two  tunnels  was  150,000,000  gallons,  while  the 
pumping  engines  had  a  capacity  of  130,000,000; 
but  in  1885,  another  pair  of  engines  was  added, 
bringing  the  capacity  up  to  that  of  the  tunnels. 

TWELFTH  STREET  OR  FOUR-MILE  TUNNEL. — In 
1887  the  construction  of  a  new  tunnel,  extending 
four  miles  into  the  lake,  opposite  Twelfth 
Street,  with  a  capacity  of  140,000,000  gallons, 
and  engines  that  would  pump  75,000,000  gallons 
daily,  was  contracted  for.  The  crib  through 
which  this  tunnel  receives  its  supply  is  cir- 
cular in  form,  118  feet  in  diameter  on  top  and 
123  feet  on  the  water  line,  with  a  well  70  feet 
in  diameter.  It  is  50  feet  high,  the  top  being 


ten  feet  above  the  water.  There  are  two  con- 
centric %-inch  steel  shells,  with  24  radial  bulk- 
heads, forming  compartments  which  are  filled 
with  concrete.  This  portion  of  the  crib  rests  on 
a  polygonal  timber  grillage  13  feet  high, 
through  which  pass  six  intake  ports  five  feet 
square,  fitted  with  gates  and  fish  screens,  which 
are  operated  from  the  slides  in  the  middle  of 
the  circular  wall  of  the  crib.  The  intake  shaft 
is  10  feet  in  diameter,  and  has  two  gates  5x6 
feet,  near  the  top.  In  1898  a  steam-heating 
plant  was  installed  and  double  windows  were 
placed  on  the  openings  round  the  well;  a  tem- 
perature of  70  degrees  Fahrenheit  is  main- 
tained during  the  winter,  so  that  it  is  no  longer 
necessary  to  keep  a  force  of  men  to  remove  the 
ice  forming  in  the  well. 

HYDE  PARK  OR  SIXTY-EIGHTH  STREET  CRIB. 
— This  crib  is  constructed  on  the  same 
general  lines  as  the  two-mile  crib,  except  that 
the  ports  in  the  protection  break-water  are  at  a 
low  level.  The  newer  cribs  are  built  with  a 
timber  bottom  on  which  are  constructed  the 
crib  walls.  Two  concentric  rings  of  steel,  with 
radial  bulk-heads,  are  filled  with  concrete  to  the 
level  of  the  top  of  the  water.  The  ports  are 
at  a  low  level  and  but  very  little  trouble  is 
experienced  as  a  result  of  even  a  very  severe 
winter.  Even  with  these  improvements,  it  was 
still  necessary  to  keep  a  large  force  of  men 
on  the  cribs  hoisting  ice  day  and  night  from 
the  wells.  It  was  thought  necessary  to  leave 
the  well  area  entirely  open.  Ice  would  form, 
and  the  ice-laden  water  passing  through  would 
leave  its  deposit  of  slush,  anchor  and  drift  ice 
on  the  crib  walls  and  around  the  gates  of  the 
intake  shaft,  necessitating  the  constant  working 
of  the  men  by  night  and  by  day  to  clear  the 
openings  to  this  shaft. 

CARTER  H.  HARRISON  CRIB. — This  struc- 
ture, 2  2-3  miles  from  shore,  represents  the 
highest  type  of  construction  of  an  intake  crib. 
Circular  in  form,  the  large  fields  of  running  ice 
are  readily  parted  and  continue  on  their  jour- 
ney without  detriment  to  the  crib  or  danger 
to  the  water  supply;  whereas,  a  straight  surface 
presenting  a  perpendicular  line  to  the  path  of 
the  field,  caused  the  ice  to  pile  from  the  bottom 
of  the  lake  to  a  height  of  25  or  30  feet  above 
the  water,  entirely  shutting  off  the  intake  ports 
on  that  side.  The  intake  ports  to  the  well 
room  are  at  a  low  level,  and  that,  combined 
with  the  circular  form  of  the  interior  and  a 
thoroughly  modern  heating  plant  in  the  well- 


SCENES    IN    SOUTH    PARK.. 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


747 


room,  allows  the  crib  to  present  such,  a  defense 
that  the  most  severe  conditions  will  not  be  a 
menace  to  the  water  supply.  Light,  comfortable 
quarters,  with  bath-rooms  supplied  with  hot 
and  cold  water,  are  provided,  and  good  sanitary 
conditions  prevail,  so  that  few  of  us  have  in  our 
homes  more  physical  comfort  than  the  crib- 
keeper. 

Contracts  were  let  for  this  work  in  July,  1898, 
which  included  general  work,  steel  and  iron 
work,  electric  light  plant,  heating  apparatus, 
tanks,  pumps,  plumbing,  etc.,  and  work  was 
commenced  May  1,  1899,  and  completed  by  the 
close  of  that  year,  at  a  cost,  including  sub- 
structure, superstructure  and  landing,  of  $192,- 
441.40 — being  $275,000  less  than  the  cost  of  the 
four-mile  crib,  hitherto  the  most  complete  crib 
in  use.  H.  H.  Jackman  was  assistant  engineer 
in  charge. 

Considerable  improvement  has  been  made  in 
the  construction  of  intake  cribs  since  the  old 
two-mile  crib  was  placed  in  the  early  sixties. 
This  crib  is  made  of  wood  and  filled  with  riprap 
and  concrete,  the  superstructure  being  granite 
limestone  and  brick.  It  was  constantly  in  dan- 
ger, both  from  anchor  ice  and  the  large  fields  of 
drifting  ice  that  invade  these  shores  in  the  win- 
ter months,  proving  a  constant  menace  to  the 
ports  and  also  to  the  safety  of  the  crib.  Later 
a  protection  breakwater  was  placed  around  the 
crib  with  an  opening  40  feet  wide  to  admit  tugs 
and  for  the  admission  of  the  water  supply.  But 
this  device,  while  affording  protection  to  the 
crib  from  the  fields  of  ice,  only  added  to  the 
danger  of  shutting  off  the  water  supply  by  the 
ice,  which  made  it  necessary  to  employ  thirty 
men  and  two  tug-boats  during  the  winter 
period.  This  protection,  furnished  by  this  large 
force,  could  have  been  maintained  with  four 
men  had  the  ports  been  placed  near  the  bed 
of  the  lake,  or  had  ports  been  placed  at  a  lower 
level  in  the  protection  breakwater. 

In  the  report  of  City  Engineer  Lewis  B.  Jack- 
son for  1895,  it  is  stated  that  there  were  then 
over  twenty  miles  of  water-supply  tunnels, 
through  which  the  city  drew  its  supply  from 
Lake  Michigan — sizes  five,  six,  seven  and  eight 
feet  in  diameter;  and  a  total  length  of  105,800 
feet.  At  the  present  time  there  are  thirty-eight 
miles  of  tunnels  leading  to  the  pumping  sta- 
tions, costing  $4,338,939,  and  having  a  capacity 
of  615,000,000  gallons.  The  Lake  Tunnel,  east 
under  the  lake,  ten  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  two 
inches  high,  with  a  twelve-foot  intake  shaft  in 


a  crib  two  and  two-thirds  miles  from  shore, 
and  a  land  tunnel  ten  and  eight  feet  in  diam- 
eter, convey  the  supply  to  the  Central  Park 
Avenue  and  Springfield  Avenue  Pumping  Sta- 
tions, having  a  daily  capacity  of  120,000,000 
gallons. 

In  1904  the  water  system  of  Chicago  con- 
sisted of  eight  large  pumping  stations  and  two 
small  ones,  five  intake  cribs,  and  thirty-eight 
miles  of  tunnels.  The  number  of  available 
pumping  engines  was  thirty-six,  having  a  total 
capacity  of  about  530,000,000  gallons  per  day  of 
twenty-four  hours.  The  total  amount  pumped 
for  the  year  1903  was  137,515,701,956,  approxi- 
mating 188  gallons  per  capita.  The  total 
expense  of  operation  and  maintenance  of  the 
pumping  stations  during  the  same  time  was 
$740,176'.81,  and  the  revenue  derived  from  water 
collections  $3,728,493.83.  There  were  19,922 
hydrants  in  use  at  the  close  of  1903,  the  total 
mileage  of  pipe  in  use  at  the  same  date  being 
1,939.75. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT— FREE  BATHS. 


HISTORY    OF   THE    CHICAGO    HEALTH   DEPARTMENT 

THE  CHOLERA  EPIDEMIC  OF  1832 — FIRST  HEALTH 

BOARD    APPOINTED    IN    1833 CHANGES    IN    THE 

SYSTEM — LIST      OF       MEMBERS       OF      DIFFERENT 

HEALTH   BOARDS PUBLIC  BATHS CHICAGO   THE 

FIBST    CITY    IN     THE     WORLD     TO    ESTABLISH     A 

SYSTEM    OF    FREE   BATHS CARTER    H.    HARRISON 

BATH   HOUSE   OPENED  IN   1894 OTHER  BATHING 

STATIONS — BENEFICIAL   EFFECT   OF    THE    SYSTEM 

ON      THE       PUBLIC      HEALTH M'KINLEY      PARK 

SWIMMING  POOL. 

In  the  growth  of  all  cities  and  densely  popu- 
lated districts  the  first  institutions  or  organ- 
izations of  a  medical  character  are  the  off- 
spring of  necessity.  In  1833  the  inhabitants 
of  Chicago,  on  account  of  the  prevalence  of  the 
cholera  epidemic  of  the  previous  year,  by  which 
Fort  Dearborn  became  temporarily  a  cholera 
hospital,  effected  a  township  organization. 
Among  the  earliest  ordinances  adopted  by  the 
Board  of  Trustees  was  one  for  the  protection 
of  the  public  health.  A  fine  of  three  dollars  was 


748 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


imposed  upon  any  one  who  should  throw 
refuse  into  the  river,  and  the  Town  Supervisor 
or  Street  Commissioner  was  authorized  to  re- 
move all  nuisances  recognized  as  detrimental 
to  the  health  of  the  community.  In  1835,  fear- 
ing another  outbreak  of  cholera,  the  village 
Trustees  appointed  a  permanent  Board  of 
Health,  consisting  of  seven  prominent  citizens, 
but  including  only  one  physician,  Dr.  John  T. 
Temple.  No  cholera  appeared  that  year,  how- 
ever; and  after  one  or  two  meetings  the  orig- 
inal town  organization  was  superseded  by  a 
formal  city  incorporation,  one  section  of  the 
act  requiring  the  Common  Council  to  appoint 
annually  three  Commissioners  to  constitute 
a  Board  of  Health,  and  also  a  health  officer, 
who  should  visit  and  care  for  persons  suffer- 
ing from  contagious  and  infectious  diseases. 
The  first  Board  appointed  under  these  pro- 
visions was  organized  in  May,  1837,  and  con- 
sisted of  Dr.  J.  W.  Eldridge,  A.  N.  Fullerton  and 
D.  Cox,  while  Dr.  Daniel  Brainard  was  made 
Health  Officer.  The  Mayor  was  also  ex-offlcio 
member  of  the  Board  of  Health. 

In  1838  Dr.  Brainard  was  superseded  as 
Health  Officer  by  Dr.  E.  S.  Kimberley,  who 
served  until  May,  1841,  when  Dr.  J.  W.  Eld- 
ridge  was  appointed  to  the  position,  and  an 
ordinance  passed  requiring  the  attending  physi- 
cian, in  any  case  resulting  in  the  death  of  the 
patient,  to  give  a  certificate  of  such  death  and 
the  causes  of  the  same,  which  was  the  first  step 
towards .  a  record  of  vital  statistics.  In  1842 
the  duties  of  the  Health  Officer  were  divided 
between  the  City  Physician  and  the  City  Mar- 
shal, and  Dr.  W.  B.  Egan  was  elected  to  the 
former  office  and  Mr.  Austin  Smith  to  the 
latter.  This  arrangement  was  continued  until 
1857,  the  office  of  City  Physician  being  filled 
successively  by  Dr.  Philip  Maxwell  from  1845 
to  1847;  Dr.  Henry  S.  Huber  from  1847  to  1849; 
Dr.  Levi  D.  Boone  from  1849  to  1852 ;  Dr.  A.  B. 
Palmer  during  1852;  Dr.  Brock  McVickar  dur- 
ing 1853-1854  and  1856;  Dr.  I.  Lynn  in  1855; 
Dr.  Gerhard  Paoli  from  1857  to  1859;  Dr. 
William  Wagner  from  1859  to  March  27,  1860, 
when  the  Health  Deparment  was  vacated  by 
an  ordinance  of  the  Common  Council.  The  city 
then  remained  without  sanitary  or  health  offi- 
cers until  December  1,  1861,  when  Dr.  Lucien 
P.  Cheney  was  appointed  City  Physician  with  a 
salary  of  $600  per  annum,  out  of  which  he  was 
to  furnish  the  medicines  required  for  such  indi- 
gent patients  as  were  entitled  to  assistance. 


When  it  is  remembered  that  the  city  population 
at  that  time  numbered  138,186,  including  a 
large  proportion  of  poor  people,  the  salary  men- 
tioned will  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  specimens  of  municipal  economy 
affecting  the  poor;  yet  Dr.  Cheney  held  the 
office  for  thirteen  years,  and  until  his  death 
in  1874,  performing  its  duties  with  as  much 
fidelity  as  if  the  salary  had  been  $6,000.  Soon 
after  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Cheney  as  City 
Physician,  Charles  S.  Perry,  a  policeman,  was 
detailed  to  act  as  Health  Officer,  continuing  in 
that  capacity  until  May,  1865,  when  T.  B. 
Bridges  was  elected  to  the  office.  Mr.  Bridges 
continued  in  the  position  until  March  31,  1867, 
when  the  Health  Department  was  separated 
from  that  of  the  police  and  placed  entirely 
under  the  control  of  the  Board  of  Health,  with 
the  Sanitary  Superintendent  as  its  executive 
officer.  The  new  board  was  composed  of  Drs. 
William  Wagner,  H.  A.  Johnson  and  J.  H. 
Rauch,  with  citizens  William  Giles,  A.  B.  Reyn- 
olds and  Samuel  Hoard,  and  the  Mayor,  J.  B. 
Rice,  as  ex-officio  member  of  the  board.  Dr. 
Rauch  was  made  Sanitary  Superintendent  and 
Dr.  H.  S.  Hahn  City  Physician.  In  1869  Dr. 
George  Schloetzer  superseded  Dr.  Wagner 
as  member  of  the  Board,  which  otherwise 
remained  unchanged  until  after  the  great  fire 
of  1871. 

After  the  disappearance  of  the  cholera  epi- 
demic, which  prevailed  to  some  extent  from 
1854  to  1860,  the  city  continued  quite  free  from 
epidemics,  and,  as  usual  under  such  conditions, 
the  municipal  .authorities  gave  less  and  less 
attention  to  sanitary  conditions,  until,  as 
already  stated,  in  1860  they  formally  abolished 
the  Health  Department  and  transferred  its 
duties  to  the  Mayor  and  police.  This  was  done 
in  opposition  to  the  vigorous  protest  and  earn- 
est warnings  of  the  leading  medical  men  of  the 
city,  acting  both  as  individuals  and  as  members 
of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society. 

From  1858  to  1863  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  made  fre- 
quent efforts  to  have  a  competent  medical 
Health  Officer  placed  in  charge  of  the  sanitary 
interests  of  the  city.  His  efforts  were  actively 
supported  by  Drs.  Rauch,  H.  A.  Johnson  and 
others,  and  in  1865  a  public  meeting  of  the 
profession  appointed  a  committee  consisting  of 
Drs.  Davis,  J.  W.  Freer,  J.  P.  Ross,  H.  Hitch- 
cock, R.  N.  Isham  and  B.  McVickar,  to  formu- 
late and  present  specific  recommendations  to 
the  municipal  authorities  for  improving  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


749 


sanitary  conditions  of  the  city,  and  for  the 
preservation  of  reliable  records  of  vital  sta- 
tistics. The  committee  faithfully  discharged  the 
duties  imposed  upon  it,  and  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  having  a  regular  Board  of  Health 
re-established  in  1867,  with  a  competent  physi- 
cian as  Sanitary  Superintendent. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  while  sanitary 
affairs  were  being  neglected,  and  the  city  was 
substantially  without  a  Health  Department,  the 
population  was  rapidly  increasing,  and  the  busi- 
ness of  slaughtering  and  meat-packing  indus- 
try, near  the  South  Branch,  had  been  begun  and 
was  being  actively  prosecuted,  and  enough  of 
the  blood  and  offal  allowed  to  enter  the  river  to 
contaminate  both  air  and  water.  To  such  an 
extent  had  this  nuisance  grown  that,  during 
the  years  1863  and  1864,  the  whole  river  was 
tinged  with  blood.  Fish  ceased  to  live  in  it, 
and  the  odor  was  perceptible  over  a  large  part 
of  the  city.  In  the  autumn  of  1862  a  number 
of  cases  of  smallpox  appeared  in  the  city,  and 
the  disease  spread  with  such  persistence  that 
2,000  cases  were  reported  during  the  years 
1862,  '63  and  '64.  During  the  two  latter  years 
a  severe  epidemic  of  erysipelas  also  prevailed, 
much  the  larger  number  of  cases  being  located 
in  proximity  to  the  river. 

Immediately  following  these  local  scourges 
came  the  cholera  epidemic  in  Europe  of  1865, 
and  in  this  country  in  1866,  which  finally  com- 
pelled the  people  of  Chicago  to  heed  the  per- 
sistent warnings  of  medical  men,  sufficiently  at 
least  to  take  measures  to  create  the  efficient  and 
intelligent  Board  of  Health  of  1867.  The  Board 
as  then  organized  remained  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Drs.  J.  H.  Rauch  and  H.  A.  Johnson, 
the  former  serving  as  Sanitary  Superintendent 
and  the  latter  as  President  of  the  Board  until 
1873-1874.  In  August,  1873,  Dr.  Rauch  resigned 
and  Dr.  Benjamin  C.  Miller  was  appointed  his 
successor.  In  January,  1874,  Dr.  Johnson 
resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  H.  Hahn. 
In  October,  1875,  Dr.  Hahn  died,  and  the 
vacancy  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Dr. 
Brock  McVickar. 

In  July,  1876,  another  change  came  in  the 
adoption  by  the  City  Council  of  an  ordinance 
abolishing  the  Board  of  Health,  and  devolving 
its  powers  and  duties  upon  a  chief  officer  called 
the  Commissioner  of  Health,  with  provision 
for  a  corps  of  Sanitary  Inspectors  and  a  Regis- 
trar of  Vital  Statistics.  The  following  January 
(1877)  Dr.  McVickar  resigned  his  office,  and 


Oscar  DeWolf  was  appointed  Commissioner  of 
Health,  with  Dr.  J.  S.  Knox  as  assistant,  Dr. 
H.  P.  Wright  as  Registrar  of  Vital  Statistics, 
and  a  corps  of  three  medical  inspectors.  Dur- 
ing the  same  year  an  ordinance  was  passed 
giving  the  Commissioner  of  Health  more  con- 
trol over  the  slaughtering,  packing,  rendering, 
fertilizing  and  other  establishments  liable  to 
affect  the  public  health. 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  in  May, 
1881,  manufactories,  work-shops,  tenement  and 
lodging  houses,  etc.,  were  brought  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Health  Commissioner. 

While  Chicago  spends  the  least  amount  per 
capita  for  health  purposes,  it  has  the  lowest 
death  rate  of  any  of  the  principal  cities  of  the 
country.  In  accomplishing  this  result  the  fol- 
lowing features  of  the  Health  Department's 
work  are  regarded  as  important  factors: 

1.  The  supervision    and    inspection    of    the 
milk  supply,  which  has  resulted  in  giving  to  the 
city  the  purest  supply  of  milk  and  cream  of 
any  large  city  in  the  country. 

2.  The  efforts  of  the  Department  in  connec- 
tion with  the  use  of  preventive  methods  and 
remedies,  especially  with  reference  to  consump- 
tion,  diphtheria,   influenza,   pneumonia,  scarlet 
fever,  smallpox  and  typhoid  fever. 

3.  The   city's   system   of   free   public   baths, 
open  throughout  the  year. 

Among  other  features  of  the  Department's 
work  may  be  mentioned  the  development  of  a 
first-class  practical  working  laboratory  of  chem- 
istry, bacteriology,  pathology,  and  diagnosis,  by 
means  of  which  more  than  100,000  separate 
determinations  and  manipulations  are  made 
annually  in  the  regular  branches,  exclusive  of 
special  examinations  and  analyses. 

The  original  devising  and  subsequent  per- 
fecting of  a  system  of  disinfection,  which  is 
widely  copied  elsewhere. 

The  inauguration  of  medical  school  inspec- 
tion, this  being  the  second  city  in  the  country 
to  make  the  attempt. 

The  vast  improvement  in  the  registration  of 
vital  statistics  and  the  certification  of  causes 
of  death. 

The  supervision  of  contagious  disease  during 
life,  and  conduct  of  funerals  and  care  of  prem- 
ises after  death. 

And,  above  all,  the  persistent  education  of  the 
public  by  circulars,  leaflets,  bulletins,  lectures 
and  addresses,  and  the  public  press. 

The  Chicago  public  is  thus  made  more  intel- 


750 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ligent  on  sanitary  matters  than  is  any  other 
community,  and  largely  to  this  fact  is  ascribed 
the  constantly  increasing  healthfulness,  the 
reducing  of  the  death  rate,  and  the  lengthening 
of  human  life  in  Chicago. 

Dr.  DeWolf  continued  in  the  office  ten  years, 
during  which  time  the  practical  working  of  the 
city  Health  Department  was  systematized, 
much  extended,  and  administered  with  more 
than  ordinary  efficiency.  He  resigned  in  1887, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Swayne  Wicker- 
sham  who,  after  a  service  of  three  years,  in 
1890  gave  place  to  Dr.  John  D.  Ware;  the  latter 
serving  until  April,  1893.  Dr.  Ware  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  Arthur  R.  Reynolds,  who 
remained  until  1895,  when  W.  R.  Kerr  was 
appointed,  and  served  until  April,  1897,  when 
Dr.  Arthur  R.  Reynolds  was  again  appointed, 
and  still  retains  the  position.  The  Department 
is  growing  rapidly  in  importance  and  in  influ- 
ence, and  is  frequently  quoted  and  commended 
by  sanitary  and  other  publications. 

The  main  offices  of  the  Department  of  Health 
are  located  in  Rooms  2,  4,  9,  409,  411,  413  and 
415  City  Hall  . 

FREE  BATH  SYSTEM. — The  Free  Public  Bath 
system,  already  mentioned  as  an  important  fac- 
tor in  maintaining  the  high  sanitary  standard 
of  the  city  of  Chicago,  is  claimed  in  its  incep- 
tion to  have  been  the  first  absolutely  free  bath 
system  put  in  operation  in  the  world — other 
public  baths  previous  to  its  establishment 
charging  a  small  fee,  ranging  from  two  cents 
at  the  Volksbad  in  Vienna,  to  five  cents  in  the 
public  rain  baths  in  New  York  City.  The  first 
of  its  kind  to  be  established  in  Chicago  was 
the  Carter  H.  Harrison  Bath  House,  which  was 
opened  to  the  public  at  192  Mather  Street,  in 
the  Nineteenth  Ward,  in  January,  1894.  The 
original  cost  of  the  building  was  $7,825,  while 
the  plumbing  and  the  heating  apparatus  cost 
the  additional  sum  of  $2,511,  making  a  total  of 
a  little  over  $10,000.  The  Martin  B.  Madden 
Bath,  located  at  Thirty-ninth  Street  and  Went- 
worth  Avenue,  was  opened  to  the  public  April 
17,  1897.  "Public  Bath  Number  3"  and  the  "R. 
A.  Waller  Bath"  were  established  respectively 
in  1900  and  1901,  the  former  located  in  the 
Twenty-ninth  Ward  and  the  latter  in  the 
Eighteenth  Ward. 

Besides  these,  bathing  stations  have  been 
opened  at  a  number  of  the  pumping  stations, 
which,  by  the  utilization  of  the  warm  waste 


water,  furnish  accommodations  to  a  large  num- 
ber of  people. 

The  outdoor  Swimming  and  Wading  Pool, 
located  in  McKinley  Park,  in  the  southwest  part 
of  the  city,  was  opened  during  the  year  1903, 
and  promises  to  be  of  great  convenience  to  a 
large  class  of  population  situated  remotely  from 
the  lake  shore.  The  dimensions  of  the  pool  are 
350  by  150  feet,  the  depth  ranging  from  nothing 
to  nine  feet,  the  whole  surrounded  by  a  graded 
walk,  with  a  shelter  731/&  feet  in  length  by  44^4 
feet  in  width.  Dressing  rooms  and  suits  are 
provided  free. 

The  number  of  persons — men,  women  and 
children — availing  themselves  of  the  advan- 
tages of  the  public  bathing  houses  and  bathing 
stations  during  the  year  1903  was  estimated 
at  over  half  a  million. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


HARBORS,    FERRIES    AND    BRIDGES. 


FIRST    WHITE    VISITORS    TO    THE    CHICAGO    RIVER 

IMPORTANCE       OF       A       HARBOR       AT       CHICAGO 

ATTRACTS     ATTENTION    IN     1814 ILLINOIS    AND 

MICHIGAN  CANAL  AND  CHICAGO  HARBOR 
TWIN  ENTERPRISES FIRST  STEP  IN  IM- 
PROVEMENT OF  CALUMET  HARBOR  AND 
RIVER  BEGUN  IN  1870 RANK  OF  CHI- 
CAGO AS  A  MARITIME  PORT HISTORY  OF 

FERRIES  AND  BRIDGES — FIRST  FERRY  ESTAB- 
LISHED IN  1829 ADVANCE  FROM  THE  INDIAN 

CANOE  TO  THE  BASCULE  BRIDGE. 

The  division  of  harbors  connected  with  the 
Department  of  Public  Works  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  has  general  supervision  over  the  City 
Harbor,  including  the  Lake  Front,  the  waters  of 
Lake  Michigan  extending  three  miles  into  the 
lake  between  the  north  and  south  limits  of  the 
city;  the  Chicago  River  and  its  branches,  and 
all  slips  adjacent  thereto;  as  well  as  the  Calu- 
met River  and  all  slips  adjacent  thereto.  The 
officers  having  general  supervision  of  harbor 
affairs  are:  Robert  B.  Wilcox,  Assistant  Engi- 
neer in  Charge;  John  A.  McCarthy,  Harbor 
Master;  Thomas  J.  Elderkin,  Vessel  Despatcher. 

HISTORICAL  (1673-1901). — The  first  white  men 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


to  come  to  the  Chicago  River  with  their  boats 
were  the  French  Jesuit  Missionaries  and  the 
fur-trade  adventurers.  Vague  rumors,  through 
intercourse  with  the  Indians,  had  given  them 
an  idea  of  a  great  river  in  the  West,  and 
through  the  lakes  and  this  great  unknown  river 
they  expected  to  find  a  navigable  water  course 
across  the  continent.  It  was  this  idea  of  a 
water  way  that  made  Chicago  and  the  Chicago 
Harbor.  Marquette  and  Joliet  came  here  in 
1673  and  Marquette's  map,  published  in  1681, 
shows  a  river  connecting  the  Mississippi  and 
Lake  Michigan. 

The  importance  of  a  harbor  at  Chicago  was 
first  talked  of  August  6,  1814,  in  connection 
with  the  idea  of  having  a  canal  which  would 
connect  the  waters  of  Lake  Michagan  with  the 
Mississippi  River.  "Chicago  Creek"  at  that 
time  did  not  amount  to  much,  and  its  mouth 
was  blocked  by  sand  which  would  admit  the 
passage  of  small  boats  only  over  the  bar, 
although  the  water  was  deep  enough  above  the 
mouth  to  float  larger  vessels.  The  importance 
of  the  harbor  arose  from  the  fact  that  a  short 
portage  only  separated  its  waters  from  those 
flowing  into  the  Mississippi. 

The  projection  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
Canal  was  the  making  of  Chicago.  The  canal 
and  harbor  were  twin  enterprises.  Without  a 
good  harbor  Chicago  could  never  have  become 
a  port  of  entry;  and  if  there  were  no  clear 
way  of  exit  into  Lake  Michigan  the  canal 
would  be  almost  worthless.  As  a  result  of  cor- 
respondence in  1830  between  residents  of  Chi- 
cago, then  a  settlement  of  less  than  one  hun- 
dred inhabitants,  and  members  of  Congress,  the 
first  appropriation  of  $25,000  was  made  in  1833 
for  the  improvement  of  Chicago  Harbor,  and 
work  was  commenced  the  same  year  under  the 
direction  of  Major  George  Bender.  The  project 
contemplated  the  formation  of  a  channel  four- 
teen feet  wide,  through  the  mouth  of  the  river 
and  between  two  piers  extending  into  the  lake. 
The  work  was  carried  on  at  irregular  intervals 
and,  with  various  modifications,  until  1870,  when 
the  present  plan  for  an  outer  harbor  was  adopt- 
ed, which  contemplated  the  construction  of  an 
easterly  breakwater  4,000  feet  long,  about  3,300 
feet  from  the  shore,  and  a  southwesterly  break- 
water 3,000  feet  long,  the  protected  area  being 
about  455  acres,  of  which  270  acres  were 
reserved  for  piers  and  slips,  and  270  acres  with 
a  depth  dredged  to  sixteen  feet  for  harborage. 
Up  to  and  including  1869  the  Government 


expended  $416,167.22  during  the  years  1863  to 
1865.  In  1878  the  plan  was  still  further  modi- 
fied by  proposing  an  additional  breakwater 
about  5,400  feet  long  to  be  located  north  and 
east  of  the  harbor  entrance.  Up  to  and  includ- 
ing 1900  the  United  States  Government  has 
expended  for  the  improvement  of  the  harbor 
proper  $2,201,005,  which  is  a  very  small  amount 
in  comparison  with  the  money  spent  on  other 
harbors,  when  the  importance  of  Chicago  as  a 
port  is  taken  into  account. 

CALUMET  HARBOR  AND  RIVER. — The  improve- 
ment of  the  Calumet  Harbor  and  River  has  been 
carried  on  by  the  United  States  Government. 
The  improvement  of  the  harbor  proper  was 
started  in  July,  1870.  The  object  was  to  provide 
a  deep  entrance  to  the  Calumet  River,  which 
was  accomplished  by  building  parallel  piers 
(300  feet  apart),  projecting  into  the  lake  from 
the  shore  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  dredg- 
ing between  them  to  a  depth  of  20  feet.  To 
June  30,  1900,  4,140  lineal  feet  of  the  north 
pier,  4,020  lineal  feet  of  the  south  pier,  and 
1,000  feet  of  foundation  of  the  proposed  4,400 
feet  of  the  outer  breakwater  had  been  completed. 
Vessels  of  the  largest  size  and  deepest  draft 
known  to  the  Great  Lakes  now  frequent  this, 
the  most  capacious  artificial  harbor  on  Lake 
Michigan. 

The  importance  of  Chicago  as  a  port  is  shown 
by  the  following  statement  taken  from  the 
report  of  W.  S.  Chance,  Supervising  Special 
Agent  of  the  United  States  Treasury  Depart- 
ment, dated  June  30,  1900.  From  this  state- 
ment it  will  be  seen  that  Chicago  stands  in  the 
fourth  place  in  point  of  collections,  and  in 
the  first  place  in  point  of  vessels  entered  and 
cleared.  Chicago  leads  New  York  by  2,998 
total  entrances  and  clearances,  and  falls  but 
4,331  below  the  total  of  the  group  including 
Baltimore,  Boston,  New  Orleans,  Philadelphia 
and  San  Francisco.  Thus  we  see  Chicago  stand- 
ing at  the  very  head  of  the  list  of  ports  con- 
nected with  the  marine  trade  on  the  American 
continent. 

CALUMET  AND  CHICAGO  CANAL. — A  corpora- 
tion chartered  by  act  of  the  Legislature  March 
10,  1869,  under  the  name  of  the  Calumet  &  Chi- 
cago Canal  &  Dock  Company,  has  been  the 
means  of  developing  that  part  of  Chicago  and 
Cook  County  known  as  the  Calumet  region.  It 
had  its  inception  in  the  plans  of  the  Bowen 
brothers  (Chauncey  and  James  H.),  who,  in  the 
early  sixties,  made  extensive  purchases  of  land 


752 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


along  the  Calumet  River.  As  just  noted,  a 
charter  was  granted  to  a  company  consisting 
of  Elam  G.  Clark,  Daniel  J.  Schuyler,  George 
W.  White,  James  H.  Woodworth,  Charles  V. 
Dyer,  John  McCaffrey,  George  Schneider,  John 
V.  Le  Moyne  and  George  W.  Sanford,  represent- 
ing a  capital  of  $500,000,  with  power  to  pur- 
chase land,  condemn  right  of  way  and  con- 
struct a  canal  connecting  the  Calumet  River 
with  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  Several 
thousand  acres  of  land  were  acquired  in  con- 
nection with  the  enterprise,  and  the  contem- 
plated improvement  of  the  Calumet  River 
began.  The  canal,  however,  was  not  built,  and 
in  time  the  company  became  financially  in- 
volved. A  reorganization  was  effected  in  1881, 
and  a  total  of  common  stock  was  issued  of 
$3,800,000  and  bonds  amounting  to  $1,800,000. 
With  the  proceeds  secured  by  the  sale  of  bonds, 
docks  were  built  and  the  river  dredged,  making, 
with  subsequent  improvements  inaugurated  by 
the  General  Government,  one  of  the  best  har- 
bors on  Lake  Michigan.  By  making  certain 
concessions  the  company  induced  large  indus- 
tries to  locate  along  the  harbor,  and  the  Calu- 
met region  is  today  one  of  the  most  busy  and 
prosperous  manufacturing,  and  shipping  points 
in  the  State,  in  some  respects  rivaling  even  the 
district  immediately  adjacent  to  the  Chicago 
River.  Preferred  stock  was  issued  to  take  up 
mortgages  upon  property  of  the  company,  and 
the  last  of  these  were  taken  up  in  1891,  leaving 
the  company  free  from  indebtedness.  The  cor- 
poration is  still  actively  engaged  in  advancing 
the  business  interests  and  promoting  the  devel- 
opment of  the  Calumet  valley.  The  present 
officers  are:  President,  Leslie  Carter;  Vice- 
President,  William  J.  Watson;  Secretary,  Stew- 
art Spalding. 

FERRIES,  BRIDGES  AND  VIADUCTS  (1829  to 
1901). — In  view  of  the  unparalleled  growth  of 
Chicago  from  a  "frontier  settlement"  to  the 
world-famous  city  of  the  Twentieth  Century, 
with  its  2,000,000  inhabitants,  each  and  every 
detail  of  this  phenomenal  development  will  be 
of  interest  to  future  generations  who  are  des- 
tined to  reap  the  fruit,  the  seeds  of  which  were 
planted  by  the  pioneers  of  that  early  period. 
It  is  the  purpose  here  to  present  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  improvements  of  the  river  and  harbor, 
those  great  arteries  of  commerce,  especially 
in  respect  to  those  features  most  closely  con- 
nected with  the  development  of  bridge  and  via- 
duct construction. 


The  first  means  established  for  crossing  the 
Chicago  River,  as  an  improvement  upon  the 
"Indian's  canoe,"  was  by  means  of  a  ferry,  for 
which  a  license  was  granted  by  the  County 
Commissioners  June  2,  1829,  to  Archibald  Cly- 
bourn,  Samuel  Miller  and  John  B.  Beaubien, 
authorizing  them  "to  keep  a  ferry  across  the 
Chicago  River  at  the  lower  forks,  near  Wolf 
Point  (located  where  the  Lake  Street  bridge 
now  crosses  the  river),  crossing  the  river  below 
the  northeast  branch,  and  to  land  on  either 
side  of  both  branches,  to  meet  the  convenience 
of  persons  wishing  to  cross." 

The  license  •  fee  was  two  dollars,  and  the 
rates  established  for  crossing  were  as  follows: 
For  each  foot  passenger,  6*4  cents;  man  and 
horse,  12%  cents;  horse  and  pleasure  vehicle, 
50  cents;  one-horse  wagon,  25  cents;  two-horse 
wagon,  37%  cents;  cattle  or  mules,  10  cents; 
hogs,  3  cents;  merchandise,  per  hundredweight, 
and  grain,  per  bushel,  6*4  cents. 

A  public  ferry  was  established  in  1831  across 
the  Chicago  River  at  the  forks,  over  which 
it  was  provided  the  people  of  the  County  should 
be  passed  free,  all  others  to  be  charged  schedule 
rates.  Mark  Beaubien  was  the  first  duly  ap- 
pointed ferryman. 

The  ferries  established  not  affording  sufficient 
facilities  for  transportation  across  the  river, 
the  construction  of  bridges  was  regarded  as  a 
necessity.  The  first  of  these  to  be  built  was  in 
the  summer  of  1832,  near  Kinzie  Street,  across 
the  North  Branch,  for  the  use  of  foot  passen- 
gers only,  and  was  erected  by  Samuel  Miller. 
During  the  year  1833  a  floating  bridge,  con- 
sisting of  rough  logs,  was  constructed  over  the 
South  Branch  just  north  of  Randolph  Street, 
at  a  cost  of  $486.20,  of  which  $200  was  con- 
tributed by  the  Indians  of  the  vicinity.  It  was 
built  by  Alanson  H.  and  Charles  Taylor. 

The  first  drawbridge  over  the  main  branch 
of  the  river  was  placed  at  Dearborn  Street 
in  1834.  The  timber  used  in  the  construction 
of  the  bridge  was  cut  from  land  adjoining  Mich- 
igan Avenue.  The  structure  was  300  feet  long, 
with  a  sixty-foot  passage  for  vessels. 

The  old  Dearborn  Street  drawbridge  was 
demolished  in  1839,  and  a  "scow-ferry"  sub- 
stituted. The  proprietors  of  the  warehouses 
located  on  the  North  Side  were  clamorous  for 
a  new  structure,  by  which  the  wagon-loads  of 
grain  and  produce  coming  into  the  city  from 
the  south  might  more  easily  reach  them,  thus 
insuring  more  healthful  competition.  This  rea- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


753 


sonable  demand  was  opposed  in  the  Council 
for  a  long  time,  and  the  ordinance  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  Clark  Street  bridge,  in  1840, 
was  carried  only  by  the  deciding  vote  of  Mayor 
B.  W.  Raymond.  This  was  a  floating  swing- 
bridge  constructed  after  plans  made  by  W.  B. 
Ogden,  and  similar  structures  were  built  at 
Wells,  Randolph  and  Kinzie  Streets  between 
1846  and  1849.  These  bridges  were  operated 
by  a  chain  and  capstan.  The  bridges  at  Clark, 
Wells,  Kinzie  and  Randolph  Streets  were  swept 
away  by  the  flood  and  ice  in  1849. 

In  1849  bridges  were  built  at  Madison  and  at 
Randolph  Streets,  being  constructed  largely  by 
means  furnished  by  subscriptions  of  property 
owners  whose  property  would  be  benefltted  by 
such  improvements.  In  April,  1847,  an  ordi- 
nance was  passed  prohibiting  teams  from  stop- 
ping on  a  bridge  or  within  forty  feet  of  one. 
Previous  to  the  flood  of  1849  the  city  did  little 
to  regulate  bridges  or  bridge-tenders.  There 
were  continuous  complaints  about  the  slowness 
and  indifference  of  bridge-tenders,  and  it  was 
not  until  1852  that  they  were  required  to  give 
bonds  "for  the  faithful  performance  of  their 
duties,"  the  amount  of  a  bond  being  placed  at 
$500  for  each  incumbent;  but  by  the  ordinance 
of  January  13,  1854,  bridge-tenders  were  made 
special  policemen,  and  their  bonds  were  in- 
creased from  $500  to  $2,000,  and  they  were 
required  merely  to  open  and  close  their  bridges 
as  quickly  as  possible. 

A  pivot-bridge  was  built  at  Clark  Street  in 
1854  at  a  cost  of  $12,000.  It  contained  a  double 
carriage-way  and  sidewalks.  In  1856  the  plans 
for  a  bridge  at  Madison  Street  were  agreed 
upon.  As  it  was  proposed  to  construct  the 
bridge  at  municipal  expense,  a  vigorous  pro- 
test was  entered  against  such  a  proceeding.  The 
bridge  was  finally  built  in  1857  for  $30,000,  and 
was  the  first  bridge  constructed  entirely  at  the 
city's  expense. 

The  first  iron  bridge  in  the  West  was  built 
in  1856  at  Rush  Street,  and  this  marked  a  new 
era  of  bridge  construction  in  Chicago.  The 
primitive  wooden  bridges  of  the  pioneers  were 
supplanted  by  those  made  of  iron — or  a  com- 
bination of  wood  and  iron — which,  owing  to  the 
increasing  traffic,  had  in  turn  to  give  way  to 
the  steel  swing  bridges  of  today. 

Previous  to  the  fire  of  1871  the  city  owned 
and  operated  twenty-seven  bridges,  which  were 
constructed  between  1856  and  1870,  inclusive, 
to  replace  the  slow-moving  float-bridges  which 


at  one  time  were  the  only  ones  in  use.  Six 
bridges  were  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  October 
8  and  9,  1871,  involving  a  loss  of  $71,000.  By 
March,  1873,  the  work  of  rebuilding  the  bridges 
and  viaducts  destroyed  by  the  fire  was  about 
completed,  at  a  cost  of  $526,921  for  the  former, 
and  $189,573  for  the  latter.  From  1879  to 
1886  eight  bridges  were  constructed,  costing 
the  city  $320,452,  and  the  railroad  corporations 
$106,461.  During  the  same  period  nine  via- 
ducts were  built  and  three  old  ones "  renewed, 
at  a  cost  to  the  city  of  $582,599  and  to  the 
railroads  of  $723,134.  The  contrast  between 
these  figures  and  those  of  1887  and  1888  is  strik- 
ing. During  these  years  six  bridges  were  con- 
structed, which  cost  the  city  only  $243,297,  the 
railroads  paying  $197,195.  Ten  viaducts  were 
erected  and  two  renewed  at  a  cost  to  the  city  of 
only  $214,155,  while  that  to  the  railroads  was 
$968,256. 

The  first  attempt  in  Chicago  to  overcome  the 
objectionable  features  of  the  swing-bridge  was 
made  in  1891  by  the  construction  of  the  Weed 
Street  bridge — a  movable  bridge  without  cen- 
ter pier,  known  as  a  "folding  bridge,"  patented 
by  Captain  Harmon,  which  has  not  proved  a 
success  on  account  of  the  expense  of  its  main- 
tenance and  its  easily  getting  out  of  order. 
In  1893  a  somewhat  improved  form  of  this 
bridge  was  constructed  at  Canal  Street,  but 
it  had  the  same  objectionable  features  found  in 
the  Weed  Street  bridge.  In  1894  the  "Waddell" 
lift-bridge  was  built  over  the  South  Branch,  at 
South  Halsted  Street.  While  this  bridge  re- 
moves the  objectionable  feature  of  the  center- 
pier  and  protection,  its  cost  is  something  enor- 
mous ($237,000),  and  its  operation,  repairs  and 
maintenance  have  been  a  constant  source  of 
expense  to  the  city.  In  1895  a  rolling  lift- 
bridge,  patented  by  William  Scherzer,  was  built 
over  the  South  Branch,  at  Van  Buren  Street. 
In  1897  a  similar  bridge  was  built  over  the 
North  Branch,  at  Halsted  Street.  These  bridges, 
although  a  marked  improvement  upon  the  fold- 
ing and  lift-bridges,  have  some  objectionable 
features.  The  main  objection  lies  in  the  fact 
that  this  type  of  bridge  requires  a  most  solid 
foundation. 

In  1899  the  Bridge  Division  of  the  City  made 
a  critical  analysis  of  the  literature  on  movable 
bridges  built  in  the  United  States  and  Europe, 
with  a  view  to  selecting  a  type  of  bridge  suit- 
able to  the  requirements  of  the  Chicago  River 
and  its  branches.  The  result  of  this  analysis 


754 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


was  very  ably  put  in  the  form  of  a  report  by 
Alexander  Von  Babo,  showing  the  advantages 
and  disadvantages  of  the  various  movable 
bridges  in  use.  The  type  known  as  the  "Trun- 
nion Bascule  Bridge"  was  considered  to  be  the 
one  that  could  most  fully  and  satisfactorily 
meet  Chicago  requirements  from  a  scientific 
as  well  as  a  practical  and  ecomonical  point  of 
view.  Three  complete  designs  were  made,  dif- 
fering in  appearance,  but  all  involving  the  main 
feature  (that  of  a  revolving  trunnion),  which 
were  submitted  to  a  Board  of  Consulting  Engi- 
neers appointed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Public 
Works,  consisting  of  the  following  well-known 
engineers:  E.  L.  Cooley,  Ralph  Modjeski  and 
Byron  B.  Carter.  The  Board  recommended 
design  No.  3,  with  some  modifications,  which 
were  subsequently  carried  into  effect.  The 
design  was  prepared  and  worked  out  with  great 
care  by  Mr.  Edward  Wilmann,  City  Bridge 
Engineer,  and  John  Ericson,  City  Engineer, 
with  a  view  to  its  adoption  for  all  the  bridges 
of  this  type,  and  approved  by  L.  E.  McGann, 
Commissioner  of  Public  Works,  and  the  above 
named  consulting  engineers.  Credit  is  also  due 
to  Thomas  G.  Pihlfeldt,  Assistant  City  Bridge 
Engineer,  and  Alexander  Von  Babo  and  Karl  L. 
Lehman,  structural  iron  designers,  and  Mr. 
John  C.  Bley,  machine  designer,  for  their  serv- 
ice in  connection  with  this  work.  Competitive 
designs  and  bids  were  opened  May  15,  1900,  for 
the  Ninety-fifth  Street  bridge,  and  a  contract 
awarded  to  Roemheld  &  Gallery  June  21,  1900. 
The  approximate  cost  was  $152,000,  and  work 
commenced  July  18,  1900.  Bids  for  the  Division 
Street  bridge  were  opened  June  1,  1900,  and  the 
contract  was  signed  July  11,  1900  (contractors, 
Messrs.  Roemheld  &  Gallery) ;  approximate  cost, 
$133,000;  work  commenced  July  16,  1900.  Bids 
were  opened  for  the  Clybourn  Place  bridge 
January  25,  1901;  contracts  signed  during 
1901;  contractors,  American  Bridge  Com- 
pany; approximate  cost  $148,000,  including  bid 
lor  substructure  by  Fitzsimmons  &  Connell 
amounting  to  $64,000.  Plans  and  specifica- 
tions submitted  by  the  Sanitary  District  of 
Chicago  for  Canal  Street  bridge  have  been 
approved  and  signed;  also  for  a  viaduct  at 
Canal  and  Sixteenth  Street,  submitted  by  the 


Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  and  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  Railroad  Companies,  and 
work  commenced  July  30,  1900. 

Supervision  of  the  erection  of  the  Northwest- 
ern Elevated  Railroad,  together  with  the  usual 
miscellaneous  work  of  preparing  plans,  plats 
and  data  for  various  projects,  constitute  a  por- 
tion of  the  work  of  this  division. 

The  navigable  portions  of  the  river  are  now 
crossed  by  fifty-eight  draw-bridges,  of  which 
eight  are  for  railroads  exclusively,  forty-eight 
for  streets  and  street  railways  exclusively,  and 
two  for  both  street  and  traffic.  These  two  latter 
carry  Lake  Street  and  the  Lake  Street  Elevated 
Railway,  Wells  Street  and  the  Northwestern 
Elevated  Railway  respectively.  Of  all  these 
existing  draw-bridges,  fifty  are  swing-bridges — 
all  but  one  (the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railway)  having  center  piers.  One  of 
these  is  a  vertical  bridge,  at  Halsted  Street; 
two  are  folding  bridges,  at  Weed  Street  and 
Canal  Street;  and  five  are  Bascule  bridges.  The 
present  scheme  of  improvement  provides  for 
the  replacement  of  twelve  swing-bridges  with  as 
many  Bascule  bridges. 

The  "Granger"  bridge,  built  between  1846  and 
1849,  swung  on  a  pivot  from  the  shore  end, 
with  the  swinging  end  on  a  float  made  out  of 
sheetiron  (a  square  box  concern)  and  turned 
by  a  capstan.  There  was  one  each  at  Lake 
Clark  and  Wells  Streets.  At  Kinzie  Street  the 
old-fashioned  weight  draw-bridge  was  built, 
which  was  the  first  edition  of  the  later  "Bas- 
cule." In  1856  the  Rush  Street  bridge  was 
built  of  steel,  which  was  a  great  improvement 
over  the  float-bridge;  but  on  account  of  a  large 
drove  of  cattle  being  driven  on  while  the  bridge 
was  turning,  the  cattle  were  forced  to  run  to 
the  north  end  of  the  bridge,  which  caused  the 
structure  to  break  in  two  on  the  center  pivot, 
and  the  cattle  were  dumped  into  the  river,  only 
a  few  being  saved  alive  by  being  hoisted  upon 
a  vessel  standing  near  by. 

The  progress  from  the  "Indian  canoe"  for 
crossing  the  Chicago  River  to  the  modern  Bas- 
cule bridge  has  taken  comparatively  a  few 
years,  and  is  the  partial  fulfillment  of  the  say- 
ing that  "Chicago  beats  the  world"  for  growth 
and  improvements. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


755 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


DRAINAGE    AND    SEWERAGE. 


FIRST  ATTEMPT  TO  ORGANIZE  A  DRAINAGE  AND 
SEWERAGE  SYSTEM  FOR  CHICAGO  IN  1847 — 
DRAINAGE  AND  SEWERAGE  COMMISSIONS 

APPOINTED    IN    1852    AND    1855 THE    SEWERAGE 

COMMISSION    GIVES    PLACE    TO    A    BOARD    OF    PUB- 
LIC   WORKS    IN     1861 CHANGES    OF    THE    LAST 

FIFTY    YEARS — EXTENT    AND    COST    OF    SYSTEM — 

THE       DRAINAGE       CANAL ITS       HISTORY       AND 

EXTENT COST   OF   THE    WORK   OVER    $45,000,000. 

On  February  18,  1847,  a  legislative  act,  sup- 
plementary to  the  City  Charter,  granted  to  the 
Common  Council  power  to  build  and  repair 
sewers  by  special  assessment  upon  the  prop- 
erty benefited  thereby. 

In  the  year  1849,  Madison  Street,  east  and 
west,  and  State  Street,  north  and  south,  were 
decided  upon  as  the  summit  in  the  South 
Division  of  the  city;  the  grades  of  that  por- 
tion lying  north  of  Madison  Street  and  west  of 
State  Street  to  slope  to  the  north  and  drain 
into  the  main  river;  the  portion  east  of  State 
to  slope  east  and  drain  into  the  lake;  and  the 
portion  south  of  Madison  and  west  of  State 
Street  to  slope  west  and  discharge  into  the 
South  Branch.  Nothing  was  done  by  way  of 
drainage,  however,  except  to  open  ditches, 
until  the  year  1850,  when  triangular  shaped 
wooden  box  sewers  were  built  in  Clark,  La- 
Salle  and  Wells  Streets  from  the  main  river 
to  the  alleys  south  of  Randolph  Street.  The  cost 
of  these  alley  sewers  was  $2,871.90,  which 
amount  was  wholly  paid  for  by  the  property 
benefited. 

By  act  of  the  Legislature,  dated  June  23,  1852, 
a  commission  consisting  of  Henry  Smith. 
George  W.  Snow,  James  H.  Reed,  George  Steele, 
H.  L.  Stewart,  Isaac  Cook  and  Charles  V.  Duer 
was  appointed  and  empowered  to  locate,  con- 
struct and  maintain  ditches,  culverts,  embank- 
ments, bridges  and  roads  In  lands  lying  in 
Townships  37,  38,  39  and  40  North,  Ranges 
12,  13  and  14  East  of  the  Third  Principal 
Meridian  (Cook  County),  and  to  the  land  and 
material  necessary  for  these  improvements, 
and  assess  the  cost  of  such  work  upon  the  land 
they  deemed  to  be  benefited  thereby.  The  lan<l 
drained  extended  about  four  miles  north,  eight 


miles  west,  and  ten  miles  south  from  the  then 
city  limits,  nearly  all  of  which  has  since  been 
annexed  to  the  city. 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved  Febru- 
ary 14,  1855,  a  Board  of  Sewerage  Commission- 
ers was  appointed  by  the  City  Council,  consist- 
ing of  one  member  from  each  of  the  three 
divisions  of  the  city.  It  was  their  duty  to  con- 
sider all  questions  relating  to  the  thorough  and 
systematic  drainage  of  the  city;  to  submit  a 
plan  and  an  estimate  of  the  cost  to  the  Common 
Council,  and  to  issue  bonds,  from  time  to  time, 
as  they  should  deem  expedient,  not  exceeding 
the  sum  of  $500,000,  pledging  the  faith  and 
credit  of  the  city  for  the  payment  of  the  prin- 
cipal and  interest  thereof. 

The  first  Commission  consisted  of  William 
B.  Ogden,  J.  D.  Webster  and  Sylvester  Lind. 
E.  S.  Chesbrough  was  appointed  Chief  Engi- 
neer and  William  H.  Clark  principal  assistant 
engineer.  During  the  season  of  1855  surveys 
were  made  and  plans  drawn  and  adopted  by  the 
Commissioners,  and  submitted  to  the  Common 
Council  and  their  fellow-citizens  for  general 
approval,  December  31,  1855.  The  plans  sub- 
mitted included  the  district  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Division  Street,  on  the  West  by 
Reuben  Street  (now  Ashland  Avenue),  on  the 
south  by  North  Street  (now  Sixteenth  Street), 
and  on  the  east  by  Lake  Michigan.  The  plan, 
as  adopted  and  since  carried  out,  provided  for 
main  sewers  in  the  North  Division  in  Rush, 
Clark  and  Franklin  Streets,  discharging  into 
the  main  river,  and  in  Chicago  Avenue  empty- 
ing into  the  North  Branch.  The  West  Division 
mains  were  located  on  Fulton,  Randolph.  Madi- 
son, Adams  and  Van  Buren  Streets,  emptying 
into  the  South  Branch.  The  South  Division, 
sewer  in  Michigan  Avenue,  from  the  river  to 
east  of  State  Street,  was  drained  by  a  main 
Sixteenth  Street,  the  summit  being  at  Van 
Buren  Street — that  part  south  of  Van  Buren 
Street  discharging  into  the  lake  at  Twelfth 
Street,  and  the  part  north  emptying  into  the 
main  river.  The  portion  lying  south  of  Wash- 
ington Street  and  west  of  State  Street  dis- 
.  charged  into  the  South  Branch  by  various 
streets,  while  that  part  west  of  State  Street  and 
north  of  Washington  was  drained  by  two-foot 
sewers  in  each  north  and  south  street  emptying 
into  the  main  river. 

From  the  outset  Mr.  Chesbrough  insisted 
upon  constructing  sewers  to  discharge  by  grav- 
ity. This  necessitated  raising  all  streets  from 


756 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


one  to  three  feet  above  the  natural  surface  of 
the  ground,  in  order  to  secure  sufficient  depth 
of  soil  over  the  top  of  the  sewers  to  protect 
them  from  frosts  and  heavy  traffic.  The  first 
sewerage  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $100,000  were 
issued  March  19,  1856.  The  first  contract  for 
constructing  public  sewers  was  awarded  and 
work  commenced  in  1856.  The  State  Street 
sewer  from  Randolph  Street  to  the  River  was 
built  by  Ives  &  Lonergan,  contractors;  that  on 
North  Clark  Street  to  Erie  Street  was  built 
by  S.  S.  Wiltsee  &  Co.;  West  Randolph  Street 
sewer  from  the  river  to  Desplaines  Street  was 
built  by  S.  S.  Wiltsee  &  Co.  These  were  the 
first  sewers  built,  being  constructed  during  the 
years  1856  to  1860,  inclusive,  amounting  to 
53.71  miles. 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved  March 
20,  1861,  the  Board  of  Sewerage  Commissioners 
was  abolished  and  a  Board  of  Public  Works 
was  created.  At  an  election  held  the  third 
Tuesday  in  April,  1861,  Benjamin  Carpenter, 
Frederick  Letz  and  John  G.  Gindili  were  elected 
Commissioners.  The  Board  was  organized, 
having  full  control  of  all  public  works,  includ- 
ing sewerage,  on  May  6,  1861.  The  Board  of 
Public  Works  continued  in  power,  with  several 
changes  in  its  members,  until  September  19, 
1876.  The  total  length  of  sewer  in  place  Decem- 
ber 31,  1876,  was  265.80  miles.  On  September 
18,  1876,  an  ordinance  was  passed  abolishing 
the  Board  of  Public  Works,  and  on  the  same 
date  the  Department  of  Public  Works  was 
organized,  with  the  Hon.  Monroe  Heath  Mayor 
and  Acting  Commissioner.  No  Commissioner 
of  Public  Works  was  appointed  until  after  the 
Hon.  Carter  H.  Harrison  was  inaugurated 
Mayor  on  May  19,  1879,  when  Charles  S.  Wal- 
ler was  appointed  and  qualified. 

The  amount  of  money  expended  in  the  con- 
struction of  sewers  and  catch-basins  in  the  city 
of  Chicago  and  the  maintenance  of  the  same, 
from  the  establishment  of  the  sewerage  system 
in  1855  up  to  January  1,  1904,  was  $22,991,- 
495.15,  of  which  $2,405,715.23  was  on  account  of 
cleaning  sewers  and  $1,916,948.69  on  account  of 
street  intersections  and  repairs.  The  total 
amount  of  sewers  in  place  at  the  latter  date  was 
1,563  miles,  of  which  567.45  miles  were  of  brick 
construction  and  995.55  miles  of  vitrified  tile 
pipe.  The  number  of  catch-basins  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  1904  was  57,510. 


THE  DRAINAGE  CHANNEL. 

The  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago  is  organ- 
ized under  the  general  law  for  the  creation  of 
Sanitary  Districts  enacted  by  the  Legislature 
of  the  State  of  Illinois  in  1889  and  in  force 
July  1st  of  that  year.  The  first  Board  of  Trus- 
tees was  elected  Dec.  12,  1889,  and  served,  bar- 
ring resignations,  until  December  2,  1895.  Since 
that  period  the  regular  term  of  service  has  beeu 
five  years. 

The  primary  object  of  the  work  undertaken 
by  the  Sanitary  District  is  the  protection  of 
Lake  Michigan — the  great  reservoir  from  which 
the  City  of  Chicago  and  its  urban  and  suburban 
neighbors  draw  their  drinking  water — from 
sewage  pollution  due  to  the  discharge  directly 
into  it,  or  into  the  rivers  which  empty  into  it, 
of  the  sewage  of  the  City  of  Chicago  and  its 
aforesaid  neighbors.  The  first  work  under- 
taken was  the  construction  of  a  great  canal 
from  Robey  Street  to  Lockport.  That  done,  the 
logical  sequence  was  the  improvement  of  the 
Chicago  River  by  deepening  and  widening  the 
channel  and  removing  the  bridge  obstructions, 
so  as  to  make  it  possible  to  secure  an  adequate 
flow  of  water  through  it  without  injury  to  navi- 
gation. 

The  work  of  the  Sanitary  District  has  created 
valuable  possibilities  in  the  way  of  water  power 
development,  and  the  same  Legislature  which 
passed  the  annexation  laws  enacted  a  law  which 
enables  the  Board  to  realize  in  part  these  possi- 
bilities by  giving  it  the  authority  to  develop  the 
water  power  at  Lockport.  This  work  is  now 
under  contract  and  construction  is  in  progress. 
The  plans  for  it  provide  for  an  extension  of 
the  channel  now  in  use,  between  concrete  walls 
and  earth  and  rock  embankment,  southward  for 
a  distance  of  about  10,700  feet,  to  the  site 
selected  for  the  erection  of  the  power  plant. 
From  this  point  on  a  tail-race  Is  to  be  exca- 
vated for  a  distance  of  about  6,800  feet,  to  a 
junction  with  original  Section  17;  this  tail- 
race  is  to  be  160  feet  wide  and  be  deep  enough 
to  afford  a  minimum  depth  of  water  of  22  feet. 
Section  17  is  a  wide  channel  and  the  minimum 
depth  of  water  therein,  until  it  enters  the 
Upper  Basin  at  Joliet,  will  be  ten  feet.  The 
mean  head  for  power  development  resulting 
from  this  improvement  will  be  32  feet  and  the 
net  horsepower  figured  on  an  efficiency  of  75 
per  cent  and  a  flow  of  600,000  cubic  feet  per 
minute  will  be  27,000  H.  P.  The  power  is  to 
be  housed  in  a  structure  of  concrete  and  bricK 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


757 


construction  and  will  have  ten  turbine  cham- 
bers, three  for  exciter  units  and  seven  for 
power  units.  The  power  units  are  designed  to 
pass  100.000  cubic  feet  at  8-10  discharge.  They 
consist  of  turbines  on  horizontal  axes,  capable 
of  generating  6,500  H.  P.  at  full  gate  under  34 
feet  of  head  at  150  revolutions  per  minute. 
Each  power  unit  is  to  drive  one  3,750-K.  W., 
3-phase,  2,200-volt  generator.'  The  ultimate  dis- 
charge of  the  channel  will,  under  present  plans, 
reach  800,000  cubic  feet  per  minute. 

The  Main  Drainage  Channel  of  the  Sanitary 
District  of  Chicago  is  now  completed  from  its 
confluence  with  the  South  Branch  of  the  Chi- 
cago River,  at  Robey  Street  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago, to  Lockport,  in  Will  County,  111.,  a  dis- 
tance of  28.05  miles.  Water  from  Lake  Michi- 
gan was  let  into  the  main  channel,  via  the 
Chicago  River,  and  through  the  auxiliary  chan- 
nel which  connects  .the  main  channel  with  the 
West  Fork  of  the  South  Branch,  on  January  2, 
1900.  It  took  thirteen  days  to  fill  the  channel 
from  Western  Avenue  to  the  controlling  works. 
On  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  January,  1900, 
by  permission  of  the  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  the  Bear  Trap  Dam  was  lowered  and 
the  westward  flow  of  water  from  the  lake  was 
commenced.  .At  the  end  of  Section  15  of  the 
channel  the  controlling  works  are  located.  Be- 
yond these  works  the  construction  completed 
by  the  District  covered  the  work  necessary  for 
conducting  the  flow  from  the  channel,  in  con- 
junction with  the  waters  of  the  Desplaines 
River,  down  the  declivity  to  and  through  the 
city  of  Joliet,  and  making  of  such  changes  in 
the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  as  the  new  con- 
ditions developed  rendered  necessary. 

The  controlling  works  comprise  seven  sluice 
gates  of  metal,  with  the  necessary  masonry 
bulk-heads  and  one  bear-trap  dam.  The  sluice 
gates  may  be  considered  as  a  modification  or 
what  is  known  as  the  Stoney  gate  type,  gates 
having  a  vertical  play  of  twenty  feet  and  open- 
ings of  thirty  feet  each.  The  bear-trap  dam 
has  an  opening  of  160  feet,  and  an  oscillation 
of  seventeen  feet  vertically. 

All  the  bridges  on  the  main  channel  are 
movable  structures.  There  are  six  bridges  for 
public  highways.  One  was  built  for  the  use 
of  the  Southwest  Boulevard  and  Western  Ave- 
nue. It  has  double  roadways — one  being  for 
heavy  and  the  other  for  light  traffic.  There 
are  seven  railway  bridges,  one  being  an  eight- 
track  rolling-lift  structure,  with  a  channel  span 


of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet.  One  is  a  four- 
track  swing  bridge,  and  the  others  are  double- 
track  structures.  The  entire  weight  of  the  iron 
and  steel  used  in  their  construction  was  22,- 
862,454  pounds. 

The  total  amount  of  excavation  involved  in 
the  construction  of  the  main  channel  is 
26,693,000  cubic  yards  of  glacial  drift,  and 
12,265,000  cubic  yards  of  solid  rock,  or  an  aggre- 
gate of  38,958,000  cubic  yards,  to  which  must 
be  added  the  material  excavated  from  the  River 
Diversion,  the  latter  amounting  to  1,810,652 
cubic  yards  of  glacial  drift,  'and  of  solid  rock 
258,659  cubic  yards,  making  a  total  of  2,069,311. 
The  work  between  Lockport  and  Joliet,  includ- 
ing the  controlling  works,  involves  1,201,724 
cubic  yards  of  excavation,  making  the  grand 
total  of  Main  Channel,  River  Diversion  and 
Joliet  Project  42,229,035  cubic  yards.  All  of 
this  work  is  now  completed  and,  in  addition 
thereto,  457,777  cubic  yards  of  retaining  wall 
and  bridge  masonry.  The  retaining  wall  is  all 
laid  in  cement  mortar.  The  rock,  when  broken 
up,  expands  about  80  per  cent,  and  therefore 
the  volume  of  the  rock  spoil  banks  will  be 
nearly  22,542,586  cubic  yards.  The  whole  vol- 
ume of  spoil  (earth  and  rock),  if  deposited  in 
Lake  Michigan  in  forty  feet  of  water,  would 
make  an  island  one  mile  square,  with  its  sur- 
face twelve  feet  above  the  water  line.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  quantities  the  work  of  the  main 
channel  extensions  and  water-power  develop- 
ment involves  105,000  cubic  yards  of  earth, 
1,247,000  cubic  yards  of  rock  and  145,000  cubic 
yards  of  masonry  and  concrete. 

The  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago 
River  to  the  junction  of  the  Main  Channel  with 
the  West  Fork  of  the  South  Branch  at  Robey 
Street  is  about  six  miles. 

The  length  of  the  Main  Channel  proper,  from 
Robey  Street  to  the  controlling  works  at  Lock- 
port,  is  28.05  miles — making  a  total  of  34.05 
miles. 

The  dimensions  of  the  Channel  are:  Robey 
Street  to  Summit,  7.8  miles;  110  feet  wide  at 
bottom;  198  feet  at  water  line,  with  minimum 
depth  of  water  22  feet.  Summit  to  Willow 
Springs,  5.3  miles;  202  feet  wide  at  bottom; 
290  feet  wide  at  water  line,  with  22  feet  depth 
of  water;  grade  of  earth  channel,  one  foot  in 
forty  thousand  feet,  or  1%  inches  per  mile.  The 
side  slopes  in  earth  are  one  foot  vertical  to  two 
feet  horizontal.  At  Willow  Springs  the  channel 
narrows  to  the  walled  and  rock  cross  section, 


758 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


extending  14.95  miles  to  Lockport,  160  feet  wide 
at  bottom;  162  feet  at  top;  grade  in  rock  one 
foot  in  twenty  thousand,  or  3*4  inches  per  mile. 

The  total  cost  of  the  construction  of  the  chan- 
nel has  amounted  to  $45,220,588.19. 

The  construction  of  the  Thirty-ninth  Street 
Sewer,  for  the  drainage  of  the  southern  dis- 
trict of  the  city  into  the  Drainage  Canal,  was 
begun  in  1898  and  completed  in  1902.  The 
sewer  is  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and  12,123 
feet  long,  extending  from  the  lake  west  on 
Thirty-ninth  Street.  Work  was  at  once  begun 
on  the  pumping  station  at  Thirty-ninth  Street 
and  .the  lake,  which  is  now  (1904)  in  the  course 
of  construction.  The  intercepting  sewer  which 
discharges  to  this  pumping  station  from  the 
south  was  completed  in  1904  between  Thirty- 
ninth  Street  to  Seventy-third  Street. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 


CHICAGO  CENTENNIAL  JUBILEE. 


CELEBRATION  OF  HUNDREDTH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE 

FOUNDING       OF       FORT       DEARBORN MARVELOUS 

PROGRESS    OF    A    HUNDRED    YEARS — REPRESENTA- 
TIVES   OF    INDIAN     TRIBES    TAKE    PART    IN    THE 

EXERCISES HISTORICAL     TABLETS BRILLIANT 

FIREWORKS        DISPLAY INDUSTRIAL       PARADE — 

REUNION  OF  OLD  SETTLERS. 

When  a  city  has  attained  the  venerable  age 
of  one  hundred  years  it  is  quite  appropriate 
that  its  natal  day  should  be  given  some  kind 
of  recognition  by  its  children  and  grandchil- 
dren commemorative  of  the  event.  When  that 
city  has  acquired  such  wonderful  growth  and 
made  so  great  progress  as  to  astonish  the  entire 
American  nation,  that  recognition  should  be 
something  more  than  the  ordinary  expression 
of  good  will  and  wishes  for  continued  prosper- 
ity. And  such,  indeed,  was  the  nature  of  the 
celebration  held  in  Chicago  from  September  26 
to  October  1,  1903,  when  due  honor  was 
accorded  the  city's  centennial  anniversary  and 
great  pomp  and  ceremony  marked  its  entrance 
into  the  second  century  of  its  existence. 

Chicago  was  fortunate  in  being  located  at  a 
point  easy  of  access  both  by  land  and  by  water. 


It  was  fortunate  in  having  for  its  pioneers 
men  of  energy,  of  progressive  ideas,  of  indom- 
itable courage,  whose  faith  brought  the  city 
through  the  ravages  of  fire  and  made  it  possible 
to  become  the  metropolis  of  the  West.  And  it 
is  fortunate  in  being  the  heir  to  the  sons  of 
those  hardy  pioneers,  who  are  today  bending 
their  will  and  business  acumen  toward  still 
greater  things  and  successfully  carrying  on  the 
work  inaugurated  by  their  forefathers.  A  brief 
glance  into  Chicago's  past-:— back  to  its  initia- 
tive stage — will  demonstrate  how  from  small 
things  mighty  empires  grow. 

Chicago,  as  it  exists  today — great  in  manufac- 
tures, finance  and  commerce — would  not  have 
attained  its  present  importance  had  it  not  been 
for  its  advantageous  situation  at  the  head  of 
one  waterway  and  the  mouth  of  another.  These 
waterways  formed  the  highways  to  the  interior 
and  along  them  went  the  missionary,  the 
explorer,  the  trapper,  the  pioneer  farmer,  in 
their  search  for  a  favored  locality.  Later  these 
highways  became  the  means  of  building  up  an 
immense  commerce  and  served  to  invest  Chi- 
cago with  greater  importance  than  any  other 
inland  city  on  the  continent.  Towards  the  end 
of  the  seventeenth  century  French  explorers 
and  missionaries  utilized  the  Chicago  River  in 
journeying  through  the  Illinois  country,  and 
later  the  Indian  took  possession  of  the  territory 
now  occupied  by  the  site  of  Chicago. 

In  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  Ohio,  in  1795,  be- 
tween the  twelve  tribes  of  Indians  and  the 
United  States  Government,  the  latter  being  rep- 
resented by  General  Anthony  Wayne,  a  part  of 
the  ground  negotiated  for  was  "a  piece  of  land 
six  miles  square,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago 
River,  emptying  into  Lake  Michigan."  Here 
in  1803,  Major  Whistler  erected  Fort  Dearborn, 
around  which  there  gradually  grew  a  small 
settlement.  This  was  the  laying  of  Chicago's 
cornerstone — the  first  step  in  the  building  of 
what  was  destined  to  become  the  second  city 
in  the  United  States — and  it  was  in  commemora- 
tion of  this  event  that  the  Centennial  Jubilee 
was  inaugurated  and  carried  to  a  successful 
conclusion. 

During  the  one  hundred  years  of  its  exist- 
ence the  city  has  passed  through  the  grada- 
tions of  an  Indian  village,  a  trading  post,  a 
white  man's  settlement,  and  a  busy  town,  finally 
culminating  in  a  city  alive  with  energy  and 
enterprise,  great  in  power,  wealth  and  indus- 
try. 


' 


ALONG    SHERIDAN    ROAD    AND    ON    THE    BOULEVARDS. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


759 


The  renowned  public  spirit  of  Chicago  has 
in  the  past  led  its  enterprising  business  men 
to  celebrate  the  city's  progress  with  various 
festivals,  all  of  which  have  been  eminently  suc- 
cessful, and  which  have  received  the  encourage- 
ment and  support  of  all  Chicagoans,  who  are 
famed  for  their  civic  pride  and  loyalty,  and 
these  festivals  have  drawn  the  applause  of 
thousands  who  came  from  the  great  territory 
tributary  to  Chicago. 

The  Centennial  Jubilee  was  planned  to  sur- 
pass all  occasions  of  a  similar  nature  ever  held 
in  the  country.  The  significance  of  the  event, 
the  scale  upon  which  it  was  devised,  the  sea- 
son of  the  year  selected,  and  the  importance 
and  splendor  of  its  many  features  drew  to 
the  city  immense  numbers  of  visitors  from 
neighboring  towns  and  from  the  adjacent  agri- 
cultural districts,  as  well  as  from  the  larger 
cities  east  and  west,  north  and  south.  Enthusi- 
asm from  all  classes  of  citizens  early  began  to 
manifest  itself.  It  grew  in  volume  and  rapidly 
spread.  Business  men  were  quick  to  see  the 
commercial  advantages  to  be  obtained  through 
the  influx  of  out-of-town  visitors,  hotel  and 
railroad  managers  were  hopeful  of  an  increased 
business,  and  the  oldest  inhabitant  delved 
among  the  archives  of  his  memory  for  wonder- 
ful stories  of  early  days  when  the  wolves  were 
caught  on  the  now  densely  populated  streets  of 
the  city,  when  skating  parties  were  a  nightly 
affair  on  the  Chicago  River,  and  when  the 
Indians  were  their  friendly  next-door  neigh- 
bor. And  so  the  Jubilee  blossomed  and  thrived 
and  grew  into  full  bloom,  nurtured  by  kindly 
hands  whose  owners  had  its  interests  deep  in 
their  hearts. 

The  credit  for  the  inception  of  this  stupen- 
dous undertaking — for  its  growth  and  far-reach- 
ing results  greatly  exceeded  the  expectations 
even  of  those  upon  whose  shoulders  fell  the 
responsibility  of  its  success — belongs  to  Mr. 
Charles  R.  Macloon,  a  veteran  newspaper  man 
of  Chicago,  and  it  was  largely  owing  to  Mr. 
Macloon's  far-seeing  qualities  and  his  great 
executive  ability  that  the  Jubilee  was  so  ably 
conducted  and  carried  to  such  a  brilliant  cul- 
mination. Having  become  imbued  with  the  idea 
of  a  centennial  celebration  Mr.  Macloon  at 
once  began  to  sound  the  business  men  of  Chi- 
sago  as  to  their  willingness  to  participate  in 
such  a  mammoth  birthday  party,  and  received 
not  only  a  ready  response  but  a  hearty  assur- 
ance of  their  moral  co-operation  and  financial 


assistance.  Upon  obtaining  assurance  in  this 
quarter  the  next  step  was  to  see  how  the  Mayor 
and  City  Council  viewed  the  affair,  as  it  was 
deemed  advisable  that  it  should  have  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  municipal  government.  Mayor  Har- 
rison and  the  city  fathers  became  deeply  inter- 
ested, and  the  former  issued  the  following  proc- 
lamation: 

PROCLAMATION. 
To  the  Citizens  of  Chicago: 

This  fall  Chicago  is  to  celebrate  the  one 
hundredth  anniversary  of  its  birth.  To  make 
the  centennial  celebration  one  befitting  a 
city  of  such  prominence,  size,  wealth  and 
progress,  I  issue  this  proclamation  calling 
upon  all  residents  to  unite  to  make  the  week 
of  festivity  the  greatest  in  the  history  of 
Chicago,  both  in  splendor  and  dignity. 

The  committee  of  citizens  appointed  by 
the  Council  has  the  celebration  well  in  hand. 
It  should  receive  the  hearty  financial  sup- 
port of  all  Chicago,  so  that  the  fetes  may 
reflect  the  importance  of  the  occasion.  The 
members  of  the  committee  have  arranged  a 
program  of  great  attractiveness  for  the  week 
from  September  twenty-sixth  to  October  first. 
The  railroads  have  granted  low  rates  and  the 
interest  of  the  people  of  neighboring  States 
has  been  aroused  to  such  an  extent  that  half 
a  million  visitors  are  expected. 

The  wonderful  story  of  Chicago  will  be 
pictured  in  every  possible  way — in  a  recon- 
structed Fort  Dearborn;  in  a  reunion  of  pio- 
neers; in  a  reproduction  of  the  famous  fire; 
in  an  industrial  parade  that  will  have  for  its 
theme  the  progress  of  the  city;  in  educational 
historic  programs  in  the  schools  and  in  tab- 
lets marking  the  city's  historic  spots. 

Other  important  events  have  been  arranged. 
Distinguished  men  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try will  be  our  guests,  and  it  is  incumbent  on 
us  to  give  them  the  heartiest  welcome  we 
can.  All  citizens  are  urged  to  make  a  special 
effort  to  decorate  the  city  during  Centennial 
week  and  to  lend  every  aid  to  make  the 
jubilee  a  credit  to  Chicago. 

CARTER    H.    HARRISON, 

Mayor. 

The  Centennial  Executive  Committee  was 
appointed  by  the  Mayor,  with  the  following  offi- 
cers at  its  head:  Charles  A.  Plamondon,  Chair- 
man; Charles  R.  Macloon,  Secretary;  L.  A.  God- 
dard,  Treasurer;  W.  W.  Tracy,  Chairman  of  the 


760 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Finance  Committee.  Offices  were  secured  in 
the  Great  Northern  Hotel,  details  of  the  celebra- 
tion were  mapped  out,  and  various  sub-commit- 
tees on  finance,  entertainment,  parades,  educa- 
tion, old  settlers,  athletics,  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  music,  and  ways  and 
means  were  appointed,  and  the  officers  and  mem- 
bers took  up  their  various  tasks.  The  plans  of 
these  committees  were  approved  by  the  Mayor 
and  City  Council  on  Monday,  January  5,  1903. 

It  is  one  thing  to  conceive  a  project,  but  quite 
another  to  carry  it  to  a  successful  issue.  The 
greater  part  of  the  detail  work  fell  to  Secretary 
Macloon,  both  because  of  his  official  position 
and  by  reason  of  his  being,  as  it  were,  the 
father  of  the  idea.  The  first  object,  of  course, 
was  to  obtain  finances  with  which  to  carry  on 
the  work,  and  in  this  respect  the  merchants  and 
business  men  of  the  city,  who  had  become 
thoroughly  convinced  of  the  worthiness  of  the 
occasion,  came  forward  unanimously  and  con- 
tributed liberally,  with  the  result  that  in  a 
short  time  the  sum  of  $50,000  was  secured — an 
amount  amply  sufficient  to  cover  all  expenses. 
It  may  be  stated  that,  in  this  connection,  it  is 
a  significant  fact  that  after  the  celebration  had 
closed  a  number  of  letters  were  received  from 
business  houses  desiring  to  know  the  amount 
of  their  share  of  the  expense  in  conducting  the 
Jubilee — an  incident  that  clearly  showed  their 
appreciation  of  the  benefits  derived  during 
Centennial  week. 

The  preparation  of  the  program  was  the  next 
consideration  of  the  committees.  In  arranging 
this  it  was  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  the  fact 
that  the  people  of  Chicago — and  her  guests  as 
well — must  be  instructed  as  well  as  entertained, 
and  to  this  end  a  number  of  attractive  features 
were  planned.  The  newspapers  had  in  the 
meantime  taken  up  the  cause  as  a  most  laud- 
able one  and  devoted  columns  to  illustrations 
and  descriptions  of  the  projected  features,  thus 
advertising  them  far  and  near,  and  by  the 
opening  day  the  city  was  well  filled  with  visit- 
ors. It  was  estimated  that  during  the  week 
half  a  million  strangers  had  viewed  the  cere- 
monies attending  the  Jubilee.  They  came  to 
see  what  could  be  accomplished  in  a  short  one 
hundred  years,  to  gaze  on  the  handiwork  of 
man  in  building  up  from  a  sandy  waste  this 
wonder-city,  whose  mammoth  sky-reaching, 
steel-girdered  buildings  had  supplanted  the 
tents  and  log  huts  and  frame  houses  of  earlier 
days;  whose  well  paved  streets  had  taken  the 


place  of  Indian  trails  and  mud-immersed  wagon 
roads,  and  whose  electric  cars  and  elevated 
roads  had  supplanted  the  prairie  schooner  and 
the  antiquated  horse-cars.  These  things  the 
people  saw,  and  they  departed  marveling  at  the 
Aladdin-like  transformation. 

Pre-eminent  among  the  attractions  of  histor- 
ical interest  and  an  echo,  as  it  were,  of  the 
primitive  days  when  the  red  men  roamed  the 
ground  upon  which  now  stand  the  architectural 
triumphs  of  modern  civilization,  was  the  Indian 
village  at  Lincoln  Park..  There  were  gathered 
the  representatives  of  six  tribes  of  Aborigines 
whose  ancestors  once  lived  either  upon  that 
very  spot  or  in  its  immediate  neighborhood — 
the  Pottawatomies,  in  command  of  Charles 
Pokagon,  grandson  of  the  chief  who  saw  the 
first  white  man  set  foot  on  this  shore;  the 
Winnebagos,  from  Wisconsin  and  Nebraska, 
under  Chief  Noginka;  the  Ottawas  from  North- 
ern Michigan,  with  Chief  Blackbird  at  their 
head;  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  from  their  reserva- 
tions in  Iowa  and  Indian  Territory,  led  by  Chief 
Pushnateka  and  accompanied  by  Sawahghasah, 
the  civil  chief  and  leader  who  attends  to  all 
of  his  people's  affairs  with  the  Government  of 
the  United  States;  the  Menominees,  from 
Northern  Wisconsin,  under  the  guidance  of 
Chief  Lone  Star;  the  Chippewas,  under  the 
leadership  of  Chief  Wawahbasha  and  Chicag. 
These  Indians  were  all  under  the  personal  care 
of  Mr.  R.  T.  Roddy,  of  Chicago,  whose  father 
was  a  trader  among  the  Winnebagos  of  Wis- 
consin and  who  was  brought  up  with  that  tribe. 
Upon  the  death  of  Black  Hawk  he  was  elected 
their  chief  and  given  the  name  of  White  Buf- 
falo. The  Indian  village  was  a  replica  of  vil- 
lages that  existed  along  the  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan  one  hundred  years  ago,  the  Chippewa 
huts  being  of  bark  and  rushes,  the  Winnebago 
wigwams  of  skin,  the  Ottawa  tepees,  while  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes  occupied  rush  houses.  During 
the  week  the  Indians  participated  in  various 
sports  and  games,  consisting  of  canoe  and  dug- 
out races,  foot  races,  swimming  races,  canoe 
tilting,  scalp  and  buffalo  dances,  mock-mar- 
riage ceremonies,  contests  in  bow  and  arrow 
shooting,  lacrosse,  etc.  A  model  of  the  orig- 
inal Fort  Dearborn  block-house  was  erected 
near  the  Indian  village,  and  was  an  object  of 
great  interest  to  the  thousands  of  visitors. 

Although  but  a  hundred  years  old,  Chicago 
has  a  marvelously  interesting  history,  and  its 
busy  thoroughfares  conceal  many  spots  of  his- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


761 


toric  importance.  New  York,  Boston,  Philadel- 
phia and  Washington  also  have  many  historic 
spots  which  have  been  suitably  marked  with 
tablets,  but  this  method  of  designating  mem- 
orable places  had  hitherto  been  neglected  in 
Chicago.  Its  centennial,  however,  brought  the 
matter  before  the  committee  and  arrangements 
were  perfected  to  remedy  the  long-neglected 
duty  of  placing  mmorial  tablets  in  appropriate 
places.  On  Saturday,  the  first  day  of  the  Jubi- 
lee, was  performed  the  ceremony  of  dedicating 
the  historic  spots  of  Chicago  with  suitable  tab- 
lets. The  exercises  were  held  at  the  Public 
Library  Building,  and  inaugurated  the  formal 
opening  of  the  Centennial.  Prof.  Edwin  B. 
Sparks  presided  and  Mayor  Harrison  delivered 
the  address  of  welcome.  Mr.  Charles  A.  Plamon- 
don,  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
said: 

"Today  we  draw  the  veil  from  the  past 
and  reveal  our  early  struggles  to  show  by 
what  marvelous  labor  and  patience  we  have 
realized  the  wonders  of  this  hour.  A  hun- 
dred years — only  a  moment  in  the  life  of  a 
nation.  And  from  the  wilds  of  an  Indian 
trail,  first  marked  by  the  white  man's  gov- 
ernment with  a  fort,  the  spot  has  become  the 
second  city  of  the  country.  To  all  who  are 
here,  to  all  who  learn  the  teaching  of  Chi- 
cago's century,  there  must  be  a  profound 
lesson;  a  lesson  of  indomitable  courage,  of 
heroic  labor,  of  noble  patriotism,  of  civic 
enthusiasm,  of  the  spirit  that  conquers  every 
obstacle  to  attain  a  glorious  end.  Not  the 
massacre  of  the  pioneers  of  1812,  nor  the  anni- 
hilation of  the  best  part  of  the  city  by  fire  in 
1871,  daunted  the  high  aspirations  of  our 
fathers.  May  the  next  century  witness  strides 
as  rapid  as  those  which  carried  us  from  the 
antiquity  of  Fort  Dearborn  to  the  magnificent 
city  of  today,  a  city  toward  which  the  nation 
is  looking  as  the  center  of  its  ideals." 

The  location  and   description  of  the   tablets 
are  as  follows: 

PUBLIC  LIBBAKY  BUILDING. — Reproduction  of 
the  original  Fort  Dearborn  in  the  upper 
panel.  Inscription:  "The  first  Fort  Dear- 
born, built  by  United  States  troops,  1803.  De- 
stroyed by  Indians,  1812."  In  the  lower  panel 
is  a  reproduction  of  the  second  Fort  Dear- 
born. Inscription:  "The  second  Fort  Dear- 
born, erected  1816,  abandoned  1832.  The  cen- 
tennial of  Chicago,  1903." 


PALMER  HOUSE. — An  illuminated  design 
done  in  majolica,  showing  two  figures,  one 
representing  fire  and  the  other  smoke  encir- 
cling a  map  of  the  district  burned  in  the  Chi- 
cago fire.  It  is  surmounted  by  the  letter  Y, 
shield  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  at  the  bot- 
tom is  a  phoenix,  symbolizing  the  rebuilding 
of  the  city.  Inscription:  "The  Chicago  fire, 
1871.  Burned  four  miles  along  the  lake  and 
one  mile  inland,  2,214  acres  of  ground,  13,500 
buildings  destroyed,  92,000  people  made  home- 
less, and  $186,000,000  property  lost." 

MASONIC  TEMPLE. — Tablet  commemorating 
the  establishment  of  Fort  Dearborn  Military 
Reservation.  Inscription:  "Fort  Dearborn 
military  reservation,  seventy-five  acres,  estab- 
lished in  1824.  Sold  for  town  lots,  1839. 
This  square  reserved  for  Dearborn  Park, 
City  Library  erected  1898." 

ANDEBSON  ABT  STORE,  Wabash  Avenue  and 
Madison  Street. — Tablet  containing  a  bas  re- 
lief head  of  Marquette  in  the  upper  panel. 
Inscription:  "Father  Marquette,  a  Jesuit 
missionary.  The  first  white  man  to  visit  the 
Chicago  River,  1674." 

BOABD  OF  TRADE  BUILDING. — Tablet  of  La 
Salle,  head  in  bas  relief.  Inscription:  "The 
first  house  erected  within  the  limits  of  Chi- 
cago was  built  by  De  La  Salle,  a  French  ex- 
plorer, 1683." 

CITY  HALL. — Tablet  of  first  and  second 
court  houses.  Inscription:  Upper  panel, 
"The  first  Cook  County  court  house,  erected 
1835."  Lower  panel,  "Second  court  house. 
Erected  1853,  rebuilt  1870,  burned  1871.  This 
square  reserved  from  original  town  site  for 
public  buildings  1830." 

MONTGOMERY  WARD  BUILDING,  Michigan 
Avenue  and  Madison  Street. — Tablet  showing 
the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River  one  hundred 
years  ago.  In  the  upper  panel  are  two  Indi- 
ans standing  on  the  shore  of  the  river,  while 
a  companion  is  paddling  a  canoe  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  stream.  Fort  Dearborn  is  seen  in 
the  distance.  Inscription:  "Near  this  point 
the  Chicago  River  emptied  into  Lake  Michi- 
gan at  the  time  Fort  Dearborn  was  built, 
1803." 

CHICAGO  &  NORTHWESTEBN  RAILWAY  STA- 
TION.— Tablet  of  first  railway  station  and  loco- 
motive. Inscription:  "Near  this  spot  stood 
the  station  of  the  Galena  and  Chicago  Union 
Railroad.  Chartered  1836,  ten  miles  opened 
1848."  In  the  lower  panel  is  a  reproduction 


762 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


of  a  railway  locomotive.     Inscription:     "The 
Pioneer,  first  locomotive  in,  Chicago,  1848." 

REID-MURDOCH  STOBE,  Lake  and  Market 
Streets. — Tablet  of  wigwam.  Inscription: 
"Here  stood  the  temporary  Republican  wig- 
wam in  which  Abraham  Lincoln  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  Presidency,  May  18,  1860. 
'May  the  Almighty  grant  that  the  cause  of 
truth,  justice  and  humanity  shall  in  no  wise 
suffer  at  my  hands.' " 

Visitors  arriving  in  the  city  Saturday  night 
were  startled  to  see  a  red  glow  spread  over  the 
principal  down-town  streets,  and  thoughts  of  a 
second  Chicago  fire  flashed  across  the  minds  of 
many  as  they  saw  the  flare  of  the  flame  flash  up 
against  the  overhanging  clouds.  It  was,  in  fact, 
a  mimic  reproduction  of  the  great  catastrophe 
of  1871,  a  vivid  portrayal  of  the  blaze  that  par- 
tially destroyed,  but  which  did  not  dismay, 
Chicago.  A  steady  but  slight  rain  fell  during 
the  evening,  but  notwithstanding  this  thou- 
sands of  people  stood  in  the  streets  for  two 
hours  awaiting  the  spectacle.  At  half-past 
eight  o'clock  a  bomb  gave  the  signal  to  waiting 
firemen  at  twenty-eight,  street  corners  in  the 
business  district,  and  an  instant  later  8,000 
pounds  of  Roman  fire  burst  forth  in  flames, 
sending  their  glare  and  smoke  to  the  tops  of  the 
tallest  buildings.  The  rain  which  made  the 
streets  disagreeable  brought  the  clouds  close 
to  earth  and  they  served  as  a  natural  back- 
ground, turning  rosy  under  the  play  of  the  fire 
beneath,  and  soon  the  flames  themselves,  the 
streets,  the  crowds  and  the  building  were  all 
reflected  in  the  sky.  It  was  as  if  the  heart  of 
the  city  was  wrapped  in  fire  and  mantled  luridly 
with  smoke.  The  rise  and  fall  of  the  flames, 
as  the  powder  was  fed  into  the  blaze,  took,  in 
the  clouds,  the  form  of  waves  of  vivid  color. 
The  sight  was  impressive  and  realistic  in  the 
extreme. 

Chicago's  greatness  is  not  entirely  due  to  her 
commercial  enterprice.  The  church  has  been 
a  potent  element  in  the  general  result,  even  in 
the  earlier  days,  before  there  were  many 
houses,  and  the  city  may  well  be  proud  of  the 
fact  that  the  religious  training  of  its  younger 
generation  has  never  been  neglected.  It  was 
therefore  decided  to  set  aside  Sunday,  the  27th, 
for  special  religious  exercises  in  all  the  churches 
and  Sunday  Schools,  and  some  three  hundred 
ministers  devoted  their  morning  sermon  to  the 
past,  present  and  future  of  Chicago.  There  was 
a  marked  similarity  in  these  sermons,  although 


different  ministers  treated  the  subject  differ- 
ently, according  to  their  own  personal  views. 
There  was  an  unanimous  tribute  to  the  well- 
known  characteristics  of  Chicago  men,  their 
boundless  ambition,  daring  and  energy.  There 
was  also  undisguised  criticism  of  the  city  gov- 
ernment, the  condition  of  its  streets  and  its 
sinfulness.  But  every  minister's  faith  in  Chi- 
cago and  in  the  certainty  that,  in  the  fullness 
of  time,  it  would  work  out  its  own  solution 
was  unlimited.  The  criticisms  were  not  carp- 
ing, but  diagnostic,  and  each  one  was  supple- 
mented by  a  remedy. 

"Civilization  laid  on  the  people  of  Chicago  a 
herculean  task,"  said  Rev.  Dr.  James  S.  Stone, 
of  St.  James  Episcopal  Church.  "The  past  gave 
them  no  favors.  They  had  nothing  but  the  wil- 
derness, the  winds,  the  sun  in  the  heavens, 
God's  blessing  and  their  own  strong  hands  and 
hearts.  But  they  saw  their  chance  and  did 
their  work,  and  their  monument  is  the  city  in 
which  we  live."  Dr.  Joseph  Stolz,  Isaiah  Tem- 
ple, said  in  part:  "This  week's  celebration  will 
not  have  fulfilled  its  whole  purpose  unless  we 
carry  in  our  hearts  and  heads  the  plan  of  a 
future  city  in  which  our  moral  and  spiritual 
growth  will  keep  pace  with  our  material  tri- 
umphs; a  city  which  will  be  clean  and  pure, 
morally  as  well  as  physically;  in  which  the 
civic  spirit  will  also  show  itself  in  the  anxiety 
of  our  best  citizens  to  hold  public  office;  in 
which  the  problems  of  capital  and  labor  receive 
the  most  equitable  solution."  Bishop  Cheney 
drew  a  bright  picture  of  Chicago's  future. 
Among  other  things  he  said:  "I  see  a  city  phys- 
ically clean.  It  is  humiliating,  but  must  be 
confessed,  that  the  distinguishing  feature  of 
Chicago  is  its  filth.  There  it  is  unrivaled.  I 
am  not  looking  for  the  impossible,  but  a  Chi- 
cago is  possible  where  a  higher  moral  tone  and 
a  more  sensitive  public  conscience  shall  be 
dominant  factors  in  the  municipal  life.  I  see 
a  Chicago,  dimly,  perhaps,  where  the  sacredness 
of  the  family  relation  shall  make  abhorrent 
our  present  loathsome  facility  of  divorce.  I 
see  a  city  along  whose  streets  children  may 
flock  to  their  schools  with  innocence  undefiled 
by  the  foul  and  shameless  advertisements  of 
low  places  of  amusement.  I  see  a  city  in  which 
the  public  journal  that  caters  to  the  lowest  ele- 
nlent  in  the  city's  life  shall  wither  in  the  fires 
of  popular  disapproval." 

During  the  evening  of  Monday  the  Chicago 
Historical  Society  gave  a  public  reception,  2,000 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


763 


invitations  issued,  and  its  many  visitors  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  its  invaluable  collection 
of  pictures,  documents,  mementoes  of  the  city's 
early  days,  and  other  historical  objects.  The 
guests  were  asked  to  register  in  an  immense 
book  specially  furnished  for  that  purpose,  and 
the  native  Chicagoans  affixed  the  date  of  their 
birth,  and  the  old  settlers  the  date  of  their 
arrival.  The  rooms  were  open  every  day  and 
evening  during  Jubilee  week. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the 
Centennial  was  the  industrial  parade,  given  for 
the  purpose  of  demonstrating  the  marvelous 
growth  and  development  of  Chicago's  industries. 
This  pageant  was  participated  in  by  military 
companies,  the  National  Guard,  Naval  Reserves, 
detachments  from  the  Police  and  Fire  Depart- 
ments and  surviving  members  of  the  old  Vol- 
unteer Fire  Department,  the  Mayor  and  City 
Council,  Postofflce  employes,  independent  mil- 
itary organizations,  secret  societies  and  repre- 
sentatives of  different  nationalities  in  costumes, 
Foreign  Consuls,  Indians,  Volunteers  of  Amer- 
ica, and  floats  and  decorated  wagons,  illustrat- 
ing Chicago's  progress  in  business,  commerce, 
and  manufactures.  The  merchants  of  the  city 
vied  with  each  other  in  constructing  floats  that 
would  most  adequately  demonstrate  the  ad- 
vancement in  their  particular  line,  many  of 
them  having  two  or.  three  wagons,  each  elab- 
orately decorated  and  appropriately  illuminated 
with  incandescent  lights.  The  crowds  in  the 
streets  were  the  largest  seen  in  Chicago  since 
the  World's  Fair.  Filling  the  avenues  and 
streets  from  the  building  walls  until  there 
was  hardly  room  for  the  procession  to 
pass  through,  the  people  occupied  all  the 
available  space  along  the  thirty-one  blocks  of 
the  line  of  march.  Thousands  thronged  win- 
dows, hung  on  fire  escapes  and  other  available 
points  of  vantage  in  their  desire  to  see  the 
floats  and  marching  bodies,  resplendent  with 
color,  which  composed  the  pageant.  The  one 
feature  of  the  parade  that  aroused  the  greatest 
enthusiasm  was  the  band  of  Indians  who 
marched  in  single  file,  the  braves  arrayed  in 
picturesque  costumes  and  feathers.  Mayor 
Harrison,  Chairman  Plamondon,  the  members 
of  the  City  Council,  civic  officials,  military  rep- 
resentatives and  invited  guests  occupied  the 
reviewing  stand  at  the  south  side  of  the  post- 
office.  Prizes,  consisting  of  four  heavy  silver 
loving  cups,  were  offered  for  the  four  best  dis- 
plays reviewed  in  the  parade,  and  were  awarded 


to  the  Swedish  societies  representing  the 
Swedish  nation,  Mandel  Brothers,  the  Schoen- 
hofen  Brewing  Company  and  Garibaldi  &  Cuneo. 

Eighty-one  members  of  the  veteran  Chicago 
Volunteer  Firemen's  Association  gave  an  exhi- 
bition run  in  Michigan  Avenue  during  the  after- 
noon of  Tuesday.  Drawing  one  of  the  old  en- 
gines which  had  done  service  in  1840,  the  vet- 
erans started  from  the  engine  house  at  Wash- 
ington Street  and  Michigan  Avenue  and  contin- 
ued to  the  Auditorium  Hotel,  where  a  large 
crowd  witnessed  an  exhibition  drill  and  the 
throwing  of  water  by  hand  engine,  working  in 
shifts.  The  volunteers  wore  the  red  shirts  to 
which  they  were  accustomed  in  the  early  days. 

During  the  afternoon  descendants  of  John 
Kinzie,  Major  James  Whistler,  and  Lieutenant 
James  Strode  Swearingen  held  a  reception  at 
the  Auditorium  Hotel  parlors  and  renewed  old 
acquaintances,  discussed  family  trees,  and  dwelt 
with  pardonable  pride  on  the  part  their  ances- 
tors had  played  in  the  initial  epoch  of  Chi- 
cago's history.  At  the  suggestion  of  Major  Gar- 
land M.  Whistler,  great  grandson  of  Major 
James  Whistler,  Mrs.  W.  W.  Gordon,  grand- 
daughter of  John  Kinzie,  the  earliest  white 
settler,  was  made  presiding  officer  of  the  meet- 
ing; James  Strode  Swearingen,  of  Circleville, 
Ohio,  grandson  of  Lieutenant  Swearingen,  was 
made  vice-chairman,  and  Major  Whistler  secre- 
tary. It  was  decided  to  keep  a  record  of  the 
proceedings  for  the  benefit  of  the  descendants  of 
the  different  families.  Each  representative  of 
each  family  registered  in  a  book,  now  preserved 
at  The  Chicago  Historical  Library. 

Wednesday  was  set  aside  as  "Stock  Yards 
Day,"  and  at  least  100,000  visitors  took  advan- 
tage of  the  opportunity  to  personally  investi- 
gate the  manner  in  which  hogs,  cows,  and 
sheep  are  slaughtered  and  prepared  for  the 
market.  Uniformed  guides  took  charge  of  the 
people  and  conducted  them  through  the  various 
departments,  and  the  entire  process,  from  the 
killing  to  the  shipping  room,  where  the  meat 
is  packed  ready  for  transportation,  was  viewed 
with  intense  interest. 

Aquatic  sports  were  held  in  the  afternoon 
at  Lincoln  Park  lagoon  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Amateur  Athletic  Union  and  the  Chicago 
Athletic  Association.  The  events  consisted  of 
scull  races,  swimming  races,  and  Indian  canoe 
races,  canoe  tipping  by  the  Indians,  high  diving 
exhibition,  and  cutter  races,  and  exhibition 
boat-drills  by  the  Illinois  Naval  Militia. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


A  reception  by  the  Daughters  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution  was  held  in  the  evening  at 
Memorial  Hall,  Public  Library  building.  This 
was  one  of  the  most  elaborate  social  functions 
of  the  week,  and  was  attended  by  about  1,500 
guests.  The  invitations  were  a  reproduction 
of  an  invitation  issued  by  General  Dearborn, 
Secretary  of  War,  to  a  reception  given  by  him 
to  the  officers  of  General  Washington's  staff. 
The  refreshments  were  of  the  same  character  as 
Martha  Washington  served  to  her  guests  at  her 
levees  in  New  York.  The  reception  hall,  assem- 
bly hall,  and  memorial  hall  were  decorated 
with  American  and  historic  flags,  masses  of 
palms,  and  shields  of  the  various  army  corps. 
Behind  the  receiving  committee  shone  the 
emblem  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution  in  electric  lights,  while  opposite 
were  lights  of  red,  white  and  blue,  forming  an 
electric  reproduction  of  the  American  flag.  A 
company  of  Continental  guards  and  the  Sons 
of  American  Revolution,  in  their  uniforms  of 
blue  and  buff,  gave  a  finishing  touch  to  the  occa- 
sion. 

A  celebration  of  Chicago's  centennial  anni- 
versary would  scarcely  be  considered  complete 
without  a  reunion  of  the  men  and  women  who 
today  comprise  the  city's  pioneers.  In  view  of 
this  fact  it  was  planned  to  hold  a  reunion  of  all 
the  early  settlers  and  those  who  have  assisted 
in  the  initial  development  of  the  city,  and  on 
Thursday  afternoon  a  reception  was  held  in 
Memorial  Hall,  an  informal  program  being 
given.  Judge  James  B.  Bradwell  was  chairman 
of  the  exercises,  and  Mr.  Albert  G.  Lane  the 
orator,  while  short  addresses,  comprising 
reminiscences  of  early  days,  were  made  by  a 
number  of  old  settlers.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  program,  all  those  who  had  been  in  Chicago 
fifty  years  or  more  were  presented  with  an 
appropriate  souvenir,  and  their  names  were 
recorded  in  a  book  which  was  subsequently 
presented  to  the  Chicago  Historical  Society. 
The  afternoon  was  spent  in  greetings  between 
old  friends  and  recalling  experiences  of  the 
past,  when  they,  and  Chicago  and  the  world 
were  all  younger.  And  there  was  no  regret  that 
they  had  lived  those  earlier  days,  nor,  in  the 
silent  handshake  at  parting,  was  there  any 
indication  that  many  of  them  would  never  meet 
again  on  earth. 

Thursday  evening  a  banquet  to  the  visiting 
mayors  of  leading  cities  was  given  in  the 
Auditorium  banquet  hall,  where  three  hundred 


and  fifty  invited  guests  listened  to  songs,  toasts 
and  short  speeches  between  the  courses.  The 
hall  was  beautifully  decorated  with  American 
beauty  roses  and  the  national  colors.  Along 
the  eastern  wall  on  a  raised  dais  was  the  speak- 
er's table.  Joseph  Jefferson,  the  veteran  actor, 
opened  the  speechmaking  and  told  briefly  of 
his  love  for  Chicago  "for  old  sake's  sake,"  and 
recited  his  original  memorial  poem.  Mayor 
Harrison,  in  his  address,  expressed  Chicago's 
deep  appreciation  of  the  kindness  of  the  mayors 
"who  had  laid  aside  the  cares  of  office  for  a 
few  days  to  come  to  help  us  celebrate."  Con- 
tinuing, Mr.  Harrison  told  of  the  municipal 
reforms  that  have  been  accomplished  here. 
After  Mayor  Harrison  had  finished,  the  toast- 
master  asked  the  guests  to  make  their  way  to 
the  civic  mass  meeting  which  was  to  follow 
immediately  in  the  Auditorium  theatre.  At 
this  meeting  Mayor  Seth  Low,  of  New  York, 
was  the  orator,  his  theme  being  "Civic  Fed- 
eration." On  the  stage  was  the  famous  United 
States  Marine  Band,  which  supplied  the  music, 
while  back  of  the  musicians  was  a  beautiful 
stage  setting  of  the  river  and  Fort  Dearborn, 
tepees,  trees,  canoes,  camp-fire  and  the  band  of 
Indians  which  had  furnished  the  principal 
amusement  for  the  great  crowds  that  thronged 
Lincoln  Park  during  the  week. 

It  was  quite  appropriate  that  Chicago's  cen- 
tennial celebration  should  close  in  a  blaze  of 
light  and  glory,  and  on  Friday  night  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  people  witnessed  the 
greatest  display  of  fireworks  seen  here  since 
the  World's  Fair.  Out  in  the  lake  scores  of 
craft  cruised  about,  varying  in  size  from  a  small 
rowboat  and  diminutive  yacht  to  the  big  excur- 
sion steamers,  which  were  packed  to  the 
guards.  When  the  three  mammoth  fountains, 
reaching  a  height  of  200  feet,  were  set  off,  they 
lighted  the  waters  of  the  lake  and  gave  the 
great  crowd  a  beautiful  marine  scene  not  often 
witnessed.  For  nearly  two  hours  the  vast 
crowd  watched  the  naval  battle,  the  flying  rock- 
ets, the  floral  bombshells,  the  showers  of  pearls 
and  the  aerial  sleighbells,  all  of  which  were 
easily  seen  from  every  part  of  the  lake  front 
and  for  some  miles  inland.  From  the  discharge 
of  the  first  bomb,  which  was  a  signal  for  the 
illumination  of  the  lake  front  by  a  chain  of 
lights  extending  as  far  south  as  Park  Row, 
until  the  bouquet  of  3,000  rockets,  which  indi- 
cated the  conclusion  of  the  program,  there  was 
a  constant  exhibition  of  pyrotechnics.  The  set 


WORLD'S    FAIR    BUILDINGS. 

The  Peristyle.  German  Building. 

Administration  Building.  The  Fisheries. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


765 


pieces  comprised  a  gigantic  allegorical  figure 
representing  Chicago,  with  a  motto  bearing  the 
city's  greeting;  Chicago  rising  from  the  ruins 
of  1871;  Fort  Dearborn;  the  silver  falls;  and 
the  naval  battle.  A  great  balloon  arose  in  the 
air,  and  upon  reaching  an  altitude  of  500  feet 
a  large  United  States  flag  was  fired  to  burn 
until  it  disappeared  over  the  site  of  Fort  Dear- 
born. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


GENERAL  REVIEW 


BUSINESS  CONDITIONS NOTABLE  CITY  IMPROVE- 
MENTS IN  1904 — FINANCIAL  AND  TRADE  CONDI- 
TIONS— LIVE  STOCK  BUSINESS — GRAIN  TRADE — 
BOARD  OF  TRADE  AFFAIRS — INSURANCE  BUSI- 
NESS  THEATRICAL  MATTERS — THE  NEW  CITY 

CHARTER   QUESTION PRACTICAL  UNANIMITY  ON 

THE     SUBJECT     IN     THE     STATE     LEGISLATURE 

RESULTS  ANTICIPATED  IN  ANOTHER  YEAR. 

Chicago  is  naturally  progressive,  and  each 
year  sees  advancement  in  all  branches  of  indus- 
try, commerce,  municipal  government,  manu- 
factures and  the  various  lines  of  business,  as 
well  as  in  art,  literature  and  the  drama.  The 
city's  growth  has  been  more  marked  within  the 
past  two  or  three  years  than  during  any  similar 
period,  unless  it  be  that  immediately  follow- 
ing the  great  fire  of  1871. 

CITY  IMPROVEMENTS. — The  most  notable  fea- 
ture, perhaps,  during  the  past  three  years  is 
the  advance  in  building  operations  in  and 
about  Chicago.  These  show  an  increase  for 
1904  of  $10,957,315,  or  32.56  per  cent  over  that 
of  1903,  and,  with  the  exception  of  1902,  exceed- 
ing by  a  wide  margin  the  figures  for  any  year 
since  the  boom  of  1892.  In  the  marvelous 
upbuilding  of  Chicago  since  1871  there  has 
never  been  anything  approaching  in  number, 
massiveness  and  beauty  the  structures  in 
process  of  erection  and  completed  in  the  busi- 
ness district  during  1904.  In  this  category  the 
following  are  the  more  important  buildings: 
First  National  Bank  Building,  at  a  cost  of 
$3,500,000;  Railway  Exchange,  $2,000,000;  Hey- 
worth  Building,  $1,200,000;  Northwestern  Rail- 
way Office  Building,  $1,200,000;  Majestic  The- 
ater Building,  $1,100,000;  Strong  Building, 


$1,000,000;  Otis  Building,  $750,000;  Rector 
Building,  Orchestra  Hall,  $400,000;  Fort  Dear- 
born Annex,  $350,000.  The  number  and  charac- 
ter of  the  flat  buildings  erected  during  the  year 
exceeded  by  far  anything  in  the  previous  his- 
tory of  the  city,  the  increase  for  the  year  1904 
being  $7,309,300,  or  a  little  over  one  hundred 
per  cent.  Permits  issued  by  the  Building  De- 
partment showed  the  total  cost  of  construction 
as  being  $45,202,340,  as  compared  with  $33,645,- 
025  in  1903— an  increase  of  $11,557,315,  or  34.35 
per  cent.  The  number  of  buildings  authorized 
during  1904  was  7,132,  covering  202,524  feet 
of  frontage.  The  total  transfers  of  real  estate 
in  Cook  County  for  1904  show  a  valuation  of 
$112,575,637,  as  against  $119,739,645  for  1903. 

There  were  two  main  causes  for  the  exten- 
sive building  operations  of  the  year,  one  being 
conditions  from  a  material  and  labor  point  of 
view,  which  were  more  than  ordinarily  favor- 
able; the  other  based  upon  the  fact  that  even 
fairly  well  improved  property  in  desirable  local- 
ities has  been,  and  is,  earning  handsome  returns 
on  the  capital  invested.  There  was  a  decrease 
in  the  amount  of  residence  construction,  the 
total  cost  of  the  permits  granted  in  this  depart- 
ment aggregating  $2,415,000,  indicating  a  fall- 
ing off  of  $1,293,300  from  1903,  when  the  total 
was  $3,709,000.  Neither  was  the  factory  and 
warehouse  construction  quite  up  to  the  mark  of 
the  previous  year,  the  total  cost  being 
$4,646,500,  as  against  $5,229,300  for  1903. 

FINANCIAL  CONDITIONS. — The  financial  condi- 
tions in  Chicago  were  wholesome  throughout 
the  year,  and  in  no  quarter  of  activity  was 
there  over-speculation.  The  banks  adhered  to 
the  policy  of  prudence,  and  the  money  market 
ruled  higher  than  that  of  New  York,  rates  of 
interest  being  seldom  below  4  per  cent.  Among 
the  banks  the  growth  in  deposits  was  relatively 
and  actually  larger  with  the  State  than  with 
the  National  institutions.  The  former  had  an 
increase  of  over  $60,000,000,  or  25.7  per  cent,  in 
deposits,  while  the  National  Banks  increased 
$37,755,182,  or  14.4  per  cent.  The  total  deposits 
with  State  and  National  institutions  were  $593,- 
397,155— a  gain  of  $97,787,318,  or  19.7  per  cent. 
Against  this  increase  in  deposits  there  was 
an  expansion  in  loans  of  only  $22,357,172,  or 
6.7  per  cent.  Savings  deposits  increased  over 
$14,000,000,  or  12.9  per  cent.  On  the  Stock 
Exchange  the  business  in  bonds  showed  an 
increase  of  over  67  per  cent  compared  with  that 
of  the  previous  year.  The  total,  however,  was 


766 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


the  smallest  since  1896,  with  the  exception  of 
1903.  In  stocks  the  volume  was  14.4  per  cent 
larger  than  that  of  1903,  but  was  still  behind 
any  other  year  subsequent  to  1897.  The  street 
railway  situation  was  but  little  changed,  there 
being  no  marked  activity  in  the  shares  of  the 
surface  roads.  Less  than  20,000  shares  of  West 
Chicago  Street  Railroad  stock  were  traded  in, 
and  North  Chicago  fell  below  10,000  shares 
Chicago  City  Railway  was  bought  to  the  extent 
of  approximately  11,000  shares.  The  bonds  of 
the  North  and  West  side  companies  were  rela- 
tively as  little  traded  in  as  the  stock  issued, 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  unsettled  problems  con- 
nected with  the  renewal  of  the  expiring  charters. 
TBADE  CONDITIONS. — In  the  most  important 
lines  of  wholesale  trade  the  year  1904  showed 
a  record  of  steady  and  helpful  expansion,  in 
spite  of  some  adverse  circumstances.  The 
value  remained  above  the  billion  dollar  mark, 
there  being  a  substantial  gain  over  the  rec- 
ord-breaking figures  in  1903  of  $1,050,000,000. 
In  the  wholesale  dry-goods  trade  the  early 
months  of  the  year  compare  favorably  with 
those  of  1903,  a  fair  gain  generally  being 
reported.  During  the  summer  there  was 
considerable  lethargy,  August  and  Septem- 
ber, the  months  for  market  buying,  being  only 
fairly  satisfactory.  A  decided  change  was 
noticeable,  however,  as  soon  as  fall  business  at 
retail  began,  indicating  confidence  and  financial 
strength  throughout  the  country  at  large. 
Wholesale  trade  improved  correspondingly,  and 
for  the  last  quarter  of  the  year  good  business 
was  recorded.  In  regard  to  the  wool  situation 
some  of  the  fine  foreign  wools  advanced  20 
cents  per  pound.  Taking  1904  in  the  strictly 
dry-goods  business,  the  volume  of  trade  possi- 
bly exceeded  that  of  1903  by  only  a  small  mar- 
gin. Taking  into  account  the  Increase  of  fancy 
goods  allied  to  dry-goods,  it  is  calculated  there 
was  an  increase  of  5  per  cent.  In  wholesale 
groceries  the  volume  of  business  for  1904  was 
satisfactory,  showing  an  increase  over  1903  of 
possibly  5  per  cent.  In  dairy,  farm  and  garden 
produce  1904  was,  on  the  whole,  a  good  year, 
and  in  many  of  the  staple  lines  it  was  one  of 
the  most  satisfactory  in  a  long  period.  It  was 
marked  by  a  healthy  volume  of  trade,  demands 
most  of  the  time  being  sufficient  to  maintain 
good  prices,  and  supplies  seldom  so  overabun- 
dant as  to  cause  loss  of  profits  or  a  serious  cut 
in  prices.  Taking  all  lines  into  consideration, 
it  was  estimated  that  there  was  an  increase  in 


the  volume  of  property  handled  of  about  10  per 
cent,  and  possibly  an  increase  In  money  value 
of  15  per  cent. 

Owing  to  the  sharp  advance  in  the  price  of 
wheat,  the  flour  production  was  about  30  per 
cent  larger  than  in  1903.  One  of  the  two  mill- 
ing companies  which  was  obliged  to  give  up 
its  old  location  on  the  Chicago  River  resumed 
operations  at  a  new  site  in  South  Chicago. 
The  other  mill,  which  formerly  swelled  the 
Chicago  flour  output,  was  moved  to  Lockport. 
With  one  mill  running  throughout  the  year  the 
total  output  was  about  the  same  as  that  of 
1903,  or  750,000  barrels.  While,  for  one  or  two 
periods  during  the  year — notably  about  the 
time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  in  the  Far 
East — demand  was  brisk  and  the  mills  made 
fine  profits,  yet  the  business  as  a  whole  was 
unsatisfactory,  because  the  relatively  high  price 
of  wheat  in  this  country  militated  against  the 
usual  export  trade  in  flour.  Local  millers,  as 
well  as  all  others  in  the  country,  had  to  aban- 
don foreign  business,  except  for  occasional  sales 
at  sacrifices  in  the  effort  to  keep  established 
brands  before  European  consumers.  Prices 
for  export  averaged  about  $6.00  a  barrel,  com- 
pared with  about  $3.75  in  1903. 

LIVE-STOCK  BUSINESS. — In  live-stock  business 
during  the  year  was  fairly  good,  and,  on  an 
average,  the  prices  received  by  the  producer 
were  satisfactory.  In  no  department  of  the 
trade  was  there  cause  for  radical  or  violent 
changes  in  prices.  A  feature  of  the  year's  busi- 
ness was  the  unusual  demand  that  existed  from 
.  the  outside.  The  supply  of  live-stock  for  1904 
was  enormous,  making  a  grand  total  of  15,351,- 
000  head,  with  an  approximate  valuation  of 
$263,000,000.  This  was  about  254,000  less  than 
1903,  but  nearly  2,000,000  greater  than  the  sup- 
ply of  ten  years  ago,  and  twice  as  large  as  that 
of  1884,  which  emphatically  illustrates  the 
growth  of  Chicago  live-stock  industry.  The 
year's  receipts  were  divided  as  follows:  Cat- 
tle, 3,253,000;  hpgs,  7,223,000;  sheep,  4,500,000; 
calves,  269,000;  horses,  106,000.  These  totals 
are  exclusive  of  about  618,000  hogs  slaughtered 
outside  of  the  Stock  Yards.  The  average  weight 
of  cattle  during  the  year  was  1,033  pounds; 
hogs,  220  pounds;  sheep,  84  pounds;  as  against 
1,039  pounds,  227  pounds  and  83  pounds  under 
the  same  classes  in  1903.  The  only  interruption 
to  trade  was  the  Stock  Yards  labor-strike  that 
was  inaugurated  in  July,  1904.  This  handi- 
capped the  packers  seriously  for  nearly  two 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


767 


months,  limited  receipts  to  some  extent,  and 
was  the  real  reason  that  the  shipments  for  the 
year  were  proportionally  so  much  greater  than 
the  amount  slaughtered.  Feeders  who  marketed 
their  cattle  early  in  the  year  found  the  market 
unfavorable,  for  the  prices  of  feed  were  high 
and  the  original  cost  of  cattle  was  above  nor- 
mal. After  the  bulk  of  the  winter  feeding  had 
been  marketed  receipts  decreased  rapidly,  and 
there  was  a  corresponding  improvement  in  the 
condition  of  the  market.  After  the  strike  was 
settled  there  was  another  rush  of  cattle  to 
market  and  the  fall  months  witnessed  a  marked 
depression  in  the  trade  for  all  cattle  that  were 
below  quality.  Hog  raisers  did  not  receive  as 
much  for  their  hogs  in  1904  as  they  did  during 
several  previous  years,  yet  prices  averaged  well 
in  comparison  with  a  number  of  years  previous. 
Values  for  the  year  were  close  to  a  dollar  less 
per  100  pounds  than  in  1903.  In  July  the  strike 
cut  the  supply  nearly  in  two,  and  prices  grad- 
ually crept  up  until  values  were  60  to  80  cents 
higher  than  the  lowest  point  in  May.  Receipts 
continued  small  during  the  next  three  months, 
and  though  packers  resisted  the  advance,  values 
increased  steadily  and  reached  the  high  point  in 
September,  when  heavy  hogs  sold  at  $4.50  to 
$6.30  per  hundred,  light  at  $5.15  to  $6.30,  and 
medium  at  $4.85  to  $6.37%.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  the  packers  commenced  their  bear  cam- 
paign in  a  strenuous  endeavor  to  reduce  prices 
before  the  opening  of  the  winter  packing  sea- 
son. Their  hammering  tactics  proved  effective 
and  the  market  steadily  weakened.  Receipts 
were  so  light  in  October  that  they  were  not  able 
to  make  much  headway,  but  in  November,  when 
supplies  increased  rather  surprisingly,  the  de- 
cline was  rapid,  and  by  the  first  of  December 
there  had  been  a  decrease  of  50  cents  on  the  low 
end  and  $1.70  on  the  top  end  of  the  market 
from  the  high  notch  in  September.  Over 
4,500,000  sheep  and  lambs  were  received  and 
disposed  of  at  prices  which  were  entirely  satis- 
factory to  flock  masters.  The  year's  contribu- 
tion was  within  a  few  thousand  of  the  record- 
breaking  run  of  1903.  Receipts  were  well  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  year.  At  the  opening 
of  the  year  native  sheep  were  selling  at  $1.75 
to  $4.75,  mostly  at  $4.00  to  $4.50.  A  strong 
export  demand  added  interest  to  the  trade,  and 
was  responsible  to  a  large  extent  for  the  high 
standard  of  prices  which  prevailed  during  the 
spring  months.  Lamb  trade  was  good  and  fol- 
lowed closely  the  trend  of  sheep  values. 


There  was  a  healthy  increase  over  1903  in 
Chicago's  horse  trade.  While  total  receipts  for 
the  year  fell  about  13,000  below  the  record  of 
118,754  established  in  1898,  they  showed  an  in- 
crease of  500,500  over  19'03.  It  was  found  that 
prices  were  about  the  highest  in  the  history  of 
the  trade  since  a  market  was  established  here. 
The  average  price  per  head  in  1903  was  $132.50. 
In  1904  $135  was  the  average  price,  which 
placed  the  valuation  of  the  yecr's  receipts  at 
$14,295,690,  against  $13,455,651  in  1903.  With 
the  exception  of  export  trade,  demand  was  good 
throughout  the  year.  The  record  price  was  $660 
for  a  pair  of  choice  drafters. 

GRAIN  TBADE. — With  regard  to  grain  the  Chi- 
cago Board  of  Trade,  the  greatest  grain  and 
provision  exchange  of  the  world,  is  the  market 
to  which  the  surplus  produce  of  the  rich  farm- 
ing lands  of  Illinois,  Iowa  and  other  Western 
States  are  brought  for  distribution  to  all  parts 
of  this  country  and  to  Europe.  Not  only  are 
hundreds  of  millions  of  bushels  of  grain 
brought  here  annually,  but  because  of  the  pre- 
eminence of  Chicago  as  a  speculative  market, 
none  other  in  the  world  approaching  it  in  the 
aggregate  volume  of  trade  in  all  commodities. 
Millions  of  bushels  of  grain,  bought  in  all  parts 
of  the  country  at  harvest  time  and  throughout 
the  year,  are  hedged  against  by  sales  for  future 
delivery  in  the  various  pits  of  the  local  ex- 
change. For  years  Chicago  was  the  naflonal 
gateway  for  the  distribution  of  the  surplus 
food  products  of  the  West  to  Eastern  and 
foreign  consumers,  its  grain  reached  a  capacity 
of  60,000,000  bushels,  and  its  unapproached  pre- 
eminence in  the  grain  trade  was  unquestioned 
and  easily  maintained.  It  is  still  preeminent, 
but  altered  conditions  make  it  necessary  at 
times  for  Chicago  grain-dealers  to  fight  for 
what  used  to  come  to  them  naturally.  The 
decadence  of  the  Chicago  harbor,  because  of 
the  tunnels  under  the  Chicago  River,  which 
make  it  impossible  for  modern  lake  vessels  of 
deep  draft  to  reach  the  immense  elevators 
which  dot  its  banks,  has  developed  other  grain 
markets  and  diverted  a  large  part  of  the  grain 
traffic  of  the  lakes  to  northern  ports.  Only  small 
vessels  carrying  small  cargoes  can  go  up  the 
river;  it  costs  more  to  handle  grain  in  small 
lots,  and  in  these  days  of  keen  competition 
fractions  of  a  cent  count  heavily.  More  than 
that,  the  older  and  smaller  boats  are  constantly 
wearing  out  and  their  number  lessening,  being 


768 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OP  ILLINOIS. 


always  replaced  by  larger  vessels.  The  growth 
of  the  cattle  and  hog-feeding  industry  in  the 
West  has  kept  a  large  share  of  the  corn  crop 
in  the  section  where  it  is  raised,  increased 
domestic  consumption  largely  and  brought 
about  a  higher  range  of  prices,  thereby  limiting 
the  export  demand.  The  development  of  the 
gulf  ports  and  favoring  railroad  rates  have 
diverted  in  that  direction  western  grain  which, 
in  former  years,  would  have  gone  through  Chi- 
cago to  the  eastern  seaboard  for  transhipment 
to  European  buyers.  Railroad  discrimination 
against  Chicago  in  favor  of  other  Western  mar- 
kets, which  made  forward  strides  with  the 
growth  of  the  country,  is  an  evil  the  Board  of 
Trade  has  set  itself  seriously  to  combat  within 
the  last  year.  It  has  established  a  freight 
bureau,  which  has  already  achieved  good  results 
in  preventing  discriminations  against  this  mar- 
ket. For  several  years  the  purely  speculative 
department  of  trade  on  the  exchange  has  suf- 
fered to  the  benefit  of  other  markets,  because 
the  Board,  with  a  high  sense  of  business  ethics, 
put  a  stop  to  trading  in  "puts"  and  "calls,'' 
which  was  in  violation  of  a  statute  of  the  State, 
although  no  State  officials  seemed  disposed  to 
enforce  it.  Either  because  of  a  change  in  Gov- 
ernment methods  of  estimating  crops,  or  from 
an  increase  in  the  consumption  of  cereal  foods 
out  of  proportion  to  the  natural  increase  in 
population,  or  to  both,  the  last  two  wheat  crops 
have  been  more  nearly  exhausted  than  in  previ- 
ous years.  Whereas,  from  a  crop  of  522,000,000 
bushels  in  1900,  216,000,000  bushels  were  ex- 
ported, from  a  crop  of  637,000,000  bushels  in 
1903  only  120,000,000  bushels  were  exported, 
and  the  close  of  the  crop  year,  July  30,  1904, 
found  stocks  reduced  to  an  abnormally  low 
level,  there  being  only  14,000,000  bushels  in  the 
visible  supply,  against  30,000,000  bushels  on 
June  30,  1901.  Stocks  were  so  low,  particularly 
of  choice  milling  wheat,  that  high  prices  pre- 
vailed for  cash  wheat,  the  range  on  June  30 
being  88  cents  to  $1.00.  During  1904  receipts 
of  corn  were  102,000,000  bushels,  distributed 
from  here  by  lake  and  rail  to  Eastern  and  for- 
eign consumers.  The  local  receipts  were  more 
than  twice  the  total  exports  of  the  country  for 
the  year.  The  increasing  demand  for  corn  for 
stock-feeding  and  for  various  industries  kept 
pace  with  the  marketings  throughout  the  year, 
and  high  prices  prevailed.  The  lowest  price 
of  No.  2  corn  was  42%  cents,  which  was  touched 
in  January,  and  from  that  the  price  went  to 


cents  in  November.  The  1904  crop  had  a 
late  start,  and  at  first  had  an  apparently  poor 
prospect,  as  it  suffered  from  unseasonable 
weather  at  various  periods,  and  seemed  in  danger 
of  widespread  damage  by  early  frost.  But  an 
exceptionally  late  and  favorable  fall  permitted 
the  maturing  of  the  entire  crop,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  final  Government  report,  the  yield 
reached  2,467,000,000  bushels,  the  finest  in  qual- 
ity ever  raised,  and  the  second  largest  in  the 
number  of  bushels.  With  high  prices  prevail- 
ing, the  new  crop  began  to  move  early,  and  dur- 
ing November  and  December  there  was  a  rush 
to  market  to  catch  the  high  cash  premium  pre- 
vailing. High  prices  prevailed  for  oats  during 
eight  months  of  the  year,  as  supplies,  espe- 
cially those  of  good  quality,  were  short,  the 
1903  crop  having  been  small  and  of  medium 
quality.  There  was  little  attempt  at  manipu- 
lation, but  May  oats  sold  as  high  as  46%  cents 
per  bushel  and  no  lower  than  36%  cents.  July 
oats  sold  as  high  as  42%  cents.  Even  after  it 
became  reasonably  certain  a  bumper  crop  had 
been  raised  of  exceptionally  good  quality,  the 
final  Government  figures,  fixing  the  1904  yield 
at  895,000,000  bushels,  prices  yielded  slowly, 
owing  to  speculative  belief  in  the  theory  that 
farmers,  having  been  used  to  high  prices,  would 
market  slowly.  But  the  early  movement  of  the 
new  crop  was  heavy,  continuing  until  stocks 
of  nearly  25,000,000  bushels  had  been  piled  up 
in  the  visible  supply,  a  record-breaking  total. 
The  total  receipts  for  the  calendar  year  in  this 
market  were  73,000,000  bushels. 

The  year's  provision  trade  was  uneventful 
speculatively.  The  best  bulge  came  in  Feb- 
ruary, following  the  outbreak  of  the  war  be- 
tween Japan  and  Russia.  At  that  time  May 
pork  sold  to  $16.67^,  but  prices  yielded  because 
of  declines  in  grains,  good  corn  prospects,  and, 
finally,  a  liberal  movement  of  hogs,  which  sold 
under  $4.50  per  hundred  and  could  be  cut  at  a 
good  profit.  Prices  generally  were  lower  than 
the  year  before  and  speculation  was  spasmodic 
and  never  heavy.  Stocks,  as  usual,  increased 
liberally  in  the  fall,  and  prices  at  the  end  of 
the  year  were  not  buoyant.  There  was  a  fair 
increase  in  the  number  of  smaller  independent 
packing  concerns  in  the  West,  and  Western 
packers  showed  a  general  disposition  to  market 
their  product  in  Chicago. 

BOARD  OF  TRADE. — The  financial  condition  of 
the  Board  of  Trade  at  the  end  of  the  year  was 
gratifying,  there  being  a  good  surplus  on  hand, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


769 


putting  the  association  on  a  sound  basis.  The 
membership  was  1,786  and  annual  dues 
remained  at  $50.00,  with  an  additional  special 
assessment  of  $25.00  to  retire  memberships 
should  they  fall  to  $3,000  or  under.  The  year 
was  a  record  one  in  the  number  of  expulsions, 
six  members  having  lost  their  standing  on  the 
Exchange  for  uncommercial  conduct,  while  only 
one  was  expelled  in  1903,  and  three  in  1902. 
The  bonded  indebtedness  of  the  Board  is  $1,240,- 
000  in  4  per  cent  bonds.  Memberships  held  well 
over  $3,000  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  open- 
ing at  $3,050  and  reaching  the  high  point  in 
March,  when  a  sale  was  recorded  at  $3,925.  The 
low  point  came  in  May,  when  there  was  a  sale 
at  $2,950.  At  no  time  did  the  price  come  within 
$300  of  the  low  point  in  1903,  and  the  high 
price  was  $200  over  the  high  price  of  the  pre- 
vious year,  but  $425  under  the  best  price  of 
1902.  At  the  close  of  the  year  the  price  was 
$3,150. 

INSURANCE  BUSINESS. — In  the  line  of  insur- 
ance the  year  opened  for  the  Chicago  Under- 
writers' Association  by  all  members  renewing 
their  pledges  of  allegiance  to  the  rules.  This 
had  the  effect  of  reducing  violations.  The 
numerous  Lloyds  institutions  that  operated 
from  Chicago  nearly  all  failed  or  stopped  busi- 
ness. The  loss  in  ratio  in  Chicago  for  1904 
was  about  55  per  cent.  The  attempt  to  reduce 
rates  in  the  city  was  thwarted  by  the  Baltimore 
fire.  Life  insurance  companies  closed  the  year 
with  gains  in  every  direction.  The  large  com- 
panies showed  unprecedented  records,  while  the 
small  and  medium  companies  made  conserva- 
tive advances.  Casualty  and  miscellaneous  com- 
panies started  a  movement  to  organize  a 
national  board  of  casualty  underwriters,  which 
is  intended  to  include  all  classes  of  companies 
other  than  fire  and  life. 

THEATRICAL  AFFAIRS. — The  theatrical  year  of 
1904,  so  far  as  Chicago  was  concerned,  was  only 
about  ten  months  long.  It  can  scarcely  be 
said  to  have  begun  until  the  end  of 
February,  and  the  weeks  that  preceded  the  time 
of  commencement  were  weeks  of  gloom  and 
worriment  for  all  concerned.  The  new  year 
found  every  playhouse  in  the  city  closed,  and 
it  looked  for  a  time  as  though  the  terrible 
disaster  at  the  Iroquois  Theater  in  the  closing 
days  of  1903  was  destined  to  put  an  end  to  the 
theatrical  activities  of  Chicago.  But  these 
weeks  of  silence  and  darkness  saw  undertaken 
a  series  of  costly  but  desirable  changes  in  the 


playhouses  of  the  city,  and  1904  ended  bril- 
liantly, leaving  a  supply  of  some  twenty-five 
theaters,  which  are  now  about  as  safe  as  the 
most  critical  and  detailed  devising  fire-fighting 
authority  can  make  them,  and  about  as  com- 
fortable for  play-goer  and  player  as  can  be 
found  in  the  entire  United  States.  The  year, 
which  began  in  gloom  and  darkness,  ended  in 
bright  conditions  and  smiling  prosperity. 

THE  NEW  CHARTER  QUESTION. — One  of  the 
most  important  events  in  the  history  of  Chi- 
cago took  place  November  8,  1904,  when  an 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  1870  was 
adopted  by  vote  of  the  people  of  Illinois.  This 
gave  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  the 
power  to  provide  "A  complete  system  of  local 
government  in  and  for  the  city  of  Chicago." 
In  a  comprehensive  article  published  in  "The 
World  Today,"  Francis  W.  Parker  says,  in  part: 
"The  people  were  led  to  believe  that  a  new 
'scheme  or  charter  of  local  municipal  govern- 
ment for  Chicago,'  and  not  merely  one  or  two 
little  remedial  laws,  would  follow  their  adop- 
tion of  the  amendment.  Doubtless  they 
will  demand  fundamental  and  extensive 
changes.  The  situation  is  singularly  pro- 
pitious for  a  great  forward  movement  in 
municipal  government.  The  city's  resources 
are  unimpaired.  The  total  bonded  indebtedness 
of  all  local  municipal  corporations  is  approxi- 
mately $50,000,000,  and  this  amount  is  abun- 
dantly covered  by  the  profitable  water-works; 
the  vast  property,  including  water-power,  of  the 
Drainage  Canal;  the  school,  park  and  library 
property,  and  the  public  buildings.  Taxes  are 
low.  Population  and  wealth  are  steadily  in- 
creasing. Many  sources  of  revenue  elsewhere 
worked  are  here  untried.  The  State  is  without 
debt  and  has  an  overflowing  treasury.  National 
taxation  is  practically  imperceptible.  The  level 
surface  of  the  city  is  broken  only  by  the  river, 
and  hence  the  parks,  boulevards,  elevated  and 
surface  railways,  and  exterior  steam  railways 
can  be  easily  developed  as  spokes  and  rims  of 
a  series  of  great  wheels  of  which  the  heart  of 
Chicago  will  be  the  hub.  The  water  and  sewer 
problems  seem  definitely  settled  on  broad  lines, 
good  for  decades  to  come,  needing  only  such 
developments  as  are  now  under  way  or  may  be 
required.  The  schools,  universities  and  libra- 
ries, public  and  private,  are  founded  and  en- 
dowed on  a  scale  probably  unsurpassed,  if 
equaled,  by  any  other  large  city  in  the  United 
States.  The  essential  conditions  of  a  truly  great 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


city  are,  therefore,  present,  and  no  natural  obstacle 
seems  to  interfere  with  the  city's  growth. 

Mr.  Parker  discusses  various  other  questions 
in  connection  with  the  new  charter  issue  in 
a  conservative  manner,  including  the  number 
of  members  of  the  City  Council  and  the  salaries 
of  the  same.  As  to  the  former,  he  favors  a 
liberal  representation  in  numbers,  supporting 
his  view  by  comparison  with  the  larger  and 
best  governed  cities  of  England.  With  refer- 
ence to  the  latter  question,  he  argues  that  the 
present  salary  of  $1,500  per  annum  paid  to  the 
members  of  the  City  Council  should  not  be 
changed.  He  favors,  however,  the  creation  of  a 
new  and  more  stately  building  for  the  use  of 
the  City  Government — one  which  will  furnish 
a  substantial  and  permanent  home  for  the 
municipal  authorities  and  which,  in  architec- 
tural style  and  beauty,  will  be  in  accord  with 
the  wealth  and  population  of  the  city.  The 
urgency  of  the  latter  proposition  has  been 
strikingly  illustrated  by  the  evidences  of  decay 
which  have  been  manifest  about  the  present 
City  Hall  within  the  last  few  months. 

The  subject  of  a  new  charter  is  pending 
before  the  Legislature  at  the  present  time,  the 
manner  in  which  it  has  been  taken  up  in  that 
body  indicating  practical  unanimity  among  both 
the  city  and  country  members  as  to  the  neces- 
sity for  such  a  measure.  While  there  will 
undoubtedly  be  differences  of  opinion  among 
the  members  in  reference  to  some  of  the  minor 
details,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  these 
will  be  harmoniously  adjusted,  and  that,  by  the 
beginning  of  another  year,  the  city  of  Chicago 
will  have  been  brought  under  the  operation  of 
an  organic  law  suitable  to  its  growing  wealth 
and  population  and  to  the  constantly  increasing 
importance  of  the  measures  with  which,  as  a 
municipality,  it  has  to  deal. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


CEMETERIES. 


EARLY   CHICAGO   CEMETERIES — LOCATIONS  OF   SOUTH 
AND     NORTH     SIDE     BURIAL     GROUNDS     PRIOR     TO 

1840 FIRST      CHICAGO      CITY      CEMETERY      NOW 

PART  OF  LINCOLN  PARK — FURTHER  BURIALS 
THERE  PROHIBITED  IN  1859 ROSE  HILL  CEME- 
TERY DEDICATED  JULY  28,  1859. 

To  provide    with     reverent    respect    for  the 
remains  of  the  dead  has  been  a  characteristic 


of  all  civilized  nations  from  the  earliest  times, 
and  many  of  the  honored  burial  places  in  this 
country  will  compare  favorably,  in  respect  to 
location  and  adornment,  with  the  finest  and 
most  noted  of  those  in  the  old  world. 

In  the  early  days  of  Chicago,  there  was  no 
particular  spot  set  apart  for  burial  purposes, 
each  interment  being  made  at  or  near  the  resi- 
dence of  the  deceased  or  that  of  some  relative. 
Those  dying  within  the  stockade  of  Fort  Dear- 
born, where  a  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
settlement  lived,  were  laid  to  rest  just  across 
the  line  running  east  of  the  Kinzie  residence. 
Those  who  died  with  cholera  in  1832,  found  a 
common  burial  place  on  a  lot  near  the  north- 
east corner  of  Lake  Street  and  Wabash  Avenue. 

It  was  not  until  1835,  when  the  "Town  of 
Chicago"  numbered  3,300  inhabitants,  that  the 
people  began  to  feel  the  need  of  a  public  bury- 
ing ground.  Two  lots  were  selected,  one  on  the 
South  Side  near  what  is  now  Twenty-third 
Street  and  the  lake  shore,  containing  sixteen 
acres,  and  the  other  on  the  North. Side,  near 
Chicago  Avenue  and  east  of  Clark  Street,  con- 
taining ten  acres.  As  soon  as  these  grounds 
were  platted  and  dedicated,  interments  were 
prohibited  elsewhere  within  the  limits  of  the 
"Town." 

In  1840  the  city  became  the  owner  of  120  acres 
of  ground  in  Section  33,  Township  40,  Range 
14,  on  the  lake,  the  southern  sixty  acres  of 
which  were  laid  out  and  used  as  the  "Chicago 
City  Cemetery."  The  South  Side  grounds,  at 
Twenty-third  Street,  having  ceased  to  be  used 
as  a  cemetery  after  1842,  the  bodies  interred 
there  were  subsequently  transferred  to  the  "City 
Cemetery,"  as  were  also  those  buried  in  the 
North  Side  Cemetery,  near  Chicago  Avenue. 
The  City  Cemetery  was  then  one  and  a  half 
miles  from  town,  and  supposed  to  be  sufficiently 
remote  for  the  purpose  desired.  But  in  1858 
the  growing  city  had  nearly  reached  it,  and  Dr. 
John  H.  Rauch,  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Health,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Chicago  His- 
torical Society  that  year  (1858),  on  the  subject 
of  intramural  interments,  used  this  language: 

"Let  immediate  steps  be  taken  to  prevent 
all  further  interments  within  the  corporate 
limits,  and,  as  soon  as  practicable,  let  arrange- 
ments be  made  for  the  gradual  removal  of 
the  remains  of  those  already  interred  (in  the 
Chicago  Cemetery),  with  the  ultimate  view 
of  converting  these  grounds  into  a  public 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


771 


park,  which  shall  contribute  to  the  health, 
pleasure  and  credit  of  our  city." 
A  petition  signed  by  a  number  of  the  influen- 
tial citizens  of  Chicago  was  presented  to  the 
Common  Council,  and  the  Council  in  May,  1859, 
ordered  that  the  sale  of  burial  lots  in  said 
grounds  should  cease;  and,  on  February  15, 
1860,  arrangement  was  made  providing  for  the 
interment  of  such  bodies  as  the  city  might 
direct  in  Rose  Hill  Cemetery.  This  arrange- 
ment, however,  was  not  carried  out,  and  it  was 
not  until  1864  that  an  ordinance  was  passed 
prohibiting  any  further  burials  in  the  Chicago 
Cemetery.  Provision  was  made  for  the  removal 
of  the  bodies  to  Rose  Hill,  Graceland,  Calvary 
and  other  cemeteries,  and  the  land  was  set 
apart  for  a  public  park,  to  which  the  name 
"Lincoln"  was  given  in  honor  of  the  great  War 
President,  who  had  but  recently  won  his  crown 
of  martyrdom. 

In  view  of  the  possibility  of  this  action  being 
taken,  and  the  rapidly  growing  necessities  of 
the  city,  which  by  this  time  numbered  100,000 
people,  several  leading  citizens,  in  connection 
with  a  committee  of  the  Common  Council,  were 
appointed  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  a  suit- 
able site  for  a  new  cemetery.  After  a  careful 
survey  and  topographical  reconnoisance  of  the 
vicinity  of  Chicago,  they  selected  the  grounds 
which  afterwards  became,  and  still  are,  known 
as  "Rose  Hill  Cemetery."  The  land  is  a 
gravelly,  undulating  ridge  from  thirty  to  forty 
feet  above  Lake  Michigan,  partly  covered  with  a 
native  growth  of  trees  of  several  varieties,  and 
being  sufficiently  above  the  surrounding  prairie 
to  protect  the  lots  from  encroachment  by  water 
at  all  times.  It  is  located  seven  miles  north 
of  the  City  Hall  and  includes  five  hundred 
acres  of  land,  of  which  three  hundred  acres  are 
platted  and  improved. 

The  company  was  chartered  February  11, 
1859,  and  the  grounds  dedicated  with  formal 
ceremonies,  in  the  presence  of  eight  thousand 
spectators,  on  July  28,  1859.  The  corner-stone 
of  the  chapel  was  laid  with  Masonic  rites,  and 
an  address  delivered  by  Dr.  H.  A.  Johnson, 
representing  the  Grand  Master  of  the  State. 
The  dedicating  oration  was  delivered  by  Dr.  J. 
V.  Z.  Blaney,  the  first  President  of  the  Board 
of  Managers. 

Rose  Hill,  thus  auspiciously  inaugurated,  is 
not  only  the  oldest  and  largest  "City  of  the 
Dead"  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  but  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  highly  improved.  The  en- 


trance is  built  of  solid  stone  masonry  artistic 
in  design,  and  makes  an  imposing  appearance. 

The  last  resting  places  of  not  a  few  of  Chi- 
cago's eminent  citizens,  during  the  past,  may 
be  found  here.  The  cemetery  has  its  own  water- 
system,  derived  from  an  artesian  well  2,278  feet 
in  depth,  which  yields  a  steady  and  constant 
flow  of  clear,  pure  water,  affording  a  sufficient 
supply  for  ordinary  purposes.  Besides  this, 
there  is  a  connection  with  the  city  water  sys- 
tem by  means  of  a  large  supply  pipe. 

There  are  three  large  lakes  in  the  cemetery, 
many  beautiful  and  costly  monuments  and 
vaults,  well-kept  lots  and  shrubbery,  and  exten- 
sive greenhouses  for  the  supply  of  flowers.  A 
new  chapel  and  crypt,  in  connection  with  a 
receiving  vault,  was  erected  in  1900.  It  is  the 
intention  of  the  company  to  continue  the  im- 
provements and  beautifying  of  the  cemetery 
until  Rose  Hill  shall  become  the  most  beautiful 
cemetery  in  the  world. 

Ten  per  cent  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of 
lots  is  reserved  as  a  fund  for  the  perpetual 
care  of  the  cemetery  grounds.  This  fund  now 
amounts  to  over  $100,000,  and  is  rapidly  increas- 
ing. The  interments  in  Rose  Hill  up  to  Jan- 
uary, 1905,  have  numbered  nearly  100,000. 

The  officers  of  the  Cemetery  Association  are: 

Henry  L.  Pitcher,  President;  A.  W.  Vercoe, 
Secretary;  W.  S.  Freeman,  Treasurer. 

Board  of  Managers:  H.  L.  Pitcher,  Joseph 
Hutchinson,  Clancy  J.  Dempster,  W.  S.  Free- 
man, K.  V.  R.  Lansing,  Edwin  Burritt  Smith, 
Robert  F.  Pettibone.  Superintendent  in  charge 
of  Greenhouses  and  Cemetery  Grounds,  Thomas 
Wallis;  Lot  Salesman,  Walter  Chadband. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


TOWNSHIP    HISTORY. 


COOK     COUNTY     FIRST     DIVIDED     INTO    PRECINCTS 

TOWNSHIP   ORGANIZATION   IN    1850 SUCCESSIVE 

REORGANIZATIONS  AND  PRESENT  LIST  OF  TOWN- 
SHIPS— POPULATION  BY  TOWNSHIPS  IN  1900 — 
INDIVIDUAL  HISTORY  OF  TOWNSHIPS  OUTSIDE 
THE  CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 

The    first   step    in   the   creation   of   political 
divisions    within    the     territory     embraced    in 


772 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Cook   County    after   its    organization    in    1831, 
was    the   division   of  the   county    (for   voting 
purposes)   into  precincts,  of  which  there  were 
three  at  the  time  of  the  first  election  in  March, 
1831 — the  county  then  embracing,  in  addition 
to   its   present    area,    the    counties   of    Lake, 
McHenry,  DuPage  and  Will.    For  the  next  nine- 
teen years  county  affairs  were  managed  by  a 
Board  of  three  County  Commissioners  chosen 
by  a  general  vote.     In  1840,  Cook  County,  hav- 
ing  been    reduced   to   its   present   limits,   con- 
tained fourteen  precincts,  but  in  1845  the  num- 
ber was  increased  to  sixteen.     In  April,  1850, 
the    county     was     organized     into     townships 
(twenty-seven  in  number)  under  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  adopted   during  the  previous  year 
in   accordance   with  the  Constitution   of  1848, 
and  the  first  Board  of  Township  Supervisors 
and   other  town  officers  were  elected.     Under 
this  division  the  city  of  Chicago  (then  consist- 
ing of  nine  wards)    constituted  one  township, 
the  other  twenty-six   townships   being  outside 
the  city  limits.     Of  the  twenty-six  rural  town- 
ships, two  were  known,  respectively,  as  South 
Chicago    and    East    and   West   Chicago.      The 
number   of   townships    in   the   county   in   1860 
was  twenty-nine,  of  which  Chicago   (then  con- 
taining ten  wards)    constituted   one   township 
by  the  same  name,  while  South  and  West  Chi- 
cago, having  been  divided,  constituted  two  sepa- 
rate townships   under  their  respective  names, 
but  still  outside  the  city  limits.     In  1870,  by 
extended  reorganizations,  the  county  embraced 
thirty-three   townships,   of   which   thirty   were 
outside  the  city  of  Chicago, — which  was  then 
divided  for  township  purposes,  into  three  town- 
ships, viz.:   South  Chicago,  North  Chicago  and 
West  Chicago.     The  same  division  as  to  town- 
ship  organization    continued    until    March    25, 
1901,  when  the  township  of  Stickney  was  orga- 
nized by  act  of  the  Board  of  County  Commis- 
sioners, out  of  the  eastern  part  of  Lyons  Town- 
ship.    On  November  13,  1901,  another  change 
came  in  the  organization  by  the  County  Board 
of  three  townships  out  of  the  portions  of  Cicero 
Township   still   outside  the    city    of    Chicago. 
These  were  named,  respectively,  Cicero,  Berwyn 
and  Oak  Park,  each  having  boundaries  identi- 
cal with  the  villages  of  the  same  names.     The 
whole  number  of  townships   in  the  county  at 
the  present  time    (1904),   therefore,   is  thirty- 
six,  of  which  seven  (North  Chicago,  South  Chi- 
cago and  West  Chicago,  Hyde  Park,  Lake,  Lake 
View  and  Jefferson)  are  wholly,  and  five  more 


(Calumet,  Evanston,  Maine,  Niles  and  Nor- 
wood Park)  are  partly,  within  the  limits  of  the 
city  of  Chicago.  Below  will  be  found  the 
population  of  the  county  by  minor  divisions, 
as  shown  by  the  census  of  1900 — Stickney 
Township  then  constituting  a  part  of  Lyons, 
and  Berwyn  and  Oak  Park  part  of  Cicero  Town- 
ship. 

City  of  Chicago  (including  the  towns 
of  North  Chicago,  South  Chicago, 
West  Chicago,  Hyde  Park,  Lake, 
Lake  View,  and  Jefferson,  and  parts 
of  Calumet,  Cicero,  Evanston,  Maine, 

Niles  and  Norwood  Park) 1,698,575 

Barrington   Township    1,814 

Berwyn  Township,  included  in  Cicero 

Township    

Bloom  Township   7,120 

Bremen  Township 1,881 

Calumet  Township,  portion  outside  of 

City  of  Chicago   6,162 

Cicero  Township  (including  Oak  Park 

and   Berwyn)    16,310 

Elk  Grove  Township   1,208 

Evanston  Township   18,721 

Hanover  Township  1,657 

Lemont   Township    4,441 

Leyden  Township   2,270 

Lyons    Township    (including   Stickney 

Township)    8,350 

Maine  Township,  portion  outside  city 

of  Chicago  5,161 

New  Trier  Township   7,299 

Niles    Township,    portion    outside    of 

Chicago 4,030 

Northfield  Township 2,323 

Norwood  Park  Township 3,447 

Oak  Park  Township,  included  in  Cicero 

Township   

Orland  Township 1,296 

Palatine  Township   2,074 

Palos  Township   1,074 

Proviso  Township   15,498 

Rich   Township    1,421 

Riverside  Township   1,652 

Schaumburg  Township 1,003 

Stickney  Township,  included  in  Lyons 

Township    

Thornton  Township    •  14,933 

Wheeling  Township    2,984 

Worth  Township   6,031 


Total  for  Cook  County 1,838,735 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


773 


While  the  affairs  of  the  county  are  controlled 
by  a  Board  of  fifteen  Commissioners  (ten  for 
the  city  of  Chicago  and  five  for  the  outlying 
townships),  elected  by  general  vote  for  a  period 
of  two  years,  the  internal  affairs  of  each  town- 
ship are  under  the  direction  of  the  same  class 
of  officers — viz.:  a  Supervisor,  Town  Clerk, 
Assessor,  and  Collector — as  in  other  counties 
under  township  organization,  except  as  to  the 
city  of  Chicago,  where,  under  the  provisions  of 
an  act,  approved  May  11,  1901,  the  powers 
vested  in  Town  Officers  are  exercised  by  the 
City  Council. 

(The  history  of  the  townships  embraced 
within  the  city  of  Chicago  has  already  been 
treated  with  sufficient  detail  in  connection  with 
the  history  of  Chicago.  The  history  of  the 
outlying  townships  is  given  separately  in  the 
following  pages.) 


BARRINGTON   TOWNSHIP. 

Barrington  Township  occupies  an  entire  con- 
gressional township  (42  North,  Range  9  East) 
is  the  extreme  northwestern  township  of  Cook 
County,  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lake  County, 
east  by  the  town  of  Palatine,  south  by  Schaum- 
burg  and  Hanover  and  west  by  Kane  County. 
The  surface  of  the  country  is  generally  rolling 
and  somewhat  elevated,  the  soil  being  a  rich 
prairie  loam.  About  one-fourth  of  the  area  was 
originally  covered  with  timber,  the  rest  being 
prairie.  Settlers  began  to  locate  here  about 
1834,  the  first  to  arrive  being  Jesse  F.  Miller, 
and  William  Van  Ersdal,  who  came  during  that 
year.  The  first  frame  house  in  the  township  was 
erected  by  L.  W.  Kingsley  in  1841.  The  town- 
ship of  Barrington  was  formally  organized  in 
April,  1850,  under  the  general  law  passed  by 
the  Legislature  during  the  previous  year.  A 
number  of  the  early  settlers  having  emigrated 
from  the  vicinity  of  Great  Barrington,  gave 
the  name  Barrington  to  their  new  home.  The 
town  had  its  present  dimensions  from  the  start, 
and  in  these  there  have  been  no  changes  to  the 
present  time. 

Barrington,  the  only  incorporated  village  in 
Barrington  Township,  on  the  Wisconsin  Divis- 
ion of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad, 
is  located  in  the  extreme  northeastern  corner 
of  the  township,  part  of  the  village  being  in 
Lake  County.  A  postoffice  was  established  near 
here  on  the  Lake  County  side  in  1853,  but  in 
1855  was  removed  to  Barrington,  with  John 


Porter  as  Postmaster.  The  village  was  laid 
out  by  Robert  Campbell  in  1854,  and  the  rail- 
road having  been  built  through  it,  the  depot 
was  located  here  a  few  months  afterwards. 
The  first  house  in  the  town  was  built  by  Eben 
Conant  about  1850,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
this  was  the  only  house  in  the  place.  The  first 
step  towards  incorporation  was  taken  in  1863, 
and  two  years  later  the  village  was  incorpo- 
rated by  special  act  of  the  Legislature,  having 
a  population  at  that  time  of  about  300.  In 
1872  the  village  government  was  reincorporated 
under  the  general  act  for  the  incorporation  of 
towns,  cities  and  villages.  Barrington  has  a 
good  school  system  with  modern  buildings,  and 
the  principal  religious  denominations  are  repre- 
sented in  good  church  edifices.  There  is  also  a 
post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and 
a  lodge  of  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  here. 

The  population  of  Barrington  Township  in 
1900  was  1,814,  of  which  770  was  in  Barrington 
village.  A  portion  of  the  village  lying  in  Cuba 
Township,  Lake  County,  increases  the  total 
population  to  1,162. 


BLOOM  TOWNSHIP. 

Bloom  Township,  in  the  southeast  corner  of 
Cook  County,  comprises  the  whole  of  Town  35 
N.,  R.  14  E.,  with  a  strip  two  miles  wide  by 
six  long  (twelve  sections)  in  Town  35  N.,  15  E. 
Its  entire  area,  therefore,  is  equal  to  one  and 
one-third  congressional  townships.  The  town- 
ship is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Thornton 
Township,  east  by  Lake  County,  Ind.,  south  by 
Will  County  and  west  by  Rich  Township.  Pre- 
vious to  its  organization  with  its  present  boun- 
daries in  April,  1850,  it  composed  a  part  of 
Thornton  Precinct.  It  is  crossed  by  several 
small  tributaries  of  the  Calumet  which,  while 
affording  ample  natural  drainage,  in  its  origi- 
nal state  presented  a  pleasing  prospect  of  vary- 
ing surface  diversified  by  alternating  woods 
and  prairie  land.  During  the  past  generation 
this  has  been  changed  into  cultivated  farms, 
while  a  number  of  villages  have  sprung  up  in 
different  parts  of  the  township.  The  township 
is  touched  on  its  northeastern  corner  by  the 
Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk  and  the  Pittsburg 
&  Fort  Wayne  Railroads,  and  at  the  northwest 
corner  by  the  Illinois  Central,  while  the  Chi- 
cago &  Eastern  Illinois  passes  through  the  cen- 
ter section  from  north  to  south  and  the  Joliet 


774 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Division  of  the  Michigan  Central  from  east  to 
west,  two  miles  from  the  southern  boundary. 

Chicago  Heights,  originally  named  Thorn- 
ton Grove  and  still  later  known  as  Bloom  vil- 
lage, is  one  of  the  largest  villages  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Cook  County,  being  credited  in  1900 
with  a  population  of  5,100.  It  is  situated  at 
the  junction  of  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois 
and  the  Joliet  Division  of  the  Michigan  Central 
Railroad,  twenty-six  and  a  half  miles  south  of 
the  central  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  The 
first  white  settlers  in  this  locality  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Wells  family  who  came  in  the  spring 
of  1833,  but  removed  west  with  the  Indians 
about  1836.  Other  early  settlers  were  Samuel 
Sloam  and  Morris  Murphy,  who  came  in  1835, 
the  latter  establishing  the  first  store  at  Bloom. 
Benjamin  Butterfield,  who  came  from  New 
York  State  to  Lockport,  Will  County,  in  1831, 
removed  to  Bloom  in  1834,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  Thornton  Precinct. 
Adam  Brown  came  soon  after  the  Wells  family, 
already  mentioned,  and  built  a  cabin  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Vincennes  and  the  Sac  Trail 
Roads.  In  1840  Mr.  Brown  is  said  to  have 
planted  an  orchard  and  built  the  first  frame 
barn  in  that  section.  According  to  Andreas' 
History  of  Cook  County,  a  number  of  new 
arrivals  took  place  in  1836,  including  Timothy 
Smith  from  Indiana,  James  Bell  from  Ken- 
tucky, John  Hume  from  Michigan,  besides  John 
and  Robert  Wallace,  John  McEldowney,  ST., 
and  family,  John  Call,  Caleb  Sweet,  John 
McCoy  and  others.  The  name  of  the  village 
was  changed  in  1849  from  Thorn  to  Bloom 
— the  English  spelling  for  Bluhm — in  deference 
to  the  wishes  of  the  German  settlers  in  honor 
of  Robert  Bluhm,  the  patriot  who  was  exe- 
cuted at  Vienna  in  1848.  The  first  plat  of  the 
village  of  Bloom  was  made  in  1863.  The 
growth  of  Chicago  Heights,  the  name  by  which 
the  locality  is  now  known,  has  taken  place 
almost  entirely  within  the  last  ten  years. 

Glenwood,  a  station  three  miles  north  of 
Chicago  Heights,  on  the  Chicago  &  Eastern 
Illinois  Railroad,  was  originally  known  as 
Hickory  Bend.  This  locality  was  settled  about 
1846,  and  the  village  was  laid  out  by  Job  Camp- 
bell and  Floris  Young  in  1871.  A  postoffice 
was  established  here  the  same  year. 

A  village  and  railway  station  named  Steger, 
on  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad, 
two  miles  south  of  Chicago  Heights,  is  situated 
on  the  southern  border  of  the  township,  one- 


half  being  in  Will  County  and  the  other  half 
being  in  Bloom  Township.  The  population  of 
the  portion  of  the  village  in  Bloom  Township, 
in  1900  was  357.  The  population  of  Bloom 
Township  in  1890  was  1,514,  against  7,120  in 
1900, — the  growth  in  the  intervening  ten  years 
being  due  almost  entirely  to  the  development 
of  Chicago  Heights  village. 


BREMEN  TOWNSHIP. 

Bremen  Township  embracing  the  area  origi- 
nally included  in  Town  36  North,  Range  13  East, 
was  organized  with  its  present  dimensions  in 
April,  1850,  having  at  that  time  a  population 
of  250.  Previous  to  this  date  it  was  included 
with  Worth,  Orland,  Palos  and  Lemont  Town- 
ships in  York  Precinct.  As  now  constituted  it 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Worth  Township, 
east  by  Thornton,  south  by  Rich  and  west  by 
Orland.  The  surface  is  diversified,  consisting 
of  undulating  prairie  alternated  with  groves  of 
timber,  the  soil  being  a  rich  loam,  character- 
istic of  the  Calumet  River  region, 

Among  the  early  settlers  were  the  Barton, 
Noble,  Newman  and  Crandall  families,  although 
the  exact  date  of  their  arrival  is  not  known. 
John  F.  Coyne  came  in  1842,  and  located  on  a 
farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Bremen  village  in  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  township.  His  son, 
John  Coyne,  Jr.,  was  the  first  Postmaster  in 
that  section,  and  afterwards  served  many  years 
as  Town  Clerk.  Dr.  Ballard,  also  an  early  set- 
tler, was  the  first  physician  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  opened  the  first  store  in  Bremen  vil- 
lage, and  later  was  Postmaster  there.  A  Mr. 
Cooper,  who  came  here  in  the  thirties,  is 
believed  to  have  erected  the  first  cabin  in  the 
township  in  the  edge  of  what  was  known  as 
Cooper's  Grove,  a  mile  or  so  northeast  of  Bre- 
men village.  (This  was  on  the  line  of  the  road 
from  Chicago  to  Joliet,  and  was  known  before 
the  days  of  the  railroads  as  the  "Old  Stage 
House.")  The  first  house  in  Bremen  village 
was  built  by  a  Mr.  Swan  about  1842.  Another 
early  settler  in  this  locality  was  Thomas  Hitt, 
who  came  from  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  is  said 
to  have  planted  the  first  fruit  orchard  in  that 
section.  The  first  religious  meetings  in  the 
settlement  were  held  by  the  Methodists  in  1842 
at  the  house  of  Frank  Mynards  three  miles 
north  of  Bremen;  the  first  school  was  taught 
in  the  same  locality  by  a  Mrs.  Robinson  in  1852,. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


775 


and  the  first  school  house  is  said  to  have  been 
erected  in  Bremen  village  in  1863.  This  vil- 
lage, which  is  located  on  the  line  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad,  as  its 
name  would  indicate,  was  originally  settled  by 
Germans  and  Hollanders.  The  station  is  now 
called  Finley  Park,  and  is  credited,  according 
to  the  census  of  1900,  with  a  population  of  300. 
Rexford,  another  station  on  the  same  road,  is 
situated  in  the  northwestern  quarter  of  the 
township.  The  total  population  of  the  town- 
ship in  1900  was  1,881.  The  people  are  engaged 
almost  solely  in  agriculture. 


CALUMET  AND  WORTH  TOWNSHIPS. 

Calumet  Township,  embracing  the  western 
half  of  Congressional  Township  3  North,  Range 
14  East,  constituted  a  part  of  Hyde  Park  Town- 
ship until  March  5,  1867,  when  it  was  set  apart 
with  its  present  area.  By  successive  annexa- 
tions, commencing  with  April  1,  1890,  nearly 
two-thirds  of  its  territory  have  been  brought 
within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  com- 
posing the  southwestern  part  of  the  city,  leav- 
ing about  seven  sections  outside  of  the  city 
with  irregular  boundaries.  It  comprises  within 
its  borders  parts  of  the  city  of  Blue  Island,  and 
the  villages  of  Morgan  Park  and  Riverdale,  of 
which  portions  of  the  two  first  named  are  situ- 
ated in  Worth  Township,  west  of  Calumet  and 
the  third  one  in  Thornton  Township  on  the 
south.  Owing  to  the  close  relation  of  Calumet 
and  Worth  Township,  in  consequence  of  the  loca- 
tion within  their  boundaries  of  two  of  the 
most  important  towns  in  the  county,  it  becomes 
necessary  to  treat  them  'in  connection  with 
each  other. 

Worth  Township,  in  the  central  southern 
division  of  Cook  County,  comprises  an  area 
of  36  square  miles,  identical  with  Town  37 
North,  Range  13  East.  It  is  a  rich  agricultural 
region  traversed  by  Stony  Creek,  which  dis- 
charges its  waters  into  the  Calumet,  a  mile  east 
of  Blue  Island.  Before  the  organization  of 
Cook  County  into  townships  in  1850,  Worth 
constituted  a  part  of  what  was  then  known  as 
York  Precinct,  including  the  towns  of  Worth, 
Bremen,  Palos,  Orland  and  Lemont.  The  town- 
ship was  organized  April  2,  1850,  with  its  pres- 
ent limits. 

Blue  Island  was  one  of  the  first  settled  por- 
tions of  Cook  County  outside  of  the  city  of  Chi- 


cago. Its  picturesque  and  elevated  site 
attracted  settlers  at  an  early  day,  and  the  place 
is  reported  to  have  received  its  name  from  the 
impression  made  upon  a  party  of  hunters,  that 
the-  high  ground  rising  above  the  mist,  then 
covering  the  valley  of  the  Calumet  and  Stony 
Creek,  was  an  island.  Peter  Barton  platted  the 
village  in  1837,  and  he  and  Norman  Rexford, 
another  early  settler,  laid  out  the  highway  now 
known  as  Vincennes  Avenue.  Rexford  was  the 
first  settler  in  this  immediate  vicinity,  having 
located  at  what  was  first  called  Longwood,  now 
in  the  northern  part  of  Blue  Island  corporation, 
where  he  erected  a  comfortable  dwelling,  which 
became  widely  known  as  the  Rexford  Hotel. 
Heber  S.  Rexford,  a  brother  of  Norman,  who 
had  come  to  Chicago  in  1832,  was  also  an  early 
settler  here,  making  his  home  with  his  brother. 
Heber  S.  Rexford  was  County  Treasurer  of 
Cook  County  at  the  time  of  the  great  fire  in 
1871,  and  his  brother  Norman  died  at  his  home 
in  Blue  Island  in  1883.  John  Britton,  a  black- 
smith, came  in  1837,  and  Jermanicus  Cooley  in 
1839.  The  first  death  in  the  town  was  that  of 
a  Mr.  Wilson,  who  had  settled  there  in  1837 
and  died  in  1838.  The  first  marriage  was  that 
of  Uriah  Wentworth  to  the  widow  Boardman, 
which  occurred  at  the  house  of  Stephen  Rex- 
ford, a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Blue  Island  first  received  the  name  of  "Port- 
land" from  its  founder,  Mr.  Barton;  but  in 
1838  a  postoffice  was  established  here  under 
the  name  of  "Worth,"  with  Norman  Rexford  as 
Postmaster.  In  the  fall  of  1872  a  village  cor- 
poration was  organized  under  the  present  name, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1902,  a  city  form  of  gov- 
ernment was  adopted.  Blue  Island  has  a  supe- 
rior water-works  system  for  an  interior  town, 
and  is  well  provided  with  gas  and  electric 
lighting  systems.  The  main  lines  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Chicago  & 
Grand  Trunk  railroads  and  a  spur-line  operated 
by  the  Illinois  Central  furnish  the  place  with 
ample  railroad  facilities,  besides  which  it  is 
reached  by  a  trolley  line  from  the  city  of 
Chicago.  As  a  consequence  a  number  of  im- 
portant manufacturing  enterprises  have  been 
established  here  during  the  past  few  years. 
The  total  population  of  the  city,  according  to 
the  census  of  1900,  was  6.114,  of  which  2,501 
was  within  Calumet  Township  and  3,613  in 
Worth  Township. 

Morgan  Park,  one  of  the  most  charming 
residence  suburbs  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  thir- 


776 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


teen  miles  south  of  the  central  part  of  the 
city,  is  reached  by  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railroad  and  a  branch  of  the  Chicago 
and  Blue  Island  trolley  line.  Morgan  Park 
was  a  part  of  Blue  Island  until  1869,  when  it 
was  set  apart  as  an  independent  village. 
Thomas  Morgan  was  the  original  proprietor  of 
the  principal  portion  of  the  village  site,  and 
from  him  It  took  its  name.  The  following 
explanation  has  been  given  by  a  Mrs.  Green- 
acre  of  the  name  "Horse  Thief  Hollow,"  by 
which  this  locality  was  known  forty  years  ago. 
Near  the  hill  on  which  Morgan  Park  is  situ- 
ated, and  a  little  south,  is  a  deep  and  exceed- 
ingly steep  ravine.  This,  in  early  times,  was 
covered  with  long  grass  and  thick  underbrush, 
and  was  not  only  a  very  discreet  hiding  place, 
but  a  very  formidable  fortress  for  horse  thieves. 
These  notable  gentry  were  rather  nocturnal  in 
their  habits,  as  they  traveled  during  the  night 
and  in  the  day  they  were  wont  to  refresh  them- 
selves in  Horse  Thief  Hollow.  *  *  *  The 
farmers  were  confident  of  the  character  of  this 
den,  having  found  in  it  bags  of  oats  and  other 
commodities  which  proved  the  use  of  the  ravine 
for  horse-thieves.  The  bottom  of  the  ravine 
was  stamped  into  mire  by  horse  hoofs,  and 
once  in  a  while  they  would  find  a  horse-shoe. 
The  farmers  watched  these  gentry  and  proved 
for  themselves  the  purpose  of  their  frequent 
visitations.  The  horse-thieves  generally  trav- 
eled by  the  aid  of  a  buggy,  in  which  they  kept 
all  the  utensils  necessary  for  their  business. 
Such  were  the  guests  who  frequented  our 
suburb  as  late  as  1863.  *  *  *  The  wolves 
were  especially  plentiful,  and  as  a  matter  of 
course  they  were  mostly  engaged  in  sheep 
traffic  to  the  annoyance  of  the  farmers." 

If  this  is  a  correct  description  of  the  locality 
about  Morgan  Park,  it  is  evident  that  it  has 
changed  materially  in  the  last  forty  years,  as 
it  is  now  not  only  the  home  of  a  respectable 
community  but  the  site  of  several  important 
institutions,  including  the  academy  or  prepara- 
tory department  of  the  University  of  Chicago, 
the  Scandinavian  Baptist  Seminary  connected 
with  the  same  institution,  and  the  Morgan  Park 
Military  Academy.  These  institutions  have 
been  furnished  with  ample  and  imposing  build- 
ings. The  total  population  of  Morgan  Park 
in  1900  was  2,329,  of  which  2,157  was  in  Calu- 
met Township,  the  remainder  being  in  Worth. 

Washington  Heights,  formerly  a  village  of 
Calumet  Township,  north  of  and  adjacent  to 


Morgan  Park,  was  annexed  to  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago in  1890. 

Riverdale,  a  small  village  situated  on  the 
southern  line  of  Calumet  Township,  lies  partly 
in  Calumet  and  partly  in  Thornton,  the  next 
township  south.  In- Worth  Township  there  are 
the  small  villages  of  Evergreen  Park  and  Mt. 
Greenwood,  the  former  having  a  population 
(1900)  of  445,  and  the  latter  of  190. 

The  total  population  of  Calumet  Township 
in  1900  was  6,162,  being  almost  entirely  com- 
prised within  the  several  villages  within  its 
borders,  while  that  of  Worth  Township  was 
6,031,  of  which  about  one-fourth  is  in  the  rural 
districts.  Between  1890  and  1900  the  popula- 
tion of  Calumet  Township  increased  about  50 
per  cent,  while  the  increase  in  Worth  Town- 
ship was  nearly  80  per  cent. 

THE  CITY  OF  BLUE  ISLAND. 
BT   M.    C.    FAMES. 

LOCATION  AND  SURROUNDINGS. — The  City  of 
Blue  Island  lies  sixteen  miles  south  of  the  Cook 
County  Court  House,  Chicago.  Western  Avenue, 
of  Chicago,  extended  southward,  becomes  the 
center  street  of  Blue  Island.  Its  territory 
embraces  about  three  square  miles,  about 
equally  divided  between  the  Townships  of  Cal- 
umet and  Worth,  and  touching  Thornton  and 
Bremen  on  the  south.  At  the  southeast  corner, 
it  touches  the  Little  Calumet  River,  to  which 
point  the  river  is  navigable  for  lake  vessels. 
The  population  of  the  city,  according  to  the 
census  of  1900,  was  6,174.  At  the  present  date 
(1905)  it  may  be  conservatively  estimated  at 
8,000. 

TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES. — The  location  of 
the  city  is  well  adapted  to  a  suburban  home, 
and  the  superior  facilities  for  transportation 
leave  little  to  be  desired  in  that  respect,  as  well 
as  its  advantages  for  becoming  a  prosperous 
manufacturing  city.  Five  railroads  pass  through 
the  city.  The  Rock  Island  System  furnishes 
unexcelled  suburban  service,  Blue  Island  being 
the  terminus  of  its  suburban  business.  This 
line  runs  thirty-five  trains  to  Chicago  daily,  the 
time  required  being  about  45  minutes  each  way. 

The  Grand  Trunk,  besides  its  through  trains, 
funs  twelve  local  trains. 

The  Illinois  Central  has  a  branch  line  over 
which  are  run  seventeen  express  trains  daily 
each  way,  making  the  time  to  Randolph  Street 
50  minutes. 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


777 


The  Chicago  Terminal  Transfer  Company 
runs  twelve  trains. 

In  the  matter  of  railroad  business,  in  addi- 
tion to  general  transfers — which  are,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course  from  the  railroad  center — the 
Rock  Island  System  makes  this  the  eastern  ter- 
minus of  its  freight  business.  All  transfers 
for  the  East  are  made  here,  and  all  freight 
trains  are  here  made  up.  The  yard  room 
required  for  this  business  is  over  160  acres,  and 
the  number  of  men  employed  about  400. 

The  Belt  Line  service  is  conducted  by  the 
Chicago  Junction  Railway  Company. 

In  addition  to  the  suburban  service  by  the 
steam  railways  already  mentioned,  the  cars  of 
the  Electric  Traction  Company  are  in  constant 
operation,  connecting  by  surface  line  with  the 
heart  of  the  City  of  Chicago  almost  as  quickly 
as  the  steam  roads. 

A  LITTLE  HISTORY. — Before  the  days  of  rail- 
roads, the  beautiful  wooded  ridge  upon  which 
the  city  of  Blue  Island  stands  attracted  the 
attention  of  travelers  and  home-seekers.  From 
the  low  lands  of  Chicago,  and  the  fishing 
grounds  of  the  Calumet,  the  elevation  of  fifty 
feet — high  and  dry,  and  covered  with  the  beau- 
tiful forest  trees — was  a  tempting  spot,  inviting 
early  settlement.  On  the  flat  between  the  ridge 
and  the  Calumet  River,  the  point  on  the  gov- 
ernment survey  marked,  "head  of  navigation," 
there  was  laid  out  by  Peter  Barton  the  plat  of 
a  village  called  Portland,  in  the  year  1835. 
The  feeder  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal 
was  to  be  (and  was,  later)  supplied  by  a  dam 
built  at  this  point.  It  was  thought  that  the 
lake  commerce  by  the  Calumet  and  the  inland 
commerce  by  the  feeder,  which  was  planned  to 
be  enlarged  into  a  water-way  equal  to  the  canal, 
woujd  make  this  location  of  wonderful  commer- 
cial value.  These  expectations  were  never  to 
be  realized,  however,  as  the  construction  of  the 
railroads  spoiled  these  early  calculations.  The 
Rock  Island  swung  its  line  away  from  the  river 
and  built  its  depot  close  to  the  hill,  and  Port- 
land was  forgotten.  But  how  about  the  future? 
From  this  very  point  will  issue  the  deep  water- 
cut  that  is  to  connect  the  Calumet  and  the 
Drainage  Canal,  and  the  next  generation  may 
see  the  realization  of  that  commerce  which  a 
former  generation  dreamed  of. 

LOCAL  IMPROVEMENTS. — In  respect  to  water 
supply,  sewerage  and  lighting  facilities,  Blue 
Island  possesses  advantages  enjoyed  by  few 
other  cities  of  its  size.  The  water  supply  is  ob- 


tained from  two  artesian  wells,  each  of  the  depth 
of  1,400  feet.  The  supply  is  ample  for  present 
necessities,  but  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when 
an  additional  supply  will  be  needed  to  satisfy 
the  ever-increasing  demand  of  a  growing  pop- 
ulation. It  is  generally  believed  that  the 
fountain  can  never  be  exhausted.  The  water  is 
absolutely  pure  and,  judging  from  its  source, 
can  never  be  contaminated  with  disease  germs. 
The  waterworks  are  managed  by  the  municipal 
authorities,  the  power  plant  being  situated  at 
the  corner  of  Vermont  Street  and  Greenwood 
Avenue,  virtually  the  highest  point  in  the  city. 
The  water  mains  laid  are  over  twenty-eight 
miles  in  extent.  There  are  218  fire  hydrants, 
and  the  head  is  sufficient  to  flood  the  highest 
buildings.  For  fire  fighting  this  is  supple- 
mented by  three  volunteer  fire  companies,  one 
steam  and  one  chemical  engine.  The  same 
power  used  for  pumping  is  utilized  to  run  an 
electric-lighting  plant,  for  street  use,  and  inci- 
dentally to  supply  private  use  as  well.  There 
are  108  arc-lamps  used  for  street  lighting, 
besides  a  few  incandescents. 

A  complete  system  of  sewerage  was  estab- 
lished in  1891,  with  a  six-foot  main,  discharging 
into  the  Calumet  River  at  Division  Street.  Of 
this  sewer  over  twenty  miles  have  been  com- 
pleted, and  the  building  progresses  every  year. 

The  Northwestern  Gas-Light  and  Coke  Com- 
pany have  put  their  supply  pipes  into  nearly 
every  street,  so  the  choice  between  electricity 
and  gas  for  lighting  purposes  is  given  to  all. 

The  main  streets  are  paved,  mostly  with  vitri- 
fied brick;  the  sidewalks  are  (or  are  to  be) 
wholly  of  cement. 

CHURCHES,  SCHOOLS,  ETC. — There  are  ten 
churches  in  the  city  with  buildings  and  organi- 
zation complete,  and  at  least  two  in  the  form- 
ative process. 

The  German  Lutheran  Church  was  organized 
January  23,  1863,  with  seventy-five  members, 
Rev.  M.  Ranniker  being  the  first  pastor.  A 
substantial  house  of  worship  was  built  of  stone 
and  dedicated  October  24th  of  the  following 
year.  The  church  has  since  been  enlarged  and 
beautified,  and  a  chime  of  bells  added.  The 
present  pastor  (1905)  is  Rev.  Henry  Doermann. 
Connected  with  the  church  there  is  a  graded 
parochial  school  with  125  pupils. 

The  Evangelical  Friedens  Church  (German) 
was  organized  June  11,  1893,  with  G.  Adolph 
Neidergesaess  pastor,  and  a  substantial  brick 
church  was  erected  during  the  succeeding  year. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


This  church  has  a  school  of  fifty  pupils  receiv- 
ing general  instruction. 

The  German  Methodist  Church  was  organized 
in  the  year  1854,  with  twenty-seven  members. 
Rev.  F.  Kopp  was  the  first  pastor.  A  church 
edifice  was  built  in  1855  on  Henry  Street.  The 
present  church  building  was  erected  on  Ver- 
mont Street  at  the  head  of  Henry,  in  the  year 
1891,  at  a  cost  of  $5,000.  The  present  member- 
ship is  about  120.  Rev.  C.  H.  Hedler  is  the 
pastor. 

The  Congregational  Church  was  organized  in 
1861,  Rev.  Henry  Hammond  supplying  the  pul- 
pit. Rev.  Lemuel  Foster  succeeded  to  the  pas- 
torate, serving  over  ten  years.  A  new  church 
edifice  was  erected  in  the  year  1901.  Rev.  Mr. 
Bessey  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  Universalist  Society  was  organized  in 
1855,  holding  its  meetings  at  first  in  the  school 
house,  then  in  Massey's  hall  until  1865,  when 
the  present  church  building  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $5,000.  This  building  has  been  raised, 
and  a  substantial  basement  of  stone  construc- 
tion finished  off  for  parlor  and  Sunday  school 
rooms.  Rev.  Francis  B.  Bishop  is  the  pastor  at 
the  present  time. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  Society  was 
organized  August,  1873.  A  house  of  worship 
was  completed  and  dedicated  October  24,  1874. 
The  pulpit  was  first  supplied  by  Revs.  Frank  M. 
Bristol  and  George  Chase,  who  were  succeeded 
for  many  years  by  students  from  the  Garrett 
Biblical  Institute.  Rev.  W.  O.  Shepperd  was  the 
first  settled  pastor.  A  fine  brick  church  was 
erected  in  1895,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  W. 
B.  Slaughter,  at  a  cost  of  about  $11,000.  In  the 
year  1904  the  church  reports  a  membership  of 
228,  with  a  Sabbath  School  of  350.  Rev.  H.  G. 
Warren  is  pastor. 

The  Catholic  Church  has  held  services  here 
continuously  since  1854,  being  in  the  special 
charge  of  the  Benedictine  Fathers  from  St. 
Joseph  Church,  Chicago.  In  1861  the  first 
church  building  was  erected  and  a  day-school 
for  both  sexes  established.  The  present  church, 
by  far  the  most  imposing  in  the  city  of  Blue 
Island,  was  erected  in  1890,  at  a  cost  of  $40,000. 
Fathers  F.  A.  Rempe  and  William  Dettmer 
have  pastoral  charge  of  the  parish.  A  flourish- 
ing school — an  eight-grade  grammar-school — is 
here  conducted  by  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame, 
and,  in  addition  to  the  public-school  course, 
music  and  type-writing  are  taught.  The  pres- 
ent attendance  is  over  200. 


The  first  school-house  in  Blue  Island  was 
built  in  the  year  1848,  located  on  the  site  of 
the  present  Central  School  buildings,  on  Maple 
Avenue  from  Vermont  to  New  Street.  Daniel 
Barnard,  Mr.  Hamilton  and  Miss  Perkins  taught. 
in  this  building.  A  brick  school-house  was 
erected  on  this  ground  in  1855,  which  was 
enlarged  and  added  to  in  1867  to  accommodate 
the  Cook  County  Normal  School,  which  was 
organized  and  housed  here  and  brought  to  a 
successful  state,  under  the  direction  of  D.  S. 
Wentworth,  the  Principal.  It  was  then  lifted 
by  the  County  Board — much  to  the  regret  of  our 
citizens  and,  as  many  thought,  in  violation  of 
the  express  agreement  under  which  the  school 
was  received  and  nourished  here  into  vigorous 
life — and  removed  to  its  present  location,  Engle- 
wood.  The  building,  however,  was  greatly 
needed  for  school  purposes  and  is  still  in  use. 
In  addition  to  the  graded  school  a  High  School 
was  established  about  this  time  and  is  now  in 
successful  operation. 

The  school  buildings  are  of  the  most  substan- 
tial and  approved  style,  except  those  first  built; 
and  most  of  the  modern  improvements  have 
been  added  to  them.  They  are  named:  Sey- 
mour, Whittier,  DeWitt,  Greenwood  and  San- 
ders, respectively.  Professor  J.  E.  Lemon  is 
Superintendent,  with  a  corps  of  twenty-eight 
teachers  for  the  grammar  school  and  five  for 
the  high  school  departments.  The  enrollment 
for  all  the  graded  schools  is  over  1,300,  and  for 
the  high  school,  over  100. 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY. — The  generosity  of  private 
citizens  established  and  conducted  a  library  for 
some  years  prior  to  1896,  when  it  was  turned 
over  to  the  municipal  authorities  and  has  since 
been  conducted  by  them.  A  donation  of  $15,000 
was  accepted  from  that  public  benefactor, 
Andrew  Carnegie,  for  the  erection  of  a  suit- 
able building,  and  thereupon  a  beautiful  library 
building  was  erected  on  York  Street,  at  a  total 
expense  of  $25,000. 

HALLS  AND  SOCIETIES. — As  for  public  halls, 
there  is  The  Blue  Island  Opera  House  and  the 
beautiful  hall  of  the  Blue  Island  Leiderkranz. 
In  these  days  of  fraternal  societies,  Blue  Island 
is  not  in  the  back-ground;  every  society  known 
to  modern  man — or  woman  either,  for  that  mat- 
ter— has  found  lodgment  and  encouragement 
here.  They  have  their  halls,  of  course,  and 
their  due  amount  of  vitality.  It  would  be 
invidious  to  mention  some  and  not  all,  so  your 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


779 


compiler  will   be  content  to  say   all   are   well 
housed  and  flourishing. 

BUSINESS  AND  MANUFACTURING  CONCERNS. — 
While  Blue  Island  is  emphatically  a  suburban 
city,  drawing  its  nourishment  from  the  great 
city  of  which  it  is  but  a  part  (Chicago),  besides 
the  necessity  of  supplying  the  wants  of  the 
community  with  the  ordinary  store  and  mar- 
ket commodities,  there  are  some  other  business 
ventures  that  seem  to  require  notice,  or  at  least 
enumeration. 

In  a  financial  way  The  Commercial  Bank  of 
Zacharias,  McCord  &  Co.  is  a  public  institution. 
The  Gilbert  &  Bennett  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, for  the  manufacture  of  wire-netting  and 
like  commodities,  employs  150  men. 

The  Chicago  Copper  Refining  Company  has 
its  works  at  the  corner  of  Division  Street  and 
Burr  Oak  Avenue. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  yards 
and  freight  transfer  system  of  the  Rock  Island 
Railroad. 

The  Northwestern  Gas  Light  &  Coke  Com- 
pany, supplying  Harvey,  Morgan  Park,  and  out- 
lying towns,  has  its  headquarters  and  manufac- 
turing plant  here.  The  trust  known  as  The 
Illinois  Brick  Company  operates  five  large  yards 
surrounding  and  touching  Blue  Island,  although 
none  are  within  the  city  limits. 

MUNICIPAL  ORGANIZATION. — The  Postoffice — 
that  point  of  demarcation  between  the  wilder- 
ness and  civilization — was  established  in  the 
year  1838.  Norman  Rexford  was  the  first  Post- 
master. In  the  year  1894  a  free  delivery  sys- 
tem was  established.  F.  C.  Kile  is  the  present 
Postmaster  (1905). 

For  many  years  without  form  of  organization 
other  than  that  furnished  by  State  and  Town- 
ship laws,  the  village  grew  and  thrived;  but  in 
the  year  1872  a  petition  was  submitted  and 
authority  granted  by  Judge  Wallace,  to  hold  an 
election  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  whether 
the  village  should  be  incorporated  under  the 
State  laws,  and  on  August  27th  of  that  year  it 
was  decided,  by  a  vote  of  99  to  13,  to  organize 
the  village  of  Blue  Island.  On  October  26th  the 
first  Board  of  Trustees  was  elected,  consisting 
of  Richard  McClaughrey,  Ludwig  Krueger, 
Jacob  Apple,  Walter  P.  Roache  and  Benjamin 
Sanders.  Successive  Presidents  of  the  Board 
have  been  as  follows:  Benjamin  Sanders, 
1872-74;  George  Luchtemeyer,  1874-75;  Benja- 
min Sanders,  1875-78;  J.  P.  Young,  1878-80; 
Christian  Krueger,  1880-83;  M.  C.  Eames, 


1883-84;  Christian  Krueger,  1884-90;  Jacob  F. 
Rehm,  1890-93;  Everett  Rexford,  1893-94;  J.  L. 
Zacharias,  1894-1901. 

A  change  from  village  to  city  organization 
was  effected  by  a  vote  taken  June  1,  1901.  The 
first  Mayor  elected  was  J.  L.  Zacharias,  and  he 
is  the  present  Mayor,  January  1,  1905.  At  this 
date  the  following  are  the  Board  of  Aldermen: 
First  Ward — George  England,  Harry  Rohrback; 
Second  Ward — L.  Whitson,  A.  F.  Heintz;  Third 
Ward — A.  G.  Kern,  V.  B.  Schriber;  Fourth 
Ward— W.  D.  Henke,  C.  R.  Foster;  Fifth  Ward 
— G.  A.  Warren,  Max  Gese.  F.  A.  Homan  has 
been  Clerk  of  village  and  city  continuously 
since  1883. 

There  has  been  one  addition  to  the  limits  of 
the  City  of  Blue  Island  since  its  organization. 
By  vote  in  the  spring  of  1903,  a  territory  of 
about  one-half  square  mile,  and  containing 
about  800  inhabitants,  was  annexed.  This  ter- 
ritory is  bounded  by  Division,  Vermont  and 
Wood  Streets  and  Burr  Oak  Avenue. 


CICERO,  BERWYN  AND  OAK  PARK  TOWN- 
SHIPS. 

The  Town  of  Cicero,  organized  June  23,  1857, 
with  an  area  of  six  miles  square  (Town  39, 
North,  Range  13  E.)  has  been  reduced  by  suc- 
cessive annexations  to  the  city  of  Chicago  and 
the  setting  off  of  new  townships  until  at  the 
present  time  (1903)  it  embraces  only  five  and 
one-quarter  sections.  The  town  was  organized 
as  a  municipal  corporation  under  a  special  act 
of  the  Legislature  in  1867,  which  was  amended 
in  1869,  and  under  the  charter  thus  created  the 
coporation  has  existed  ever  since.  The  first 
annexation  to  the  city  of  Chicago  took  place  in 
1869,  when  nearly  twelve  sections — a  district 
two  miles  wide  from  east  to  west  by  six  miles 
long  from  north  to  south — were  cut  off  from  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  township.  Two  other 
annexations  in  April  and  June,  1889,  took  off 
another  strip  of  six  sections  from  the  eastern 
side  of  the  township,  and  in  1899  four  and 
three-quarter  sections  more  from  the  northern 
part  of  the  township  were  added  to  the  city. 
Again,  on  Nov.  13,  1901,  by  act  of  the  Board  of 
County  Commissioners,  three  and  a  half  sec- 
tions were  set  apart  from  the  northwestern 
part  of  Cicero  Township  under  the  name  of 
Oak  Park  Township,  and  three  and  three-quar- 
ter sections,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the 


780 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


original  township,  under  the  name  of  Berwyn, 
reducing  Cicero  Township  to  its  present  limits. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Cicero  Town- 
ship, as  it  was  originally  organized,  were 
George  Scoville,  H.  H.  Palmer,  James  W.  Sco- 
ville,  Reuben  Whaples,  John  Beaver,  William 
H.  Scoville,  Joel  G.  Phillips,  B.  F.  Livingstone, 
Joseph  Kettlestrings,  Peter  Crawford,  H.  P. 
Flower,  Ives  Scoville,  H.  G.  Kurd  and 
Gilbert  Crawford,  who  constituted  the  full 
list  of  voters  at  the  first  election  in  1857. 
Joseph  Kettlestrings  has  the  credit  of  hav- 
ing been  the  first  settler  in  what  is  now 
the  village  of  Oak  Park,  locating  there 
In  1833,  and  buying  his  land  from  the  Govern- 
ment in  1835.  Reuben  Whaples,  already  men- 
tioned, was  another  early  settler,  arriving  in 
1845.  Henry  W.  Austin  came  in  1856,  became 
an  extensive  land-owner  and  in  1865  laid  out 
the  village  which  bore  his  name  but  is  now  em- 
oraced  within  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  portion 
of  Cook  County  embraced  within  the  original 
Cicero  Township  is  one  of  the  most  populous 
and  progressive  surburban  districts  adjacent  to 
the  city  of  Chicago,  the  three  townships  of 
Cicero,  Oak  Park  and  Berwyn  having  a  popula- 
tion, according  to  the  census  of  1900,  of  16,310. 

The  boundaries  of  Oak  Park  and  Berwyn 
Townships  are  both  identical  with  the  villages 
of  the  same  name.  Both  are  what  are  called 
"dry  towns"  and  are  choice  residence  suburbs. 
Berwyn  village  was  incorporated  in  1890,  being 
named  by  P.  S.  Bustis,  after  the  Berwyn  Hills 
In  Wales. 

Other  villages,  originally  included  within  the 
limits  of  Cicero  Township,  but  now  embraced 
within  the  city  of  Chicago,  are  Ridgeland,  Cen- 
tral Park,  Moreland  and  Brighton  Park.  The 
village  of  Hawthorne  became  a  part  of  Stickney 
Township,  of  which  it  forms  the  extreme  north- 
western part. 


ELK  GROVE   TOWNSHIP. 

Elk  Grove,  the  middle  town  of  the  second 
tier  in  the  northern  part  of  Cook  County,  con- 
sists of  a  fractional  congressional  township  (41 
North,  Range  11  East)  containing  a  little  over 
thirty  full  sections  of  land  with  several  frac- 
tional sections  on  the  northern  border.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Palatine  and  Wheeling 
Townships,  east  by  Maine,  south  by  Addison 
Township  in  DuPage  County  and  west  by 


Schaumburg.  The  surface  is  for  the  most  part 
undulating  prairie  drained  by  Salt  Creek  on 
the  west  and  two  other  branches  of  the  Des- 
plaines  River  in  the  eastern  portion.  The 
Township  receives  its  name  from  Elk  Grove,  so 
named  by  the  Indians.  The  first  white  settler 
is  said  to  have  been  Dr.  Frederick  T.  Miner, 
who  built  the  first  house  in  the  central  part 
of  the  township  in  the  spring  of  1834.  Others 
who  came  the  same  year  were  J.  A.  Barnes, 
Leander  Collins,  Caleb  Lamb,  Thomas  Smith, 
John  Whiting,  George  A.  Knowles,  Aaron 
Miner  and  F.  W.  Page,  while  Mark  Morse, 
Ashbel  Miner  and  Silas  Wheeler  came  during 
the  next  year.  The  township  was  organized 
with  its  present  limits  in  April,  1850,  and  has 
remained  unchanged  to  the  present  time.  A 
postoffice  was  established  at  Elk  Grove,  prob- 
ably as  early  as  1838,  with  Frederick  T.  Miner, 
the  original  settler  as  Postmaster.  Mt.  Pros- 
pect, a  station  on  the  Wisconsin  Division  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Road,  twenty 
miles  from  Chicago,  is  the  only  locality  in  the 
township  which  approaches  the  dignity  of  a 
village.  The  population  of  the  township  in 
1900  was  1,208,  engaged  chiefly  in  agricultural 
pursuits. 


EVANSTON  TOWNSHIP. 

The  town  of  Evanston  was  organized  in  1857 
out  of  territory  which  had  previously  consti- 
tuted a  part  of  the  township  of  Ridgeville, 
to  which  what  was  known  as  the  "Wilmette 
Reservation"  was  then  added.  Ridgeville  had 
been  organized  on  the  adoption  of  township 
organization  in  April,  1850,  being  one  of  the 
twenty-seven  townships  into  which  Cook  Coun- 
ty was  then  divided,  and  embracing  in  addi- 
tion to  Evanston,  what  on  the  organization  of 
the  latter,  became  Lake  View  Township.  Pre- 
vious to  this  date  this  region  constituted  a 
part  of  the  Gross  Point  voting  district  with 
rather  indefinite  boundaries.  In  1859  the  Wil- 
mette Reservation,  having  been  detached  from 
Evanston,  was  annexed  to  New  Trier  Township, 
and  Evanston  Township  assumed  its  present 
dimensions.  The  township  comprises  twelve 
entire  or  fractional  sections  of  which  five  are 
in  Town  41  North,  Range  13  East,  and  seven 
in  Town  41  North,  Range  14  East,  bordering 
on  Lake  Michigan.  Of  these  twelve  sections 
four  and  a  half  being  the  southern  portion  of 
the  township,  are  now  within  the  city  of  Chi- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


781 


cago  and  the  remainder  outside  the  city  limits. 

The  first  settler  within  the  present  limits  of 
Evanston  Township  was  Philip  Rogers,  who 
came  from  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  in  1836,  and 
located  on  the  line  of  the  Green  Bay  road  on 
the  northeast  part  of  Sections  31  and  32  in 
Town  41  N.,  Range  14  E.  Here  he  erected  a 
log-house  and  began  burning  charcoal,  which 
he  hauled  to  market  in  Chicago.  He  finally 
became  the  owner  of  1,600  acres  of  land  which 
afterwards  became  the  sites  of  Rogers  Park, 
Ravenswood,  Sheridan  Park  and  Sunnyside 
Park,  much  of  which  is  now  within  the  limits 
of  the  city  of  Chicago.  His  estate  passed  into 
the  hands  of  his  daughter,  afterwards  Mrs.  P. 
L.  Touhy,  whose  descendants  still  reside  in 
that  locality.  Another  settler  who  came  soon 
after  Mr.  Rogers  was  Abraham  Hathaway,  who 
built  a  log  cabin  within  the  limits  of  the  pres- 
ent city  of  Evanston,  which  he  converted  into 
a  tavern.  These  were  followed  in  the  next  year 
or  two  by  Edward  H.  Mulford,  Samuel  Rohrer, 
James  and  John  Carney,  Otis  Munn,  John  Zen- 
der,  Paul  and  George  Pratt,  Peter  Schmitt, 
Edward  Murphy,  O.  A.  Cram  and  George  H. 
Huntoon,  all  of  whom  came  between  1838  and 
1841,  some  settling  in  the  Rogers  Park  district 
and  others  in  what  became  the  village  of 
Evanston.  There  were  frequent  accessions  to 
the  population  in  the  next  few  years  and,  as 
previously  stated,  in  April,  1850,  Ridgeville 
Township  was  organized,  Ebenezer  Bennet  pre- 
siding as  Moderator  at  the  first  election,  at 
which  93  votes  were  cast.  The  first  town  offi- 
cers elected  were  Edward  Murphy,  Supervisor; 
S.  S.  Billings,  Town  Clerk;  Philip  Rogers, 
Assessor;  Jacob  Smith,  Collector;  Peter  Smith 
and  E.  H.  Mullford,  Justices  of  the  Peace; 
David  Wood,  Charles  Miller  and  Martin  Young, 
Commissioners  of  Highways;  Otis  Munn,  Over- 
seer of  the  Poor,  and  Andrew  Faber  and  Jacob 
Smith,  Constables.  Among  the  earliest  officers 
of  Evanston  Township,  after  it  was  organized 
by  the  division  of  Ridgeville  Township  in  1857, 
were  a  Mr.  Reynolds,  Supervisor,  and  J.  B.  Col- 
vin,  Town  Clerk. 

VILLAGE  AND  CITY  HISTORY. — Thirty  years  ago, 
Evanston  Township  contained  within  its  limits 
(in  whole  or  in  part)  four  towns  or  villages, 
viz.:  Roger's  Park,  annexed  to  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago in  1893;  North  Evanston  (partly  within 
the  townships  of  Niles  and  New  Trier) ; 
Evanston  proper,  and  South  Evanston.  The 
last  three  have  now  been  consolidated  into 


one  corporation  under  the  name  of  the  City  of 
Evanston,  the  annexation  of  North  Evanston 
taking  place  in  1874  and  that  of  South  Evans- 
ton  in  1892.  At  the  present  time  the  corpora- 
tion of  the  city  of  Evanston  includes  all  that 
part  of  the  township  outside  of  the  city  of 
Chicago,  with  a  small  portion  of  New  Trier  and 
Niles  Townships.  The  total  population  of  the 
city,  according  to  the  census  of  1900,  was 
19,259  of  which  18,439  was  in  Evanston  Town- 
ship and  820  in  Niles  and  New  Trier. 

The  organization  and  development  of  Evans- 
ton  as  a  village,  and  ultimately  into  one  of 
the  most  delightful  residence  cities  in  the 
West,  has  been  the  result  of  two  potent  factors 
added  to  an  attractive  location  on  the  lake 
shore,  viz.:  (1)  its  selection  in  1853  as  the 
site  of  Northwestern  University  and  (2)  the 
construction  through  this  locality  in  1854  of 
the  line  of  the  Chicago  &  Milwaukee  Railroad. 
The  Northwestern  University  was  incorporated 
by  act  of  the  Legislature  in  1851,  and  began  its 
career  as  an  educational  institution  in  the  fall 
of  1852,  instruction  for  the  first  year  being 
given  in  a  building  on  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  in  the 
city  of  Chicago,  which  still  belongs  to  the 
University.  In  the  summer  of  1853  a  commit- 
tee which  had  been  appointed  to  select  a  site 
for  the  university,  purchased  from  Dr.  John 
H.  Foster,  for  that  purpose,  a  tract  of  379  acres, 
to  which  they  made  considerable  additions  by 
purchases  made  during  the  next  few  years, 
and  this  land  having  been  platted  and  in  part 
sold,  furnished  a  portion  of  the  means  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  new  institution  in  its  in- 
fancy, as  well  as  the  principal  portion  of  the 
University  grounds.  Evanston  became  an 
incorporated  town  by  vote  of  the  people  on 
January  6,  1864,  electing  six  Trustees  as  fol- 
lows: H.  B.  Hurd,  C.  Comstock,  E.  Haskins, 
Prof.  H.  S.  Noyes  and  J.  B.  Clough — Mr.  Hurd 
being  chosen  President  of  the  Board.  At  the 
April  election  held  in  1873  a  Board  of  Village 
Trustees  was  elected  under  the  General  Incor- 
poration Act  for  towns,  villages,  and  cities, 
one  of  the  Trustees  chosen  at  this  election 
being  Lyman  J.  Gage,  late  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  who  also  became  Village  Treasurer. 
On  March  29,  1892,  the  three  villages  of  Evans- 
ton,  North  Evanston  and  South  Evanston  hav- 
ing been  united,  the  new  corporation  took  on 
the  form  of  a  city  government. 

The  history  of  the  town  and  city  of  Evans- 


782 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ton  has  been,  to  a  large  extent,  that  of  the 
Northwestern  University,  to  which  the  former 
owed  its  origin.  Its  name  was  derived  from  Dr. 
John  Evans,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Uni- 
versity, and  for  forty  years  (from  1855  until 
his  death  in  1897)  President  of  its  Board  of 
Trustees.  He  also  served  (1863-65)  as  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Territory  of  Colorado  by  appoint- 
ment of  President  Lincoln.  The  institution, 
which  is  co-educational  and  conducted  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
is  one  of  the  most  liberally  endowed  and  gener- 
ously equipped,  both  as  to  teaching  force  and 
apparatus,  as  well  as  buildings,  in  the  country, 
and  during  the  year  1903,  it  had  a  total  of 
about  2,750  students  in  its  various  departments. 
These  include  Literary,  Medical  and  Law 
Departments,  a  School  of  Pharmacy,  a  Dental 
School,  a  School  of  Music  aiid  Schools  of  The- 
ology and  Oratory — all  except  the  College  of 
Liberal  Arts  and  the  Schools  of  Music  and  The- 
ology, giving  instruction  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 
The  Medical  School,  originally  Lind  University 
of  Chicago,  has  been  associated  with  the  Uni- 
versity since  1859,  while  the  Law  School  was 
founded  the  same  year  under  the  name  of  the 
Union  College  of  Law,  taking  its  present  name 
in  1891.  The  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  which 
represents  the  various  branches  of  the  Theo- 
logical Department,  is  a  historic  institution, 
which  was  chartered  in  1855  and  has  been  in 
close  cooperation  with  the  University  ever 
since.  Besides  the  Northwestern  University, 
Evanston  is  well  supplied  with  primary  and 
high  schools  of  a  superior  class,  while  the 
churches  are  of  a  high  order  for  a  city  of  its 
rank,  representing  all  the  leading  denomina- 
tions. No  other  city  of  its  size  in  the  State 
can  boast  of  having  been  the  home  of  so  many 
citizens  who  have  been  distinguished  in  the 
departments  of  education  and  philanthrophy, 
in  the  professions,  in  finance,  or  in  other 
branches  of  business.  Among  its  prominent 
citizens  at  different  periods  have  been  Rev.  R. 
S.  Foster,  E.  0.  Haven,  and  C.  H.  Fowler,  all 
of  whom  served  as  Presidents  of  the  University 
and  afterwards  became  Bishops  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church;  Bishop  Stephen  M.  Mer- 
rill, Ex-Gov.  John  L.  Beveridge,  Lyman  J. 
Gage,  late  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  now  a 
banker  in  New  York  City;  Drs.  John  Evans, 
N.  S.  Davis  and  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney;  Gen.  Julius 
White,  an  officer  of  the  Civil  War;  Burton  C. 
Cook,  a  prominent  lawyer,  legislator  and  Mem- 


ber of  Congress;  in  the  department  of  business, 
Messrs.  Grant  Goodrich,  Orrington  Lunt  and 
William  Deering,  and  not  least  distinguished, 
the  late  Frances  E.  Willard,  who  gained  a 
world-wide  celebrity  as  leader  of  the  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union,  besides  many 
others  of  wide  reputation,  whose  names  might 
be  mentioned  in  this  connection  did  space 
permit. 


HANOVER   TOWNSHIP. 

Hanover  Township,  the  most  westerly  of  the 
second  tier  of  townships  in  Northern  Cook 
County,  bounded  on  the  north  by  Kane  County 
and  Barrington  Township,  Cook  County,  east 
by  Schaumburg,  south  by  DuPage  County  and 
west  by  Kane  County,  was  organized  with  its 
present  boundaries  April  2,  1850,  comprising 
the  whole  fractional  township  41  North,  Range 
9  East.  It  is  drained  by  the  East  Branch  of 
Poplar  Creek,  which  rises  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  Barrington  Township,  and,  after  flow- 
ing south  and  then  westerly  through  Hanover, 
empties  into  Fox  River  south  of  Elgin.  The 
highest  point  in  the  township  reaches  an  eleva- 
tion of  about  fifty  feet  above  Fox  River.  Origi- 
nally about  one-third  of  the  township  was  tim- 
bered land,  the  principal  grove  being  known  as 
Independence  Grove,  and  later  as  Hoosier 
Grove,  from  the  fact  that  a  large  proportion  of 
the  settlers  in  that  region  were  from  Indiana. 

The  earliest  settlers,  as  already  indicated, 
were  from  Indiana,  John  and  George  Hammer 
and  Abraham  Leatherman  coming  in  1833.  The 
arrivals  between  1835  and  1837  included  A.  D. 
Gifford,  Guy  Adams,  Samuel  N.  Campbell, 
Daniel  Guptail,  a  Mr.  Merrifield,  Byrem  Smith, 
and  John  Guptail,  while  others  who  came  pre- 
vious to  1840  were  Benjamin  Burritt,  Luther 
Herrick,  John  Hill,  Joseph  Oatman  and  a  Mr. 
Primrose.  At  the  first  election  held  April  2, 
1850,  85  votes  were  cast,  while  the  population, 
as  shown  by  the  census  of  that  year,  was  672. 
Leatherman's  tavern,  a  log  house  in  the  south- 
west part  of  the  township,  was  a  notable  point 
at  an  early  day.  The  first  school-house  stood 
on  Section  20,  near  the  house  "of  John  Hill,  the 
first  church  was  erected  by  the  German  Luther- 
ans in  the  northeast  part  of  the  township, 
while  the  Baptists  erected  a  church  on  the  Chi- 
cago and  Elgin  Road  in  1854.  Previous  to  1854 
the  population  was  engaged  solely  in  agricultu- 
ral pursuits,  but  during  that  year  Phineas  H. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OP  ILLINOIS. 


783 


Smith  began  shipping  milk  to  Chicago,  hauling 
it  to  Elgin  by  ox-team.  In  1865  C.  W.  Gould 
and  I.  H.  Wanzer  established  the  first  cheese 
factory  in  the  town,  and  since  that  time  the 
dairying  business  in  its  various  branches  has 
grown  to  very  large  proportions.  From  its 
proximity  to  Elgin  the  business  is  carried  on 
chiefly  through  the  Board  of  Trade  of  that 
city. 

Bartlett,  the  only  village  in  the  township,  is 
located  on  the  Elgin  branch  of  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad,  30  miles  north- 
west of  Chicago.  It  was  platted  by  Luther 
Bartlett  and  the  Railroad  Company  in  1873, 
about  the  time  the  railroad  was  constructed 
through  the  place.  The  population  of  the  vil- 
lage in  1900  was  360,  and  that  of  the  whole 
township,  1,657. 

A  small  portion  of  the  city  of  Elgin  is  located 
within  Hanover  Township.  Spaulding  is  the 
name  of  a  country  station  on  the  line  of  the 
railroad  about  three  miles  north  of  west  from 
Bartlett.  The  station  at  Ontarioville,  is  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  Hanover  Township,  just 
north  of  the  southern  boundary  line,  while  the 
postomce  and  village  of  that  name,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  road  are  in  Wayne  Township, 
DuPage  County. 


LEMONT   TOWNSHIP. 

Lemont  Township,  embracing  two-thirds 
(twenty-four  sections)  of  the  southeastern  part 
of  Town  37  North,  Range  11  East,  was  organ- 
ized with  its  present  area  in  1850,  previous  to 
that  date  being  a  part  of  York  Precinct,  and 
known  as  "Palmyra."  The  township  is  bounded 
on  the  northwest  by  Downer's  Grove  Township, 
DuPage  County,  on  the  east  by  Palos  Township, 
Cook  County,  and  on  the  south  and  west  by 
Will  County.  Its  northwestern  boundary,  while 
following  the  section  lines  in  its  general  direc- 
tion, follows  the  southwest  course  of  the  Des 
Plaines  River  and  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
Canal,  both  of  which  fall  within  the  limits  of 
the  township.  The  line  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad,  which  here  runs  parallel  with  and 
east  of  the  canal,  also  lies  in  Lemont  Township, 
while  the  same  is  true  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka, 
&  Santa  Fe  line,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river. 

The  first  white  settler  in  the  township  was 
Jeremiah  Luther,  who  located  on  a  claim  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  township  in  the  fall  of 


1833.  Fobes  H.  Miner  came  the  same  year  and, 
during  the  following  year,  came  William  R. 
Derby,  Orange  Chauncey  and  Joshua  Smith, 
who  settled  upon  the  same  section  with  Mr. 
Luther.  At  this  time  it  is  said  there  were  only 
one  or  two  houses  between  Chicago  and  Joliet. 
Nathaniel  J.  Brown,  who  afterwards  became  a 
prominent  business  and  canal  contractor  and  a 
wealthy  citizen  of  Lemont,  came  in  1835.  He 
died  some  two  years  ago.  The  beginning  of 
work  on  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  in 
1836,  brought  many  into  this  vicinity  as 
employes  or  otherwise  during  the  next  few 
years,  a  number  of  whom  became  permanent 
residents. 

Lemont  village  began  to  assume  the  propor- 
tions of  a  town  between  1843  and  1848,  as  the 
result  of  the  gathering  here  of  a  large  number 
of  employes  and  others  in  connection  with  the 
construction  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. 
An  element  which  contributed  to  a  large 
increase  in  the  population  was  the  length  of 
time  and  the  large  number  of  men  required  to 
excavate  the  channel  of  the  canal  through  the 
rock  strata,  which  here  appeared  in  most 
formidable  proportions;  while  the  subsequent 
discovery  of  valuable  building  stone,  tended  to 
make  the  increase  permanent.  It  is  claimed 
that  the  first  plat,  embracing  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  present  village,  was  made  as 
early  as  1850,  the  place  then  being  named 
"Keepotaw"  in  honor  of  an  Indian  chief  of 
that  vicinity.  The  place  also  bore  the  name  of 
Athens  for  a  time,  until  after  township  organi- 
zation in  1850.  The  development  of  the  stone 
quarries  here  began  in  1854,  and  in  after  years 
this  industry  grew  to  large  proportions,  employ- 
ing large  amounts  of  capital  and  many  hun- 
dreds of  men.  The  Illinois  Stone  Company 
organized  in  1852  and  the  Singer  &  Talcott 
Company  in  1854,  were  for  many  years  the 
most  extensive  operators  in  this  line.  Later 
the  Chicago  &  Lemont  Stone  Company,  Boden- 
schatz  &  Ernshaw,  Royer  &  Corneau  and  the 
Excelsior  &  Riordan  Stone  Company  did  an 
extensive  business  in  the  same  field.  The  stone 
from  the  Lemont  quarries  has  been  in  great 
demand  for  building  purposes,  some  of  it, 
especially  that  from  the  lower  strata,  known  as 
the  magnesian  limestone  or  "Athens  Marble," 
being  of  superior  fineness.  The  concern  now 
doing  the  most  extensive  business  in  that  line 
is  the  Western  Stone  Company,  of  which 
Martin  B.  Madden  of  Chicago  is  the  President. 


784 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


While  Lemont  has  a  large  permanent  popula- 
tion consisting  of  business  men  and  their  fami- 
lies, a  considerable  percentage  is  made  up  of 
employes  of  the  various  stone  companies,  and, 
as  a  consequence,  the  aggregate  varies  accord- 
ing to  industrial  conditions.  The  population 
of  the  village,  according  to  the  census  of  1900, 
was  2,449,  and  of  the  whole  township,  4,441. 

Sag  Station,  a  hamlet  on  the  line  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railway  and  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  Canal,  in  Lemont  Township,  had  an 
existence  as  a  postoffice  as  early  as  1838,  but 
is  not  recognized  as  an  incorporated  village. 


LEYDEN  TOWNSHIP. 

Leyden  Township,  in  the  western  part  of 
Cook  County,  embraces  the  whole  of  Town  40 
North,  Range  12  East,  except  four  and  a  half 
sections  in  the  northeast  corner  included  in 
Norwood  Park.  The  township  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Maine  and  Norwood  Park  Town- 
ships, east  by  Norwood  Park  and  the  city  of 
Chicago,  south  by  Proviso  Township  and  west 
by  DuPage  County.  It  is  traversed  from  north 
to  south  through  the  eastern  half  by  the  Des 
Plaines  River,  which  was  originally  bordered 
by  timber,  the  remainder  of  the  surface  being 
chiefly  prairie.  The  reservations  granted  by 
the  treaty  with  the  Indians  at  Prairie  du  Chien 
in  1829,  in  favor  of  Alexander  Robinson  and 
Claude  Laframboise,  half-breed  Indian  traders 
— each  reservation  comprising  about  two  sec- 
tions— were  located  along  the  Des  Plaines 
River  in  this  township.  Settlement  began  early 
in  1833 — four  years  after  the  date  of  this 
treaty — when  David  Everett,  a  Methodist 
preacher,  came  from  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  and 
purchased  a  part  of  the  Laframboise  reserva- 
tion in  the  southern  part  of  the  township,  locat- 
ing with  his  family  in  a  log-cabin  which  had 
been  used  as  a  trading  post.  Mr.  Everett  was 
the  son-in-law  of  the  early  Methodist  mission- 
ary in  Illinois,  Rev.  Jesse  Walker,  and  his 
home  was  the  headquarters  of  Methodist  min- 
isters visiting  this  region  for  many  years.  A 
Mr.  Brooks,  a  Mr.  Sherman  and  a  Mr.  Higgins, 
and  two  brothers,  William  and  Aldrich  Rowley, 
came  in  1834,  and  the  next  year  Ezra  and  Wil- 
liam Ellis,  and  Samuel  and  Abel  Spencer — the 
last  two  buying  from  Mr.  Everett  a  portion  of 
the  Laframboise  reservation,  which  he  had 
purchased  in  1833.  M.  L.  Dunlap,  who  after- 


wards engaged  in  the  nursery  business  and 
became  a  prominent  citizen  of  Champaign 
County,  came  to  this  locality  in  1844.  The 
Spencers  erected  a  log-house  on  their  land  east 
of  the  river,  which  was  used  for  some  time  as 
a  hotel,  afterwards  building  a  hotel  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Des  Plaines.  When  a  postoffice  was 
established  here  in  ~  1844,  it  was  first  called 
Cazenovia,  but  later,  on  tihe  appointment  o£ 
William  Emmerson  as  Postmaster,  it  received 
the  name  of  Leyden  Center,  which  it  bore  for  a 
number  of  years  under  the  management  of  vari- 
ous postmasters  and  in  different  localities  of 
the  same  neighborhood.  A  plank  road  was 
built  into  this  region  from  the  city  of  Chicago 
in  1850,  and  while  this  work  was  in  progress, 
the  Plank  Road  Company  built  a  saw-mill  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Des  Plaines,  to  manufac- 
ture the  lumber  with  which  to  construct  the 
road.  After  running  this  mill  eighteen  months, 
it  was  converted  into  a  grist-mill,  but  was  soon 
after  abandoned.  The  township  was  formally 
organized  on  the  adoption  of  township  organi- 
zation in  Cook  County,  April  2,  1850,  with  the 
name  of  Monroe,  soon  after  changed  to  Leyden. 
The  first  officers  chosen  were:  M.  L.  Dunlap, 
Supervisor;  R.  W.  Everett,  Clerk  and  Overseer 
of  the  Poor;  William  Emmerson,  Assessor; 
Samuel  Hummel,  Collector,  with  a  number  of 
subordinate  officials. 

Leyden  Township  is  crossed  from  the  south- 
east to  the  northwest  by  the  Elgin  Division 
of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway. 
There  are  no  considerable  villages  in  the  town- 
ship, the  chief  industry  of  the  people  being 
agriculture.  The  total  population,  according 
to  the  census  of  1900,  was  2,270,  of  which  483 
belonged  to  the  village  of  Franklin  Park  and 
333  to  River  Grove.  Manheim  is  the  name  of 
another  station  and  small  hamlet  on  the  Chi- 
cago Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  in  the 
western  part  of  the  Township. 


LYONS   AND  STICKNEY  TOWNSHIPS. 

Lyons  Township,  up  to  1901  embracing  Stick- 
new  Township,  is  one  of  the  oldest  townships 
in  Cook  County,  having  been  organized  previ- 
ous to  1840,  as  one  of  the  fourteen  voting  pre- 
cincts into  which  the  county  was  then  divided. 
By  the  census  of  1840  it  was  credited  with  a 
population  of  207  souls.  On  the  adoption  of 
township  organization  in  1850,  it  was  reorgan- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


785 


ized  with  an  area  of  fifty-four  full  sections, 
embracing  the  whole  of  Township  38  North, 
Range  12  East,  and  the  western  half  of  town 
38  North,  Range  13  East, — the  population  at 
that  time  being  965  and  the  number  of  votes 
cast  at  the  first  election  of  town  officers  72. 
This  organization  continued  until  March  25, 
1901,  when  Stickney  Township  was  organized 
from  the  western  half  of  Town  38  North, 
Range  13  East,  reducing  the  area  of  Lyons 
Township  to  its  present  limits.  The  township, 
which  now  embraces  the  whole  of  Congres- 
sional Township  38  North,  Range  12  East,  with 
two  sections  (5  and  6)  in  the  northwest  corner 
of  Town  37  North,  Range  12  East,  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Proviso  and  Riverside  Town- 
ships, east  by  Stickney  Township,  south  by 
Palos  and  west  by  DuPage  County.  Stickney 
Township  as  already  explained  embraces  the 
west  half  of  Town  38  North,  Range  13  East, 
with  a  quarter-section  in  the  southeast  corner 
Town  39  North,  Range  13  East,  and  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Berwyn  and  Cicero  Townships, 
east  by  Chicago  city  limits,  south  by  Worth 
Township  and  west  by  Lyons.  The  Hawthorne 
race-track  is  located  in  the  northeastern  corner 
of  Stickney  Township.  The  population  of 
Lyons  and  Stickney  Township  in  1900  was  8,350 
against  5,096  in  1890,  an  increase  in  the  pre- 
ceding decade  of  3,254,  or  nearly  64  per  cent. 

The  earliest  settlements  in  Lyons  Township 
were  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  present 
village  of  Riverside,  while  others  followed  soon 
after  in  the  vicinity  of  Summit.  These  were 
among  the  earliest  localities  settled  in  Cook 
County  outside  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  The 
first  white  settlers  of  this  locality  were  the 
Laughton  Brothers  (David  and  Bernardus), 
Indian  traders,  who  established  a  trading  sta- 
tion between  Riverside  and  the  present  village 
of  Lyons,  about  the  northern  boundary  of  Lyons 
Township,  in  1828.  Stephen  V.  R.  Vorbes,  the 
first  Sheriff  of  Cook  County,  settled  in  this 
vicinity  in  1829.  Among  those  who  came  soon 
after  were  Russell  E.  Heacock,  Thomas  Flah- 
erty, Edmund  Polk,  Samuel  Mars,  John  Jay, 
George  W.  Beebe,  Thomas  Butcher,  Wilson  and 
James  McLintock,  Elijah  Wentworth,  Jr.,  and 
others,  although  the  growth  at  this  period  was 
slow.  One  Joshua  Sackett  is  said  to  have  built 
the  first  log-cabin  in  the  present  village  of 
Lyons. 

Lying  in  the  western  tier  of  townships  in 
Cook  County,  Lyons  Township  is  traversed  by 


the  Des  Plaines  River,  which  flows  diagonally 
through  the  central  portion  of  the  township 
from  the  northeast  to  the  southwest,  by  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  the  Chicago  Sanitary 
Drainage  Canal,  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton,  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroads.  An  inter-urban 
trolley  line  also  passes  through  the  township, 
connecting  the  city  of  Joliet  with  Chicago. 
Several  flourishing  suburban  towns  are  situ- 
ated within  the  township,  including  La  Grange, 
Lyons,  Spring  Forest  and  Summit,  with  parts 
of  Grossdale,  Riverside  and  Western  Springs. 

La  Grange,  the  principal  village,  and  the 
sixth  in  proportion  in  Cook  County  outside  of 
the  city  of  Chicago,  is  situated  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  township  on  the  line  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  fifteen  miles 
southeast  of  the  initial  station  of  that  road. 
Years  ago  it  took  rank  as  one  of  the  most 
attractive  of  the  numerous  suburban  towns  in 
close  connection  with  the  city.  The  Aurora 
branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad  was  constructed  through  this  locality 
in  1862,  and,  in  1871,  the  village  of  La  Grange, 
originally  known  as  West  Lyons,  was  laid  out 
by  Franklin  D.  Cossitt,  on  a  part  of  440  acres 
of  land  originally  entered  about  1844  by  Rob- 
ert Leitch,  a  native  of  Orleans  County,  N.  Y., 
who  here  followed  the  occupation  of  farming 
and  stock-raising  for  a  number  of  years.  During 
its  history  of  thirty  years,  the  growth  of  the 
village  has  been  steady  and  well  sustained, 
though  never  greater  than  within  the  past 
decade.  A  village  government  was  organized 
in  1879.  The  population  of  the  town,  according 
to  the  decennial  census  of  1900,  was  3,969 — an 
increase  of  1,645  (or  more  than  71  per  cent) 
over  1890,  when  the  population  was  2,314.  La 
Grange  is  connected  with  Chicago  by  an  electric 
line. 

Lyons,  the  oldest  suburb  west  of  Chicago,  is 
located  on  the  Des  Plaines  River,  in  the  north- 
eastern corner  of  the  township,  just  south  of 
Riverside.  According  to  local  tradition  David 
and  Bernardus  H.  Laughton,  Indian  traders, 
settled  on  the  site  of  the  village  in  1828,  and, 
in  1830,  the  Black  Horn  tavern,  offering  enter- 
tainment to  travelers  between  Fort  Dearborn 
and  Joliet,  was  in  existence.  Joshua  Sackett 
is  said  to  have  built  the  first  log-house  there, 
and  also  the  hotel  already  mentioned.  A  promi- 
nent citizen  was  Stephen  White,  who  first  came 
in  1830,  but  did  not  locate  until  1840,  after 


786 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


which  he  served  as  Assessor,  Supervisor  and 
village  Postmaster.  Lyons  had  a  population 
in  1900  of  951. 

Summit  village,  on  the  line  of  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railroad  and  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal,  received  its  name  from  the  fact  that  its 
site  is  upon  the  ridge  between  Lake  Michigan 
and  the  Des  Plaines  River.  The  first  house 
was  erected  here,  according  to  one  report,  by 
Russell  E.  Heacock,  about  1838,  while  accord- 
ing to  another  statement  it  was  erected  as  a 
hotel  by  the  stage  company  about  1835,  and 
subsequently  bought  by  Heacock.  At  all  events 
it  was  used  as  a  hotel  for  many  years.  During 
the  latter  years  of  his  life  Summit  was  the 
country  home  of  the  late  John  Wentworth, 
who  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  here.  The 
village  had  a  population  in  1900  of  547. 

The  principal  part  of  the  village  of  Western 
Springs  is  located  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
Lyons  Township  on  the  line  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.  Mount  Forest 
is  another  small  village  in  the  township,  while 
parts  of  Grossdale  and  Riverside  are  within 
its  limits. 


MAINE  TOWNSHIP. 

Maine  Township,  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Wheeling  and  Northfield  Townships,  east  by 
Niles,  South  by  Norwood  Park  and  Leyden  and 
west  by  Elk  Grove,  embraces  substantially  the 
whole  of  Town  40  North,  Range  12  East — a 
fractional  government  township  lacking  the 
northern  tier  of  sections.  A  fractional  division 
of  40  acres  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the 
township,  formerly  a  part  of  Norwood  Park 
village,  now  forms  the  extreme  northwest 
corner  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  township  is 
crossed  from  north  to  south  through  its  central 
portion  by  the  Des  Plaines  River.  The  first 
settler  in  the  township  was  a  Captain  Wright, 
a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  who  came  in  1832 
and  settled  in  Section  22.  During  the  next 
year  came  families  by  the  name  of  Brooks, 
Edick,  Besse  and  a  Mr.  Sherman  and  his  two 
sons.  There  were  a  number  of  important  arriv- 
als during  the  next  few  years,  including  the 
Bradwells  (father  of  Judge  James  B.  Bradwell 
of  Chicago),  Socrates  Rand,  an  enterprising 
citizen  who  located  adjacent  to  the  present 
village  of  Des  Plaines,  which  for  some  time 
bore  his  name,  the  Kennicotts  and  others.  In 
1836  came  Capt.  Mancel  Talcott,  whose  son, 


Mancel  Talcott,  Jr.,  was  afterwards  a  promi- 
nent business  man  and  public-spirited  citizen 
of  Chicago.  Early  settlers  were  also  Captain 
Hugunin  and  Judge  Hoard,  who  was  a  promi- 
nent figure  in  Cook  County  history.  By  1837 
came  the  parents  of  Thomas  P.  Robb.  The  lat- 
ter, then  a  youth,  afterwards  opened  the  first 
exclusive  wholesale  grocery  establishment  in 
Chicago,  and  during  the  Civil  War  served  as 
Sanitary  Agent  for  the  State  by  appointment 
of  Gov.  Richard  Yates,  and  later  filled  a  num- 
ber of  important  positions. 

Although  an  agricultural  district,  Maine 
Township  contains  four  villages  within  its  area, 
viz.:  Des  Plaines,  Edison  Park,  Park  Ridge  and 
Riverview.  The  population  of  the  township  in 
1900  was  5,161,  of  which  3,750  was  in  the  vil- 
lages and  1,411  in  the  rural  sections.  Des 
Plaines,  the  largest  village,  known  as  early  as 
1840  as  Rand  from  Socrates  Rand,  the  earliest 
settler  in  that  vicinity,  took  the  name  of 
"Maine"  when  the  plat  was  recorded  in  1857, 
but  in  1869  the  name  was  changed  by  act  of 
the  Legislature  to  Des  Plaines,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  the  first  Board  of  Trustees  was 
elected.  The  town  is  situated  on  the  Des 
Plaines  River  and  the  Madison  Branch  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  sixteen  and 
a  half  miles  from  Chicago.  It  is  widely  known 
as  a  choice  residence  suburb  with  prosperous 
churches  and  schools,  and  for  over  forty  years 
has  been  the  site  of  the  famous  Des  Plaines 
camp  meeting  grounds  of  the  Methodist  church. 
The  population  of  the  village  in  1900  was  1,666. 

Park  Ridge,  located  on  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad,  thirteen  miles  northwest  of 
Chicago,  occupying  an  elevated  site  overlooking 
the  Des  Plaines  River,  was  settled  in  1840,  and 
for  a  time  bore  the  name  of  "Brickton,".  from 
the  employment  of  one  of  its  leading  citizens, 
George  W.  Penny,  as  a  brick  manufacturer.  A 
postoffice  "was  established  here  in  1858,  and 
about  1873  the  village  took  on  its  present  more 
euphonious  name.  Its  population  in  1900  was 
1,340. 

Riverview  village,  on  the  line  of  the  Wiscon- 
sin Central  Railroad,  had  a  population,  accord- 
ing to  the  last  census,  of  406  and  Edison  Park, 
344. 


NEW  TRIER  TOWNSHIP. 

New    Trier    Township,    in    the    northeastern 
corner  of  Cook  County,  was  organized  on  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


787 


formal  division  of  the  county  into  townships 
in  April,  1850,  and  has  existed  with  little 
change  in  area  ever  since.  The  first  white  set- 
tler was  Anton  Ouilmette  (Anglicized  Wil- 
mette),  a  Frenchman  who,  with  his  half-breed 
Pottawatomie  wife,  was  a  resident  of  Chicago 
at  the  time  of  the  Fort  Dearborn  massacre  in 
1812.  By  the  treaty  with  the  Pottawatomie 
Indians  at  Prairie  du  Chien  in  1830,  a  reserva- 
tion of  two  square  miles  was  set  apart  for 
Ouilmette,  upon  which  he  settled  with  his  wife 
and  family  of  eight  children,  the  tract  receiv- 
ing the  name  of  the  "Wilmette  Reservation." 
In  the  summer  of  1836  a  party  of  emigrants, 
consisting  of  seven  families  from  Vermont, 
arrived  in  this  vicinity,  and  one  of  their  num- 
ber, Erastus  Patterson,  settled  on  the  site 
of  what  is  now  the  village  of  Winnetka, 
where  he  erected  a  log-house,  and  soon  after 
opened  a  tavern  on  the  Green  Bay  Road  from 
Chicago.  Others  who  came  to  this  locality 
about  the  same  time  were  Alexander  McDaniel 
and  Anson  H.  Taylor,  and  during  the  next  year 
came  Philip  Marshall  and  A.  M.  Talley,  who 
settled  where  the  village  of  Geneva  now  is. 
Other  arrivals,  during  the  next  two  years  were 
those  of  Wendell  Allis  and  his  sons  Jacob  and 
John,  Harrison  Lowe,  Simeon  Doyle,  Joel  C. 
Stebbins,  Charles  H.  Beaubien  (a  cousin  of 
Mark  Beaubien  of  Chicago),  a  Mr.  Ellis,  John 
Foster,  Marcus  Gormley  and  Robert  Daggett, 
settling  at  various  points  in  the  vicinity. 
Between  1839  and  1850  there  were  numerous 
arrivals,  and  when  the  township  was  organ- 
ized in  the  latter  year,  there  was  a  population 
of  473.  The  first  election  for  town  officers  was 
held  at  the  house  of  John  Garland  on  the  first 
Tuesday  of  April,  1850,  Jesse  Mathison  acting 
as  Moderator,  and  the  following  officers  were 
elected:  James  Hartney,  Supervisor;  John  Gar- 
land, Clerk;  Andrew  Hood  and  Anson  H. 
Taylor,  Justices  of  the  Peace;  Michael  Gormly, 
Assessor;  John  Lauermann,  Collector,  and 
Michael  Diedrich,  Michael  Gormly  and  James 
Hartney,  Commissioners  of  Highways. 

There  are  five  villages  within  the  boundaries 
of  New  Trier  Township,  besides  a  part  of  the 
•  city  of  Evanston,  viz.:  Glencoe,  Gross  Point, 
Kenilworth,  Wilmette  and  Winnetka.  Of  these 
Wilmette  is  the  largest,  having  a  population 
according  to  the  census  of  1900,  of  2,300.  As 
already  stated,  Anton  Wilmette  was  the  first 
settler,  but  in  1838  he  sold  out  a  part  of  his 
reservation  and  removed  to  Council  Bluffs, 


Iowa,  whither  the  Pottawatomie  Indians  moved 
the  same  year.  The  village  of  Wilmette  was 
platted  in  1869,  Judge  Henry  W.  Blodgett,  late 
of  Waukegan,  being  one  of  its  founders.  At 
first  it  was  called  Gross  Point,  but  in  1872  it 
was  incorporated  under  its  present  name.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  attractive  suburbs  of  the 
city  of  Chicago,  being  favorably  located  on  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  14  miles 
from  the  central  station.  It  presents  excellent 
educational  advantages  and  is  the  home  of  a 
community  maintaining  a  high  standard  of 
morality  with  ample  church  privileges. 

Winnetka,  the  second  town  in  size,  with  a 
population  (1900)  of  1,833,  was  platted  in  1854 
by  Charles  E.  Peck  and  Walter  S.  Gurnee,  a 
former  Mayor  of  Chicago.  It  occupies  a  site 
on  the  top  of  the  ridge  of  land  originally 
entered  in  1843  by  Erastus  Brown,  and  is  on 
the  line  -of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
road two  miles  and  a  half  north  of  Wilmette. 
A  postoffice  was  established  here  in  1856,  and 
the  village  was  incorporated  by  act  of  the 
Legislature  in  1869.  It  is  a  choice  residence 
suburb,  justifying  the  definition  of  the  Indian 
name,  "Beautiful  Land."  Winnetka  was  the 
scene,  on  February  12,  1884,  of  one  of  the  most 
horrible  crimes  ever  perpetrated  in  Cook 
County,  in  the  mysterious  and  brutal  murder 
in  their  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  L.  Willson, 
an  aged  and  respected  couple,  who  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers  of  the  village. 

Glencoe,  in  the  northern  part  of  New  Trier 
Township,  by  the  Milwaukee  Division  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  18  miles 
from  the  central  station  in  the  city  of  Chicago, 
was  incorporated  March  29,  1869,  and  according 
to  the  ceusus  of  1900  had  a  population  of.  1,020. 
It  has  ample  educational  and  church  advant- 
ages, and  is  a  growing  village,  as  indicated  by 
the  fact  that  the  population  doubled  between 
1890  and  1900. 

Gross  Point,  a  name  originally  used  to  desig- 
nate the  region  along  the  lake  shore  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  Cook  County,  was  the 
first  name  given  to  the  village  of  Wilmette, 
from  which  it  was  separated  and  organized 
under  its  present  name  on  March  10,  1874.  It 
lies  immediately  southwest  of  Wilmette,  and 
had  a  population  (1900)  of  669. 

Kenilworth,  a  choice  residence  suburb  and 
summer  resort,  located  on  the  lake  shore 
between  the  villages  of  Winnetka  and  Wilmette, 
is  a  picturesque  locality  noted  for  its  ample  and 


788 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


well  kept  grounds  attached  to  its  private  resi- 
dences and  public  institutions.  Among  the  lat- 
ter are  a  boarding  school  for  girls  and  college 
preparatory  school  for  boys.  In  1900  it  had  a 
population  of  336,  which  is  largely  increased 
during  the  summer  months. 


NILES    TOWNSHIP. 

Niles  Township,  located  in  the  middle  north- 
ern section  of  Cook  County,  immediately  north 
of  the  city  of  Chicago  and  of  Evanston  Town- 
ship, contains  an  area  of  nearly  twenty-five 
sections  all  within  Town  41  North,  Range  13 
East,  of  which  a  small  tract  in  the  southeast 
part  of  the  township  falls  within  the  limits  of 
Evanston,  and  a  small  division  in  the  extreme 
southwest  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  western 
part  of  the  township  is  drained  by  the  North 
Branch  of  the  Chicago  River.  The  first  settler 
was  Joseph  Curtis,  an  Englishman  who  erected 
a  rude  log-cabin  in  1838  near  the  river  on  Sec- 
tion 17,  where  he  remained  until  1846,  a  few 
years  later  returning  to  England.  John  Dewes, 
also  an  Englishman,  located  in  the  same  vicin- 
ity in  1832  or  '33,  and  about  the  same  time 
came  John  Schadiger  and  Julius  Perren,  who 
settled  within  the  limits  of  the  present  village 
of  Niles,  known  for  a  time  as  "Dutchman's 
Point."  An  important  arrival  in  1833  was  Wil- 
liam Clark,  who  came  from  Chicago  and 
became  a  permanent  settler.  Others  who  came 
within  the  next  two  years  were  Christian,  John 
and  Frederick  Ebinger  (brothers),  John  Plank, 
John  Odell,  Robert  Robertson,  Ebon  Crane  and 
John  Miller.  The  latter  built  a  saw-mill,  which 
furnished  the  first  lumber  manufactured  in 
that  vicinity.  About  the  time  of  its  organiza- 
tion in  April,  1850,  Niles  Township  was  credited 
with  a  population  of  408.  While  no  important 
towns  are  situated  within  the  township,  the 
location  of  two  railroad  lines — the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  and  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul — have  been  the  means  of  attracting  a  con- 
siderable population,  especially  of  the  agricul- 
tural class.  Much  of  the  land  along  the  North 
Branch  of  the  Chicago  River  was  originally 
marshy,  but  has  been  rendered  tillable  by  a 
thorough  system  of  drainage. 

Of  the  three  villages  in  Niles  Township,  Niles 
is  the  oldest,  the  first  house  having  been 
erected  there  in  1832-33  by  John  Schadiger  and 
Julius  Perren,  "who  were  joined  within  the  next 


few  years  by  a  number  of  other  settlers,  mostly 
Germans,  which  resulted  in  giving  the  name  to 
that  locality,  for  some  time  of  "Dutchman's 
Point."  The  village  is  situated  on  the  North 
Branch,  one  mile  north  of  Norwood  Park,  now 
in  the  the  northwest  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 
The  date  of  the  adoption  of  the  present  name  is 
not  known,  but  was  probably  about  1850. 
Being  one  of  the  earliest  settled  sections  of  the 
township,  the  village  is  well  supplied  with 
churches  and  schools.  Its  population  in  1900 
was  514. 

Niles  Center  is  located,  as  its  name  indicates, 
near  the  center  of  the  township.  The  first 
house  was  built  within  the  present  limits  of 
the  village  in  1854,  and  a  postoffice  established 
there  in  1864.  Its  population  (1900)  was  529. 

Morton  Grove  village  is  situated  on  the  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  fourteen 
miles  from  the  central  station  in  the  city  of 
Chicago,  and  less  than  two  miles  northwest  of 
Niles  Center.  The  village  was  platted  in  1879, 
and  it  has  a  railway  station  and  postoffice.  Its 
population,  according  to  the  census  of  1900,  was 
564,  and  that  of  Niles  Township  4,030 — an 
increase  of  nearly  fifty  per  cent  during  the 
preceding  ten  years. 


NQRTHFIELD  TOWNSHIP. 

Northfield  Township,  situated  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  Cook  County,  separated  from 
Lake  Michigan  only  by. the  narrow  strip  con- 
stituting New  Trier  Township,  embraces  a  full 
congressional  township  (42  N.,  R.  12  E.)  except 
one  and  a  half  sections  in  the  northeast  corner 
which  belong  to  New  Trier.  The  township  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Lake  County,  east  by 
New  Trier  Township,  south  by  Niles  and  Maine 
and  west  by  Wheeling.  The  township  is  trav- 
ersed through  its  entire  length  near  the  middle 
division  from  south  to  north  by  the  Milwaukee 
Division  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad,  while  the  Des  Plaines  River  flows 
along  its  western  border.  The  North  Branch 
of  Chicago  River  drains  the  eastern  portion. 

John  K.  Clark  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
first  settler  in  the  township,  although  there  is 
some  doubt  as  to  the  exact  time  of  his  arrival, 
this  having  been  placed  by  different  writers  at 
1834  and  1836.  Thomas  Allison,  who  had  come 
to  Chicago  in  1832,  removed  to  Northfield  in 
1837.  John  Stryker  came  in  1835,  and  there 
were  a  number  of  arrivals  during  the  next 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


789 


year.  Dr.  John  and  Levi  Kennicott  came  at  an 
early  day,  the  former  being  the  first  physician 
in  this  section.  The  Kennicotts  also  estab- 
lished the  earliest  nursery  in  this  part  of  Illi- 
nois. Silas  W.  Sherman  and  his  son,  Joel  S., 
who  had  come  to  Chicago  in  1833,  located  in 
Northfield  Township,  near  Shermer  Station,  in 
1838.  Hiram,  William  and  Orestin  Shephard 
were  settlers  in  the  same  locality  in  1839. 

Northfield  is  one  of  the  original  townships  of 
Cook  County,  having  been  organized  with  its 
present  boundaries  in  1850,  with  a  population 
of  1,013,  at  that  time  the  third  township  in 
point  of  population  in  the  county,  being 
exceeded  only  by  townships  now  within  the 
limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  There  are  no 
considerable  villages  in  the  township,  the  dis- 
trict being  purely  agricultural.  Oak  Glen  and 
Shermer  are  suburban  stations  on  the  line  of 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad, 
while  West  Northfield  is  a  postoffice  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  township  and  North 
Northfield  in  the  northwest  corner.  The  pres- 
ent population  of  the  township  (census  1900) 
is  2,323. 


NORWOOD  PARK  TOWNSHIP. 

Norwood  Park,  originally  containing  about 
nine  square  miles  of  territory,  of  which  about 
one-half  belonged  to  Town  40  North,  Range  13 
East,  and  the  other  half  to  Town  40  North, 
Range  12  East,  was  organized  in  1872  from  ter- 
ritory taken  from  Leyden  and  Jefferson  Town- 
ships, with  a  small  section  from  the  southwest 
corner  of  Niles  Township  and  a  smaller  divi- 
sion from  the  southeast  corner  of  Maine.  In 
1893  a  strip  covering  about  two  square  miles 
at  the  northern  end  of  the  township  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  this  area,  was  annexed  to 
the  city  of  Chicago,  leaving  the  present  dimen- 
sions of  the  township  a  little  over  seven  square 
miles,  bounded  partly  on  three  sides  by  the 
city,  and  west  by  Leyden  Township.  The  first 
house  built  in  the  original  portion  of  the  park 
was  that  of  Mark  Noble,  Sr.  In  1834  Phineas 
Sherman  moved  to  this  section  from  a  claim  he 
had  occupied  on  the  Des  Plaines  River.  Other 
early  settlers  in  the  locality  were  Henry  Smith 
and  his  sons,  Marcellus,  Gustavus  V.  and  Israel 
G.;  Ephraim  Payne,  Ezra  Alger,  John  Pennoyer 
and  two  sons.  George  Dunlap,  who  was  an  orig- 
inal settler  in  Norwood  Park  village,  now  a 
part  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  was  a  leading  fac- 


tor in  securing  the  organization  of  the  original 
Norwood  Park  Township,  first  called  Norwood 
from  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  novel  of  that  name. 
The  village  was  situated  on  the  Wisconsin 
Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
road, eleven  miles  in  a  northwesterly  direction 
from  the  terminal  station  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago. The  Cook  County  Poor  Farm  and  Insane 
Asylum  are  located  on  Section  18  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Norwood  Park,  now  known  as  Dun- 
ning, and  reached  by  a  branch  of  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  township  in  1900  was  3,447.  There 
are  no  incorporated  villages  in  the  township. 


ORLAND  TOWNSHIP. 

Orland  Township,  situated  in  the  southwest 
part  of  Cook  County,  consisting  of  an  entire 
congressional  township  (36  N.,  R.  12  E.),  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Palos  Township,  east 
by  Bremen,  and  south  and  west  by  Frankfort 
and  Homer  Townships  in  Will  County.  The 
early  settlers  were  Henry  Taylor,  who  came 
about  1834-35,  and  Thomas  Hardy  who  arrived 
in  1836.  William  and  Ichabod  Myrick  and  Syd- 
ney S.  Campbell  came  in  1844,  and  George  H. 
Newman  in  1845.  The  township  was  organized 
April  2,  1850,  with  its  present  limits,  previous 
to  that  date  constituting  a  part  -of  York  Pre- 
cinct, which  was  made  up  of  the  towns  of 
Bremen,  Worth,  Palos,  Lemont  and  Orland. 
The  township  is  traversed  from  the  northern 
border  to  the  southwest  corner  by  the  Wabash 
Railroad,  while  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  Road  passes  through  the  southeast 
corner.  The  only  incorporated  village  in  the 
township  is  Orland  Park,  although  there  are 
several  postoffices  including  Alpine  and  East 
Orland.  The  region  is  chiefly  agricultural.  The 
total  population  of  the  township  in  1900  was 
1,296  of  which  366  was  in  Orland  Park  village. 


PALATINE   TOWNSHIP. 

Palatine  Township,  one  of  the  northern  tier 
of  townships  in  Cook  County,  is  an  agricultural 
district  embracing  a  government  township 
(42  N.,  R.  10  E.),  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Lake  County,  east  by  Wheeling  Township,  south 
by  Schaumburg  and  west  by  Barrington.  The 
surface  is  somewhat  elevated  and  gently  undu- 
lating prairie,  with  a  rich  soil.  It  is  drained 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


by  Salt  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Des  Plaines 
River,  which  enters  that  stream  from  the  west. 
At  an  early  date  there  were  several  notable 
groves  in  the  township,  including  Deer  Grove, 
Frye's  Grove,  Englishman's  Grove,  Highland 
Grove  and  Plum  Grove — the  latter  being  the 
location  of  a  historic  Indian  burying  ground 
to  which  the  Indians  made  annual  visits  for 
many  years.  Settlement  in  this  township  began 
about  1836,  among  those  who  arrived  that  year 
being  George  Ela,  Orrin  Ford,  A.  H.  McClure, 
Asa  Dunton,  Asahel  Harris  and  Russel  Andrus. 

Palatine  Township  was  organized  April  2, 
1850,  with  its  present  dimensions.  One  of  the 
early  Supervisors  was  Thomas  Bradwell,  the 
father  of  Judge  James  B.  Bradwell  of  Chicago. 

The  only  incorporated  village  in  Palatine 
Township  is  Palatine,  on  the  line  of  the  Wis- 
consin Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  twenty-six  miles  from  the  Chicago 
terminal  station.  There  were  four  houses  on 
the  site  of  the  village  when  the  railroad 
reached  there  in  1853,  and  a  depot  was  built 
there  in  1855.  The  first  postoffice  in  the  vicin- 
ity was  first  located  at  Elk  Grove,  but  on  the 
location  of  a  station  at  Palatine,  it  was  removed 
to  that  place.  The  first  step  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  village  government  was  in  1866,  but 
in  1869  the  town  was  incorporated  by  special 
act  of  the  Legislature. 

The  population  of  the  township,  according  to 
the  census  of  1900,  was  2,074,  of  which  1,000, 
or  nearly  one-half,  was  in  the  village  of  Pala- 
tine. 


PALOS   TOWNSHIP. 

Palos  Township,  embracing  the  whole  of 
Town  37  North,  Range  12  East,  except  Sections 
5  and  6  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town,  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Lyons,  on  the  east  by 
Worth,  on  the  south  by  Orland  and  west  by 
Lemont  Township  and  Downer's  Grove  in 
DuPage  County.  The  northwestern  corner  is 
touched  by  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  and 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  while  the 
Wabash  Railroad  passes  through  the  south- 
western portion.  There  being  no  considerable 
village  in  the  township,  the  district  is  almost 
wholly  agricultural.  The  population  of  the 
township  in  1900  was  1,074. 

The  first  white  people  to  settle  within  the 
present  limits  of  Palos  Township  were  the  Pad- 
dock family,  who  located  in  the  southern  part 


of  the  township  in  1834.  Others  who  came 
about  the  same  time  were  Schuyler  Brown, 
Samuel  Mahaffey,  Robert  Lucas,  Richard 
McClaughrey,  Uriah  and  Benjamin  Wentworth. 
M.  A.  Powell  was  the  first  Postmaster  in  the 
township,  the  office  being  known  as  Orange  and 
later  as  Palos.  He  held  the  office  over  thirty- 
five  years. 

The  township  was  organized  in  1850  under 
the  name  of  Trenton,  which  was  changed  soon 
after  the  first  election  to  Palos.  The  village 
of  Willow  Springs,  originally  in  the  northwest 
part  of  the  township  is  now  within  Proviso 
Township. 

The  township  of  Palos  is  interesting  on 
account  of  the  discovery,  within  its  limits,  of 
what  bear  evidence  of  being  the  remains  of 
French  or  Indian  fortifications.  Andreas'  "His- 
tory of  Cook  County,"  referring  to  this  subject, 
says.  "These  ruins,  which  are  situated  on  the 
farm  of  Theodore  Lucas,  some  three  miles 
southwest  of  Willow  Springs,  are  yet  so  well 
preserved  as  to  enable  one  to  clearly  trace 
their  former  extent  and  size.  From  their  loca- 
tion on  a  rising  piece  of  ground,  and  the  area 
which  they  once  evidently  inclosed,  the  con- 
clusion is  arrived  at  that  they  were  of  consid- 
erable importance  and  well  designed  in  their 
construction  for  affording  refuge  and  protection 
to  a  large  number  of  persons.  As  to  who  built 
them,  no  one  knows;  but  here  is  certainly  a 
rich  field  for  the  antiquarian  who  delights  to 
dig  among  such  ancient  ruins,  in  his  efforts  to 
bring  to  light  the  long  hidden  mysteries  of  an 
almost  forgotten  past.  Thomas  Kelly,  a  farmer 
living  on  Section  18,  says  that,  in  some 
researches  he  has  made  among  these  ruins  not 
long  since,  he  found  a  number  of  relics,  among 
which  was  a  curiously  wrought  powder-horn, 
evidently  of  an  antique  pattern,  and  having 
on  its  surface  inscriptions  in  a  language  which 
he  was  unable  to  read."  (For  further  informa- 
tion regarding  these  remains,  see  "Fortifica- 
tions, Prehistoric,"  Hist.  Encyc.  of  III.,  Vol.  I., 
p.  173.) 


PROVISO  TOWNSHIP. 

Proviso  Township,  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Leyden  Township,  on  the  east  by  Oak  Park, 
Berwyn  and  Riverside,  south  by  Riverside  and 
Lyons  and  west  by  DuPage  County,  is  one  of 
the  middle  tier  of  townships  of  Cook  County 
lying  west  of  the  central  part  of  the  city  of 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


791 


Chicago,  and  embraces  an  entire  congressional 
township  (39  N.,  R.  12  E.)  except  four  sections 
in  the  southwestern  corner,  which  constitute 
the  town  of  Riverside.  The  surface  is,  for  the 
most  part,  level  prairie,  with  timber  along  the 
banks  of  the  Des  Plaines  River,  which  traverses 
the  central  part  of  the  township  through  its 
entire  length  from  north  to  south,  with  Salt 
Creek  as  its  principal  tributary  from  the  west. 
The  first  settler  was  Aaron  Parsell,  who  located 
in  the  southwest  part  of  the  township  near 
Salt  Creek  in  1832,  and  in  1833  George  Bicker- 
dike  and  Mark  Noble  erected  a  saw-mill  on  the 
Des  Plaines,  a  short  distance  north  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  Railroad  bridge.  Theophi- 
lus  W.  Smith  was,  for  a  time,  the  owner  of  this 
mill  and  resided  near  it.  A  number  of  other  set- 
tlers came  between  1836  and  1840,  some  of  the 
more  prominent  being  Ashabel  Steel  (1836), 
Thomas  Covell,  John  Bohlander,  and  J.  S.  Sack- 
ett,  James  Ostrander,  Reuben  Whaples  and  A.  B. 
Kellogg  (1837),  John  Walters  (1838),  Samuel 
Giles,  Nathan  Dodson,  a  Mr.  Noyes,  Henry  Nes- 
enbrink,  Peter  Miner,  S.  Y.  Bruce  and  E.  W. 
Thomas  (1840).  The  township  was  organized 
April  2,  1850,  there  being  at  that  time  a  popu- 
lation of  about  200.  Stephen  Pennoyer  was  the 
first  Supervisor.  In  1870  the  town  of  Riverside 
was  set  off  from  the  southwestern  corner  of 
Proviso  Township,  reducing  the  latter  to  its 
present  limits.  According  to  the  census  of  1900, 
Proviso  Township  was  the  third  township  in 
Cook  County  (excluding  the  city  of  Chicago) 
in  point  of  population,  a  result  due  to  the  fact 
that  several  of  the  most  prosperous  suburban 
villages  are  located  wholly,  or  in  part,  within 
its  limits — the  total  population  at  that  time 
being  15,498. 

Maywood  village,  situated  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Des  Plaines  River  and  on  the  Chicago, 
Great  Western  and  the  Galena  Division  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  was  laid  out 
by  a  company  organized  by  W.  T.  Nichols  of 
Rutland,  Vt,  in  1868,  and  incorporated  in  1881. 
It  contains  many  handsome  residences  and  is 
well  supplied  with  schools  and  churches.  May- 
wood  Military  Institute  is  located  here.  The 
population  in  1900  was  4,532. 

Harlem,  the  second  village  in  population  in 
the  township,  was  settled  in  1856,  by  J.  H. 
Quick,  who  named  it  after  his  birthplace  in 
New  York.  It  is  situated  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  township,  and  originally  embraced 
the  village  of  Oak  Park,  and  part  of  River 


Forest.  It  was  incorporated  in  1884  and, 
according  to  the  census  of  1900,  had  a  popula- 
tion of  4,085. 

Melrose  Park  Village,  northwest  of  and 
adjoining  the  village  of  Maywood,  was  laid  out 
by  the  Melrose  Land  Company  in  1873,  and 
incorporated  in  1882.  Population  in  1900, 
2,592. 

River  Forest  village,  originally  called 
Thatcher,  from  David  C.  Thatcher  who  settled 
there  in  1856,  is  located  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Des  Plaines,  and  on  the  Galena  Division  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad.  Lake 
Street,  Chicago,  continued  westward,  passes 
through  the  southern  part  of  the  village  and 
across  the  Des  Plaines  River  bridge.  The  vil- 
lage was  incorporated  under  its  present  name 
in  1886.  Population  (1900)  1,559. 

La  Grange  Park,  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Proviso  Township,  near  La  Grange  Village,  has 
a  population  (1900)  of  730.  Parts  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Grossdale  and  Western  Springs  also  lie 
within  the  boundaries  of  Proviso  Township. 


RICH  TOWNSHIP. 

Rich  Township,  which  consists  of  Town  35 
North,  Range  13  East,  located  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  Cook  County,  and  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Bremen  Township,  east  by  Bloom,  and 
south  and  west  by  Will  County,  was  organized 
April  3,  1850,  with  its  present  dimensions,  hav- 
ing a  population  at  that  time  of  168.  Previous 
to  that  date,  with  the  towns  of  Bloom  and 
Thornton,  it  constituted  Thornton  Precinct. 
The  township  is  crossed  by  the  Illinois  Central 
and  the  Michigan  Central  Railroads.  The  vil- 
lage of  Matteson,  situated  on  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad  28  miles  south-southwest  from  the 
city  of  Chicago,  is  the  principal  village  in  the 
township.  It  was  platted  in  1855,  soon  after 
the  completion  of  the  Illinois  Central  Road, 
and  the  first  house  was  erected  during  the  same 
year  by  Charles  Ohlendorf.  The  village  is  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and 
Michigan  Central  Railroads  and  contains  two 
grain  elevators,  several  country  stores  and  a 
number  of  mechanical  shops.  The  population 
in  1900  was  449. 

Richton,  another  station  on  the  line  of  the 
Illinois  Central,  one  mile  south  of  Matteson  and 
near  the  southern  boundary  of  the  township,  is 
a  small  hamlet  with  a  railway  depot  and  a  few 


792 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


houses.  It  has  not  yet  reached  the  proportions 
of  an  incorporated  village.  The  total  popula- 
tion of  Rich  Township,  according  to  the  census 
of  1900,  was  1,421. 


RIVERSIDE  TOWNSHIP. 

Four  sections  (Nos.  25,  26,  35,  36),  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  Town  39  North,  Range  12 
East,  constitute  the  Township  of  Riverside,  the 
remainder  of  the  congressional  township  being 
embraced  within  the  Township  of  Proviso.  The 
first  white  settlers  in  this  section  were  David 
and  "Barney"  (Bernardus)  Laughton,  who 
came  as  early  as  1828  and  established  an  Indian 
trading  post  near  Bourbon  Springs,  between 
the  present  villages  of  Lyons  and  Riverside 
(See  Lyons  Township  in  this  volume).  Stephen 
V.  R.  Forbes,  the  first  Sheriff  of  Cook  County, 
who  came  to  Chicago  in  1829,  in  the  fall  of 
1831  located  where  the  village  of  Riverside  now 
is,  and  later  purchased  considerable  land  in  the 
vicinity.  The  towns  of  Lyons  and  Riverside 
were  so  closely  connected  at  an  early  date,  that 
the  history  of  one  is  the  history  of  the  other. 

As  now  constituted,  the  town  of  Riverside 
was  organized  in  1870,  on  the  petition  of  a 
majority  of  the  legal  voters  being  set  off  from 
Proviso  Township.  This  was  the  result  of  a 
movement  which  had  been  set  on  foot  during 
the  previous  year  to  build  up  a  model  village 
and  residence  suburb  where  the  village  of 
Riverside  now  stands.  The  natural  beauty  of 
the  location  on  the  Des  Plaines  River  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  Proviso  Township  early 
attracted  attention,  and  in  April,  1869,  the 
Riverside  Improvement  Company  was  organ- 
ized under  a  special  charter  granted  by  the 
State  Legislature  for  the  purpose  of  laying  out 
and  promoting  the  building  of  a  town  of  the 
character  already  described.  The  first  step  was 
the  securing  of  a  tract  of  1,600  acres  of  land, 
of  which  1,200  acres  had  previously  constituted 
what  was  known  as  the  "Riverside  Farm," 
formerly  owned  by  David  A.  Gage,  for  many 
years  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Tremont 
House,  Chicago. 

This  land  was  platted  and  laid  out  under  the 
direction  of  Frederick  Law  Olmsted,  the  cele- 
brated landscape  architect,  gas  and  water  pipes 
laid,  roads,  walks  and  sewers  constructed, 
parks  laid  out  and  planted,  etc.  The  lots  for 
private  residences  were  laid  out  on  an  ample 


scale  and  many  delightful  homes  have  been 
there  erected  and,  although  the  growth  in  later 
years  has  not  been  what  was  expected,  the  place 
is  yet  one  of  the  attractive  suburbs  of  the  city 
of  Chicago.  The  people  are  supplied  with  pure 
and  healthful  water  from  an  artesian  well  735 
feet  deep.  The  population  of  Riverside  Town- 
ship, according  to  the  census  of  1900,  was  1,652, 
of  which  1,514  belonged  to  the  village  of  River- 
side and  93  to  a  portion  of  the  village  of  Gross- 
dale.  A  small  portion  of  Riverside  village  also 
falls  within  the  boundaries  of  Lyons  Township. 


SCHAUMBURG  TOWNSHIP. 

Schaumburg  Township,  situated  in  the  north- 
western quarter  of  Cook  County,  consists  of  an 
entire  congressional  township  (41  N.,  R.  10  E.) 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Barrington  and  Pala- 
tine, east  by  Elk  Grove,  south  by  DuPage 
County,  and  west  by  Hanover  Township.  Many 
of  the  early  settlers  were  Germans,  hence  its 
name  from  Schaumburg-Lippe,  Germany.  The 
first  settler  in  the  vicinity  was  Trumbull  Kent, 
who  came  from  Oswego  County,  N.  Y.,  and  set- 
tled in  the  southwest  corner  of  what  is  now 
Palatine  Township,  but  when  the  land  came 
into  market,  entered  a  tract  for  his  daughter, 
Alameda  Kent,  in  Schaumburg.  During  the 
same  year  the  Bailey  family  came  from  New 
Hampshire  and  settled  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  township,  where  the  father,  Amos  Bailey, 
died  in  1863.  William  H.  Denton  came  in  1836 
and,  a  few  years  later,  Horace  P.  Williams, 
who  became  a  wealthy  farmer  and  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Northwestern  University  at 
Evanston.  Previous  to  1850,  the  township  con- 
stituted part  of  Salt  Creek  Precinct,  but  on 
April  2  of  that  year  it  was  organized  with  its 
present  dimensions,  having  then  a  population 
of  489.  Being  strictly  an  agricultural  and 
dairying  district,  the  growth  in  population  has 
been  slow,  that  reported  in  1900  being  1,003. 
Schaumburg  Center  is  the  post  hamlet  of  the 
township,  with  a  few  houses,  a  store  or  two 
and  one  or  two  mechanical  shops.  There  are 
several  cheese  factories  in  the  township,  the 
first  having  been  established  in  1873.  The 
Elgin  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  railroad  touches  the  southeast  corner  of 
Schaumburg  Township. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


793 


THORNTON  TOWNSHIP. 

Thornton  Township,  comprising  the  whole  of 
Town  36  North,  Range  14  East,  and  one-third 
(the  western  part)  of  Town  36  North,  Range 
15  East,  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  city  of 
Chicago,  east  by  Lake  County,  Ind.,  south  by 
Bloom  Township  and  west  by  Bremen,  was 
organized  as  a  township  in  April,  1850.  Previ- 
ous to  that  date  it  constituted,  with  the  pres- 
ent Townships  of  Rich  and  Bloom,  Thornton 
Precinct.  It  is  drained  by  the  Grand  Calumet 
and  the  Little  Calumet  Rivers,  and  several 
small  tributaries,  of  which  Thorn  and  Stony 
Creeks  are  the  principal.  It  is  also  crossed  or 
touched  by  some  half  dozen  railroad  lines  enter- 
ing Chicago  from  the  south  and  east,  the  prin- 
cipal ones  being  the  Illinois  Central,  the  Chi- 
cago &  Grand  Trunk,  the  Chicago  &  Eastern 
Illinois  and  the  "Big  Four." 

Owing   to   the   fact   that   several   prosperous 
manufacturing  plants  and  villages  are  located 
in  this  township,  it  is  one  of  the  most  populous 
in  the  county  outside  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
being   exceeded    only    by   Evanston    Township. 
The  population  of  the  township  in  1900  amount- 
ing to  14,933,  was  surpassed  by  Cicero  and  Pro- 
viso  Townships,   but  .the   division   of  the   two 
last    named   townships   within   the   past    three 
years  has  materially  reduced  the  population  of 
each  as  they  now  stand.    The  village  of  Thorn- 
ton, near  the  southern  border,  is  the  oldest  in 
the   township,   and   for   a  number  of   years  it 
appears  to  have  been  the  center  of  population. 
The   first   white    settler   in    this   vicinity — and 
believed  to  be  the  first  within  the  present  lim- 
its of  the  township — was  William  Woodbridge, 
who  settled  on  the  east  bank  of  Thorn  Creek 
in  1834.     A  year  later  he  located  on  land  just 
west  of  the  present  site  of  the  village  and  still 
later  opened  the  first  store  in  the  village.     In 
1835  came  Stephen  Cfary,  Joseph  and  Sanford 
Case,  and  James  Parwell,  and  in  1836  Stephen 
Spoor,  Christian  Randall,  James  Barton,  David 
Crandall,    John     Blackstone     and    Don    Carlos 
Berry — the  latter  opening  up  the  first  tavern 
here  during  the  same  year.     A  postoffice  was 
also  established  about  the  same  time,  and  Berry 
was  made  the  first  Postmaster.    Joseph  Milsted, 
James  Childers  and  William  and  Elisha  Young 
(brothers)  also  came  to  the  township  in  1836, 
and  the  Young  brothers  opened  a  trading  sta- 
tion in  Thornton.     Gurdon   S.  Hubbard,  J.  H. 
Kinzie    (of    the   Chicago    Kinzie    family)    and 


John  Blackstone  built  a  saw-mill  here  about 
1835  or  1836.  The  village  was  platted  in  1835 
by  John  H.  Kinzie  who  had  purchased  the  land 
from  the  Indians,  and  Hubbard  and  Blackstone 
soon  after  became  his  partners.  The  place  was 
named  in  honor  of  Col.  W.  F.  Thornton,  then  of 
Shelbyville,  111.,  who  was  one  of  the  first  Com- 
missioners of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal, 
and  served  as  President  of  the  Board  for  a 
number  of  years.  This  appears  also  to  have 
been  the  origin  of  the  name  of  the  township. 
Stone  quarries  were  opened  here  about  1850. 

Harvey  City,  originally  South  Lawn  village, 
two  miles  south  of  the  southern  boundary  of 
the  city  of  Chicago,  is  an  important  manufac- 
turing center  and  one  of  the  most  flourishing 
residence  suburbs  within  the  limits  of  Cook 
County.  The  first  settler  in  this  locality  was 
George  Gay,  who  purchased  land  and  located 
here  in  1870.  Three  years  later,  Samuel  Dela- 
mater,  John  K.  Rowley,  Joshua  P.  and  John  K. 
Young  and  Joseph  Collett  bought  land  of  Joseph 
Robinson  and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Company,  upon  which  the  village  of  South 
Lawn  was  afterwards  located.  This  appears  to 
have  had  its  origin  in  the  establishment  here 
of  the  plant  of  the  Hopkins  Mower  Company  in 
1880. 

In  November,  1889,  Turlington  W.  Harvey,  a 
former  lumber  merchant  and  manufacturer  of 
the  city  of  Chicago,  became  interested  in  the 
site  of  the  village,  purchasing  of  the  Young 
estate  and  the  Hopkins  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, 640  acres  of  land  at  the  intersection  of 
the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Chicago  &  Grand 
Trunk  Railways  and,  in  May,  1891,  the  village 
of  Harvey  was  incorporated.  In  general  out- 
line this  embraced  the  area  between  One  Hun- 
dred and  Forty-seventh  and  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-fifth  Streets,  and  between  Halsted  Street 
and  Ashland  Avenue,  in  the  territory  extended 
south  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  Previous  to  this 
date  there  was  a  postoffice  at  this  point  under 
the  name  of  South  Lawn,  one  hotel  and  pos- 
sibly half  a  dozen  dwelling  houses.  The  name 
given  to  the  village,  while  in  recognition  of 
the  part  borne  by  Mr.  Harvey  in  its  organiza- 
tion, was  at  the  suggestion  of  others  without 
his  knowledge. 

In  the  spring  of  1890  the  Harvey  land  Associ- 
ation was  organized  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$1,000,000,  and  the  development  of  the  village 
into  a  manufacturing  town  began.  During  the 
first  eighteen  months  after  the  incorporation  of 


794 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


the  village  the  Association  soid  lots  to  the 
amount  of  $1,800,000,  or  at  the  rate  of  $100,0«v> 
per  month.  In  the  meantime  factories,  stores 
and  dwellings  were  rapidly  multiplying  and, 
in  April,  1895,  the  village  having  then  an  esti- 
mated population  of  four  to  five  thousand,  was 
incorporated  as  a  city.  At  the  present  time  the 
city  has  fifteen  miles  of  paved  streets,  many 
miles  of  sewer,  seventeen  and  a  half  miles  of 
water  pipe,  several  miles  of  gas-mains,  with  an 
electrical  plant  furnishing  both  power  and  light. 
For  protection  against  fires  there  is  a  large 
water  tower  giving  a  pressure  of  100  pounds, 
with  fire  engine  and  four  or  five  organized  fire 
companies.  The  principal  streets  are  paved 
and  bordered  with  cement  side-walks,  while 
the  parks  and  boulevards  are  lined  with  shade 
trees.  There  are  eleven  churches,  two  news- 
papers— "The  Harvey  Herald"  and  "The  Trib- 
une Citizen" — numerous  fraternal  organizations 
and  six  graded  schools,  some  of  them  occupy- 
ing the  best  school  buildings  to  be  found  in 
the  rural  districts  of  Cook  County,  besides 
the  Thornton  Township  High  School  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $60,000. 

One  of  the  notable  features  in  the  growth  of 
Harvey  City,  which  has  taken  place  almost 
entirely  within  the  past  twelve  years,  has  been 
the  development  of  manufacturing  industries. 
Of  these  there  are  at  the  present  time  (1903) 
fifteen  enterprises  in  operation,  most  of  them 
working  in  iron.  Some  of  the  most  important 
of  these  are:  the  Buda  Foundry  and  Manu- 
facturing Company,  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  railway  supplies  and  small  cars;  the 
Chicago  Motor- Vehicle  Company,  manufactur- 
ers of  automobiles  for  commercial  use;  the 
Whitney  Foundry  Equipment  Company;  the 
Acme  Gas  Company,  manufacturers  of  individ- 
ual gas-plants  for  factories  and  Government 
works;  the  Chicago  Railway  Supply  Foundry 
Company;  the  Great  Northern  Structural  Com- 
pany, etc.  The  town  has  one  bank,  which 
was  started  in  the  village  days  and  is  now  in 
a  prosperous  condition. 

An  element  which  contributed  to  the  popu- 
larity of  Harvey  as  a  residence  suburb  in  its 
early  history,  as  well  as  to  its  prosperity  as 
a  manufacturing  town,  was  the  exclusion  of 
the  saloon  from  the  city  limits,  but  this  feature 
has  since  been  eliminated  by  the  aggressions  of 
the  saloon  element.  The  population  of  5,395 
according  to  the  census  of  1900,  is  now  esti- 
mated at  6,000. 


Besides  three  railway  trunk  lines — the  Illi- 
nois Central,  the  "Big  Four"  (Cleveland,  Cin- 
cinnati, Chicago  &  St.  Louis),  and  the  Grand 
Trunk  Railway — Harvey  City  is  accessible  over 
the  lines  of  the  Chicago  Terminal  Transfer 
Company  by  every  railroad  entering  Chicago 
from  the  east.  It  is  also  reached  by  an  inter- 
urban  trolley-line  from  the  city  of  Chicago. 

Dolton  village  in  the  northern  part  of 
Thornton  Township,  just  south  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  and  at  the  intersection  of  the  Pitts- 
burg,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  ("Pan 
Handle")  and  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois 
Railways,  next  to  Thornton  is  probably  the 
oldest  settlement  in  the  township.  Its  first 
settler  was  Andrew  H.  Dolton,  who  came  here 
in  1846,  and  was  joined  by  his  brothers,  Henry 
B.  and  Charles  H.  Dolton,  a  few  years  later. 
In  1868  the  village  was  platted  and  the  first 
school  house  built,  and  a  year  later  a  postoffice 
was  established  with  Andrew  H.  Dolton  as 
Postmaster.  A  large  proportion  of  the  popula- 
tion are  Germans.  The  Dolton  brothers,  the 
founders  of  the  place,  were  enterprising,  pub- 
lic-spirited men  who  left  their  impress  for 
good  upon  the  community.  The  population  of 
the  village  in  1900  was  1,229.  The  main  line 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  runs  a  short 
distance  west  of  Dolton,  but  is  easily  accessible 
from  the  village. 

Lansing,  a  village  and  railway  station  on  the 
line  of  the  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati  &  St.  Louis 
Railway,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town- 
ship, six  and  a  half  miles  from  Dolton,  is 
located  on  a  sandy  ridge  surrounded  by  natural 
meadows  on  the  low  lands.  The  first  settlers 
were  John,  George  and  Henry  Lansing,  from 
whom  the  town  took  its  name  when  platted 
by  John  Lansing  in  1865.  The  principal  busi- 
ness a  score  of  years  ago  was  the  baling  and 
shipping  of  hay  grown  in  the  vicinity.  The 
population  is  largely  German.  The  village  had 
a  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1900, 
of  830. 

Homewood,  a  station  on  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of 
Thornton  Township,  was  platted  by  James  Hart 
in  1852,  under  the  name  of  Hartford,  and  a 
postoffice  was  established  there  the  same  year. 
Settlement  began  in  the  early  '40s,  but  about 
1848-50  many  German  colonists  began  to  arrive 
and,  in  later  years  the  settlement  became 
almost  entirely  German.  The  population  of 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


795 


the  village  in  1900  was  352.  The  district  is 
almost  entirely  agricultural. 

South  Holland,  a  station  and  village  in  the 
central  part  of  the  township  three  miles  south 
of  Dolton,  dates  it  origin  back  to  1847,  when 
immigrants  from  Germany  began  to  come  in 
and  laid  the  foundation  of  what  was  long 
known  as  the  "Dutch  Settlement."  The  com- 
munity, while  almost  solely  agricultural,  is 
one  of  the  most  prosperous  in  the  rural  por- 
tions of  Cook  County.  The  village  numbered 
a  population  in  1900  of  766. 

West  Hammond,  situated  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  Thornton  Township,  one  mile  south 
of  Chicago  city  limits,  is  the  result  of  the 
overflow  of  the  city  of  Hammond,  Ind.,  from 
which  it  is  separated  by  the  state  line.  The 
first  settler  in  this  vicinity  was  E.  W.  Hohman 
who  located  there  in  1849.  Besides  the  Michi- 
gan Central  Railroad,  the  village  has  con- 
venient access  to  the  Chicago  &  Erie,  the  New 
York,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis,  and  the  Western 
Indiana  Railroads.  Like  its  Indiana  neighbor, 
West  Hammond  is  a  manufacturing  center  and 
has  a  rapidly  growing  population.  It  was  incor- 
porated as  a  separate  village  in  1892,  and  in 
1900,  had  a  population  of  2,935. 

Other  villages  and  stations  in  Thornton 
Township  are  Riverdale,  just  south  of  the  Chi- 
cago city  limits  on  the  Illinois  Central,  and 
the  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railways;  Dolton  Junction  and  Thornton  Junc- 
tion. 

PREHISTORIC     REMAINS. 

Thornton  Township,  like  Palos  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Cook  County,  seems  to  have  been 
once  the  home  of  a  people  who  left  evidence  of 
their  occupation  of  this  region  at  a  very  early 
day,  but  without  furnishing  conclusive  evi- 
dence as  to  who  they  were  or  the  date  of  their 
presence.  The  following  paragraph  relating 
to  these  prehistoric  remains  is  taken  from  the 
valuable  "History  of  Cook  County,"  published 
by  A.  T.  Andreas  in  1884: 

"When  the  first  settlers  arrived  at  Thornton, 
they  found  the  ruins  of  what  had  evidently 
been  Indian  fortifications  occupying  the  site 
of  the  present  town.  The  ruins  consisted  of 
outer  ditches  or  trenches  and,  inside  of  these, 
were  the  works  or  fortifications  proper.  On 
the  banks  of  these,  trees  apparently  not  less 
than  one  hundred  years  old,  were  growing, 
which  only  furnished  abundant  proofs  of  the 
indisputable  antiquity  of  the  ruins.  When 


Joseph  Case  arrived  here  he  used  frequently 
to  talk  with  the  Indians  about  the  origin  of 
the  remains,  but  could  'only  learn  that,  with 
them,  it  was  supposed  they  were  built  by  the 
French  explorers,  many  years  before.  In  1871 
Ira  Gardner  dug  up  a  number  of  skeletons 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  fort,  which  he 
states  were,  in  his  opinion,  those  of  white  men 
rather  than  of  Indians.  He  also,  in  the  same 
year,  dug  up  in  the  garden  specimens  of  pot- 
tery, flint  arrow-heads,  a  stone-chisel  and  a 
pair  of  stone  bullet-molds.  It  is  claimed  by 
some  that  these  relics  belonged  to  the  Southern 
Indians  who,  at  one  time  before  they  were 
driven  still  farther  south  by  the  more  war- 
like tribes  of  the  North,  had  possession  of 
this  portion  of  the  country." 


WHEELING  TOWNSHIP. 


BY    DR.    JAMES    ELLISON    BEST. 


The  Township  of  Wheeling  lies  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  Cook  County,  bounded  by  Lake 
County  on  the  north,  Township  of  Northfield 
on  the  east,  Maine  and  Elk  Grove  on  the  south, 
and  Palatine  on  the  west,  containing  thirty-six 
Sections.  The  soil  is  a  rich  prairie  loam.  In 
the  main  the  surface  is  quite  level,  but  sloping 
gradually  to  the  east,  and  is  drained  by  four' 
unnamed  creeks  which  empty  into  the  Des 
Plaines  River;  the  latter  flows  in  a  southerly 
direction  along  the  eastern  border  of  the  town- 
ship, its  bed  lying  partly  in  Wheeling  and 
partly  in  Northfield  Township.  A  strip  of  tim- 
ber about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  wide  lines  its 
eastern  bank,  and  is  divided  about  equally 
between  the  two  townships.  The  absence  of 
timber  upon  its  western  bank  was  probably 
due  to  the  annual  prairie  fires  started  by  the 
torch  of  the  aborigines,  which  destroyed  all 
perennial  plants.  The  river,  serving  as  a  bar- 
rier against  the  fires  from  the  west,  afforded 
protection  to  the  timber  on  the  eastern  bank. 
The  western  border  of  the  township  reaches 
nearly,  or  quite,  to  the  divide  between  the  Des 
Plaines  River  on  the  east  and  Salt  Creek  on 
the  west,  its  altitude  being  about  seven  hun- 
dred feet  above  sea  level.  All  the  water  from 
Wheeling  flows  to  the  Des  Plaines  River,  while 
the  water  from  Palatine  flows  through  Salt 


796 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Creek,  south,  except  that  from  the  two  north- 
east sections,  which  flows  east  through  Wheel- 
ing to  the  Des  Plaines. 

Prior  to  settlement  by  white  men  this  region 
was  occupied  for  sixty-four  years — viz.:  from 
1769  to  1838 —  by  Pottawatomie  Indians;  previ- 
ous to  that  by  the  Miami  Confederacy,  who 
occupied  this  region  at  the  time  of  La  Salle's 
first  visit  in  1681,  which  is  the  remotest  period 
known  to  the  historian  regarding  this  section. 

The  first  settler  in  what  is  now  Wheeling 
Township,  was  a  Mr.  Sweet,  who  arrived  in 
March,  1833,  selected  a  claim  on  Section  13,  and 
built  a  cabin  in  which  he  lived  until  the  follow- 
ing September,  when  he  sold  his  right  of  squat- 
ter's claim  and  his -cabin  to  George  Strong,  who 
became  the  first  permanent  white  settler  in  the 
township.  At  that  time,  his  nearest  neighbor 
on  the  north  was  a  Captain  Wright,  who  was 
said  to  be  the  only  settler  between  the  Strong 
place  and  Waukegan. 

On  September  26,  1833,  the  treaty  with  the 
Pottawatomies  was  ratified,  after  which  set- 
tlers came  in  considerable  numbers.  Almost 
immediately  afterward  Timothy  Titcomb  set- 
tled on  Section  13,  just  north  of  Mr.  Strong. 
In  December  General  Peet  located  where  his 
son,  A.  W.  Peet,  afterward  lived. 

In  1834  William  B.  Clay  and  his  two  sons, 
John  B.  and  E.  H.,  settled  on  Section  2.  S.  M. 
Salisbury  also  settled  on  Section  2,  James 
Mackey  on  Section  24,  Christopher  and  Daniel 
Stanger  on  Section  13,  and  Christian  Stryker 
on  Section  12.  In  1835  came  Peter  Gebhart, 
who  afterward  sold  out  to  Henry  Miller. 
Joseph  Filkins  had  located  a  claim  in  1834, 
built  his  cabin  and  moved  his  family  into  it  in 
1835.  The  same  year  Isaac  Martin,  Matthew 
Chivel,  Thomas  Bradwell  and  other  settlers 
arrived.  About  eighteen  log  cabins  were  built 
during  the  year. 

In  1836  the  well-to-do  William  Hopps  located 
on  Section  3.  Into  his  house  Satan  afterward 
entered,  and  the  first  and  only  murder  in  the 
township  occurred,  Hopps  being  acquitted  of 
the  killing  of  his  wife  on  the  plea  of  insanity, 
through  the  exceptional  ruling  of  Judge  McAl- 
lister, at  which  the  public  was  greatly  incensed. 
Hopps  finally  died  in  the  Poor  House  at  Dunning. 

In  March,  1836,  Asa  Dunton  and  his  two  sons, 
William  H.  and  James,  came  from  Oswego, 
N.  Y.  They  passed  through  what  is  now  the 
site  of  Arlington  Heights,  selected  their  claims 
and  went  on  to  Deer  Grove  in  Palatine  Town- 


ship, where  they  were  among  the  first  actual 
settlers.  The  next  year  they  returned  and 
located  on  Section  29. 

Ephraim  and  Charles  Morrison  settled  on 
Section  11,  in  1837,  Conrad  Miller  came  the 
same  year.  George  Metz  located  on  Section  12. 
His  brothers-in-law,  Ludwig  Fischer  and 
George  Graff,  came  soon  after,  together  with 
many  others  whose  names  cannot  now  be  ascer- 
tained. During  this  year  the  government  sur- 
vey was  made,  after  which  settlers  came  in 
more  rapidly  than  before. 

The  population  in  1900  was  3,010.  Only  three 
are  now  (1900)  living  in  the  township  who 
came  before  1837,  viz.:  Luther  W.  and  John  B. 
Whiting  and  D.  K.  Draper,  who  settled  in  Elk 
Grove,  but  for  many  years  have  been  identified 
with  Wheeling. 

In  1833  a  territorial  council  was  held  in 
Detroit,  of  which  Governor  Doty  was  a  member 
from  Wisconsin.  He  made  a  motion  that  a 
mail  route  be  opened  from  Chicago  to  Green 
Bay  by  way  of  Milwaukee.  The  motion  pre- 
vailed and  Juneau,  the  founder  of  Milwaukee, 
took  the  contract.  The  mail  was  carried  by 
stage  coach,  following  an  Indian  trail  which  led 
northwest  from  Chicago,  and  probably  extended 
to  Green  Bay,  the  former  home  of  the  Potta- 
watomie tribe.  This  road  passes  through  the 
northeast  corner  of  Wheeling  Township,  and 
is  now  known  as  the  Milwaukee  Road.  The 
road  was  surveyed  in  1835  as  a  post-route 
under  direction  of  the  War  Department,  and  is 
on  record  at  Washington,  D.  C.  The  first  set- 
tlers in  the  township  located  along  this  road. 

In  1836  a  road  was  laid  out  from  Sand  Ridge 
crossing  the  Des  Plaines  River  at  Rand's  place. 
This  road  passes  diagonally,  from  southeast  to 
northwest,  through  Wheeling  Township,  and  is 
known  as  the  Rand  Road.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  an  old  military  trail  leading  from  Chicago 
to  Fort  Atkinson.  Later,  it  was  used  for  a 
time  as  a  stage-line  and  post-route.  This  road 
was  surveyed  under  direction  of  the  War 
Department  as  a  post-route  and  is  on  record  at 
Washington. 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  in  1839,  a  road 
was  laid  out  from  Naperville,  via  Babcock's 
Grove,  Meacham's  Grove,  Elk  Grove,  and  Buf- 
falo Grove,  to  Indian  Creek  (now  Half-Day), 
which  is  said  to  have  been  the  extension  of  an 
old  mail-route  from  St.  Louis  to  Naperville. 
It  passes  nearly  through  the  township  from 
south  to  north,  then  east  a  mile  and  a  half, 


. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


797 


then  north,  and  is  known  as  the  State  Road. 

In  1840  Thomas  Bradwell  and  others  peti- 
tioned for  a  road  leading  from  Wheeling  to 
McHenry  via  Buffalo  Grove  and  Long  Grove. 
It  was  laid  out  by  the  Court  Commissioners  of 
Lake  County  in  1842.  This  road  continues  west 
from  Wheeling.  After  it  passes  the  branch  to 
Buffalo  Grove,  to  the  point  where  it  meets  the 
State  Road,  it  is  not  on  record.  The  remainder 
of  the  roads  in  the  township  were  laid  out  by 
township  authorities,  after  organization,  which 
occurred  in  1850. 

Improvement  of  the  roads  was  made  princi- 
pally by  the  people  working  out  the  amount  of 
road  taxes  under  the  pathmaster  system.  The 
work  consisted  largely  of  grading  and  building 
bridges.  Owing  to  the  level  surface  and  sticky 
quality  of  the  soil,  in  wet  weather,  the  roads 
were  nearly  impassable. 

In  1874  some  gratuitous  work  of  graveling 
was  done  on  the  road  leading  west  from  Wheel- 
ing. The  following  year  an  organized  effort 
was  made  by  the  County  Commissioners  and 
Township  Highway  Commissioners,  viz.:  Peter 
Beyer,  Philip  Hart  and  Henry  Engelking; 
afterwards  C.  Schoenbeck  and  others  were 
instrumental  in  continuing  the  good  work,  until 
there  are  now  but  three  or  four  miles  of 
ungraveled  roads  in  the  township. 

PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. — There  are  no  records  con- 
nected with  the  schools  of  this  township  of  an 
earlier  date  than  April  6,  1857.  At  that  time 
there  were  ten  districts,  some  of  which  have 
been  united  and,  at  the  present  time,  there  are 
but  seven,  besides  one  union  district  embracing 
portions  of  Wheeling,  Maine,  and  Elk  Grove 
Townships,  the  school  house  being  located  at 
Mount  Prospect  in  the  last  named  township. 

ST.  MARY'S  TRAINING  SCHOOL. — In  the  early 
60's  the  first  orphan  asylum  and  reformatory 
for  boys  for  the  Catholic  diocese  of  Chicago 
was  incorporated  and  located  in  the  southwest- 
ern part  of  the  city,  which  was  then  a  rich 
prairie.  The  institution  pursued  the  even  tenor 
of  its  way  until  the  winter  of  1871,  when  it 
was  obliged  to  do  heroic  work  in  caring  for 
hundreds  of  children  left  destitute  by  the  great 
fire.  The  Christian  Brothers  were  then  in 
charge  of  the  asylum,  and  many  were  the  sacri- 
fices they  patiently  underwent  for  the  benefit 
of  the  boys. 

In  1882  the  asylum  proving  inadequate  for  its 
purpose,  the  late  Archbishop  Feehan,  with  the 
assistance  at  the  diocesan  clergy,  secured  the 


present  site  of  Feehanville  as  a  home  for  the 
St.  Mary's  Training  School.  It  is  situated  on 
the  Wisconsin  Central  Railway,  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Wheeling  Township,  on  the  Des 
Plaines  River.  In  1899  all  of  the  buildings 
were  burned.  Immediately  after  the  fire,  steps 
were  taken  to  rebuild  on  a  much  larger  scale, 
anticipating  an  expenditure  of  $800,000  and  the 
accommodation  of  1,000  inmates. 

ARLINGTON  HEIGHTS  is  situated  in  the  south- 
west part  of  the  Township  on  the  Wisconsin 
Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
way, twenty-two  and  four-tenths  miles  from 
Chicago.  In  1854  the  railroad  station  was  built. 
For  a  short  time  it  was  called  Elk  Grove  Sta- 
tion, but  later  was  named  Dunton,  after  the 
owner  of  the  farm,  W.  H.  Dunton,  on  whose 
land  the  original  town  was  platted  Nov.  3,  1854. 
The  same  year  Dr.  F.  T.  Miner  built  a  store  at 
the  corner  of  State  Road  and  Park  Street.  Dur- 
ing the  year  Henry  Huksell  opened  a  store  on 
the  State  Road,  Stephen  Briggs  a  hotel  at  the 
corner  of  Campbell  and  Evergreen  Streets,  and 
Meyer  Blum  a  meat  market.  The  first  resi- 
dence in  the  place  was  the  farm  house  of  Wm. 
H.  Dunton,  built  in  1845. 

In  1855  the  Post  Office  was  established  with 
Asa  Dunton  as  Postmaster,  the  office  being  kept 
in  W.  H.  Dunton's  house;  W.  G.  Wing  erected  a 
store  on  the  State  Road;  two  blacksmith  shops 
were  started,  one  by  a  Mr.  Page,  the  other  by 
John  Fleming;  Wm.  Wallace  opened  a  wagon 
shop  and  James  McGrath  built  the  second  resi- 
dence. 

A  store  was  started  in  1856  by  J.  V.  Downs 
&  Co.,  on  Dunton  Street;  a  shoe  store  by  John 
King;  a  hotel  by  Fred  Tesch  on  Dunton  Street; 
John  H.  Gale  established  a  hardware  store  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  Dunton  and  Campbell 
Streets,  John  Klehm  started  a  nursery,  which 
has  steadily  grown  until  it  now  covers  one  hun- 
dred acres,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
Northwest.  His  greenhouses  number  fifteen. 

In  1857  James  Dunton  and  Young  W.  Miller 
started  a  store  on  Dunton  Street,  and  in  1860 
William  De  Long  a  tin-shop;  Jacob  Sigwalt  a 
hotel.  Ira  Woodruff  built  a  hotel  north  of  the 
railroad  on  Evergreen  Street.  Enoch  Williams 
erected  a  cheese  factory  in  1861,  which  he 
afterward  sold  to  Heinrich  Brothers. 

In  1862  C.  Rehling  started  a  meat  market. 
In  1863  Johnson  and  Peter  established  a  grain 
elevator  and  lumber  yard,  which  they  sold  in 
1871  to  C.  Geils,  who  added  a  sash  and  door 


798 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


factory.  C.  Taege  started  a  hardware  store  in 
1863,  and  the  following  year  Henry  Weinrich 
became  partner  in  the  business.  In  1865  James 
Shiner  built  a  grist-mill,  which  he  sold  in  1870 
to  Konrad  Rolling  &  Sons.  Charles  Reisner 
started  a  shoe  store  in  1866.  The  next  year  C. 
Volz  opened  his  furniture  store  and  undertak- 
ing establishment.  In  1868  Joseph  Bray 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business  and,  five 
years  later  built  the  first  brick  store  in  the 
town,  located  on  Dunton  Street.  The  same 
year  Meyer  Blum  purchased  the  Madison  House, 
and  G.  A.  Schmidt  opened  a  meat  market.  In 
1869  Henry  Luttge  bought  the  store  of  Charles 
Degen  and  went  into  business.  In  1874,  with 
Taege  &  Weinrich,  he  replaced  their  wooden 
buildings  with  substantial  brick  ones. 

The  Bottling  Works  of  F.  W.  Muller  were 
established  in  1872.  David  Peter  and  Tewks- 
bury  built  an  elevator.  Later,  John  Kolberg 
opened  a  store,  which  he  sofa  to  William  Bat- 
terman,  who  built  his  brick  store  in  1891.  In 
1872,  a  weekly  paper,  the  "Cook  County  Her- 
ald," was  started  by  Frank  Hoi  ton.  It  was 
afterward  conducted  by  W.  C.  Williams,  who 
sold  to  George  Bugbee,  who,  in  turn,  sold  to  H. 
C.  Paddock,  the  present  editor  and  publisher. 

During  this  same  year  (1872)  Henry  Flentie 
opened  a  blacksmith  shop,  Charles  H.  Lorenzen 
a  wagon  shop,  and  Henry  Bolte  a  shoe  store. 
The  latter  replaced  his  old  building  with  a 
brick  one  in  1897. 

In  1874  the  name  of  the  village  was  changed 
to  Arlington  Heights.  Railroad  Park,  north  of 
the  track,  was  improved  and  elm  trees  planted. 
Henry  Behlendorf  erected  a  store  on  Dunton 
Street,  and  went  into  business,  and  E.  M. 
Thomas  opened  the  first  drugstore  at  the  same 
time  and  place.  J.  W.  Burkitt  went  into  the 
jewelry  and  hardware  business,  but  sold  out 
the  latter  in  1884  to  R.  Bray  and  A.  T.  Kates, 
who  still  continue  the  business.  In  addition 
they  manufacture  creamery  and  dairy  supplies 
in  a  large  two-story  brick  factory,  built  by 
them  in  1897.  Since  then  Bray  &  Kates  have 
made  extensive  improvements  in  the  size  and 
number  of  their  buildings,  including  the  erec- 
tion of  a  tin-house  40x60  feet  for  the  manu- 
facture of  their  own  tin  and  tinware,  in  which 
they  employ  about  one  hundred  people,  includ- 
ing both  sexes.  They  employ  about  forty  men. 

In  1876  Dr.  J.  E.  Farwell  opened  a  drug-store, 
and  John  Sigwalt,  Jr.,  &  Co.,  established  a 
Seving  Machine  Factory  and  foundry.  After 


two  years  they  formed  a  joint-stock  company 
under  the  name  of  the  Sigwalt  Sewing  Machine 
Co.,  with  a  capital  of  $75,000,  and  carried  on 
business  from  1878  to  1883,  during  which  time 
they  manufactured  40,000  machines.  In  1883 
the  corporate  name  was  changed  to  the 
Diamond  Sewing  Machine  Company.  The  plant 
was  burned  in  1895.  It  was  rebuilt  as  a 
Machine  Works  and  Foundry  by  James  H.  Har- 
ris, who  employs  75  men  and  is  doing  a  pros- 
perous business. 

In  1880  Peter  Morse  opened  a  bakery.  In 
1882  F.  E.  Davis  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business.  W.  M.  Dyas  established  a  drugstore; 
the  next  year  J.  A.  Kennicott,  C.  Geils  and 
Henry  Meyer  constructed  an  ice  house  and 
excavated  a  pond.  Mr.  Meyer  soon  after  pur- 
chased the  entire  property.  The  following  year 

E.  P.  Muller  succeeded  F.  Pfeiffer  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  grain  elevator;  two  years  later 

F.  Stuenkel   became  his   partner.     They   were 
succeeded  by  S.  E.  Pate  in  1894.     Peter  Hart- 
man  opened  a  shoe-store  in  1887.    The  year  fol- 
lowing, U.  Reese  started  a  livery  stable,  and  in 
'98  a  furniture  store  and  undertaking  establish- 
ment. 

January  18,  1887,  the  village  of  Arlington 
Heights  was  incorporated.  For  the  first  few 
years  the  public  improvements  consisted  mainly 
in  lighting  and  grading  the  streets  and  building 
sidewalks.  In  1897,  F.  W.  Muller,  President  of 
the  Village  Board,  with  others,  began  more 
permanent  improvements,  by  draining,  curbing 
and  grading  North  Dunton  Street.  In  1899 
Charles  Sigwalt,  as  President  of  the  Board, 
with  others,  began  a  general  drainage  system 
for  the  entire  village. 

The  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  con- 
structed a  double  track  and  built  a  new  depot 
in  1892.  The  next  year  the  parks  on  the  south 
side  of  the  tracks  were  improved  and  maples 
planted.  The  same  year  F.  Redeker  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  and  six  years  later 
built  his  brick  store  on  the  corner  of  Campbell 
and  Vail  Streets.  Julius  Berbecker  &  Sons 
established  a  cabinet  hardware  and  upholstery 
wholesale  business  in  1894.  August  Kelling 
rebuilt  his  hotel  with  brick.  N.  Volz  &  Weid- 
ner  succeeded  C.  Geils  in  the  grain  elevator. 
George  H.  Allison  purchased  a  warehouse  of  J. 
W.  Burkitt.  Three  years  later  he  sold  to  L.  G. 
Helm,  who  added  a  lumber  yard. 

In  1895  the  Magnolia  Metal  Works,  whose 
main  office  is  in  New  York  City,  built  a  branch 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


799 


factory  here  for  the  manufacture  of  Babbitt 
metal,  with  Wallace  Beardsley  as  superinten- 
dent. In  1898  John  Busch  built  a  hotel  corner 
of  Vail  and  Campbell  Streets. 

Those  engaged  in  business  at  present — not 
previously  named — are:  F.  Seiberg,  hardware 
merchant;  E.  Seiberg,  meat  market;  H.  J.  Lor- 
enzen,  store;  R.  Lauterberg,  hotel;  William 
Schrader,  hotel;  A.  Blum,  hotel;  Henry  Boeger 
&  Sons,  lumber  yard  and  planing  mill;  R.  C. 
Nehls,  drug-store;  F.  Haker,  furniture  store; 
C.  Schiffman,  restaurant. 

In  1901  The  Arlington  Heights  State  Bank 
was  organized  with  a  capital  of  $25,000.  The 
officers  are:  E.  N.  Berbecker,  President;  Wil- 
liam Thiemann,  Vice-President;  B.  B.  Castle, 
Cashier.  Directors:  P.  V.  Castle,  J.  W. 
Burkitt,  E.  P.  Muller,  William  F.  Meyer,  Wil- 
liam Bresse,  J.  V.  Whiting. 

During  the  same  year  Peter  and  Volz  pur- 
chased the  foundry  and  machine  shop  of  the 
James  H.  Harris  estate,  and  are  doing  a  thriv- 
ing business,  employing  about  sixty  men.  In 
1904,  Otto  Landmeyer  having  formerly  pur- 
.chased  the  hardware  store  of  Bray  &  Kates, 
made  substantial  additions. 

In  1902  system  of  city  water  works  was 
begun  by  general  taxation  under  the  adminis- 
tration of  Charles  Sigwalt.  That  year  about 
4,000  feet  of  six  and  eight  inch  water  mains 
were  laid. 

In  1903  a  sixty  thousand  gallon  steel  tank 
and  tower  were  erected  at  the  corner  of  Chest- 
nut and  Hawthorne  Streets  (altitude  of  tower 
95  ft.)  A  reservoir  and  pumping  station  of 
ample  capacity  to  anticipate  the  growth  of  vil- 
lage was  located  at  the  To^vn  Hall  at  a  cost  of 
about  $10,000.  A  petition  is  now  pending  in 
the  county  court  to  complete  the  laying,  by 
special  assessment,  of  mains  throughout  the 
village,  the  estimated  cost  being  $28,000. 

In  1903  E.  Winklemann  replaced  the  old  Mad- 
ison House  with  a  handsome  brick  structure 
and  U.  A.  Reese  built  a  fine  two-story  brick 
furniture  store  at  the  corner  of  State  Road  and 
Park  Street. 

During  this  year  nearly  forty  new  dwellings 
were  erected,  most  of  them  being  of  substantial 
character,  making  the  largest  growth  in  the 
history  of  the  village. 

The  population  of  the  village  in  1900  was 
1,380. 


CHURCHES. 

THE  FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  SOCIETY  of  Arling- 
ton Heights,  was  organized  Sept.  28,  1855,  with 
W.  H.  Dunton,  Wm.  Scoville  and  E.  A.  Allen  as 
trustees.  The  church  was  organized  in  1856, 
the  Rev.  D.  H.  Kingsley  being  the  first  pastor 
and  remaining  from  Sept.  24,  1856,  to  May, 
1860.  The  church  had  fifteen  members  at  the 
time  of  its  organization,  and  Asa  Dunton  was 
chosen  Elder  for  life.  Two  lots  for  the  church, 
and  one  for  the  parsonage  were  donated  by  W. 
H.  Dunton  at  the  corner  of  Dunton  and  East- 
man Streets,  and  a  church  building,  32x48  feet, 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $3,000.  The  year 
following  a  parsonage  was  built.  Subsequently 
this  parsonage  was  sold,  and  in  1899  a  new  par- 
sonage was  built  on  the  vacant  church  lot  at  a 
cost  of  about  $1,800.  The  pastors  following 
Mr.  Kingsley  have  been:  Revs.  C.  F.  Beach, 
Newton  Barrett,  Wm.  Bartholomew,  Wm.  Cort, 
Alex.  Gilchrist,  and  Wm.  Reynolds.  The  stated 
supplies  have  been  the  Revs.  Calvin  Clark,  T. 
S.  Hubbard,  John  R.  Sutherland,  George  D. 
Marsh,  Wm.  E.  Clark,  George  Irwin,  Bas- 
sett,  Chas.  Campbell,  and  Neil  McKechnie,  all 
of  whom  did  acceptable  work. 

The  present  membership  is  114,  and  the  Sun- 
day School  has  a  membership  of  165.  Henry 
G.  Lorenzen  has  been  Superintendent  of  the 
latter  for  the  past  seven  years. 

The  other  auxiliary  organizations  include  the 
Ladies  Aid,  The  Woman's  Home  and  Foreign 
Missionary  Societies,  The  Christian  Endeavor, 
and  The  Children's  Mission  Band — all  ably  con- 
ducted and  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. — Prior  to 
the  year  1840,  the  Methodists  had  a  class  at  Elk 
Grove,  which  belonged  to  the  Wheeling  Circuit. 
October  31,  1840,  the  Rev.  John  T.  Mitchell,  the 
Presiding  Elder,  held  the  first  quarterly  meet- 
ing. After  the  railroad  reached  Dunton,  the 
services  were  transferred  to  that  place,  and 
for  some  months  were  held  in  the  attic  of  W.  G. 
Wing's  store. 

In  1858  Rev.  Thomas  Cochran  preached  here. 
The  next  year  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  T.  L. 
Olmsted,  who  held  a  series  of  revival  meetings 
which  resulted  in  many  accessions  to  the  mem- 
bership of  the  church,  and  in  the  erection  of  a 
church  edifice  in  1860,  at  a  cost  of  about  $2,000. 
Only  the  lecture  room  was  finished  at  this  time, 
and  services  were  held  there  until  the  year 
1870,  when  the  audience  room  was  completed 


8oo 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


at  a  cost  of  $1,000.  Soon  after  the  erection  of 
the  church,  a  parsonage  was  purchased  for  the 
sum  of  $1,800.  It  is  still  owned  by  the  society. 
Among  the  early  members  and  organizers  of 
the  church  were:  Joseph  E.  Kennicott,  F.  W. 
Page,  Thomas  Allison,  E.  B.  Wheeler,  Joseph 
Bray,  Alexander  Allen,  Hiram  Perry,  J.  S. 
Clough,  Eli  Skinner,  John  Bromley,  Jonathan 
Fellows,  A.  G.  Skinner,  and  their  families; 
Joel  Burlingame  and  his  wife,  Phoebe  B.,  who 
left  her  entire  estate,  valued  at  $3,000,  for  the 
sole  use  and  benefit  of  the  church.  The  pres- 
ent membership  is  seventy-two. 

The  auxiliaries  of  the  church  are  the  Sabbath 
School,  numbering  115;  the  Epworth  League, 
whose  membership  is  42;  and  the  Ladies'  Aid 
Society.  All  are  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

THE    EVANGELICAL    LUTHERAN    CHURCH,    St. 
Peter  congregation  of  Arlington   Heights,   111., 
was  organized  in  the  year  1860,  then  compris- 
ing seven  voting  members.     The  first  pastors 
were  the  Revs.  W.   Bartling  and  H.   Schmidt, 
located  at  Elk  Grove.    In  1867  the  congregation 
concluded  to  have  its  own  pastor,  and  therefore 
extended  a  call  to  Rev.  J.  E.  Roeder,  then  in 
Canada,  who  acknowledged   the  vocation   sent 
him  as  a  divine  call,   arriving  here  with  his 
family  April   22,  1868.     In  1893  the  congrega- 
tion   celebrated    his    twenty-fifth    anniversary 
with   a   public  service,   also  making  him  rich 
presents  as  evidence  of  their  gratitude.    Owing 
to  ill  health  and  old  age,  however,  Mr.  Roeder 
was  compelled  to  resign  a  few  years  since,  hav- 
ing served  at  this  place  for  thirty-one  years. 
Rev.  C.  M.  Noack,  from  Sioux  City,  la.,  then 
took  charge  of  the  congregation.     Soon  after 
its  organization  the  congregation,   in  recogni- 
tion of  its  duty,  opened  a  parochial  school,  not 
in  opposition  to  the  public  school,  but  accord- 
ing  to   the   principle   that    Christian   children 
from  their  early  youth,  should  have  a  Christian 
education.     After  having  had  several  teachers, 
Mr.  F.  Militzer  accepted  a  call  to  take  charge 
of  the  school  and  began  his  work  in  1873.     In 
1898  the  congregation  could  also  celebrate  his 
twenty-fifth   anniversary.     Owing    to  the    con- 
stant  growth   of   its   school,   the   congregation 
found  it  necessary  to  open  a  second  class  in 
1882,  Miss  H.  Weinrich,  of  Arlington  Heights, 
taking   charge   of  the   younger   pupils.     After 
having  served  for  nine  years  she  was  succeeded 
by    her    sister,    Miss    Hedwig  Weinrich,    who 
served   eight  years.     Last  year  Mr.  R.  Kranz, 
then  a  teacher  in  Niles,  111.,  accepted  a  call  and 
is  now  instructing  the  junior  class.    The  school 


numbering  about  16  scholars  at  its  organiza- 
tion,  to-day  numbers  180. 

The  constant  growth  of  the  congregation 
made  the  erection  of  larger  church  and  school 
buildings  necessary.  In  1892,  therefore,  a  fine 
brick  edifice,  with  steeple,  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $16,000  (including  pipe  organ  and  bell), 
to  replace  the  old  church,  some  time  before 
purchased  from  the  Universalist  congregation, 
this  being  neatly  fitted  for  school  purposes.  In 
1899  this,  too,  was  found  inadequate  for  the 
number  of  scholars;  it  was  therefore  decided  to 
erect  a  two-story  brick  school  house  with  four 
spacious  rooms  and  all  modern  improvements; 
also  a  new  parsonage,  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  At 
present  the  congregation  numbers  1,000  souls. 
Since  its  organization,  up  to  1901,  1,285  chil- 
dren have  been  christened  there,  246  couples 
married  and  547  persons  buried.  The  congre- 
gation is  connected  with  the  Lutheran  Synod 
of  Missouri,  Ohio  and  other  States. 

In  1892  the  Lutheran  congregations  of  Chi- 
cago and  vicinity  erected  a  Home  for  the  Aged 
in  Arlington  Heights,  and  bought  sixteen  acres 
of  land  at  an  aggregate  value  of  $30,000.  The 
present  number  of  inmates  is  seventy. 

THE  UNIVERSALIST  CHURCH  was  organized  in 
1862  with  a  membership  of  about  100.  The 
members  were  widely  scattered.  The  church 
never  had  a  settled  pastor,  but  among  the  most 
prominent  ministers  were  the  Rev.  P.  Liver- 
more,  Rev.  J.  A.  Fishback,  Rev.  W.  H.  Ryder 
and  Rev.  Buckley.  At  the  end  of  seven  years, 
finding  themselves  unable  to  maintain  their 
church  longer,  they  sold  the  building  to  the 
Evangelical  Lutherans  and  disbanded. 

THE  WOMAN'S  CLUB  OP  ARLINGTON  HEIGHTS. — 
The  need  of  a  Woman's  Club  in  Arlington 
Heights,  was  the  thought  of  Mrs.  Amos  W. 
Walker.  On  January  16,  1888,  she  invited  six 
ladies  to  meet  with  her,  and  a  club  was  organ- 
ized. Until  her  removal  from  the  place,  two 
years  later,  she  was  the  leader  and  arranged 
all  the  work.  From  1890  to  this  time  (1901) 
there  has  been  a  steady  growth  in  numbers, 
the  present  membership  being  sixty.  The  offi- 
cers (up  to  1900)  have  been:  President,  Mrs. 
Emily  T.  B.  Draper;  Vice-Presidents,  Mrs.  Het- 
tie  L.  Noyes,  Mrs.  Celestia  T.  Best,  whose 
removal  by  death  was  a  great  loss  to  the 
society,  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  J.  Bray;  Secretary, 
Mrs.  Hattie  E.  B.  Farwell;  Assistant  Secretary, 
Mrs.  Grace  N.  Lorenzen;  Treasurer,  Mrs.  Nellie 
N.  Best;  Librarians,  Miss  Lucy  and  Miss  Effie 
Shepard.  The  society  was  federated  September 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


801 


1899.  Among  the  studies  pursued  have  been: 
English  History,  English  and  American  Litera- 
ture, History  of  the  United  States,  Civil  Gov- 
ernment, Moulton's  Course  of  Novel  Reading, 
History  of  Germany,  History  of  Illinois,  and 
the  Early  Ttalian  Painters.  From  the  first  this 
society  has  been  interested  in  charity  work.  In 
1897  a  Club  Library  was  started,  which  has 
been  added  to  year  by  year.  A  distinctive  fea- 
ture of  this  society  has  been  the  free  expression 
of  individual  opinions  and  beliefs,  which  is 
always  encouraged  and  tolerated. 

PUBLIC  SCHOOL. — The  first  school  house,  built 
in  1849,  was  sixteen  feet  square  and  was  used 
until  1856,  when  a  building  containing  twp 
rooms  was  erected.  Subsequently  two  teachers 
were  employed  until  1870.  A  two-storied  brick 
school  house,  containing  four  rooms,  was  now 
built,  costing  $10,000 — the  grounds  costing  $800 
additional.  Harrison  Merry,  the  principal, 
established  a  graded  system.  The  school  has, 
at  present,  five  teachers  and  an  enrollment  of 
220  pupils. 

MEDICAL  HISTORY  OF  ARLINGTON  HEIGHTS. — 
Dr.  Frederick  T.  Miner,  pioneer  physician  of 
this  locality,  located  at  Elk  Grove  in  1834. 
After  the  railroad  was  built  he  moved  to  Arl- 
ington Heights  village  and  continued  practice 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1861. 

Dr.  James  B.  Hawkes  came  in  3857,  practiced 
medicine  until  1883,  and  remained  until  his 
death  in  1898. 

Dr.  John  E.  Best  came  in  1870,  and  is  still 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine. 

Dr.  William  Loughlin  came  in  1888  and 
removed  in  1898.. 

Dr.  W.  M.  Dyas  graduated  in  1896  and  is  still 
practicing. 

Dr.  B.  W.  Griffin,  whose  wife  is  a  grand- 
daughter of  Dr.  Miner,  came  in  1897  and 
removed  from  Arlington  Heights  in  1900. 

Dr.  E.  A.  Elfeld  began  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine here  in  1902,  and  is  still  practicing. 

Dr.  Bruce  T.  Best  began  practicing  in  1904. 

In  the  meantime  many  other  physicians  have 
come,  remaining  only  a  short  time. 

Dr.  Ray  Gibbs  opened  the  first  dental  office 
in  1897,  and  Dr.  Cyrus  P.  Draper  began  practice 
as  a  veterinary  surgeon  in  1902. 

THE  VILLAGE  OF  WHEELING  is  situated  in  the 
northeast  part  of  the  township  on  the  Des 
Plaines  River.  Joseph  Filkins.  built  the  first 
residence  in  1834.  The  Post-office  was  estab- 
lished in  1836  with  Joseph  Filkins  as  Post- 
master. He  opened  a  hotel  the  next  year  and 


Wheeler  &  Daniels  started  a  store.  In  1838  two 
blacksmith  shops  were  started,  one  by  a  Mr. 
Shepard,  the  other  by  Ascher  G.  Skinner.  The 
second  hotel  was  opened  by  James  Parker  in 
1840.  Prior  to  1842  John  Rothschild  started  a 
store.  About  the  same  time  stores  were  opened 
by  John  M.  Schaffer  and  Wm.  Vogt.  E.  K. 
Beach  opened  a  blacksmith  shop. 

The  first  public  school  building  was  very 
small;  it  was  erected  in  1845.  The  second, 
built  in  1861,  burned  in  1870.  The  present  one 
was  erected  in  1871.  In  1845  Albert  Fassbinder 
started  a  hardware  store ;  two  years  later 
Jacob  Filbert  established  a  shoe  store  and 
Jacob  Hausam  another  soon  after.  A  brewery 
was  started  in  1850  by  Henry  Periolat.  In  1851 
Vitruvius  Lodge,  No.  81,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  which 
had  been  organized  at  Niles  in  1849,  was  moved 
to  Wheeling,  at  which  time  a  charter  was 
granted. 

A  hotel  was  opened  by  Jacob  Hunsinger  in 
1856.  The  Congregational  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1864,  and  the  present  building  erected 
in  1866.  Wm.  Metz  opened  a  blacksmith  shop 
in  1865,  and  Samuel  Reese  a  wagonshop,  which 
he  sold  three  years  later  to  Louis  Fischer. 
Fred  Stryker  opened  a  store  in  1873;  Martin 
Armbruster  a  hotel,  and  C.  Wilflin  a  harness- 
shop  in  1874.  The  latter  sold  out  to  R. 
Schneider  in  .1885.  John  Behm's  hotel  was 
opened  in  1877,  and  John  Schminkie's  store  in 
1878.  In  1880  Henry  Boehmer  started  a  cream- 
ery which,  later,  Jacob  P.  Hausam  superin- 
tended for  eleven  years.  Sigwalt  &  Bollenbach 
opened  a  store  in  1888. 

The  village  was  incorporated  June  19,  1894, 
including  Wheeling  Station  on  the  Wisconsin 
Central  Railway,  one  mile  west  of  the  old  vil- 
lage. The  depot  was  built  in  1886.  The  popu- 
lation in  1900  was  331. 

MEDICAL  HISTORY. — The  pioneer  physician  of 
Wheeling  was  Dr.  Julius  Purmann,  who  came 
in  1849,  and  practiced  medicine  till  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1856. 

Dr.  Francis  R.  Mergler  located  here  in  1854, 
and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  until 
1875,  when  he  removed  to  Palatine,  where  he 
died  in  1880. 

Dr.  M.  Moffatt  practiced  here  from  1876  to  1690. 

Dr.  Henry  Benz  came  to  Wheeling  in  1890 
and  is  still  practicing.  In  the  meantime  several 
others  have  come,  but  remained  only  a  short 
time. 

IN  VETERINARY  WORK. — Dr.  John  G.  Schneider 
located  here  in  1852,  and  still  holds  the  field. 


802 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


THE  PART  OF  BIOGRAPHY  IN  GENERAL  HISTORY — 
CITIZENS  OF  COOK  COUNTY — PERSONAL  SKETCHES 
ARRANGED  IN  ENCYCLOPEDIC  ORDER. 


The  verdict  of  mankind  has  awarded  to  the 
Muse  of  History  the  highest  place  among  the 
Classic  Nine.  The  extent  of  her  office,  how- 
ever, appears  to  be,  by  many  minds,  but  im- 
perfectly understood.  The  task  of  the  historian 
is  comprehensive  and  exacting.  True  history 
reaches  beyond  the  doings  of  court  or  camp, 
beyond  the  issue  of  battles,  or  the  effects  of 
treaties,  and  records  the  trials  and  the  tri- 
umphs, the  failures  and  the  successes  of  the 
men  who  make  history.  It  is  but  an  imperfect 
conception  of  the  philosophy  of  events  that  fails 
to  accord  to  portraiture  and  biography  its  right- 
ful position  as  a  part — and  no  unimportant  part 
— of  historical  narrative.  Behind  and  beneath 
the  activities  of  outward  life  the  motive  power 
lies  out  of  sight,  just  as  the  furnace  fires  that 
work  the  piston  and  keep  the  ponderous  screw 
revolving  are  down  in  the  darkness  of  the  hold. 
So,  the  impulsive  power  which  shapes  the 
course  of  communities  may  be  found  in  the 
moulding  influences  which  form  its  citizens. 

It  is  no  mere  idle  curiosity  that  prompts 
men  to  wish  to  learn  the  private  as  well  as  the 
public  lives  of  their  fellows.  Rather  is  it  true 
that  such  desire  tends  to  prove  universal  broth- 
erhood; and  the  interest  in  personality  and 
biography  is  not  confined  to  men  of  any  partic- 
ular caste  or  vocation. 

The  list  of  those  to  whose  lot  it  falls  to  play 
a  conspicuous  part  in  the  great  drama  of  life 
is  comparatively  short;  yet  communities  are 
made  up  of  individuals,  and  the  aggregate  of 
achievements — no  less  than  the  sum  total  of 
human  happiness — is  made  up  of  the  deeds  of 
those  men  and  women  whose  primary  aim, 
through  life,  is  faithfully  to  perform  the  duty 


that  comes  nearest  to  hand.  Individual  influ- 
ence upon  human  affairs  will  be  considered 
potent  or  insignificant  according  to  the  stand- 
point from  which  it  is  viewed.  To  him  who, 
standing  upon  the  seashore,  notes  the  ebb  and 
flow  of  the  tides  and  listens  to  the  sullen  roar 
of  the  waves,  as  they  break  upon  the  beach 
in  seething  foam,  seemingly  chafing  at  their 
limitations,  the  ocean  appears  so  vast  as  to 
need  no  tributaries.  Yet,  without  the  smallest 
rill  that  helps  to  swell  the  "Father  of  Waters," 
the  mighty  torrent  of  the  Mississippi  would 
be  lessened,  and  the  beneficent  influence  of  the 
Gulf  Stream  diminished.  Countless  streams, 
currents  and  counter  currents  —  sometimes 
mingling,  sometimes  counteracting  each  other — 
collectively  combine  to  give  motion  to  the 
accumulated  mass  of  waters.  So  is  it — and  so 
must  it  ever  be — in  the  ocean  of  human  action, 
which  is  formed  by  the  blending  and  repulsion 
of  currents  of  thought,  of  influence  and  of  life, 
yet  more  numerous  and  more  tortuous  than 
those  which  form  the  "fountains  of  the  deep." 
The  acts  and  characters  of  men,  like  the  sev- 
eral faces  that  compose  a  composite  picture,  are 
wrought  together  into  a  compact  or  hetero- 
geneous whole.  History  is  condensed  biogra- 
phy; "Biography  is  History  teaching  by  exam- 
ple." 

It  is  both  interesting  and  instructive  to  rise 
above  the  generalization  of  history  and  trace, 
in  the  personality  and  careers  of  the  men  from 
whom  it  sprang,  the  principles  and  influences, 
the  impulses  and  ambitions,  the  labors,  strug- 
gles and  triumphs  that  engrossed  their  lives. 

Here  are  recorded  the  careers  and  achieve- 
ments of  pioneers  who,  "when  the  fullness  of 
time  had  come,"  came  from  widely  separated 
sources,  some  from  beyond  the  sea,  impelled 
by  divers  motives,  little  conscious  of  the  import 
of  their  acts,  and  but  dimly  anticipating  the 
harvest  which  would  spring  from  their  sowing. 
They  built  their  primitive  homes,  toiling  for  a 
present  subsistence  while  laying  the  foundations 
of  private  fortunes  and  future  advancement. 

Most  of  these  have  passed  away,  but  not 
before  they  beheld  a  development  of  business 
and  population  surpassing  the  wildest  dreams 
of  fancy  or  expectation.  A  few  yet  remain 
whose  years  have  passed  the  allotted  three  score 
and  ten,  and  who  love  to  recount,  among  the 
cherished  memories  of  their  lives,  their  remin- 
iscences of  early  days. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


803 


Among  these  early,  hardy  settlers,  and  those 
who  followed  them,  may  be  found  the  names 
of  many  who  imparted  the  first  impulse  to  the 
county's  and  the  city's  growth  and  homelike- 
ness;  the  many  who,  through  their  identifica- 
tion with  commercial  and  agricultural  pursuits 
and  varied  interests,  aided  in  their  material 
progress;  of  skilled  mechanics  who  first  laid 
the  foundations  of  beautiful  homes  and  pro- 
ductive industries,  and  of  the  members  of  the 
learned  professions — clergymen,  physicians,  edu- 
cators and  lawyers — whose  influence  upon  the 
intellectual  life  and  development  of  a  commu- 
nity it  is  impossible  to  overestimate. 

Municipal  institutions  arise;  Commerce 
spreads  her  sails  and  prepares  the  way  for 
the  magic  of  Science  that  drives  the  locomo- 
tive engine  over  the  iron-rails.  Trade  is  organ- 
ized, reaching  forth  to  the  shores  of  the  Great 
Lakes  and  stretching  its  arms  across  the  prai- 
ries to  gather  in  and  distribute  the  products 
of  the  soil.  Church  spires  rise  to  express,  in 
architectural  form,  the  faith  and  aspirations  of 
the  people,  while  schools,  public  and  private, 
elevate  the  standards  of  education  and  of  artis- 
tic taste. 

Here  are  some  of  the  men  through  whose 
labors,  faith  and  thought,  these  magnificent 
results  have  been  achieved.  To  them  and  to 
their  co-laborers,  the  Chicago  and  Cook  County 
of  today  stands  an  enduring  monument,  attest- 
ing their  faith,  their  energy,  their  courage,  and 
their  self-sacrifice. 


[The  following  items  of  personal  and  family  history, 
having  been  arranged  in  encyclopedic  (or  alphabetical) 
order  as  to  names  of  the  individual  subjects,  no  spe- 
cial index  to  this  part  of  the  work  will' be  found  nec- 
essary.] 


GEORGE  E.  ADAMS. 

George  E.  Adams,  Division  Yard  Master  and 
Superintendent,  Union  Stock  Yards,  was  born 
in  Verbank,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  March  31, 
1864,  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  after 
leaving  school  worked  on  a  farm  for  five  years. 
Later  he  learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  and 
coming  to  Chicago,  May  9,  1883,  worked  in  the 
supply  division  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  for 
one  year;  then  went  to  Albion,  Boone  County, 
Neb.,  where  he  worked  on  a  ranch  for  one  year. 
Returning  to  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  he 


engaged  in  unloading  cattle  for  one  year,  when 
he  was  appointed  Assistant  Yard  Master  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

Three  years  later  Mr.  Adams  was  appointed 
Yard  Master  for  the  Wabash  Division  at  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  and  five  years  later,  was 
made  Superintendent  of  Division  A,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  October  2,  1899,  when  he 
went  into  the  wholesale  and  retail  grocery 
trade,  at  72  Randolph  Street,  Chicago.  Mr. 
Adams  was  married  to  Miss  Hattie  E.  Whit- 
son,  in  Chicago,  May  6,  1884,  and  three  children 
have  been  born  of  this  union.  Mr.  Adams  has 
many  friends  and  associates  who  esteem  him 
highly. 

PETER  ADLER. 

Peter  Adler  (deceased),  late  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War  and  former  business  man  of  Chi- 
cago, was  a  native  of  Germany,  born  near 
Bonn,  Prussia,  June  19,  1844,  the  son  of  Nich- 
olas and  Catherine  Adler.  His  father  was  a 
weaver  by  occupation  in  his  native  country,  and 
came  to  America  with  his  family  in  1852, 
settling  in  Chicago  where  both  parents  con- 
tinued to  reside  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
Peter  Adler,  who  was  about  eight  years  old 
when  his  parents  came  to  this  country,  was 
educated  chiefly  in  the  Ogden  School,  Chicago, 
and  after  serving  a  term  of  enlistment  in  the 
army  during  the  Civil  War,  took  a  course  in  a 
business  college  from  which  he  graduated.  In 
his  youth  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker, 
which  he  followed  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
in  which  he  was  a  practical  workman. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  Mr.  Adler  en- 
listed as  a  soldier  in  the  Eighty-second  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  composed  large- 
ly of  Germans  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  which 
was  organized  at  Springfield,  September  22, 
1862,  and  mustered  into  service  one  month 
later  under  the  command  of  the  distinguished 
German  patriot,  Col.  Frederick  Hecker.  Dur- 
ing its  period  of  three  years'  enlistment,  the 
regiment  took  part  in  some  of  the  most  des- 
perate battles  of  the  war,  including  those  of 
Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg  in  the  East, 
and  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  Peach  Tree 
Creek  and  Atlanta  in  the  South  and  West.  Mr. 
Adler  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Peach  Tree 
Creek,  but  not  seriously,  being  able  to.  rejoin 
his  regiment  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  mem- 
orable "March  to  the  Sea"  under  General  Sher- 
man. 


804 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


After  receiving  his  discharge  at  the  close  of 
the   war,    Mr.   Adler    took   a   thorough    course 
in  a  business  college  and,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  years,  engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  busi- 
ness at  210  North  Clark  Street,  Chicago,  which 
he    continued    until    the    fire    of    1871.      Then, 
after  a  brief  period,   he  resumed   business   in 
the   same   line  at   202   North   Clark   Street,   in 
which     he     was     engaged     contieuously     for 
eighteen   years,  when  he  retired.     In  common 
with   the   majority    of   those   who    had    risked 
their  lives  in  defense  of  the  country  during  the 
Civil  War,  Mr.  Adler  was  an  ardent  Republican, 
and,   after    his   retirement   from   business,    de- 
voted  much  of  his  time  to   politics   in  which 
he  exerted  much  local  influence.    For'  five  years 
he  served  as  a  clerk  in  the  Election  Commis- 
sioner's   office,     and     for    fourteen   years   was 
Treasurer  of  the  Republican  Club  in  his  Ward. 
In   1890   he  was   the   Republican   nominee  for 
Alderman  in  the  Twenty-fourth  Ward,  but  was 
defeated   by   a   small   majority   in   consequence 
of  a  division  in  the  party  ranks.     In  politics, 
as  in  all  affairs  of  his  life,  he  was  thoroughly 
upright,  conscientious  and  honest. 

During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  Mr.  Adler 
traveled  quite  extensively,  making  two  trips 
through  Europe,  visiting  continental  countries 
as  well  as  the  British  Dominion,  and  also  trav- 
eled widely  throughout  the  United  States  and 
other  portions  of  America.  He  was  enterpris- 
ing and  public-spirited  and,  while  taking  a  deep 
interest  in  measures  for  the  benefit  of  his  fel- 
low men  and  society  generally,  drew  to  himself 
many  ardent  friends.  Quiet  and  unostentatious 
in  manner,  he  was  extremely  liberal  to  the 
deserving  poor,  and  was  especially  active  in 
securing  the  establishment  of  the  Old  People's 
Home,  as  well  as  in  promoting  the  success  of 
various  other  private  charities. 

Mr.  Adler  was  united  in  marriage,  January  2, 
1868,  to  Elise  S.  Steinhaus,  daughter  of  William 
and  Henrietta  Steinhaus,  and  during  his  entire 
married  life  was  a  model,  devoted  and  loving 
husband.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steinhaus  came  to 
America  in  1852,  and  resided  here  up  to  the 
time  of  their  death.  Of  their  children,  five  are 
still  living.  Mr.  Steinhaus,  Sr.,  was  a  cabinet- 
maker by  trade  and  a  trained  musician,  having 
been  a  musician  in  the  army  in  his  native 
Germany.  After  coming  to  America  he  was 
especially  prominent  in  connection  with 
musical  matters.  Mr.  Adler  left  no  descendants. 


His  death  occurred  August  17,  1903,  and  he 
was  buried  in  Graceland  Cemetery.  By  virtue 
of  his  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War, 
he  was  an  honored  member  of  George  H. 
Thomas  Post,  No.  5,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic. 

JOHN  W.  ALLEN. 

John  W.  Allen,  live-stock  commission  mer- 
chant, was  born  in  DeSoto,  Vernon  County, 
Wis.,  June  24,  1856,  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  at  Howe's  College,  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  at 
Bonaparte  College,  Iowa.  After  leaving  college, 
he  came  to  Chicago  in  1871  and  commenced 
work  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards  for  the  firm 
of  Orendorff  &  Allen,  and  continued  with  his 
father  in  the  different  firms  with  which  he 
was  connected  until  1881,  when  he  went  into 
business  for  himself.  In  1894  he  returned  to 
the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  there  engaged  with 
the  Wood  &  Newcomer  Company,  live-stock 
commission  merchants,  until  March,  1901,  then 
was  associated  with  the  firm  of  A.  L.  Dailey 
&  Son,  until  September  1,  1904,  when  he 
changed  to  his  present  position  with  J.  H.  Wood 
&  Sons. 

Mr.  Allen  was  married  in  Chicago,  November 
26,  1886,  to  Miss  Hattie  J.  Emerich,  and  four 
children  have  blessed  their  union,  viz.:  Wil- 
liam C.,  Gertrude  E.,  Edward  F.  and  Ida  L. 
Allen.  By  close  attention  to  business  Mr.  Allen 
has  won  for  himself  the  confidence  of  his 
associates  and  employers,  and  has  done  his 
part  to  help  make  the  Union  Stock  Yards  a 
success. 

SAMUEL  W.  ALLERTON. 
The  growth  of  a  great  industry  in  a  com- 
munity is  an  epitome  of  the  development  of 
the  city  itself;  for  a  city  is  but  an  aggregation 
of  industries  about  which  gather  a  vast  army 
of  men  with  their  families,  who  are  in  some 
way  connected  with  the  carrying  on  of  these 
business  operations.  This  great  city  of  Chi- 
cago, with  its  multiform  industries  and  far- 
reaching  commerce,  owes  its  marvelous  growth 
and  prosperity  to  its  position  as  distributing 
center  of  the  products  of  a  vast  country,  and 
its  concentration  of  production.  A  typical 
branch  of  its  business,  and  one  of  the  leading 
sources  of  its  wealth,  has  been  the  preparation 
and  distribution  of  the  animal  products  of  the 
farms  which  cover  the  broad  prairies  of  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


805 


West.  The  growth  and  extent  of  the  packing 
business  have  been  marvelous,  and  express  the 
productive  powers  of  the  wide  region  tributary 
to  it.  Who  that  visits  the  Stock  Yards,  where 
are  gathered,  from  thousands  of  farms,  cattle, 
hogs  and  sheep,  filling  whole  trains,  and  who 
that  inspects  the  slaughter  and  packing  houses 
where  these  products  are  prepared  to  be  sent 
out  to  all  parts  of  the  world  as  food,  can  fail 
to  be  impressed  with  the  magnitude  and  im- 
portance of  this  industry?  During  the  year 
1892  over  three  and  a  half  million  head  of  cat- 
tle and  nearly  seven  million  hogs  were  received 
in  Chicago,  of  which  over  two  and  a  half  mil- 
lion head  of  cattle,  and  five  and  a  quarter  mil- 
lion hogs  were  slaughtered  and  packed  in  the 
city. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  Samuel  W. 
Allerton  has  contributed  more  than  any  other 
man  to  the  establishment  and  development  of 
this  business  in  Chicago  and  throughout  the 
West.  When  he  first  began  to  operate  in  Chi- 
cago there  was  no  local  market  for  cattle  and 
hogs.  They  were  shipped  to  New  York  and 
other  eastern  markets.  Through  his  efforts  a 
market  was  established  here,  and  afterwards 
packers  started  their  business. 

When,  more  than  forty  years  ago,  he  opened 
his  prairie  farm,  stocking  it  with  cattle,  and 
sought  a  market  for  his  stock  among  the 
butchers  of  the  infant  Chicago,  he  little  thought 
that  he  would,  while  yet  an  active  man  of 
business,  become  the  head  of  a  company  which 
would,  in  that  same  town,  gather  cattle  and 
hogs  from  the  farms  of  many  States,  and  send 
their  product,  prepared  for  the  choicest  food 
of  men,  to  all  the  markets  of  the  world;  and 
yet  the  Allerton  Packing  Company,  of  which 
until  recently  he  has  been  president,  is  but  one 
among  many  firms  that,  through  their  food 
preparations,  have  made  Chicago  famous 
throughout  the  world. 

Mr.  Allerton  is  a  native  of  Dutchess  County, 
N.  Y.,  born  in  1829.  His  early  home  and  train- 
ing were  on  a  farm,  and  his  education  only 
such  as  the  common  schools  afforded.  He 
early  developed  a  fondness  for  live  stock,  and, 
before  reaching  his  majority,  had  already  be- 
come a  farmer,  and  had  secured  profits  in 
stock-raising  which  were  the  wonder  and  envy 
of  the  neighboring  farmers  whose  range  was 
confined  to  crops  and  the  dairy.  After  a  few 
years  he  seemed  to  have  an  intuitive  feeling 


that  the  prairie  country  of  the  great  West 
afforded  better  scope  for  raising  stock  than  the 
narrow  farms  of  Eastern  New  York;  and,  after 
visiting  Buffalo  and  Cleveland,  finally  settled 
in  Piatt  County,  111.,  and  there  opened  a  prairie 
farm.  His  stock  was  brought  to  Chicago  for 
sale,  and  gradually  his  operations  were  en- 
larged to  buying  and  selling  stock.  This  led, 
by  gradual  but  natural  steps,  to  the  establish- 
ment of  a  live-stock  market,  and  finally  to  the 
packing  business,  which  has  grown  to  such 
immense  proportions.  More  than  ordinary  en- 
terprise and  sagacity  were  required  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opening  opportunities  and 
waiting  markets,  and  establish  packing  houses 
in  neighboring  cities  and  stock  yards  through- 
out the  West.  Mr.  Allerton  was  equal  to  the 
occasion,  and  extended  his  business  to  St. 
Louis,  Omaha,  Kansas  City  and  other  points. 

The  profits  of  his  vast  business  developed 
such  prudence  and  good  judgment  in  their 
management,  that  Mr.  Allerton  became  an  In- 
vestor and  manager  in  great  financial  institu- 
tions. He  has  long  been  a  director  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Chicago,  the  leading 
bank  in  the  West;  in  the  Chicago  City  Railway 
company;  and  in  a  number  of  other  important 
institutions.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Managers  of  the  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion. These  positions  and  trusts  have  not  been 
secured  by  self-seeking  or  importunity,  but 
have  sought  one  who  had  shown  rare  intelli- 
gence and  fidelity  in  the  management  of  his 
own  affairs. 

Mr.  Allerton  is  a  quiet,  unassuming  man, 
wise  in  action,  prudent  in  conduct,  but  free 
and  generous  in  the  use  of  his  large  accumula- 
tions. He  is  keenly  alive  to  public  events,  and- 
exerts  no  small  influence  in  the  shaping  of 
political  and  public  policies.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  a  pronounced  advocate  of  protection 
for  the  building  up  of  home  industries  and  the 
advantage  of  labor.  Articles  in  the  public 
press,  from  his  pen,  discuss  economic  and 
financial  questions  with  the  clearness  of  a 
practical  man  and  no  little  cogency  and  literary 
ability. 

In  his  domestic  relations  Mr.  Allerton  has 
been  happy  and  fortunate,  having  been  twice 
married,  first  in  1860  to  Miss  Paduella  W. 
Thompson,  of  Peoria,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children,  a  son  and  daughter;  and  again,  after 
her  death  in  1880,  to  her  sister,  Miss  Agnes 


8o6 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


C.  Thompson,  who  now  with  the  children, 
shares  his  elegant  and  happy  home  on  Prairie 
Avenue. 

ROBERT  AMBROSE. 

Robert  Ambrose,  Lieutenant,  Engine  No.  72, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Vicks- 
burg,  Ky.,  July  4,  1862,  was  brought  by  his  par- 
ents to  Chicago  in  January,  1863,  and  educated 
in  the  Foster  and  Polk  Street  public  schools. 
After  leaving  school  he  worked  for  the  Con- 
sumers' Gas  Company  tor  three  years.  July 
6,  1887,  he  joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department, 
taking  a  position  on  Engine  25 ;  was  transferred 
to  Engine  12,  December  31,  1889,  to  Engine  5, 
April,  1890,  and  to  Engine  72,  being  promoted 
to  Lieutenant,  June  16,  1894.  He  has  had  many 
narrow  escapes,  in  1892  being  rescued  in  an 
unconscious  condition  from  suffocation  at  a  fire 
on  Harrison  and  Canal  Streets,  and  so  remain- 
ing for  six  hours.  He  was  honorably  mentioned 
and  awarded  a  Carter  H.  Harrison  medal  for 
rescuing  a  member  of  the  Fire  Department  at 
a  fire  in  Liberty  Hall,  9138-9140  Commercial 
Avenue,  on  October  22,  1899.  On  this  occasion 
he  sustained  severe  injuries,  being  laid  up  for 
five  weeks.  Lieutenant  Ambrose  was  married 
in  Chicago,  Nov.  6,  1887,  to  Miss  Nora  Dowling, 
and  eight  children  have  been  born  to  them. 

ENER  C.  ANDERSON. 

Ener  C.  Anderson,  Chief  of  Fifth  Battalion, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  well  known  as  a 
nimble  fire-fighter,  was  born  of  rugged  stock  in 
Norway,  June  23,  1854,  and  came  to  Chicago 
when  an  infant.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to 
walk,  young  Ener  mingled  with  the  boys  who 
love  to  linger  in  the  fields,  to  jump,  wrestle, 
play  ball  or  fight,  and,  for  the  matter  of  fact, 
as  he  grew,  his  love  for  athletics  waxed 
stronger,  until  he  developed  into  a  recognized 
leader  in  games,  pastimes  and  finally  gymnas- 
tics— a  splendid  field  of  effort  for  a  man  of  his 
inclinations  and  splendid  physique.  No  con- 
test of  skill  or  strength  by  firemen  takes  place 
in  Chicago  with  Anderson  left  out.  His  trade 
is  upholstering.  In  1875  he  became  a  member 
of  Engine  Company  No.  3,  commanded  by  the 
noble  fireman,  Jack  McLean,  whose  name  was 
a  household  word  in  the  homes  of  firemen,  not 
only  in  Chicago  but  in  many  other  cities. 
Anderson  soon  rose  to  a  lieutenancy  and  was 
transferred  to  Engine  No.  5.  Here  he  was 


made  a  Captain,  January  1,  1879,  and  subse- 
quently served  on  Truck  2,  Engines  2,  12  and 
17,  and  Truck  19.  He  was  Captain  of  this 
apparatus  when  elected  Battalion  Chief,  July 
1,  1896,  where  he  has  served  continuously  ever 
since.  The  firemanship  of  Anderson  is  of  the 
highest  order.  He  has  always  stood  in  the  van 
as  a  life-saver.  With  Swenie,  Musham  and  Cam- 
pion, his  life  was  miraculously  saved  in  the 
terrific  fire  and  explosion  in  the  Northwestern 
Elevator,  on  the  night  of  August  5,  1897.  He 
has  been  frequently  "laid  up  for  repairs,"  but 
has  grown  stronger  both  mentally  and  physic- 
ally by  experience. 

JOSEPH  ANDERSON. 

Few  sights  are  more  beautiful  or  more  in- 
spiring than  that  of  a  vigorous  old  age  crown- 
ing a  long  and  well-spent  life.  The  September 
sun  lacks  the  fierce,  burning  heat  of  that  of 
July,  but  it  ripens  rich  harvests  of  golden  grain. 
So,  although  the  fiery  passions  of  youth  have 
burned  themselves  out,  old  age  is  rich  in  les- 
sons of  wisdom  and  experience.  Such  reflec- 
tions as  these  are  suggested  by  reviewing  the 
lives  of  such  men  as  Joseph  Anderson,  whose 
face  and  form  have  long  been  familiar  at  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  where  he  enjoys,  to  a 
marked  degree,  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
those  with  whom  he  has  been  associated  for 
half  an  ordinary  life-time. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  born  at  Columbus,  Ky., 
February  1,  1825.  When  he  was  a  boy  of  five 
years  his  family  removed  to  Illinois,  and  in  1833 
settled  at  Lewistown,  Fulton  County.  After- 
wards the  paternal  Anderson  entered  land  in 
McDonough  County,  near  Macomb,  at  a  time 
when  there  were  but  fourteen  voters  in  the 
entire  county.  In  1836  he  removed  to  Macomb, 
where  he  kept  a  ho'tel  until  his  death  in 
November,  1846. 

Joseph  Anderson  succeeded  his  father  as 
proprietor  of  the  hotel  at  Macomb,  but  three 
years  later  removed  to  a  farm  near  Doddsville, 
where  he  remained  until  1857.  In  that  year 
he  returned  to  Macomb,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  lumber  trade  until  the  autumn  of  1864, 
when  he  disposed  of  his  lumber  interests  and 
engaged  in  shipping  live  stock  to  Chicago. 
About  February  1,  1870,  he  abandoned  this  en- 
terprise, and  crossing  the  Mississippi  River  set- 
tled at  Marysville,  Mo.,  where  he  again 
embarked  in  the  lumber  business.  In  1873  he 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


807 


came  to  Chicago,  and  for  two  years  was  in  the 
employ  of  Vaughn  &  Company  but  in  1875  en- 
tered the  live  stock  trade.  For  three  years 
he  was  alone,  but  in  1878  formed  a  co-partner- 
ship with  A.  Foster,  under  the  name  of  Ander- 
son &  Foster.  Two  years  later  this  firm  was 
dissolved,  since  when  Mr.  Anderson  has  con- 
tinued in  business  alone  with  headquarters  in 
the  Exchange  Building. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  still  strong  in  body,  with 
intellect  unimpaired,  abundantly  able  to  meet 
the  sharp  competition  which  he  daily  encoun- 
ters. His  memories  of  the  past  include  scenes 
and  incidents  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  he 
cherishes  many  recollections  of  the  early  days 
of  Lincoln  and  other  distinguished  statesmen. 
He  cast  his  first  vote  when  he  was  eighteen 
years  old.  It  was  Democratic,  and  he  has  voted 
that  ticket  all  his  life.  He  is  of  a  genial,  jovial 
disposition,  having  many  friends,  while  his 
high  character  and  moral  worth  command  the 
high  esteem  of  all  his  associates. 

PHILIP  DANPORTH  ARMOUR. 
It  was  not  without  a  shock  that,  on  the 
morning  of  January  7,  1901,  the  business  world 
of  two  hemispheres  learned  that  Philip  D. 
Armour  had  passed  away.  While  his  demise 
had  not  been  unexpected,  the  business  interests 
and  associations  of  the  multi-millionaire  mer- 
chant were  so  far-reaching  that  his  death  could 
not  fail  to  produce  a  marked  effect.  In  Chicago 
there  was  a  feeling  of  profound  grief  and  a 
deep  sense  of  bereavement.  Here  he  was  best 
known  and  beloved  for  his  affability,  upright- 
ness and  many  acts  of  public  and  private  bene- 
ficence, performed  with  that  total  absence  of 
ostentation  which  was  one  of  his  most  pro- 
nounced characteristics.  Born  at  Stockbridge, 
N.  Y.,  May  16,  1832,  of  a  family  of  six  sons 
and  two  daughters  of  Danforth  and  Julianna 
(Brooks)  Armour,  Philip  Danforth  Armour's 
boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  after  the  fashion 
of  the  country  lads  of  his  day,  the  district 
school  and  village  academy  affording  his  only 
opportunities  for  scholastic  training.  It  is 
claimed  that  he  was  a  leader  among  his  com- 
panions in  both  studies  and  sports,  and  early 
manifested  that  spirit  of  determination  and 
perseverance  which  was  one  of  his  marked 
characteristics  in  after  life.  In  1852  he  crossed 
the  plains  to  California  with  a  party  of  gold- 
seekers,  spending  six  months  on  the  journey 


and  returning  after  an  absence  of  four  years. 
His  commercial  career  began  in  1857  when  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Frederick  S.  Miles, 
of  Milwaukee,  in  the  grocery  and  commission 
business.  This  was  dissolved  in  1863,  when  Mr. 
Armour  embarked  in  the  pork-packing  business 
with  John  Plankinton,  also  of  Milwaukee.  The 
maintenance  of  the  armies  in  the  field  created 
an  enormous  demand,  and  the  concern  pros- 
pered greatly,  adding  grain  carrying  to  their 
business,  and  finally  opening  branch  houses  in 
Chicago  and  New  York,  and  later  in  Kansas 
City,  each  under  the  management  of  one  of 
Mr.  Armour's  brothers.  In  1875  Mr.  Philip 
D.  Armour  succeeded  his  brother  Joseph 
at  the  head  of  the  Chicago  house,  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  here  until  his  death.  Since 
then  the  business  of  all  the  plants,  including 
those  at  Kansas  City  and  Omaha,  has  been 
managed  from  this  central  point.  In  1900 
Armour  &  Company  were  incorporated  in  Illi- 
nois, with  a  paid  up  capital  of  $20,000,000. 

In  October,  1862,  Mr.  Armour  was  married 
to  Malvina  Belle  Ogden,  only  daughter  of  Mr. 
Jonathan  Ogden,  of  Cincinnati,  and  their  union 
was  blessed  with  two  sons:  J.  Ogden  and 
Philip  D.,  Jr.,  the  latter  dying  on  January  21, 

1900.  Mr.  Armour's  health  showing  symptoms 
of   impairment  during   the  later   years  of   his 
life,  he  gradually  entrusted  the  managment  of 
his  business  interests  to  his  elder  son,  Jonathan 
Ogden,    who   has    inherited    the    rare   business 
sagacity    of    his     father.      The    end     of     Mr. 
Armour's  life  came  about  six  o'clock  on  Jan.  6, 

1901,  and    to   the   sorrowing   watchers   in   the 
chamber  of  death,  it  appeared  more  like  falling 
asleep  than  the  dissolution  of  spirit  and  body. 
He  seemed  to  have  rounded  out  his  long  and 
useful  life,  and  to  be 

"Like  one  who  w»aps  the  drapery  of  his 
couch  about  him 

And  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 

All  the  agencies  and  branches  of  the  house 
throughout  the  world  were  closed  on  the  day 
of  the  funeral  obsequies. 

ARMOUR  MISSION  AND  INSTITUTE  OF  TECH- 
NOLOGY.— Among  the  many  benefactions  of  Mr. 
Armour,  two  of  the  most  prominent  were  the 
Armour  Mission  and  the  Armour  Institute  of 
Technology.  The  first  named  was  originally 
conceived  by  his  brother  Joseph,  who  be- 
queathed $100,000  as  a  foundation.  This  sum 
Philip,  who  was  executor  of  his  brother's  estate, 


8o8 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


more  than  doubled  from  his  own  private  means. 
Articles  of  incorporation  were  secured,  and  a 
revenue  provided  by  the  erection  of  the  Armour 
Flats,  on  Armour  Avenue.  The  mission  sup- 
ports a  non-sectarian  church  and  Sunday 
school,  a  free  kindergarten,  and  a  free  dispen- 
sary, besides  conducting  outdoor  relief  work. 
The  Armour  Institute  of  Technology,  founded 
by  Mr.  Philip  D.  Armour  in  1892,  occupies  a 
five-story,  fire-proof  structure,  in  the  Roman- 
esque style  of  architecture,  at  the  corner  of 
Armour  Avenue  and  Thirty-third  Street,  as  well 
as  some  of  the  "flat  buildings"  across  the 
street.  Its  central  feature  is  a  technical  college 
(empowered  to  grant  degrees),  giving  a  four 
years'  course  in  mechanical,  electrical  and  civil 
engineering.  It  is  provided  with  well  equipped 
laboratories,  an  extensive  library  and  fine  gym- 
nasium. Its  course  is  similar  to  that  in  other 
first-rate  technical  schools,  and  its  graduates 
are  yearly  adding  to  its  high  reputation.  Other 
departments  of  the  institute  are  an  academy, 
or  preparatory  school,  and  a  business  college. 
Other  features  are  the  departments  of  music, 
where  organ  and  piano-playing  are  taught  and 
voice-culture  given,  besides  a  two  years'  normal 
course  in  kindergarten  work.  In  the  building 
and  equipment  of  the  Institute  and  in  its  en- 
dowment, Mr.  Armour  expended  more  than 
$3,500,000  without  noise  or  parade,  and  to  this 
princely  gift  his  widow  and  son  added  $1,000,- 
000  in  April,  1901. 

JAMES  J.  ARMSTRONG. 
James  J.  Armstrong,  Ex-Chief  Clerk,  Railway 
Mail  Service,  Chicago,  and  Traffic  Manager  of 
the  Shelby  Steel  Tube  Company,  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  was  born  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  May  18, 
1858,  came  to  Chicago  in  1861  and  was  educated 
in  the  Ogden  public  school.  After  leaving 
school  he  worked  for  Armstrong,  Smith  &  Com- 
pany, Fire  Insurance  Agents,  for  two  years, 
and  then  attended  a  private  school  until  the 
death  of  his  father,  George  B.  Armstrong  (the 
founder  of  the  Railway  Mail  Service),  which 
occurred  May  5,  1871,  when  he  entered  the 
Railway  Mail  Service  in  May,  1872,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  running 
from  Chicago  to  Clinton,  Iowa.  He  served  in 
that  capacity  until  1876',  when  he  was  appointed 
Chief  Clerk  of  the  Railway  Mail  Service  at 
the  Chicago  Postoffice,  retaining  that  position 
continuously  until  his  resignation,  November 


1,  1898,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of  Traf- 
fic Manager  of  the  Shelby  Steel  Tube  Company, 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  making  his  headquarters 
at  the  Chicago  office. 

On  Sunday  evening,  November  27,  1898,  the 
postal  clerks,  formerly  under  the  direction  of 
Mr.  Armstrong  as  Chief  Clerk,  gathered  at 
Elks'  Hall  in  the  Masonic  Temple,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bidding  him  good-bye  and  wishing  him 
all  good  fortune  in  his  new  field  of  labor.  D. 
V.  Pierce,  of  the  "West  Liberty,"  was  called  to 
the  chair,  and  in  a  few  well-chosen  words  pre- 
sented "Doc,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  with 
a  set  of  engrossed  resolutions  in  book  form, 
executed  by  C.  L.  Ricketts  in  the  finest  pen- 
work  that  could  be  secured  in  Chicago.  Imme- 
diately following  the  presentation  of  the  reso- 
lutions, Mr.  H.  W.  Hughes  of  the  "West 
Liberty,"  on  behalf  of  all  clerks  formerly  under 
Mr.  Armstrong's  direction,  presented  him  with 
an  elegant  diamond  stud.  Mr.  Hughes  received 
many  high  and  well-deserved  compliments  for 
his  speech.  Superintendent  Troy  of  the  Sixth 
Division  followed  in  one  of  his  characteristic 
talks  (in  which  he  never  fails  to  make  his 
points),  complimenting  "Doc"  on  his  ability 
and  attention  to  his  duties,  and  his  fairness  in 
his  dealings  with  the  clerks. 

Mr.  Armstrong  was  married  to  Miss  Grace 
Diffender,  of  Pennsylvania,  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
December  25,  1884,  and  one  daughter  has 
blessed  this  union. 

JOHN  M.  ARMSTRONG. 

To  comparatively  few  men  does  fate  grant 
the  distinction  of  being  really  great  in  more 
than  one  line  of  achievement.  Apart  from 
members  of  the  bar,  public  men  rarely  attain 
eminence  in  the  learned  professions,  while 
professional  men  not  infrequently  make  sad 
failures  when  they  enter  the  walks  of  busi- 
ness life.  When,  therefore,  an  exception  to 
these  general  rules  stands  forth  pre-eminent 
in  the  annals  of  a  great  city,  his  career  merits 
careful  review,  no  less  than  words  of  well 
considered  eulogy.  Such  an  one  is  Mr.  John 
M.  Armstrong,  whom  his  fellow-citizens  have 
been  repeatedly  delighted  to  honor. 

Born  in  Chicago,  November  23,  1842,  Mr. 
Armstrong's  early  training  was  directed  with 
a  view  of  acquiring  the  profession  of  architec- 
ture, yet  circumstances  necessitated  his  enter- 
ing trade  while  yet  a  youth,  and  for  many 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


809 


years  he  was  identified  with  the  boot  and  shoe 
industry.  He  entered  public  life  shortly  after 
reaching  his  majority,  being  chosen  to  repre- 
sent the  old  Thirteenth  Ward  in  the  City  Coun- 
cil in  1863.  As  an  Alderman  he  commended 
himself  to  his  constituents  by  his  sagacity  and 
probity,  and  made  for  himself  an  exceptionally 
brilliant  record.  He  first  loomed  into  civic 
prominence  as  the  father  of  an  ordinance  pro- 
viding for  the  creation  of  Lincoln  Park.  The 
project  was  at  first  received  with  ridicule  and 
provoked  strong  opposition.  He  was  the  young- 
est member  ever  elected  to  a  seat  among  the 
"city  fathers,"  and  his  introduction  of  this 
measure  was  regarded  as  little  less  than  posi- 
tively audacious.  It  was  pointed  out  that  the  site 
named  was  "too  far  in  the  country"— an  objection 
whose  short-sightedness  has  been  abundantly 
demonstrated  by  the  subsequent  growth  of  the 
city  toward  the  north.  Legal  difficulties  were 
also  raised;  but  Mr.  Armstrong  was  able  to 
sweep  these  aside  with  arguments  supplied  by 
the  late  William  C.  Goudy  and  other  able  coun- 
sellors. Ultimately  the  champions  of  the 
measure  triumphed;  the  ordinance  passed  the 
council;  and  Mr.  Armstrong  is  now  known  as 
the  "Father  of  Lincoln  Park."  The  title  might 
be  made  broader  and  more  comprehensive; 
since,  while  he  showed  a  keen  foresight  into 
Chicago's  future  needs  and  growth,  he  "builded 
better  than  he  knew."  Lincoln  Park  became 
the  nucleus  of,  and  starting  point  for,  the 
city's  present  magnificent  park  and  boulevard 
system,  reaching  south  along  the  blue  waters 
of  Lake  Michigan,  and  west  through  districts 
as  yet  sparsely  settled,  and  destined  to  become 
one  magnificent,  harmonious  whole.  It  was  of 
this  grand  superstructure  that  the  young  alder- 
man from  "the  old  Thirteenth"  laid  the  corner- 
stone. At  a  mass  meeting  of  residents  of  the 
North  Division  he  was  presented  with  a  gold- 
headed  cane  inscribed: 

"Presented  to  John  M.  Armstrong  by  his 
fellow-citizens,  as  a  token  of  respect  for  him 
as  a  man,  and  in  appreciation  of  the  services 
rendered  the  North  Division  of  the  city, 
while  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  of 
the  city  of  Chicago,  Nov.  9,  1869." 

On  his  fiftieth  birthday  Mr.  Armstrong  was 
honored  by  a  banquet  tendered  him  at  the 
Sherman  House,  when  men  of  all  political 
creeds  united  in  hearty  recognition  of  his  great 


services,  and  in  presenting  him  with  a  fine  oil- 
painting  of  himself. 

During  his  term  of  service  in  the  City  Coun- 
cil in  I860,  Mr.  Armstrong  brought  down  upon 
himself  the  ridicule  of  his  colleagues  by  being 
the  first  to  suggest  the  construction  of  a  water- 
tunnel  under  the  lake,  as  a  means  of  solving 
the  then  perplexing  problem  of  furnishing  Chi- 
cago with  an  adequate  water  supply.  Here, 
again,  Mr.  Armstrong  demonstrated  the  truth 
of  the  old  adage,  that  "he  laughs  best  who 
laughs  last."  E.  S.  Chesbrough,  then  City 
Engineer,  gave  the  project  his  approval,  the 
Council  adopted  it,  and  time  has  abundantly 
demonstrated  not  only  its  feasibility,  but  its 
indispensability  as  well.  Mr.  Armstrong  took 
a  prominent  part  in  uncovering  the  frauds  of 
1864,  and\  planned  and  aided  in  the  inaugura- 
tion of  a  number  of  important  municipal  re- 
forms, among  them  the  widening  of  sidewalks 
in  several  of  the  more  important  business  and 
residence  thoroughfares.  He  also  prepared  and 
introduced  a  memorial  to  Congress,  praying  for 
the  construction  of  a  deep  waterway  from  some 
point  on  the  lake,  north  of  Evanston,  to  con- 
nect either  with  the  North  Branch  of  the  Chi- 
cago River,  or  with  the  Ogden  Canal,  but  the 
measure  was  permitted  to  die  in  the  committee 
room. 

In  1865  Mr.  Armstrong  disposed  of  his  boot 
and  shoe  business  to  engage  in  the  purchase 
and  sale  of  live  stock,  but  soon  abandoned  this 
enterprise  in  order  to  form  a  partnership  with 
George  M.  Hawks,  at  that  time  a  well-known 
architect.  This  partnership  terminated  a  year 
later,  and  Mr.  Armstrong  entered  the  architec- 
tural firm  of  Tilley  &  Armstrong.  The  concern 
prospered  greatly,  and  gained  a  national  repu- 
tation through  competition  in  the  construction 
of  numerous  public  buildings,  as  well  as  many 
churches  and  school  buildings,  contracts  for  a 
large  number  of  which  they  secured.  Among 
the  first  mentioned  were  the  Illinois  and  Iowa 
State  Houses  and  the  buildings  for  the  War 
Department  in  Washington.  Their  plans  for 
the  latter,  while  not  adopted,  were  awarded  a 
prize  of  $3,000.  Upon  the  dissolution  of  this 
firm,  Mr.  Armstrong  formed  the  co-partnership 
known  as  Armstrong  &  Egan,  his  business  asso- 
ciate being  James  M.  Egan.  They  furnished 
plans  for  buildings,  both  public  and  private, 
not  only  in  this  country  but  also  in  Europe, 
among  them  being  extensive  grain  elevators  for 


8io 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


the  Russian  Government  at  Odessa,  and  a  costly 
and  magnificent  building  at  Berlin,  Germany. 
Churches,  theaters  and  State  Houses  were 
among  the  edifices  which  they  designed  and  the 
construction  of  some  of  which  they  supervised. 
Among  public  buildings  erected  by  them  in  and 
around  Chicago  may  be  enumerated  the  Cook 
County  Criminal  Court  Building  and  Jail, 
which  was  completed  without  charges  for  "ex- 
tras" and  at  a  cost  less  than  that  named  in  the 
architect's  estimates;  the  Asylum  for  the 
Insane,  at  Jefferson;  the  Cook  County  Court 
House  and  Chicago  City  Hall — the  plans  for  the 
latter  buildings  being  chosen  over  those  of 
sixty-three  rival  competitors. 

A  partnership  existing  between  Messrs.  Arm- 
strong and  Daly  was  dissolved  in  1875,  and  in 
that  year  the  former  became  a  partner  in  the 
granite  firm  of  Hinsdale,  Doyle  &  Company. 
Mr.  Armstrong  withdrew  from  this  concern  at 
the  expiration  of  a  year  to  associate  himself 
with  Jonas  H.  French  and  B.  F.  Butler,  in 
the  Cape  Ann  Granite  Company,  which,  for 
several  years,  had  many  important  contracts 
with  the  city  of  Chicago.  In  1877  he  visited 
Florida,  and  while  making  a  tour  of  that  State, 
his  intuitively  quick  perception,  keen  foresight 
and  sound  business  judgment  enabled  him  to 
see  at  once  the  needs  and  possibilities  of  the 
near  future.  He  secured  from  the  State  a 
grant  of  public  land  for  the  construction  of  a 
railway  from  Tampa  to  the  St.  John's  River, 
the  proposed  route  being  later  extended  to  Jack- 
sonville. The  organization  of  the  Florida  Con- 
struction Company  soon  followed,  and  then  came 
the  building  of  the  Jacksonville,  Tampa  &  Key 
West  Railroad,  a  line  operating  some  800  miles 
of  trackage.  This  road  has  aided  materially 
in  developing  the  State's  resources,  both  by 
leading  to  the  investment  of  Northern  capital 
and  affording  better  facilities  for  transportation 
to  market. 

Politically  Mr.  Armstrong  has  always  been 
a  Democrat,  and  influential  in  the  councils  of 
his  party.  In  1868  he  accepted  a  nomination 
for  membership  in  the  State  Legislature,  but, 
although  running  far  ahead  of  his  ticket,  failed 
of  election.  He  was  married  in  January,  1866, 
to  Miss  Martha  M.  Tally,  whose  father  was 
connected  with  the  Chicago  press  for  many 
years. 

CHARLES  F.  A.  ARNOLD. 
Charles  F.  A.  Arnold,  Florist,  DesPlaines,  111., 


was  born  in  Germany  in  1862,  and  educated  at 
Baden,  in  his  native  country.  In  1882,  at  the  age 
of  twenty  years,  he  emigrated  to  America,  set- 
tling in  Chicago,  and  was  engaged  in  various 
contract  work  until  1889,  when  he  located  in  Des- 
Plaines and  established  himself  in  the  florist 
business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Peters  & 
Arnold.  The  firm  have  an  office  at  76  Wabash 
Avenue,  Chicago,  where  they  conduct  an  exten- 
sive business  in  cut  flowers  of  all  kinds;  they 
also  have  several  large  green  houses  from 
which  they  supply  the  city  trade. 

Mr.  Arnold  was  married  in  Chicago,  February 
16,  1889,  and  he  and  his  wife  (Clara  Arnold) 
have  three  daughters  named  Lina,  Gertrude  and 
Elsa.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in 
religious  faith  a  Lutheran  of  the  Evangelical 
stamp.  Mr.  Arnold's  character  for  business  en- 
terprise has  been  indicated  by  the  rapid  growth 
of  his  trade  during  the  last  few  years. 

JAMES  H.  ASHBY. 

Few  of  the  great  corporations  carrying  on 
business  in  Chicago  have  done  more  for  the 
promotion  and  maintenance  of  the  city's  com- 
mercial supremacy,  than  has  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  and  Transit  Company.  Its  enormous 
plant,  bewildering  from  its  very  vastness  and 
absolutely  perfect  in  every  detail  of  its  well 
planned  system  and  thorough  equipment,  is  at 
once  the  pride  of  its  owners  and  the  fruitful 
cause  of  wonder  and  admiration  to  visitors 
from  this  and  foreign  lands.  To  manage  such 
a  plant,  to  keep  its  running-gear  well  lubri- 
cated, to  pass  upon  myriads  of  perplexing  ques- 
tions each  day,  to  adjust  the  innumerable 
questions  arising  between  interests  at  once  con- 
federate and  conflicting,  calls  for  grasp  of  a 
high  order,  rare  executive  capability,  tireless 
energy  and  unbending  integrity.  In  this  high 
position  of  trust  the  company  has  placed  Mr. 
James  H.  Ashby,  who,  for  twelve  years,  has 
discharged  its  duties'  with  equal  ability  and 
fidelity. 

The  story  of  Mr.  Ashby's  career  is  full  of 
interest,  and  illustrates  the  adage,  "that  noth- 
ing succeeds  like  success."  Born  November  17, 
1847,  in  Beekman,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  the 
son  of  James  M.  and  Sarah  (Van  Benschoten) 
Ashby,  he  spent  his  first  thirty-three  years 
upon  his  father's  farm,  later  buying  the  home- 
stead from  his  parents.  He  came  West  in  1880, 
and,  on  April  14th,  settled  in  Chicago.  He 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


811 


first  found  employment  at  the  Stock  Yards, 
where  for  two  years  he  was  yard  master  in  the 
chutes  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  Com- 
pany, and  for  five  years  held  the  same  position 
in  those  of  the  Illinois  Central.  Later  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Stock  Yards  and  Tran- 
sit Company's  stables,  in  1887  was  appointed 
Assistant  General  Superintendent  and  two 
years  later  succeeded  John  B.  Sherman  in  the 
position  of  General  Superintendent,  which  he 
still  holds.  For  several  years  Mr.  Ashby  has 
been  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  company,  as 
well  as  a  Director  in  the  Live  Stock  Bank, 
and  for  three  years  has  served  upon  the  State 
Board  of  Agriculture.  In  1898  he  was  elected 
Vice-President  of  the  Chicago  Junction  Rail- 
road Company,  which  office  he  resigned  in 
March,  1900,  although  still  retaining  his  seat 
in  the  directorate.  Few,  if  any,  men  are  more 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  live-stock  markets 
of  the  country;  few  have  a  wider  acquaintance, 
and  it  may  be  questioned  whether  any  more 
thoroughly  command  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  their  business  associates.  In  1875  Mr.  Ashby 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Maria  S. 
Rogers,  a  sister  of  John  B.  Sherman. 

EDWIN    M.   ASHCRAFT. 

Edwin  M.  Ashcraft  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
Clarksburg,  Harrison  County,  Va.,  August  27, 
1848,  the  eldest  of  four  children  of  James  M. 
and  Clarissa  (Swiger)  Ashcraft.  The  Ashcraft 
family,  which  was  of  Anglo-Saxon  blood,  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Virginia,  their 
homestead  being  located  near  the  seat  of  the 
great  war  of  the  Rebellion,  in  which  several 
members  of  the  family  took  part  in  defense 
of  the  Union.  Mr.  Ashcraft  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  State,  and  coming 
to  Illinois  after  the  close  of  the  civil  strife 
in  1865,  studied  for  a  time  in  the  State  Normal 
University  at  Normal,  111. 

The  fortunes  of  war  had  left  him  penniless, 
and,  locating  in  Ramsey,  a  small  town  in 
Fayette  County  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
he  began  hauling  ties  and  working  on  the 
railway  as  a  section  hand.  From  1867  to  1869, 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching  school,  and,  when 
not  so  engaged,  gave  his  attention  to  the  study 
of  law.  Later,  he  continued  this  line  of  work 
in  the  office  of  Henry  and  Fouke,  and  in  Jan- 
uary, 1873,  passed  an  examination  before  the 
Supreme  Court  at  Springfield  and  was  admitted 


to  the  bar  of  Illinois.  He  began  practice  at 
Vandalia,  and  was  soon  thereafter  elected  to 
the  office  of  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  Fayette 
County,  which  position  he  filled  until  1876. 

Mr.  Ashcraft  has  always  been  a  close  student 
in  his  profession  and  the  business  entrusted 
to  him  has  always  received  his  careful  atten- 
tion, his  devotion  to  his  clients'  interests  being 
proverbial.  This,  combined  with  his  capability 
in  presenting  a  case  to  Judge  and  jury,  soon 
won  him  success,  and  he  rapidly  secured  a 
good  clientage  at  the  bar  of  Vandalia,  where 
he  practiced  for  fourteen  years.  He  met  in 
forensic  contest  in  Southern  Illinois  such  emi- 
nent jurists  as  John  Scholfield  of  Marshall, 
later  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court; 
Anthony  Thornton  of  Shelbyville,  for  several 
years  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Bench;  the  late 
Judge  Jesse  J.  Phillips,  of  Hillsboro;  Ex-Con- 
gressman Samuel  W.  Moulton,  of  Shelbyville, 
and  B.  W.  Henry,  of  Fayette,  and  to  his  con- 
tests with  these  men  he  attributes  much  of 
his  success  as  a  trial  lawyer. 

In  April,  1887,  Mr.  Ashcraft  became  associ- 
ated with  the  Chicago  bar  as  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Cratty  Brothers  &  Ashcraft,  which  rela- 
tion was  continued  until  June  1,  1891,  when  he 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Ashcraft  & 
Gordon,  and  later  that  of  Ashcraft  &  Ashcraft. 
He  has  contributed  his  full  share,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  several  firms  with  which  he  has 
been  associated,  to  the  reputation  for  thorough- 
ness, ability  and  integrity  which  characterized 
the  discharge  of  their  profession!  obligations. 
He  is  distinctively  a  trial  lawyer,  and  from 
the  time  of  his  arrival  in  Chicago  he  has  been 
eminently  successful. 

In  1875  Mr.  Ashcraft  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Florence  R.  Moore,  daughter  of  Risdon 
Moore,  of  Belleville,  111.,  and  they  have  four 
children:  Raymond  M.,  Edwin  M.,  Florence  V. 
and  Alan  E.  Mr.  Ashcraft  is  a  member  of  the 
Union  League  Club,  the  Law  and  Hamilton 
clubs  of  Chicago;  is  also  a  prominent  Mason 
and  has  always  been  a  stanch  Republican  in 
politics,  and  in  his  profession  has  taken  rank 
as  a  leading  lawyer. 

EDWARD  M.  ASHLEY. 

There  are  few  lives  entirely  free  from  fail- 
ure. "To  err  is  human"  and  mistakes  are 
numerous.  To  gain  distinction  as  a  gallant 
soldier,  a  successful  teacher,  a  competent 


8l2 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


mechanical  engineer  and  a  capable  man  of  busi- 
ness, is  a  record  of  which  any  man  may  well 
feel  proud,  and  the  lives  of  such  men  as  Ed- 
ward M.  Ashley,  present  superintendent  and 
manager  of  the  South  Chicago  Elevator  Sys- 
tem, richly  merit  chronicling,  both  as  a  tribute 
to  the  actor  and  a  lesson  for  posterity.  Mr. 
Ashley  has  attempted  nothing  in  which  he 
has  not  succeeded.  Born  at  Nunda,  N.  Y., 
November  17,  1848,  he  was  brought  by  his  par- 
ents, when  but  twelve  years  of  age,  to  Wiscon- 
sin, the  family  settling  at  Fox  Lake.  In  April, 
1864,  he  enlisted  in  the  one-hundred  day's  serv- 
ice, as  a  private  in  the  Forty-sixth  Iowa 
Infantry.  After  receiving  his  discharge  he 
again  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  the 
Forty-fifth  Wisconsin,  joining  the  regiment  in 
December,  1864,  and  serving,  with  noteworthy 
valor,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  From  the 
time  of  leaving  the  army  until  1872  he  devoted 
his  life  to  the  work  of  a  teacher  in  Iowa  and 
Illinois. 

Mr.  Ashley's  business  career  in  Chicago  dates 
from  1872,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Armour,  Dole  &  Co.,  as  engineer  at  elevator 
C.  In  1882  he  engaged  with  Leet  &  Fritzie  to 
construct  an  elevator  at  Oakdale,  111.,  which 
he  operated  until  1889.  In  that  year  he  con- 
nected himself  with  the  firm  of  Charles  Coun- 
selman  &  Co.,  as  mechanical  engineer.  For  this 
concern  he  erected  the  Corwith  and  Englewood 
elevators,  and  in  1892  the  South  Chicago  Eleva- 
tors, known  as  "Elevator  C,"  "C  Annex"  and  "Ele- 
vator D."  Perceiving  his  rare  capability,  and 
finding  him  absolutely  trustworthy,  Counsel- 
man  &  Company  made  him  Superintendent  and 
Manager  of  their  entire  elevator  system,  which 
responsible  post  he  yet  fills. 

Mr.  Ashley  is  a  Mason  of  high  degree,  being 
a  member  of  Arcana  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Past  High  Priest  of  Wiley  M.  Egan  Chapter, 
No.  128,  R.  A.  M. ;  a  member  of  Chicago  Com- 
mandery,  No.  19,  K.  T.;  of  the  Oriental  Consis- 
tory, and  a  Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  in  Chicago,  January  8, 
1879,  to  May  E.  Winchester  of  Eastport,  Maine, 
and  their  two  children  are  named  Frances  and 
Kendall. 

In  this  connection  a  brief  mention  may  be 
made  of  the  immense  business  which  is  under 
Mr.  Ashley's  superintendence  and  management. 
The  four  elevators  controlled  by  Counselman  & 
Co.  are  known  as  the  South  Chicago  Elevator 


and  Elevators  "C,"  "C  Annex"  and  "D."  Of 
these,  the  three  last  named,  erected  in  1892, 
1894  and  1895,  respectively  are  the  most  im- 
portant. Elevator  D  is  a  combined  cleaning 
and  storage  warehouse,  with  a  capacity  of 
1,250,000  bushels  operated  by  a  550-horse-power 
engine.  It  can  handle  150  carloads  of  grain 
per  day.  The  capacity  of  Elevator  C  is  200 
cars  per  day,  or  1,500,000  bushels,  and  it  has 
an  engine  of  650-horse-power.  The  capacity  of 
the  Fireproof  Annex  is  also  1,500,000  bushels. 
The  Counselman  is  the  only  system  of  elevators 
having  a  complete  fire  protection,  being 
equipped  with  a  high  pressure  water  service, 
consisting  of  three  pumps  with  a  combined 
capacity  of  5,000  gallons  per  minute.  To  these 
are  added  six  revolving  Niagara  hydrants,  each 
of  which  is  capable  of  throwing  a  perpendicular 
stream  250  feet  and  a  horizontal  one  400  feet. 
The  utmost  pains  have  been  taken  by  Mr.  Ash- 
ley to  render  this  a  model  system  of  plants, 
and  his  efforts  have  been  warmly  seconded  by 
the  owners. 

PHILEMON  L.  AUSTIN. 
Philemon  L.  Austin,  dental  surgeon,  was 
born  in  Adrian,  Mich.,  November  9,  1859;  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Kalamazoo 
and  at  the  Wisconsin  State  University,  Madison, 
Wis.,  and  studied  dentistry  in  the  dental  depart- 
ment of  Harvard  University,  Mass.,  receiving 
the  degree  of  Dental  Surgeon  in  1881.  Dr. 
Austin  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  but  later  practiced  at  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  and  from  the  last  named  city,  in  1886, 
came  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  since  continued 
his  professional  labors.  In  1896  he  originated 
the  Harvard  system  of  painless  dentistry,  which 
has  gained  a  wide  celebrity,  and  of  which  he 
has  been  the  head.  The  principal  offices  of  the 
"Harvard  Dentists"  have  been,  and  still  are,  in 
Chicago;  various  branch  offices  have  been  estab- 
lished in  Illinois  and  Indiana  cities,  all  of  which 
are  operated  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Aus: 
tin.  In  addition  to  his  professional  work  Dr. 
Austin  has  been  identified  with  various  im- 
portant business  enterprises  in  Chicago  and 
elsewhere. 

CHARLES  GERRY  AYARS. 
Charles  G.  Ayars,  ex-Deputy  Sheriff  at  Bridge- 
ton,  was  born  in  Newton,  N.  J.,  Dec.  28,  1831, 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools.    His  father, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


813 


James  Ayars  was  educated  at  Bridgeton,  and 
entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  1827,  continuing  in  that  work  for 
fifty  years,  during  which  he  held  pastorates  in 
the  principal  towns  of  New  Jersey.  In  1856 
he  became  Secretary  of  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union,  after  which  he  lived  in  Coving- 
ton,  Ky.,  three  years,  and  at  Evanston,  111.,  two 
years.  Returning  to  New  Jersey,  he  reentered 
the  regular  ministry  dying  at  Summit,  N.  J.,  in 
1880,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

Charles  G.  Ayars,  whose  name  heads  this 
article,  gained  his  primary  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  the  various  points  at  which  his 
father  was  stationed  in  the  ministry,  and  fin- 
ished at  Rutger's  College,  New  Brunswick,  N. 
J.  He  entered  mercantile  life  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  being  employed  as  clerk  in 
stores  at  various  places.  He  spent  one  year  with 
a  wholesale  paper  house  in  New  York  City, 
and,  in  1857,  went  to  Covington,  Ky.,  where  he 
entered  the  General  Western  Agency  of  the 
Phoenix  Fire  Insurance  Company,  of  Hartford, 
Conn.  In  1859  he  became  a  resident  of  Cook 
County  and  engaged  in  farming  at  Evanston. 
Two  years  later  he  removed  to  what  is  now 
known  as  Forest  Hill,  111.,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Wabash,  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  and  the  Pan 
Handle  Railroads,  where  he  operated  a  large 
farm,  producing  annually  large  quantities  of 
hay  for  the  Chicago  market.  While  residing 
here,  he  served  six  years  as  Clerk  of  Lake  Town- 
ship, in  1867  was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff 
of  Cook  County  and,  removing  to  Chicago,  filled 
this  position  under  successive  Sheriffs  for  eight 
years.  His  duties  brought  him  in  contact  with 
people  of  all  avocations,  and  he  gained  an 
acquaintance  exceeded  by  few  men.  In  1874  he 
was  elected  County  Commissioner  for  the  Evans- 
ton  District  and,  at  the  expiration  of  his  term, 
was  re-elected,  serving  six  years  continuously, 
during  which  period  the  present  Cook  County 
Court  House  was  built.  In  1883  he  formed  a 
connection  with  the  Phoenix  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  as  State  Agent  for 
Illinois,  and  as  a  result  its  volume  of  business 
has  very  largely  increased.  He  has  a  fine 
musical  voice,  and  uses  it  in  kindly  ways  for 
the  benefit  of  the  aged  and  the  young.  Mr. 
Ayars  was  married  in  New  York  City  April  25, 
1859,  to  Miss  Margaret  H.  Fredenberg. 


EDWARD  F.  BACON. 

Edward  F.  Bacon,  shipping  division,  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  Union  Stock 
Yards,  was  born  August  28,  1865,  near  Somon- 
auk,  111.,  .and  educated  in  the  district  and  pub- 
lic schools.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  on 
a  farm  until  he  came  to  Chicago,  August  15, 
1887,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  shipping  division  of  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  proving  himself  a  capable 
and  trustworthy  representative  of  the  interests 
of  his  employers. 

ROBERT  HALL  BALDWIN. 

Robert  Hall  Baldwin,  Assistant  Engineer, 
City  Engineer's  Office,  Chicago,  was  born  at  170 
West  Madison  Street,  Chicago,  near  the  old 
Scammon  School,  February  8,  1867.  His  father 
was  Silas  Delos  Baldwin,  known  about  the  City 
Hall  as  "Gas  Baldwin,"  who  was  born  in  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  and  his  mother,  Mary  (Hall) 
Baldwin,  was  born  in  Easton,  Conn.,  January 
15,  1821.  When  the  son  was  about  three  years 
of  age  his  parents  moved  out  on  the  prairie, 
at  the  corner  of  Polk  and  Paulina  Streets.  He 
attended  the  King  public  schools  and  Business 
College,  and  after  leaving  college  in  1887, 
entered  the  general  passenger  office  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, remaining  there  until  May  16,  1889.  He 
then  secured  a  position  as  rodman  in  the  City 
Engineer's  office,  Harbor  Engineer's  Division, 
remaining  in  that  position  two  years,  when  he 
was  transferred  to  the  water-pipe  extension 
department,  having  charge  of  the  plats  as  drafts- 
man. Later  he  was  transferred  to  the  Bridge 
Engineer's  office,  remaining  there  seven  years, 
when  he  wag  transferred  to  Section  Two,  Land 
Tunnel  (rock  section),  continuing  in  that  posi- 
tion until  the  engines  were  started  at  the  Cen- 
tral Park  Avenue  Pumping  Station;  still  later 
was  transferred  to  the  Springfield  Avenue 
Pumping  Station  as  Assistant  Engineer  in 
charge — making  a  total  of  seventen  years'  con- 
nection with  various  departments,  proving  that 
he  had  given  faithful  service  to  his  employers. 

Mr.  Baldwin's  father,  Col.  Silas  D.  Baldwin, 
having  enlisted  in  the  three-months'  service  in 
April,  1861,  had  the  honor  of  firing  the  first  gun 
in  the  Civil  War,  and  later  raised  and  led  the 
Fifty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers  with 
distinction  through  the  battles  of  Fort  Donel- 
son,  Fort  Henry,  Corinth,  and  on  other  famous 


814 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


battle-fields.  He  was  recommended  for  promo- 
tion as  a  Brigadier,  but  was  defeated  in  the  Sen- 
ate by  political  enemies.  He  was  appointed  Gas 
Inspector  in  1880  by  the  late  Carter  H.  Harrison, 
serving  in  that  capacity  for  eight  years,,and  upon 
the  change  of  administration,  went  into  the  arti- 
ficial light  business,  in  which  he  was  considered 
an  expert,  having  invented  several  attachments, 
burners,  governors  and  gasoline  lamps,  which 
are  still  in  use  by  the  city. 

Robert  H.  Baldwin  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Elizabeth  Phillips  December  24,  1889. 

CLARENCE  N.  BALL. 

Clarence  N.  Ball  is  one  of  the  younger  class 
of  successful  business  men  connected  with  the 
trade  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards.  Before  he  had 
reached  thirty  years  of  age  he  became  Vice- 
President  of  the  Archey,  Son  &  Plummer  Com- 
pany, being  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Plum- 
mer, Ball  &  Co.,  in  which  he  holds  the  rank  of 
an  experienced  cattle  salesman  and  a  thorough- 
going man  of  business.  His  birth-place  was 
Bloomington,  111.,  where  he  first  opened  his  eyes 
on  August  24,  1870.  After  passing  through  the 
public  schools,  he  spent  a  year  in  the  Evergreen 
City  Business  College,  and,  thus  equipped, 
entered  the  employ  of  B.  F.  Hoopes  &  Son, 
wholesale  grocers  in  Bloomington.  Being  anx- 
ious to  find  a  wider  field  for  his  energy  and 
Ability,  he  left  this  house  after  three  years,  to 
come  to  Chicago.  His  first  position  here  was 
with  Rappal,  Lamb  &  Co.,  live-stock  commission 
merchants  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards.  There  he 
remained  until  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  six 
years  afterward,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of 
its  successor,  A.  D.  Lamb  &  Co.,  as  a  traveling 
solicitor.  After  a  year  so  spent  he  determined 
to  enter  business  for  himself.  Accordingly  he 
purchased  an  interest  in  the  corporation  above 
named  on  August  1,  1899,  being,  as  has  been 
said,  chosen  its  Vice-President.  The  concern  is 
a  prosperous  one,  and  enjoys  an  excellent  stand- 
ing, both  with  its  customers  and  at  the  Yards. 

CALEB  W.  BALLINGER. 
Caleb  W.  Ballinger,  soldier  and  live-stock  com- 
mission merchant,  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
Bellefontaine,  Logan  County,  Ohio,  May  28, 
1842;  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and 
had  a  membership  in  Delaware  College.  After 
leaving  college  he  continued  to  work  on  a  farm 
until  he  enlisted  as  a  "high  private"  in  the 


Fourteenth  Ohio  Battery,  Independent  Light 
Artillery,  and  was  promoted  to  First  Corporal 
(gunner).  His  first  war  experience  was  at  the 
battle  of  Shiloh,  when  the  Battery  lost  all  of 
its  ordnance  except  two  guns.  The  loss  was 
caused  by  the  killing  or  disabling  of  the  horses, 
but  the  Battery  recovered  its  guns  next  day. 

At  the  siege  of  Corinth  Mr.  Ballinger  was 
taken  very  sick  with  dysentery  and  came  near 
dying,  being  compelled  to  remain  away  until 
June  1,  1862,  when  he  rejoined  his  battery  and 
did  not  lose  a  day  until  his  final  discharge  on 
August  19,  1865.  He  had  many  narrow  escapes, 
and  also  many  opportunities  to  show  his  brav- 
ery. At  the  battle  of  Peach  Tree  Creek,  near 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  on  July  22,  1864,  the  day  Gen. 
MacPherson  was  killed,  when  there  were  only 
two  comrades  left  out  of  eight  cannoneers,  the 
rest  having  been  either  killed,  wounded  or  pros- 
trated, he  did  not  get  a  scratch,  although  he 
sighted  and  fired  a  double  discharge  of  canister 
when  the  rebel  flag  was  planted  within  eighty 
feet  of  his  battery,  killing  the  bearer  and  cap- 
turing the  flag.  By  this  act  he  won  the  com- 
mendation of  Gen.  Sweeney,  the  officer  in  com- 
mand, who  told  him  he  had  saved  the  Second 
Division  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Ballinger  returned  to  Logan 
County,  Ohio,  but  in  1868  removed  to  Gridley, 
McLean  County,  111.,  where  he  remained  on  a 
farm  six  years,  raising  and  shipping  live-stock 
to  Chicago,  and  furnishing  the  meat  ,  for  a 
butcher  shop  in  Gridley,  111.  Coming  to  Chicago 
in  February,  1874,  he  worked  successively  for 
Swallow  &  Reed,  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  for 
Shearer  &  Webb  for  two  years,  for  Horine 
Brothers  for  about  five  years,  and  later  was 
with  Winser,  Warner  &  Co.  for  one  year,  when 
he  formed  a  co-partnership  with  A.  E.  Horn 
and  M.  T.  Zimmerman,  under  the  firm  name  of 
A.  E.  Horn  &  Co.,  which  continued  for  five  years. 
The  firm  of  S.  W.  Sinclair  &  Co.  was  then 
formed,  consisting  of  S.  W.  Sinclair,  Mark  Cope- 
land,  Frank  Wilkinson  and  Mr.  Ballinger,  which 
continued  in  existence  four  years.  He  was  next 
associated  with  the  firm  of  Coffman  &  Brown 
until  the  firm  of  Brown  Brothers  &  Ballinger 
was  formed,  November  1,  1896,  which  still  con- 
tinues in  operation.  Corporal  Ballinger  has  won 
a  host  of  friends  by  his  kind,  genial  manner 
and  close  attention  to  business,  and  has  done 
his  part  well  to  make  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
a  great  success.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


815 


S.  Simpson,  in  Mount  Victory,  Ohio,  February 
15,  1866,  and  five  children  have  been  born  to 
them. 

EDWARD  WHITE  BANKER. 

Edward  White  Banker,  broker,  Chicago,  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Peru,  Clinton  County,  N. 
Y.,  September  10,  1820,  and  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  at  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.  His  pater- 
nal grandparents  were  William  and  Martha 
(Soles)  Banker,  the  former  having  been  born 
in  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  and  the  latter  in 
Vermont.  On  the  maternal  side  his  grandfather 
was  John  Kent,  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia.  His 
parents,  John  and  Christiana  (Kent)  Banker, 
were  born  respectively  in  Peru,  N.  Y.,  and 
Keene,  N.  Y. 

On  December  29,  1841,  Mr.  Banker  was  mar- 
ried to  Charlotte  E.  Minkler,  at  Chazy,  N.  Y., 
and  five  children  were  born  to  them  as  follows: 
Benson  B.,  George  L.,  Emma,  Etta  and  Mary. 
With  his  wife  and  family  he  moved  to  Boston, 
Mass.,  in  1852,  and  resided  in  that  city  for  ten 
years,  and  then,  in  1862,  came  to  Chicago  and 
for  several  years  lived  at  292  Washington  Boule- 
vard. For  the  past  ten  years  his  home  has  been 
in  Hinsdale,  111.  His  children  are  all  married 
and  have  families,  the  five  great-grandchildren 
being  George  Thomas  Morgan  and  Virginia 
Clute  Morgan,  of  Coxsackie,  N.  Y.,  Dorothy 
Marie,  Marion  Adele  and  Edward  Hamilton 
Banker,  Jr.,  of  Chicago.  The  maiden  name  of 
Mrs.  Banker's  mother  was  Rachael  Van  Vleet. 
She  was  a  native  of  Odletown,  Canada.  Mr. 
Banker's  residence  is  at  Hinsdale,  111. 

WILLIAM  BARKER. 

William  Barker,  Captain  of  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company  No.  9,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  in  Chicago  October  13,  1863,  and  joined  the 
Fire  Department  April  '14,  1887.  At  the  disas- 
trous fire  in  the  Gunther  confectionery  estab- 
lishment, due  to  the  emptiness  of  the  reservoir, 
so  much  depended  on  by  Mr.  Gunther  that  he 
did  not  insure  his  stock,  great  deeds  of  heroism 
were  performed.  Panic-stricken  girls  to  the 
number  of  250,  who  had  been  at  work  upon  bon- 
bons for  the  autumn  festival,  were  rescued  un- 
injured. Barker  and  his  men  were  badly  burned 
about  the  face  and  hands.  They  will  forget  the 
experience  long  before  the  spectators  who  begged 
them,  for  God's  sake,  to  come  down  the  ladder. 
Captain  Barker,  of  Truck  No.  9,  who,  with 


Lieutenant  Miller  of  Truck  16,  effected  the 
thrilling  rescue  of  Captain  James  Fitzpatrick 
from  the  roof  of  the  Cold  Storage  Building 
in  1893,  led  four  of  his  men  up  an  extension 
ladder  leading  to  the  sixth  story.  When  they 
reached  the  top,  flames  burst  from  below,  burn- 
ing the  rungs  of  the  ladder  and  melting  the 
rubber  coats  of  the  fire-fighters.  The  helmet  of 
Barker,  who  seemed  to  be  afire  from  head  to 
foot,  was  lifted  from  his  head  and  dashed  to 
the  earth.  Shouting  for  water,  and  getting  it, 
the  intrepid  skipper  and  his  men  turned  the 
hose  on  the  ladder  first,  and  then  entering  the 
furnace,  soon  had  the  fire  under  control. 

GILBERT  W.  BARNARD. 

Gilbert  Wordsworth  Barnard  is  well  known 
in  Masonic  circles  throughout  America  and 
Europe,  and  has  a  world-wide  reputation  for 
sterling  character,  accommodating  manners  and 
devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  order.  He  was 
born  at  Palmyra,  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  June 
1,  1834,  the  son  of  George  Washington  Barnard, 
whose  death  occurred  previous  to  the  birth  of 
his  son.  The  father  of  George  W.  Barnard, 
whose  name  was  spelled  Barnarde,  was  a 
Frenchman.  Following  the  noble  example  of, 
the  immortal  La  Fayette,  the  elder  Barnarde 
came  to  America  to  enlist  in  the  cause  of  free- 
dom, and,  upon  the  termination  of  the  conflict, 
settled  in  Western  New  York,  where  he  married 
and  became  the  father  of  two  sons.  The  elder 
of  these  died  without  issue,  and  the  second 
lived  and  died  in  Wayne  County,  that  State. 
The  latter  became  the  captain  of  a  passenger 
packet  on  the  Erie  Canal,  a  position  of  con- 
siderable importance  in  his  time.  His  wife, 
Sabrina  Deming,  was  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  has  recently  died  at  the  extreme  old  age 
of  eighty-four  years. 

Gilbert  W.  Barnard  was  reared  in  the  family 
of  his  maternal  grandfather,  David  Demming, 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  removed  to  Jack- 
son County,  Mich.,  soon  after  his  grandson  be- 
came a  member  of  his  family.  The  Demming 
family  was  founded  in  America  by  four  broth- 
ers, who  settled  in  Connecticut  early  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  name  was  originally 
spelled  Dummund,  but  by  a  process  of  evolution 
peculiar  to  foreign  names  in  America,  it  became 
Demming,  and  was  contracted  by  the  present 
generation  by  the  omission  of  one  "m." 
The  subject  of  this  biography  spent  the  first 


8i6 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


fifteen  years  of  his  life  in  Jackson  County, 
Mich.,  whence  he  came  to  Chicago  and  began 
his  business  career  as  clerk  in  a  general  store. 
He  afterward  engaged  in  the  book  and  station- 
ery business,  which  line  of  trade  he  carried  on 
for  several  years,  achieving  a  reputation  for 
upright  and  honorable  dealing,  and  winning 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens. 
During  the  first  year  of  his  residence  in  Chi- 
cago he  joined  the  volunteer  fire  department, 
and  during  the  next  nine  or  ten  years  rendered 
much  valuable  service  to  the  city. 

In  October,  1864,  Mr.  Barnard  joined  the 
Masonic  order,  and  has  ever  since  been  actively 
identified  with  its  interests,  having  filled  most 
of  the  principal  offices  in  the  subordinate  and 
grand  bodies.  He  is  at  present  Past  Master  of 
Garden  City  Lodge;  Past  High  Priest  of  Corin- 
thian Chapter,  No.  69,  R.  A.  M.;  Past  Eminent 
Commander  of  St.  Barnard  Commandery,  No. 
35,  Knights  Templar;  Past  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  Oriental  Consistory;  Grand  Secretary  of 
the  Grand  Chapter;  Grand  Recorder  of  the 
Grand  Council  and  of  the  Grand  Commandery; 
and  Grand  Secretary  of  the  Council  of  Delib- 
eration, S.  P.  R.  S.,  and  other  bodies. 

In  1877  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the 
Capitular,  Cryptic  and  Chivalric  Grand  Bodies 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  a  position  he  has  ever 
since  filled,  and  has  devoted  the  best  years  of 
his  life  to  the  fraternity,  administering  to  the 
wants  of  his  brethren,  and  relieving  the  needs 
of  their  widows  and  orphans  in  distress.  His 
signal  ability  and  steadfast  efforts  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  duties  have  won  for  him  a  host 
of  friends  and  admirers.  He  has  labored  un- 
tiringly in  behalf  of  the  Illinois  Masonic 
Orphan's  Home,  of  which  he  was  the  first  Sec- 
retary, and  through  his  active  efforts  has  con- 
tributed much  to  the  upbuilding  of  that  worthy 
institution. 

His  long  connection  with  the  Ancient  Ac- 
cepted Scottish  Rite  has  placed  him  in  corre- 
spondence with  all  branches  of  the  order  in  all 
parts  of  the  world.  His  commodious  quarters 
in  the  Masonic  Temple  are  general  headquarters 
for  Masonic  affairs,  and  the  resort  of  brethren 
from  every  civilized  country  on  the  globe.  They 
contain  an  ample  library,  and  are  filled  with 
numerous  other  articles  of  use  or  interest  to 
members  of  the  fraternity. 

Mr.  Barnard  was  married  in  1863,  and  one 
child,  a  daughter,  is  still  living,  he  having  lost 


three   children.     His   wife    died   several   years 
since. 

GEORGE  I.  BARNES. 

George  I.  Barnes,  Superintendent  of  the  H. 
Mueller  &  Company  Elevator,  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Berkeley  County,  W.  Va.,  December  15, 
1866,  the  son  of  George  T.  and  Margaret  C. 
(Pitcher)  Barnes.  His  father  was  a  farmer 
and  also  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  shipping 
to  Baltimore.  The  father  is  still  living  on  the 
home  farm  in  Berkeley  County,  W.  Va.,  but  the 
mother  died  in  1875  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years.  George  I.  Barnes  remained  on  his 
father's  farm  until  twenty-four  years  old,  when, 
in  1892,  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  finally 
turned  his  attention  to  the  grain-elevator  busi- 
ness, with  which  he  has  been  connected  con- 
tinuously since. 

On  July  15,  1899,  he  assumed  charge  as  Su- 
perintendent of  the  Mueller  Elevator  on  the 
Pan-Handle  Railroad  track  at  Fifty-sixth  Street, 
as  successor  to  E.  B.  Marsh.  This  elevator 
has  a  storage  capacity  of  350,000  bushels,  and 
is  capable  of  receiving  and  shipping  about  sixty 
car-loads  of  grain  per  day.  It  employs  some 
twenty  men.  A  wholesale  feed  department, 
opened  some  years  since,  is  operated  in  connec- 
tion with  the  elevator.  Mr.  Barnes  was  mar- 
ried August  8,  1897,  to  Miss  Carrie  Lehner,  of 
Chicago,  who  has  borne  him  two  children: 
Gracie,  born  June  12,  1898,  and  Roy,  born 
March  24,  1900.  In  politics  Mr.  Barnes  is  a 
Republican. 

JOHN  P.  BARRETT. 

John  P.  Barrett  was  born  at  Auburn,  N.  Y., 
June  24,  1837,  and,  coming  with  his  parents 
to  Chicago  in  1844,  there  received  a  common- 
school  education.  Even  as  a  youth  he  displayed 
his  predilection  for  a  connection  with  the  fire 
department  by  "running  with"  Niagara  No.  3, 
in  the  old  volunteer  days.  Naturally  of  an  ad- 
venturous disposition,  he  became  a  sailor.  In 
1851  he  went  to  sea  before  the  mast,  and  during 
a  voyage  along  the  Pacific  coast  of  South  Amer- 
ica, in  1858,  fell  from  the  masthead,  sustaining 
a  fracture  of  both  a  leg  and  an  arm.  Return- 
ing to  Chicago  in  1862,  he  entered  the  paid 
Fire  Department,  and  was  made  a  watchman 
for  engine  houses  Nos.  3  and  8.  In  1863  he 
was  given  charge  of  the  alarm  bell  in  the  city 
hall,  and  when,  in  1865,  the  city  inaugurated 
the  fire-alarm  telegraph  system,  he  was  assigned 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


as  a  batteryman  under  the  superintendency  of 
E.  B.  Chandler  as  Superintendent,  served  as 
battery  man,  operator  and  chief  operator,  and 
on  the  retirement  of  the  latter  in  1876,  was 
appointed  superintendent,  and  continued  to  dis- 
charge the  responsible  and  exacting  duties  of 
the  post  until  1897,  when  he  resigned. 

During  his  administration  Mr.  Barrett  in- 
augurated many  reforms.  Through  one  of  his 
inventions,  familiarly  known  in  the  department 
as  "the  joker,"  each  engine  house  received  the 
alarm  simultaneously  with  its  being  struck  in 
the  alarm-box,  rendering  it  unnecessary  to  wait 
for  the  sounding  of  the  gong  in  the  general 
office.  He  also  first  suggested  and  introduced 
the  system  of  subterranean  conduits  for  wires, 
suggested  and  carried  out  the  utilizing  of  the 
city  plants  for  electric  street-lighting,  and  put 
into  successful  operation  the  bridge  telephone 
service  for  the  regulation  of  navigation  on  the 
river  and  in  the  harbor.  To  Mr.  Barrett  belongs 
the  honor  of  originating  the  use  of  patrol 
wagons,  now  so  general  in  all  large  cities.  He 
was  also  at  the  head  of  the  electrical  depart- 
ment of  the  Columbian  Exposition.  His  service 
in  the  department  covered  a  period  of  over 
thirty-five  years,  and  Chicago  has  had  few,  if 
any,  more  efficient  public  officers. 

Mr.  Barrett  was  married  April  30,  1869,  to 
Margaret  D'Arcy  of  Chicago,  and  eleven  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them,  four  of  whom  are 
deceased. 

THOMAS   P.   BARRY. 

Thomas  P.  Barry,  Captain  Engine  No.  74, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago 
October  2,  1864,  and  was  educated  at  the  Went- 
worth  Avenue  public  school  and  Brothers' 
Parochial  School.  After  leaving  school  he 
learned  the  horse-shoeing  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  for  two  years.  After  traveling  through 
the  South  for  two  years,  he  returned  to  Chicago 
and  worked  on  the  Fire  Alarm  Service  for  one 
year,  then  joined  the  Fire  Department  August 
3,  1885,  as  watchman  on  Engine  No.  8,  serving 
one  month,  when  he  took  George  W.  Weller's 
place  as  truckman  on  Truck  4,  remaining  there 
four  years.  He  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant 
September  1,  1889,  and  transferred  to  Truck  11, 
serving  three  years  and  four  months;  was  next 
promoted  to  Captain  December  31,  1892,  and 
assisted  to  organize  Engine  71  (Chicago  Fire 
Queen) ;  was  assigned  to  Marshal  Murphy's 


headquarters  at  the  World's  Fair  on  Engine  2, 
and  was  transferred  to  Truck  8  May  6,  1893. 
remaining  until  July  10,  1893,  when  he  met 
with  an  accident  at  the  Cold  Storage  fire,  receiv- 
ing a  compound  fracture  of  the  right  wrist, 
leaving  it  stiff  and  partially  boneless.  During 
that  fire  he  was  on  the  tower  with  the  five  of 
his  company  who  were  killed  at  that  time. 
Their  names  were  John  Cahill,  William  Den- 
ning, Philip  Breen,  Paul  Schroeder  and  John 
McBride.  The  ropes  were  burned  away  from 
below,  and,  seeing  no  other  way  of  escape,  Capt. 
Barry  jumped  87  feet  and  landed  on  his  feet, 
having  gone  through  the  roof,  between  the 
joists,  which  caused  his  broken  wrist.  After 
crawling  back  on  to  the  roof,  he  came  down 
the  ladder  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital. 

After  his  recovery  he  was  assigned  to  Engine 
63,  World's  Fair  Grounds,  December  24,  1893. 
Meeting  with  another  accident  at  the  Colonnade 
Hotel  fire,  he  was  placed  temporarily  on  the 
pension  list  April  1,  1894;  was  reassigned  for 
duty  October  15,  1896,  as  Captain  of  Engine  81, 
remaining  until  August,  1899,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  Engine  74  and  still  remains  ready 
for  any  peril  which  he  may  be  called  upon  to 
face.  He  has  shown  by  his  brave  service  in  the 
department  that  he  is  a  "chip  off  the  old  block." 

Capt.  Barry  was  married  in  Chicago,  August 
26,  1895,  to  Miss  Annie  Calligan,  and  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  this  union. 

CHARLES  T.  BARTLETT. 
Charles  T.  Bartlett,  contractor,  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Lake  County,  111.,  November  25,  1848, 
and  educated  in  the  district  schools.  His  par- 
ents were  natives  of  New  Hampshire  and  came 
to  Chicago  in  1834.  In  1836  they  went  to  Lake 
County,  where  his  father,  who  was  one  of  the 
first  County  Commissioners  of  that  county,  in 
1901  was  still  living  on  his  original  homestead. 
Charles  T.  Bartlett  came  to  Chicago  in  1866 
and  learned  his  trade  with  C.  A.  Price,  and  was 
Superintendent  of  Public  Works  in  Indiana.  In 
1871  Mr.  Bartlett  came  to  Evanston,  111.,  and 
engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  and  has 
constructed  a  majority  of  the  large  buildings  in 
that  city,  also  most  of  the  sewers.  He  was  col- 
lector of  the  city  of  Evanston  for  one  term. 
On  January  4,  1870,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Martha  A.  Cronkhite,  in  Lake  County,  111.,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  six  children:  Fannie 
D.,  Charles  H.,  Mary  S.,  Walter  W.,  George  V. 


8i8 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


and  Laura  M.  Mrs.  Bartlett's  parents  settled 
in  Lake  County  in  1840.  Mr.  Bartlett  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Evans  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of 
Evanston  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

JOHN  A.  BARTLETT. 

John  A.  Bartlett  (deceased)  was  born  at  Ox- 
ford, Worcester  County,  Mass.,  April  8,  1829, 
the  son  of  Eleazer  Bartlett,  who  was  a  native 
of  East  Killingly,  Windham  County,  Conn.,  born 
in  1800,  and  died  at  Webster,  Mass.,  April  12, 
J.861.  Mr.  John  A.  Bartlett's  grandfather,  also 
named  Eleazer,  was  born  in  the  Quinebaug  Val- 
ley, Conn.,  where  the  family  ancestors  had  lived 
for  generations,  and  took  part  in  the  War  of 
the  Revolution.  Eleazer  Bartlett,  Jr.,  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  his  father's  mill 
learned  something  of  machinery,  which  he  ex- 
tended in  machine-shops,  later  being  employed 
in  the  making  of  machines  for  the  manufacture 
of  woolen  and  cotton  goods.  About  1828  he 
married  Mrs.  Harriet  (Ashcraft)  Bartlett,  who 
was  born  in  Brooklyn,  Conn.,  and  became  the 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  but  died 
in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  her  age. 

After  attending  the  schools  at  Oxford  and 
Webster,  Mass.,  until  about  1847,  John  A.  Bart- 
lett became  an  apprentice  in  a  machine-shop, 
where  he  spent  six  years  in  learning  a  trade. 
October  13,  1854,  he  arrived  in  Chicago,  and 
during  the  following  year  became  a  member  of 
the  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  firm  of  Rawson, 
Bartlett  &  Company  at  221-223  South  Water 
Street,  which  later  became  Rawson  &  Bartlett, 
with  more  extensive  quarters  at  24  Lake 
Street.  They  lost  the  greater  part  of  their  stock 
by  fire  in  May,  1860,  but  promptly  resumed 
business  at  30  Lake  Street.  Mr.  Rawson  having 
died  in  1862,  the  firm  was  reorganized  with  a 
brother  of  the  deceased  member  of  the  firm  as 
senior  partner.  In  1866  Messrs.  Hoswell  & 
Bush  were  admitted  to  the  partnership,  but  a 
year  later,  Mr.  Rawson  having  retired,  the  firm 
became  Bartlett,  Hoswell  &  Bush.  In  1869  Mr. 
Bartlett  sold  out  his  interest  to  his  former  part- 
ner, S.  W.  Rawson,  and  withdrew  from  the 
wholesale  boot  and  shoe  trade.  A  portion  of 
the  following  year  was  spent  in  traveling  in 
California  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  but  re- 
turning to  Chicago  in  the  summer  of  1870,  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  A.  P.  Downs,  in 
the  real-estate  business,  which  was  terminated 
by  the  death  of  Mr.  Downs  seven  years  later, 


after  which  Mr.  Bartlett  was  in  business  alone, 
much  of  his  attention  being  devoted  to  business 
in  Englewood  and  Auburn  Park.  In  1883  he 
located  on  Perry  Avenue,  in  what  was  then 
known  as  Normal  Park,  which  continued  to 
be  his  home  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  In  1884 
he  was  elected  Assessor  for  Lake  Township,  and 
in  1885  was  chosen  Superintendent  of  Public 
Works  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote,  both  as  a 
business  man  and  a  public  official,  proving  him- 
self an  important  factor  in  the  development  of 
what  is  now  a  flourishing  portion  of  the  city  of 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Bartlett  was  married  in  Boston,  Mass., 
January  23,  1851,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Wentworth, 
daughter  of  Daniel  S.  and  Rebecca  J.  Went- 
worth, who  were  natives  of  Maine,  the  father 
dying  in  Effingham,  N.  H.,  when  his  daughter 
was  eleven  years  old.  One  son  Charles  A.,  now 
of  the  firm  of  Bartlett,  Olson  &  Hankinson,  was 
born  of  this  marriage.  Charles  A.  was  married 
in  May,  1877,  to  Miss  Carrie  Kent  of  Engle- 
wood, and  they  had  three  children:  Mary  F., 
Kent  W.  and  Helen  S.  John  A.  Bartlett  was  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Real  Estate  Board  from 
1883,  an  Odd  Fellow  from  1855,  and  a  Republi- 
can in  politics  from  the  organization  of  the 
party  in  1856.  Mr.  Bartlett  died  at  his  home  in 
Englewood  March  3,  1902. 

WILLIAM  H.  BARTLETT. 
William  H.  Bartlett,  Lieutenant  of  Engine  No. 
24,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  at  Belvi- 
dere,  Boone  County,  111.,  November  5,  1850,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  After  leav- 
ing school,  he  drove  a  carriage  for  Mr.  Kringle 
at  Belvidere,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1869  and 
drove  a  carriage  for  U.  R.  Hawley,  and  later 
at  Center  Avenue  Stables.  He  joined  the  Fire 
Patrol  June  8,  1874,  and  was  assigned  to  No. 
1,  but,  having  resigned,  joined  the  Chicago  Fire 
Department  in  October,  1881,  and  was  assigned 
to  Engine  No.  14;  next  was  transferred  to 
Truck  No.  1,  thence  to  Engine  No.  1  December 
31,  1881.  Subsequent  changes  have  included  his 
promotion  to  Lieutenant  and  transfer  to  Engine 
No.  13  January  1,  1883,  then  to  Engine  No.  24 
November  21,  1887,  but  is  now  (1904)  on  duty 
on  Engine  No.  51,  ready  for  any  call  where  a 
brave  fireman  is  wanted.  He  has  had  many 
narrow  escapes,  having  had  his  head  and  hands 
badly  burned,  but  has  sustained  no  permanent 
injuries.  He  was  married  to  Jenny  Prinde- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


819 


ville  in  Chicago,  June  5,  1885,  and  one  son  has 
been  born  to  them. 

FREDERICK  BAUMANN. 

Frederick  Baumann,  oldest  living  Chicago 
architect,  was  born  near  Berlin,  Germany,  Jan- 
uary 6,  1826,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  place  and  at  Berlin  Poly- 
technic Institute  and  the  Academy  of  Arts. 
After  leaving  the  academy  he  embarked  for 
America  June  7,  1850,  and  coming  to  Chicago, 
worked  on  a  farm  at  Washington  Heights  for 
one  year,  then  worked  for  one  year  as  drafts- 
man for  John  M.  Van  Osdel,  architect,  after 
which,  on  February  2,  1852,  he  joined  with 
Edward  Burling  under  the  firm  name  of  Bur- 
ling &  Baumann,  architects,  the  partnership 
continuing  for  three  years.  The  firm  was  then 
dissolved,  when  he  joined  John  Van  Osdel,  under 
the  style  of  Van  Osdel  &  Baumann,  remaining 
four  years.  He  then  became  a  contractor  for 
seven  years,  after  which  he  became  associated 
with  his  nephew,  Edward  Baumann,  under  the 
firm  name  of  F.  &  E.  Baumann,  continuing  for 
eight  years,  when  he  went  into  business  for 
himself  as  an  architect,  which  he  has  continued 
to  the  present  time.  He  has  built  and  super- 
intended some  of  the  largest  and  most  extensive 
buildings  in  Chicago,  and  is  the  oldest  living 
architect  remaining  in  Chicago,  since  the 
death  of  Edward  Burling. 

Mr.  Baumann  was  married  in  Germany 
December  15,  1854,  to  Miss  Wilhelmina  Steen- 
hauer,  and  eleven  children  have  blessed  this 
union,  five  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz:  George 
M.,  Elsie  M.,  Nellie  M1.,  Frederick  and  Edward 
S.  Baumann. 

Chicago's  pioneers  have  assisted  in  building 
up  here  the  most  wonderful  city  in  the  world, 
and  Mr.  Baumann  has  done  his  full  share  in 
the  accomplishment  of  this  great  work,  for 
which  he  has  received  the  praise  of  his  many 
friends  and  associates. 

ELMER  E.  BEACH. 

Elmer  E.  Beach,  lawyer,  was  born  December 
19,  1861,  in  Fremont  County,  Iowa.  His  father 
moved  his  family  to  Northern  Michigan  when 
the  son  was  a  lad  of  six  years  of  age,  and  he 
was  there  reared  on  a  farm,  thus  fitting  him 
physically  for  a  sturdy  manhood.  He  left  the 
farm  and  his  father's  home  when  fifteen  years 
of  age,  to  attend  the  schools  of  Grand  Rapids, 


Mich.,  and  while  in  his  'teens  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  graduating  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years.  He  then  began  reading  law 
with  Judge  Shorey  of  Chicago,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  Chicago  bar  in  1888.  Both  his  father, 
Henry  W.,  and  his  grandfather,  Artemus  H. 
Beach,  were  born  in  New  York  State.  His 
mother,  who  was  Miss  Eva  E.,  the  daughter  of 
Mr.  Jonathan  Canfield,  was  born  in  Vermont,  as 
was  her  father  also. 

Mr.  Beach  was  married  July  29,  1889,  to  Miss 
Jessie  E.  Taylor,  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and 
has  one  child,  Elizabeth  Clara.  Politically  Mr. 
Beach  is  a  Republican.  He  is  now  the  head  of 
the  firm  of  Beach  &  Beach,  with  offices  in  the 
Ashland  Block,  having  a  general  law  practice. 
Mr.  Beach's  success  shows  what  can  be  accom- 
plished by  energy  and  perseverance,  rising,  as 
he  has  done,  from  a  farmer's  boy  to  the  posi- 
tion of  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  at  the  Chi- 
cago bar. 

WILLIAM  BEETLES. 

William  Beetles,  United  States  Army  and 
valet  to  John  B.  Sherman,  President  of  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  and  Transit  Company,  was 
born  in  North  Cambridge,  England,  August  5, 
1845;  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and 
came  to  America  and  to  Chicago  in  November, 
1865.  In  1866  he  returned  to  his  native  coun- 
try, but  in  1871  came  back  to  America,  and  on 
August  28,  1871,  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
Army,  being  honorably  discharged  August  28, 
1878.  After  his  return  he  was  appointed  Assist- 
ant to  Superintendent  John  Stevens,  Exchange 
Restaurant,  Union  Stock  Yards,  in  1877,  re- 
maining in  that  position  two  years.  In  1879  he 
again  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Army,  but 
was  discharged  in  1880  for  disability  on  account 
of  a  severe  sunstroke.  He  then  returned  to  the 
Exchange  Restaurant,  remaining  there  until 
employed  by  John  B.  Sherman  until  July  31, 
1898,  when  he  retired  from  active  business.  Mr. 
Beetles  has  always  been  found  ready  for  any 
duty  that  he  may  have  been  called  upon  to  per- 
form. 

AMES  BEILFUS. 

Ames  Beilfus,  Lieutenant  Fire  Department, 
Swift  &  Company,  Union  Stock  Yards,  was  born 
in  Chicago  November  22,  1862,  educated  in  the 
Douglas  school,  and  after  leaving  school,  car- 
ried water  for  the  South  Park  Commissioners 


820 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


for  three  months.  In  1878  he  entered  the  em- 
ployment of  Swift  &  Company  as  handy  boy  at 
the  packing  house;  then  killed  and  butchered 
cattle  for  a  time;  was  appointed  Marshal  in  the 
Fire  Department  in  1893,  and  when  the  Fire 
Company  was  organized  was  chosen  Lieutenant. 
He  has  had  numerous  narrow  escapes,  but  has 
suffered  no  serious  injuries.  Lieutenant  Beil- 
fus  was  married  in  Chicago,  January  16,  1886, 
to  Miss  Hannah  Crons,  and  four  children  have 
blessed  their  union. 

HENRY    HOLMES    BELFIELD. 

Henry  H.  Belfleld,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D.,  educator, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  of  English  par- 
entage, November  17,  1837,  and  was  educated  at 
Iowa  College.  During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
he  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland, 
first  as  a  Lieutenant  and  afterwards  as  Adju- 
tant of  the  Eighth  Iowa  Cavalry,  as  well  as 
upon  the  staff  of  Gen.  E.  M.  McCook.  While  a 
prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  he  was 
placed  under  fire  of  the  Union  batteries  at. 
Charleston.  Coming  to  Chicago  in  1866,  he 
served  as  Principal  in  various  public  schools, 
including  the  North  Division  High  School.  He 
was  one  of  the  earliest  advocates  of  manual 
training,  and,  on  the  establishment  of  the  Chi- 
cago Manual  Training  School,  was  appointed 
its  Director — a  position  he  has  continued  to 
occupy  to  the  present  time  (1904).  In  1901-2 
he  was  in  Europe,  with  a  commission  from  the 
United  States  Government,  studying  technical 
education. 

Mr.  Belfield  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  of  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion,  and  is  an  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

FRANK  J.  BELSKY. 

Frank  J.  Belsky,  Assistant  Engineer,  Engine 
No.  23,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in 
Chicago  May  14,  1872,  and  educated  at  the 
Throop  public  school;  later  worked  for  the  Mc- 
Cormick  Manufacturing  Company  about  three 
years,  with  William  McGregor  five  years,  one 
year  at  Sanold's  Bicycle  Company  Works,  and 
on  the  Twenty-second  Street  General  Elec- 
tric Car  Line.  On  August  28,  1894,  Mr.  Bel- 
sky  joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department, 
being  assigned  to  Engine  29;  was  transferred 
to  Engine  75,  as  Assistant  Engineer,  October 
25,  1894,  and  on  February  29,  1896,  to  Engine 


23.  Mr.  Belsky  was  married  in  Chicago  October 
29,  1892,  to  June  Maresh,  and  two  children  have 
been  born  to  them.  He  is  one  of  Chicago's  fire- 
men who  is  always  ready  for  any  emergency 
where  nerve  and  fidelity  to  duty  are  needed. 

DR.   H.   A.   BENZ. 

Dr.  H.  A.  Benz,  physician  and  surgeon,  Wheel- 
ing, 111.,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  March 
12,  1863,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Emma  (Rein- 
hard)  Benz;  came  with  his  parents  to  Chicago 
in  boyhood  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  Rush  Medical  College,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  February,  1888.  February 
10,  1890,  he  located  in  the  village  of  Wheeling, 
where  he  has  since  resided  and  been  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Benz 
was  married  to  Amelia  Baistachy  Martin  in 
the  city  of  Chicago,  and  has  had  three  chil- 
dren: Oscar,  Elizabeth  (died  November  10, 
1898)  and  George. 

COL.   FRANKLIN  J.  BERRY. 

To  the  man  who  establishes  a  new  and  hon- 
orable business  within  her  limits  a  city  owes 
a  great  debt.  Especially  is  this  true  when  the 
trade  is  one  calculated  largely  to  advance  its 
material  prosperity,  and  is  inaugurated  by  a 
man  whose  capability,  experience  and  resolute 
will  combine  to  make  it  both  important  and 
successful.  Such  a  debt  of  gratitude  and  esteem 
is  due  from  Chicago  to  Mr.  Franklin  J.  Berry, 
its  pioneer  horse  merchant.  He  was  born  at 
Limington,  Maine,  on  September  26,  1837,  and 
his  education  was  obtained  within  the  walls  of 
the  district  school-house.  His  business  capabil- 
ity began  to  manifest  itself  at  a  very  early  age. 
When  eighteen  years  old  he  left  his  father's 
farm  to  embark  in  the  live-stock  business  for 
himself.  So  successful  was  he  in  this  venture 
that,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  owned  his  own 
farm,  which  he  had  purchased  without  assist- 
ance from  his  father.  He  soon  became  recog- 
nized as  the  largest  stock  and  horse-dealer  in 
the  State.  Before  reaching  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  he  began  the  breeding  of  stock  from  im- 
ported cattle,  hogs,  sheep  and  horses,  among 
the  latter  being  some  thoroughbred  trotters. 
He  still  runs  a  breeding  farm,  although  his  time 
and  attention  are  chiefly  devoted  to  commercial 
affairs. 

It  was  in  1872  that  Colonel  Berry  came  from 
Maine  to  Chicago,  where  he  opened  a  small 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


821 


horse  mart  at  the  corner  of  Michigan  Avenue 
and  Monroe  Street.  This  was  the  pioneer  horse 
market  in  the  West,  and  it  flourished  greatly 
through  the  free  but  judicious  use  of  money 
by  its  proprietor  in  advertising  and  otherwise. 
In  1886  •  the  annual  sales  aggregated  4,000 
horses,  all  eastern  shippers  being  among  his 
patrons.  By  this  time  his  trade  had  far  out- 
grown the  capacity  of  his  premises,  and  upon 
the  invitation  of  John  B.  Sherman,  then  Presi- 
dent of  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  he  removed 
thither  on  October  8,  1898,  having  previously 
obtained  the  promise  that  the  necessary  stables 
should  be  built  as  circumstances  required.  He 
first  occupied  Barn  No.  2,  and  Nos.  3  and  4  as 
soon  as  they  were  built,  the  following  year.  He 
still  continued  his  advertising,  finding  that  it 
increased  his  business  very  rapidly.  On  Jan- 
uary 3,  1888,  he  established  an  auction  sale  of 
horses,  the  first  ever  held  in  the  West.  It  is 
also  said  that  it  was  the  first  successful  sale 
of  the  kind  ever  held  in  the  United  States. 
Leroy  Marsh,  of  Galesburg,  111.,  greatly  aided 
the  enterprise  by  furnishing  two  car-loads  of 
horses  for  the  first  sale,  and  one  for  each  suc- 
ceeding' auction.  In  order  to  establish  the  busi- 
ness, Col.  Berry  put  up  his  own  horses  on  sale 
at  the  first  auction.  They  were  sold  at  a  loss  of 
$400. 

This  sale  cost  Mr.  Berry  $1,000,  but  it  proved 
money  well  invested.  The  astonishment  among 
horsemen,  both  East  and  West,  was  unprece- 
dented. They  could  not  understand  how  horses 
could  be  put  up  and  actually  sold  at  such  prices. 
The  sale  was  conducted  on  strictly  honorable, 
business  principles,  and  this  straightforward 
uprightness  has  been  the  keynote  of  Mr.  Berry's 
success  in  business.  Every  horse  was  sold  only 
on  its  merits,  a  guaranteed  statement  of  all  its 
good  and  bad  qualities  being  given  to  the  pur- 
chaser. The  result  proved  very  valuable,  buy- 
ers coming  to  subsequent  auctions  from  all 
parts  of  the  country.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Berry 
spent  "not  less  than  $85,000  in  nine  years  in 
advertising  his  auctions  alone.  He  was  the 
first  to  introduce  high-class  trotting  sales  out- 
side of  Kentucky  and  New  York,  and  some  idea 
of  the  volume  of  business  done  by  him  may  be 
gathered  from  the  fact  that  his  sales  in  1895 
exceeded  27,000  horses.  His  business  associates, 
recognizing  his  ability  and  worth,  elected  him 
the  first  President  of  the  National  Horse  Ex- 
change, and  of  the  National  Horse  Breeders' 


Association.  The  latter  office  he  still  holds. 
The  rules  governing  the  auction  sales  estab- 
lished by  Mr.  Berry  have  been  adopted  by  all 
auction  sales  of  horses  in  the  United  States. 

On  October  24,  1858,  he  married  Sarah  W. 
Weeman,  at  Standish,  Maine.  She  has  borne 
him  two  daughters — Ella  May  (now  deceased) 
and  Ella  May  (second) — the  younger  of  whom 
was  born  February  26,  1869,  and  is  the  wife  of 
Benjamin  P.  Rideing,  a  dry-goods  merchant  of 
New  York  City. 

In  politics  he  is  an  earnest  Republican,  and 
for  many  years  was  one  of  the  enthusiastic  and 
untiring  workers  for  the  principles  and  policies 
of  that  party.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Repub- 
lican National  Convention  at  St.  Louis  in  1896, 
which  nominated  the  lamented  McKinley,  and 
for  two  months  of  the  campaign  of  that  year 
spoke  almost  daily  in  this  city  and  State  advo- 
cating the  election  of  Mr.  McKinley  and  the 
maintenance  of  a  stable  currency.  In  the  cam- 
paign of  1900  he  delivered  forty-two  addresses 
from  the  platform  in  this  city  and  State,  the 
result  of  which  work  was  most  satisfactory. 
Colonel  Berry  holds  the  world's  record  as  the 
largest  horse-dealer,  selling  more  horses  in  one 
year  than  any  other  one  man. 

JOHN  J.  BERRY. 

John  J.  Berry,  Engineer  Engine  No.  42,  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Amesburg, 
Canada,  July  25,  1846,  came  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
with  his  parents  in  1847,  and  to  Chicago  in 
1857,  and  here  attended  the  Kinzie  and  Dear- 
born schools.  After  leaving  school  he  worked 
for  F.  E.  Rigby  &  Son  (wall-paper  dealers),  and 
later  for  J.  M.  Loomis  (hatter);  then  for  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  as  fireman  in 
1861,  until  he  joined  the  Fire  Department  July 
25,  1866,  as  stoker  for  "Liberty"  Engine  No.  7 
(name  changed  to  "Fred  Gund"  No.  14  Febru- 
ary 5,  1867),  being  promoted  to  Engineer  Jan- 
uary 1,  1871.  He  was  at  a  fire  on  Fifth  Avenue 
near  Monroe  Street  on  Saturday  night,  October 
7,  1871,  after  which  he  went  to  the  West  Side 
fire  (Hills'  box  factory),  corner  of  Canal  and 
Jackson  Streets,  and  worked  there  until  Sunday 
morning;  went  to  the  Sunday  night  fire,  Octo- 
ber 8,  at  10  o'clock  (at  Bateham's  mill),  and 
from  there  to  Van  Buren  and  Canal  Streets,  and 
worked  two  lines  between  Clinton  and  Canal 
Streets,  and  then  across  the  street  to  the  coal- 
yards,  where  the  company  lost  their  engine 


822 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


about  midnight,  as  it  became  so  hot  that  they 
could  not  reach  the  pole,  although  the  horses 
were  saved.  After  losing  their  engine,  Mr. 
Berry  went  to  the  Chicago  Avenue  engine  house 
and  then  to  Miller's  dry-dock  and  helped  on  En- 
gine 11  until  Tuesday  morning,  when  he  went 
to  Aurora  Turner  Hall  (Milwaukee  Avenue) 
for  breakfast.  Later  he  went  to  Kirk's  Soap 
Factory  (North  Pier),  and  used  Engine  No.  2, 
of  Racine,  Wis.,  for  three  days,  drawing  water 
from  the  river,  in  the  meantime  taking  Engine 
No.  30  of  New  York  City  to  the  water-works, 
working  there  ten  days  pumping  water  into  the 
mains.  Later  he  took  charge  of  Engine  20  at 
the  engine  house.  This  was  the  first  self-pro- 
pelling engine  used  in  Chicago,  being  loaned  to 
the  city  by  the  Amoskeag  Company  until  the 
"Fred  Gund"  and  "William  Jones"  were  rebuilt. 
After  the  "Fred  Gund"  was  rebuilt  Engineer 
Berry  ran  it  until  1881,  and  then  the  "Ahrens" 
No.  14  was  installed  in  the  same  house,  where 
he  remained  until  March  31,  1888,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  Engine  42,  and  still  remains 
ready  for  any  call.  Very  fortunately  he  has 
sustained  no  serious  injury  but,  of  course,  has 
had  many  narrow  escapes. 

Mr.  Berry  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  A. 
Shaffer  in  Chicago,  June  15,  1867,  and  three 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  only  one  of 
whom  is  now  living. 

JOHN  ELLISON  BEST. 

John  E.  Best,  M.  D.,  practicing  physician  and 
surgeon,  Arlington  Heights,  was  born  in  Dorr 
Township,  McHenry  County,  111.,  October  31, 
1843.  His  father,  Michael  Best,  was  a  native 
of  Fingal,  Ontario,  Dominion  of  Canada,  born 
in  1812,  and  his  mother,  Hannah  (Ellison)  Best, 
born  the  same  year  near  Montreal,  though  after- 
wards residing  at  St.  Thomas.  Within  three 
weeks  after  their  marriage  the  young  couple 
started  by  wagon  for  Illinois,  bringing  with 
them  all  their  belongings.  Having  arrived  in 
Dorr  Township,  McHenry  County,  in  November, 
1840,  where  Mr.  Best  had  located  a  claim  in 
May  previous,  they  here  established  their  home 
near  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Woodstock. 
Mr.  Best's  life  occupation  was  that  of  a  farmer, 
and,  in  common  with  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
that  period,  the  first  few  years  of  their  resi- 
dence in  their  western  home  were  attended  with 
much  hardship  and  privation.  They  continued 
to  occupy  their  home  near  Woodstock  until 


1878,  when  they  removed  to  Crystal  Lake, 
where  they  resided  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Best, 
which  occurred  in  1890.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Best  were  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  The  remaining  years  of  Mrs.  Best's 
life  were  spent  with  her  son,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  She  died  in  1901,  aged  ninety  years. 

Dr.  Best  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools,  followed  by  a  course  in  Todd 
Seminary  at  Woodstock.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Nine- 
ty-fifth Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Soon  afteV  entering  the  service  he  stood  on  the 
picket  line  for  a  period  of  five  hours  through 
a  drenching  rain,  in  consequence  of  the  neglect 
of  the  Corporal  who,  having  overslept  him- 
self, failed  to  relieve  the  guard  at  the  proper 
hour.  As  a  consequence  he  contracted  a  serious 
illness,  which  kept  him  in  the  hospital  most  of 
the  time  for  a  year,  finally  resulting  in  his  dis- 
charge for  disability.  After  his  army  experi- 
ence he  entered  Rush  Medical  College  as  a 
student,  graduating  in  1870.  Since  then,  when 
not  engaged  in  special  study,  he  has  devoted 
his  undivided  attention  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  In  the  winter  of  1882  he  took  a 
course  of  lectures  at  Bellevue  Medical  College, 
New  York,  also  devoting  special  attention  to 
pathology,  laryngoscopy  and  surgery.  Again  in 
1890  he  took  a  general  course  at  the  Polyclinic 
Medical  School  in  New  York,  with  special  work 
in  surgery  and  microscopy.  For  one  year  (1896) 
he  held  by  appointment  a  position  on  the  sur- 
gical staff  connected  with  the  Cook  County 
Hospital.  During  the  year  1899  he  took  a  spe- 
cial course  in  surgery  at  the  Chicago  Polyclinic. 
The  time  spent  by  him  in  special  courses  of 
study  has  proven  his  devotion  to  his  chosen 
profession.  In  fact  he  has  been  a  life  student, 
in  addition  to  his  professional  studies  having 
given  much  attention  to  "the  sciences  and  gen- 
eral literature.  His  literary  tastes  have  been 
evinced  in  the  collection  of  an  excellent  library 
for  the  use  of  himself  and  family,  and  in  the 
time  spent  in  the  study  of  books  when  not 
otherwise  employed.  The  love  of  the  beautiful, 
both  in  art  and  nature,  has  left  its  impress 
on  his  home  life. 

On  December  23,  1867,  Dr.  Best  was  married 
to  Miss  Celestia  Taylor,  a  woman  of  cultured 
intellect,  a  faithful  co-worker  and  of  elevated 
Christian  character.  After  many  years  of  mar- 
ital happiness  her  death  occurred  on  the  twenty- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


823 


fifth  anniversary  of  their  location  in  Arlington 
Heights.  Two  children  were  the  fruit  of  this 
union.  Emma,  born  December  3,  1873,  was 
a  promising  girl  of  bright  intellect  and  most 
happy  temperament,  but  died,  deeply  mourned 
by  her  family  and  friends,  January  21,  1890,  at 
the  age  of  a  little  over  sixteen  years.  Bruce 
Taylor  was  born  December  9,  1876,  and  is  a 
young  man  of  vigorous  and  sterling  character 
and  studious  habits;  he  graduated  at  Rush 
Medical  College  in  March,  1894,  and  is  now 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  at  Arlington  Heights. 

On  August  5,  1896,  Dr.  Best  was  married  to 
Miss  Nellie  Noyes,  a  woman  of  refined  and  cul- 
tivated tastes,  who  has  contributed  her  full 
share  to  the  making  of  a  happy  home. 

Dr.  Best  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  has  been  active  in  Sunday 
School  work,  being,  for  a  number  of  years,  Su- 
perintendent of  the  Sabbath  School  connected 
with  his  church.  Politically  he  has  been  an 
ardent  and  life-long  Republican,  but  tolerant 
of  the  views  of  others.  He  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  in  enterprises  looking  to  the 
improvement  of  the  village,  and  has  been  a 
liberal  contributor  to  charitable  purposes.  Of 
sterling  integrity,  practical  and  skillful  in  his 
profession,  genial  and  hospitable  in  his  home 
and  social  life,  he  has  established  for  himself 
a  high  reputation  as  a  public-spirited  and  influ- 
ential private  citizen  and  a  most  capable  and 
useful  member  of  the  medical  profession.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society; 
the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society;  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association;  Gen.  John  A.  Logan 
Post,  G.  A.  R.;  is  a  Knight  Templar,  and  Noble 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

FRANK  BIELENBERG. 

Frank  Bielenberg,  Pipeman,  Engine  No.  74, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago 
January  10,  1871;  educated  in  the  Foster  school, 
and  after  leaving  school  worked  as  a  bell-boy  at 
the  Briggs  House  for  one  year.  He  then  went 
to  Irondale  in  1884,  and  worked  in  a  nail  fac- 
tory for  five  years,  and  later  for  the  Standard 
Oil  Company  for  one  and  a  half  years;  then 
spent  a  year  in  California,  when  he  returned 
to  Chicago  and  joined  the  World's  Fair  Fire 
Department  August  5,  1892,  on  Engine  No.  1. 
He  was  in  the  Cold  Storage  fire  July  10,  1893, 
and  on  the  tower  with  William  Mahoney  when 


they  found  it  all  afire.  They  went  to  the  north 
side  of  the  tower  and  found  a  rope  tied  to  the 
railing  which  proved  to  be  partially  burned. 
They  slid  down  the  rope  together  about 
forty  feet,  and  then  dropped  forty-seven  feet 
to  the  roof  of  the  main  building.  Bielenberg 
landed  on  his  feet  with  a  force  heavy  enough  to 
burst  the  uppers  from  both  the  soles  of  his 
shoes,  and  was  rescued  unconscious,  while 
Mahoney  had  both  legs  and  collar-bone  broken. 
Bielenberg  was  taken  to  the  hospital  and  re- 
covered so  that  he  was  at  work  again  in  a 
month,  and  remained  on  Engine  No.  1  until  the 
company  was  disbanded.  He  then  worked  in 
the  ship-yard  at  South  Chicago  until  he  joined 
the  Chicago  Fire  Department  December  1,  1894, 
on  Truck  17;  and  was  transferred  September 
1,  1896,  to  Engine  No.  74,  where  he  still  re- 
mains ready  for  any  call  that  may  be  made  for 
his  services  either  of  duty  or  danger. 

Mr.  Bielenberg  was  married  in  Chicago, 
November  5,  1895,  to  Miss  Clara  Kumpf,  and 
two  children  have  been  born  to  them. 

JUDD   E.   BISBEY. 

Judd  E.  Bisbey,  live-stock  commission  mer- 
chant, was  born  in  Perry,  Wyoming  County,  N. 
Y.,  December  3,  1831,  and  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  After  leaving  school  he  went  to 
Winneshiek  County,  Iowa,  in  1852,  and  en- 
tered a  large  number  of  acres  of  land,  which  he 
held  until  it  became  of  value  in  the  market, 
when  he  deeded  it  back  to  the  Government  at 
a  profit  to  himself,  later  deeding  500  "acres  more 
near  Waterloo,  in  the  same  State.  Having  sold 
all  of  his  land,  he  came  to  Belvidere,  111.,  and 
bought  grain  for  ten  years;  then  went  to  Cedar 
Falls,  Iowa,  and  sold  goods  there  for  ten  years, 
coming  to  Chicago  in  1871.  After  his  arrival  in 
Chicago  he  was  employed  by  Wallwork  &  Mai- 
lory  for  one  year,  and  then  by  Hall,  Patter- 
son &  Co.  for  five  years.  The  firm  of  McDon- 
ald, Wolcott  &  Co.  was  organized,  in  which 
he  became  a  partner,  remaining  one  year.  He 
then  found  employment  with  Wagner  Broth- 
ers &  Co.,  remaining  with  them  ten  years;  later 
was  connected  with  the  Iowa  Live  Stock  Com- 
mission Company  for  two  years,  and  then  with 
Rosenbaum  Brothers  &  Co.  up  to  the  present 
time. 

Mr.  Bisbey  was  married  in  Belvidere,  111., 
January  1,  1855,  to  Miss  Lucia  Morse,  and  one 
daughter  has  been  the  fruit  of  this  union.  Mr. 


824 


Bisbey  has  shown  by  his  devotion  to  his  busi- 
ness associates  that  he  is  a  man  of  sterling 
worth,  pleasant,  courteous  and  affable  in  all 
of  his  dealings.  Has  done  his  part  well  in  as- 
sisting to  build  up  this  western  country,  and 
especially  in  Cook  County,  and  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards. 

JOHN  CHARLES  BLACK. 
John  Charles  Black,  lawyer  and  soldier,  born 
at  Lexington,  Miss.,  January  27,  1839,  at  eight 
years  of  age  came  with  his  widowed  mother  to 
Illinois;  while  a  student  at  Wabash  College, 
Ind.,  in  April,  1861,  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army, 
serving  gallantly  and  with  distinction  until 
August  15,  1865,  when,  as  Colonel  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  he  retired 
with  the  rank  of  Brevet-Brigadier-General;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1867,  and  after  practi- 
cing at  Danville,  Champaign  and  Urbana,  in  1885 
was  appointed  Commissioner  of  Pensions,  serv- 
ing until  1889,  when  he  removed  to  Chicago; 
served  as  Congressman-at-large  (1893-95),  and 
United  States  District  Attorney  (1895-99);  Com- 
mander of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  of  the  G.  A. 
R.  (Department  of  Illinois);  was  elected  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  Grand  Army  at  the 
Grand  Encampment,  1903.  Gen.  Black  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  from  his  Alma 
Mater  and  that  of  LL.  D.  from  Knox  College; 
in  January,  1904,  was  appointed  by  President 
Roosevelt  member  of  the  United  States  Civil 
Service  Commission,  and  chosen  its  President. 

JOSEPH  L.  BLACK. 

Joseph  L.  Black,  M.  D.,  practicing  physician, 
Palatine,  Cook  County,  111.,  is  a  native  of  Port- 
land, Ind.,  born  May  22,  1868.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Chicago  Homeopathic  College  in 
1893,  and  from  the  Cook  County  Hospital  on 
October  first  of  the  following  year.  Having 
taken  a  post-graduate  course,  he  located  at 
Palatine,  which  has  been  his  home  ever  since. 
Dr.  Black  has  one  of  the  best  equipped  offices 
in  Cook  County  outside  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
and  devotes  much  time  to  special  treatment 
with  his  static  electric  machine.  On  June  29, 
1898,  he  was  married  to  Rose  Robertson,  of  Bar- 
rington,  111. 

JAMES  BLAIR. 

This  successful  man  of  business,  widely  and 
favorably  known  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer 


of  the  National  Horse  Exchange  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards,  was  born  at  Joliet,  111.,  July  1, 
1862;  received  his  education  in  the  city  public 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  accompanied 
his  father  to  Lenox,  111.,  where  he  worked  on 
the  paternal  dairy  farm  until  he  was  of  age. 
His  business  career  has  been  a  somewhat  varied 
one.  On  leaving  home  he  went  to  Aurora,  111., 
where  he  established  the  firm  of  Blair  Brothers, 
which,  for  ten  years,  imported  and  sold  English 
horses,  he  himself  conducting  a  furniture  and 
undertaking  establishment  for  two  years.  On 
July  10,  1892,  he  first  took  up  his  residence  in 
Chicago  and,  in  September  following,  accepted 
the  position  of  manager  of  the  Moorish  Palace 
at  the  World's  Fair. 

Before  the  close  of  the  Exposition,  on  Sep- 
tember 15,  1893,  Mr.  Blair  organized  the  firm 
of  Evans,  Ellsworth  &  Blair  (incorporated), 
of  which  he  became  President.  A  year  later 
this  corporation  was  dissolved,  to  be  succeeded 
by  the  Blair  &  Evans  Company,  Mr.  Blair  again 
occupying  the  President's  chair.  After  two 
years  Mr.  Blair  bought  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Evans,  and  proceeded  to  organize  the  Blair 
Commission  Company,  of  which  concern  he  is 
both  President  and  Treasurer.  The  company 
does  a  large  and  successful  business,  its  annual 
sales  averaging  about  five  thousand  horses.  In 
the  eight  years  during  which  he  has  carried 
on  business  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards  Mr.  Blair 
has  earned  a  high  reputation  for  sagacity,  sound 
judgment  and  integrity,  and  in  testimony  of 
their  high  confidence  in  his  ability  and  worth, 
his  business  associates  have  elected  him  to  the 
responsible  position  which  he  so  ably  fills.  On 
October  16,  1880,  he  married  Miss  Frances 
Curry,  of  Aurora,  111.,  and  two  children  have 
been  born  to  them. 

RUFUS  BLANCHARD. 

Rufus  Blanchard  was  born  in  Lyndeboro,  N. 
H.,  March  7,  1821.  In  early  boyhood  he  attended 
the  district  school.  At  twelve  years  of  age  he 
entered  Ipswich  Academy,  near  his  home,  and 
later  studied  under  private  tutors  in  higher 
mathematics  and  Latin.  To  state  correctly, 
Mr.  Blanchard  was  a  student  to  the  last  day  of 
his  life.  His  parents  were  well  to  do  for  those 
days,  and  both  father  and  mother  were  descend- 
ed from  ancestry  who  had  been  active  in  the 
making  of  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  history. 
He  went  to  New  York  City  in  the  fall  of  1836 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


825 


accompanied  by  his  father,  and  engaged  in  the 
service  of  Harper  Brothers,  publishers.  The 
next  spring  (1837)  he  witnessed  the  closing  of 
the  doors  of  all  the  banks  in  Wall  Street;  and 
every  bank  in  the  United  States  suspended 
specie  payments  as  soon  as  the  action  of  the 
Wall  Street  banks  became  known.  If  they  had 
not  done  this,  they  would  have  been  drawn 
upon  to  redeem  the  entire  amount  of  their 
circulation  in  specie.  The  Wall  Street  banks 
did  not  keep  their  doors  closed  more  than  two 
days,  and  after  opening  again  they  did  business 
as  usual,  except  that  they  paid  out  no  specie. 
This  suspension  lasted  about  two  years,  during 
which  time  gold  and  silver  commanded  a  pre- 
mium of  about  twenty  per  cent,  silver  being 
held  in  special  demand,  as  it  was  wanted  for 
making  change.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
panic  of  1837  for  which  President  Andrew 
Jackson  was  held  responsible.  In  1838  Mr. 
Blanchard,  with  his  older  brother,  Edwin,  went 
to  Ohio,  bought  land  and  engaged  in  farming 
for  three  years,  teaching  school  during  each 
winter  in  log  school-houses.  No  fads  were 
taught,  but  a  number  of  his  scholars  were  well 
advanced  in  their  respective  studies,  embracing 
the  higher  branches  of  mathematics. 

In  1847  Mr.  Blanchard  opened  a  book  and  map 
store  in  Cincinnati,  operating  a  branch  during 
the  winter  season  in  New  Orleans.  Leaving 
Cincinnati  in  1850  he  went  to  New  York  City 
and  formed  a  partnership  at  195  Broadway  with 
Charles  Morse,  son  of  the  inventor  of  the  tele- 
graph, and  they  were  the  first  in  the  United 
States  to  publish  maps  engraved  in  cerography, 
now  called  wax-engraving.  Sidney  E.  Morse, 
editor  of  the  "New  York  Observer,"  and  brother 
of  the  telegraph  inventor,  improved  upon  this 
system  of  engraving,  as  it  had  been  practiced 
in  Germany,  and  gave  his  nephew  Charles  and 
Mr.  Blanchard  the  benefit  of  his  new  methods. 
In  1853  this  partnership  was  dissolved  by  mut- 
ual consent,  and  Mr.  Blanchard  transferred 
his  business  to  Chicago,  and  opened  a  general 
book  and  map  store,  where,  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  he  was  engaged  in  publishing  maps 
and  writing  history.  His  last  work,  "Docu- 
mentary History  of  Cession  of  Louisiana  to  the 
United  States,"  was  published  a  few  months  be- 
fore his  death,  soon  after  the  publication  of  his 
history  of  "The  North-West  and  Chicago."  His 
pursuit  of  science  was  confined  to  such  studies 
in  Mathematics  and  the  languages  as  were 


necessary  in  his  business  and  literary  vocation. 
Mr.  Blanchard  died  at  his  home  atWheaton,  111., 
January  3,  1904,  having  nearly  rounded  out  a 
full  eighty-three  years  of  active  life.  He  was 
slightly  ill  for  two  hours,  but  his  mind  was 
clear  to  the  last  moment  of  life  when,  without 
warning  or  struggle,  he  closed  his  eyes  and 
gently  passed  away.  Mr.  Blanchard  was  an 
easy  writer  and  deep  thinker,  a  man  who  made 
friends  and  retained  them  always  through  his 
natural  force  of  character  and  kindly  disposi- 
tion. He  had  no  children.  His  wife  survives 
him. 

JAMES   C.   BLANEY. 

James  C.  Blaney,  former  Assistant  Engineer, 
Fullerton  Avenue  Pumping  Station,  now  Chief 
Boiler  Inspector,  city  of  Chicago,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  January  10,  1862;  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1867,  and  here  attended  the  Coleman 
public  school.  After  leaving  school  he  served 
his  time  at  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  boiler 
shops,  remaining  there  six  years;  then  worked 
for  C.  P.  Willard  &  Co.  (now  Chicago  Marine 
Works)  for  one  and  a  half  years,  when  he  "be- 
came Assistant  Superintendent  for  the  Marine 
Boiler  Works,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  (afterwards  sold 
to  E.  P.  Allis  &  Co.),  remaining  in  that  position 
three  years.  Returning  to  Chicago,  he  worked 
for  Jonathan  Clark  &  Co.  as  mechanical  en- 
gineer, assisting  in  the  construction  of  the  Art 
Institute  building;  later  went  to  the  Stock  Yards 
for  the  American  Glue  Company,  and  when  they 
started  was  appointed  Chief  Engineer  of  their 
works,  remaining  two  and  a  half  years.  He 
next  occupied  a  position  for  two  years  as  fire- 
man at  the  boiler-shop  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Blaney  stood  at  the  head  of  a  list  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  applicants  as  boiler-worker, 
and  in  February,  1898,  received  an  appointment 
to  the  Chicago  Avenue  Pumping  Station.  In 
1885  he  was  "tapper"  for  the  Town  of  Lake 
water- works;  later  took  charge,  as  general  fore- 
man, of  the  erection  and  repairs  of  all  the 
boilers  and  tanks  of  Swift  &  Company,  Union 
Stock  Yards,  remaining  two  years,  and  then  in 
1892  started  in  business  for  himself  at  the  Gar- 
den City  Boiler-Works,  LaSalle  and  Root 
Streets.  He  continued  his  connection  with  this 
concern  until  1896,  when,  after  working  at 
several  places,  he  took  the  civil  service  exam- 
ination and  was  one  of  fourteen  out  of 
ninety-seven  applicants  who  passed  for  the  posi- 


8a6 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


tion  of  mechanical  engineer.  He  was  appointed 
to  the  Bridgeport  Pumping  Station  as  Assist- 
ant Engineer,  remaining  until  July  24,  1900, 
when  the  city  turned  the  station  over  to  the 
Sanitary  District.  He  was  then  transferred  to 
the  Fullerton  Avenue  Pumping  Station,  but 
later,  in  January,  1901,  Mr.  Blaney  took  Cook 
County  civil  service  examination  in  mechanical 
engineering,  and  was  one  of  the  five  who 
passed;  was  appointed  Assistant  Engineer  for 
the  Cook  County  Hospital,  but  declined  the 
appointment.  Later  he  was  appointed  Chief 
Boiler  Inspector,  a  position  which  he  still  holds. 
Mr.  Blaney  was  married  to  Miss  Agnes  F. 
Leach  in  Chicago,  August  28,  1884,  and  they 
have  had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

ELIPHALET   WICKES   BLATCHFORD. 

Eliphalet  Wickes  Blatchford,  LL.D.,  son  of 
John  Blatchford,  D.  D.,  was  born  at  Stillwater, 
N.  Y.,  May  31,  1826,  being  a  grandson  of  Samuel 
Blatchford,  D.  D.,  who  came  to  New  York  from 
England  in  1795.  He  prepared  for  college  at 
Lansingburgh  Academy,  New  York,  and  at 
Marion  College,  Mo.,  finally  graduating  at  Illi- 
nois College,  Jacksonville,  in  the  class  of  1845. 
After  graduating  he  was  employed  for  several 
years  in  the  law  offices  of  his  uncles,  R.  M.  and 
E.  H.  Blatchford,  New  York.  For  considera- 
tions of  health  he  returned  to  the  West,  and,  in 
1850,  engaged  in  business  for  himself  as  a  lead 
manufacturer  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  afterwards  asso- 
ciating with  him  the  late  Morris  Collins,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Blatchford  &  Collins.  In  1854 
a  branch  was  established  in  Chicago,  known  as 
Collins  &  Blatchford.  After  a  few  years  the 
firm  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Blatchford  taking  the 
Chicago  business,  which  has  been  continued  as 
E.  W.  Blatchford  &  Co.,  to  the  present  time 
(1905). 

While  Mr.  Blatchford  has  invariably  declined 
political  offices,  he  has  been  recognized  as  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  the  services  of  few  men 
have  been  in  more  frequent  request  for  posi- 
tions of  trust  in  connection  with  educational 
and  benevolent  enterprises.  Among  the  numer- 
ous positions  of  this  character  which  he  has 
been  called  to  fill  are  those  of  Treasurer  of  the 
Northwestern  Branch  of  the  United  States  San- 
itary Commission  during  the  Civil  War,  to 
which  he  devoted  a  large  part  of  his  time; 
Trustee  of  Illinois  College  (1866-75);  President 


of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences;  a  member, 
and  for  seventeen  years  President,  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  Chicago  Eye  and  Ear  In- 
firmary; Trustee  of  the  Chicago  Art  Institute; 
Executor  and  Trustee  of  the  estate  of  the  late 
Walter  L.  Newberry,  and,  since  its  incorpora- 
tion, President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
The  Newberry  Library;  Trustee  of  the  John 
Crerar  Library;  one  of  the  founders  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Chicago 
Manual  Training  School;  life  member  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society;  for  nearly  forty 
years  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary;  during  his  resi- 
dence in  Chicago  an  officer  of  the  New  England 
Congregational  Church;  a  corporate  member  of 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions,  and  for  fourteen  years  its  Vice- 
President;  a  charter  member  of  the  City  Mis- 
sionary Society,  and  of  the  Congregational  Club 
of  Chicago;  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Union 
League,  the  University,  the  Literary,  and  the 
Commercial  Clubs,  of  which  latter  he  has  been 
President. 

October  7,  1858,  Mr.  Blatchford  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Emily  Williams,  daughter  of  John 
C.  Williams,  of  Chicago.  Seven  children — 
four  sons  and  three  daughters — have  blessed 
this  union,  the  eldest  son,  Paul,  being  today  one 
of  Chicago's  valued  business  men.  Mr.  Blatch- 
ford's  life  has  been  one  of  ceaseless  and  suc- 
cessful activity  in  business  and  philanthropy, 
and  to  such  men  Chicago  owes  much.  In  the 
giving  of  time  and  money  for  Christian,  edu- 
cational, and  benevolent  enterprises,  he  has 
been  conspicuous  for  his  generosity,  and  noted 
for  his  valuable  counsel  and  executive  ability 
in  carrying  these  enterprises  to  success. 

JAMES  BLIGH. 

James  Bligh  (deceased),  pioneer  live  stock 
dealer  and  commission  merchant,  was  born  in 
Roscommon,  Ireland,  April  4,  1832;  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools,  and  after  leaving 
school  was  appointed  agent  for  the  Inman 
Steamship  line  in  his  native  city,  remaining  in 
that  position  until  he  came  to  Providence,  R. 
I.,  in  1854,  and  to  Chicago  in  1855.  After  com- 
ing to  Providence  he  was  for  a  time  interested 
in  the  construction  of  the  railroad  from  Prov- 
idence to  Newport.  After  arriving  in  Chicago 
he  bought  cattle  in  the  country  on  his  own  ac- 
count and  shipped  them  from  different  local- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


827 


ities  to  the  Ft.  Wayne  Stock  Yards,  Chicago, 
for  eight  years;  then  bought  in  the  Chicago 
market  through  Nichols  &  Adams,  and  later 
formed  a  partnership  with  the  late  W.  T. 
Keenan,  continuing  in  this  line  seven  years, 
buying  and  shipping  cattle  to  the  Lake  Superior 
region,  and  trading  them  for  furs  and  other 
commodities  with  the  Indians  and  others.  He 
had  a  shipment  of  cattle  aboard  the  steamer 
"Lady  Elgin"  when  she  was  lost  off  Gross 
Point,  on  November  7,  1860,  and  dead  cattle 
were  strewn  along  the  shore  between  Evanston 
and  Gross  Point.  The  man  in  charge  was  lost, 
but  Mr.  Bligh  was  fortunate  enough  to  miss  the 
boat,  and  consequently  his  life  was  saved. 

He  then  organized  the  firm  of  James  Bligh  & 
Co.,  his  son,  William  J.  Bligh,  being  the  other 
member,  which  continued  for  two  years  until 
his  health  failed  him,  when  he  returned  to  his 
birthplace  in  Ireland,  where  on  May  10,  1880 
(eighteen  months  later),  he  passed  away,  and 
where  his  remains  repose.  He  was  an  esteemed 
member  of  Home  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Engle- 
wood,  and  one  of  the  pioneers  who  helped  in 
the  upbuilding  of  Chicago  and  the  Union  Stock 
Yards. 

Mr.  Bligh  was  married  in  Providence,  R.  I., 
in  June,  1856,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Notley,  and  four 
children  blessed  their  union,  three  of  whom 
are  now  living,  viz.:  G.  H.  Bligh,  W.  J.  Bligh 
and  Mrs.  E.  Thorne,  formerly  Anna  Bligh.  His 
widow,  Mrs.  E.  Bligh,  now  resides  at  6407  Ellis 
avenue,  Chicago. 

EDWARD  M.  BLOCKS. 

Edward  Blocks,  furniture  dealer  and  under- 
taker, Barrington,  Cook  County,  111.,  was  born 
in  Chicago,  111.,  in  1864,  and  educated  in  his 
native  place.  He  learned  the  trade  of  harness- 
making  and  wood-turning  and  in  1893  settled 
in  Barrington,  establishing  himself  there  in  the 
undertaking  and  furniture  business.  He  and 
his  wife  Olive  have  two  children — both  girls — 
named  Sadie  and  Magdeline. 

ABRAHAM  BLUM. 

Abraham  Blum,  hotel-keeper,  Arlington 
Heights,  111.,  was  born  at  Dunton,  111.,  in  1861, 
the  son  of  Meyer  Blum,  a  native  of  Alsace, 
France  (now  Germany),  who  came  to  Cook 
County  in  1854,  and,  in  1856,  married  Henrietta 
Minchrod.  On  November  25,  1888,  Mr.  Blum  -was 
married  at  Lima,  Ohio,  to  Fannie  Kohn,  and 


they    have    three    children — two    sons    and    a 
daughter. 

PAUL  J.  BLUM. 

Paul  J.  Blum,  Superintendent  McReynolds 
Elevator  A,  South  Chicago,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, October  3,  1872,  the  son  of  John  and 
Catharine  Blum,  who  had  a  family  of  six  sons 
and  six  daughters.  When  only  seven  years  of 
age,  Paul  J.  came  to  America  with  his  brother 
Joseph  J.,  here  attended  the  public  schools,  and 
when  he  had  reached  eleven  years  of  age,  en- 
tered into  the  employment  of  the  Brunswick 
Pool-Table  Manufacturing  Company.  In  the 
meantime  he  continued  his  attendance  on  the 
night  schools,  graduating  in  the  common 
branches.  Mr.  Blum  has  been  engaged  in  the 
elevator  business  some  fifteen  years,  beginning 
as  a  shoveler  in  the  Keith  &  Company  Elevator, 
on  Halsted  and  Archer  avenue,  later  became 
foreman  at  the  National  Elevator  on  Archer 
Avenue,  where  he  remained  seven  years.  In 
1897  he  entered  into  the  employment  of  Charles 
Counselman  as  foreman  at  the  Englewood  Ele- 
vator, in  1900  becoming  connected  with  the  Mc- 
Reynolds Company,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained, in  1901  being  promoted  to  the  position 
of  Superintendent  and  now  having  full  charge. 
The  McReynolds  Elevator  was  erected  in  1900, 
is  thoroughly  equipped  with  modern  machinery 
and  has  a  capacity  of  one  and  a  half  million 
bushels.  Mr.  Blum  is  married,  and  shows  his 
foresight  by  carrying  a  life  insurance  of  $5,000. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious 
association  a  communicant  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

AUGUST  C.  BOEBER. 

August  C.  Boeber,  prominent  business  man 
and  City  Treasurer  of  Blue  Island,  was  born  in 
Blue  Island,  December  17,  1857,  the  son  of  Fred 
and  Elizabeth  (Hanzen)  Boeber,  both  natives  of 
Germany,  the  father  of  Saxony  and  the  mother 
of  Baden.  The  former  came  to  America  and 
to  Blue  Island  in  1842,  and  the  latter  to  Chi- 
cago in  1838,  and  later  to  Blue  Island,  where 
they  were  married,  and  where  the  father  car- 
ried on  farming,  dying  there  in  1894.  They  had 
a  family  of  eight  children,  viz.:  Minnie  (de- 
ceased), Hannah  (now  Mrs.  Schultz,  of  Elgin, 
111.),  Charles  (of  Blue  Island),  William  (in 
hardware  business),  Julia  (Mrs.  Blatt,  of  En- 
glewood), A.  C.,  Lizzie  (Mrs.  Heineck,  of  Blue 
Island),  and  Anna  (Mrs.  Neim,  of  Blue  Island). 
The  mother  still  resides  in  Blue  Island.  Au- 


828 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


gust  C.  Boeber  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Blue  Island  and  at  twenty-one  years  of  age 
embarked  in  the  coal  and  ice  trade,  which  he 
continued  until  selling  out  his  interest  in  the 
coal  business;  he  has  since  given  his  attention 
exclusively  to  the  ice  trade. 

Mr.  Boeber  marriel  in  Blue  Island  Barbara 
Fiedler,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Catharine  Fiedler,  coming  to 
Illinois  with  her  parents  from  their  native  coun- 
try. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boeber  have  had  four  chil- 
dren born  to  them:  Clara,  Ellen,  Irene  and 
Gilbert.  Mr.  Boeber  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Blue  Island  Board  of  Trustees  in  1887,  and 
again  in  1890;  in  1901  was  elected  City  Treas- 
urer of  the  newly  organized  city  of  Blue  Island. 
In  1902  he  was  a  candidate  on  the  Republican 
ticket  for  County  Commissioner  for  the  coun- 
try districts,  and  was  elected,  receiving  the 
largest  vote  of  any  candidate  on  the  ticket  for 
that  office,  and  being  re-elected  in  1904.  Socially 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  of 
the  Liederkranz  Society;  is  also  a  member  of 
the  German  Lutheran  Church. 

ANDREW  H.  BOEHNER. 

August  H.  Boehner,  cheese  and  butter  man- 
ufacturer, Barrington  Township,  Cook  County, 
111.,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1854  and  educated 
in  his  native  country.  He  came  to  Barrington, 
his  present  place  of  residence,  in  1875,  and  in 
1879  was  married  at  Elgin,  111.,  to  Sophia  Wal- 
baum,  by  whom  he  has  seven  children — Laura, 
Malinda,  Franklin  (deceased),  Louise,  Arthur, 
Edna  (deceased),  and  Marguerite.  Mr.  Boehner 
is  engaged  in  the  cheese  and  butter  manufac- 
ture, and  produces  about  900  pounds  of  cheese 
and  400  pounds  of  butter  daily.  He  is  one  of  the 
Supervisors  of  Cook  County,  having  been  first 
elected  in  1899,  and  has  also  been  a  member  of 
the  Barrington  School  Board  for  four  years. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  in  religious 
faith  a  menber  of  the  United  Evangelical 
Church. 

HENRY   BOLTE. 

Henry  Bolte,  Postmaster,  Arlington  Heights, 
111.,  was  born  in  Germany,  June  4,  1843,  the  son 
of  Otto  and  Engel  Marie  (Russel)  Bolte,  both 
natives  of  Germany,  who  emigrated  to  America 
in  1857,  first  settling  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  The 
following  spring  the  family  removed  to  Cook 
County,  111.,  where  young  Bolte  found  employ- 
ment on  the  farm  of  his  uncle,  Henry  Russel, 


but  two  years  later  was  apprenticed  to  learn 
the  shoemaker's  trade  with  John  King,  of  Ar- 
lington Heights.  In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  Company  I,  Seventy-second  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  under  command  of  Capt.  (after- 
wards Lieutenant-Colonel)  James  A.  Sexton, 
and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Champion  Hill, 
Big  Black,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  battles 
of  Franklin,  Nashville,  Fort  Blakely  and  Span- 
ish Fort,  being  mustered  out  at  Vicksburg,  Au- 
gust 6,  1865.  Returning  to  Arlington  Heights, 
he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  time,  but  later 
spent  eight  years  in  Minnesota.  Again  return- 
ing to  Arlington  Heights  in  1875,  he  opened  a 
shoe  store,  where  he  has  since  continued  in 
business.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  Postmaster 
at  Arlington  Heights,  serving  one  term,  and  in 
1897,  was  reappointed  by  President  McKinley, 
retaining  the  office  until  May  15,  1904. 

HENRY  LEONIDAS  BOLTWOOD. 

Henry  Leonidas  Boltwood,  teacher,  Evanston, 
111.,  is  descended  from  a  Massachusetts  family, 
his  paternal  great-grandfather,  William  Bolt- 
wood,  having  been  born  at  Hadley  in  that  State, 
while  his  grandfather,  also  named  William,  was 
a  native  of  Amherst.  On  the  material  side  he 
is  descended  from  Jacob  Stetson,  of  Abington, 
Mass.,  where  his  mother,  Electa  (Stetson)  Bolt- 
wood,  was  born.  Professor  Boltwood  was  born 
at  Amherst,  Mass.,  January  17,  1831,  fitted  for 
college  at  Amherst  Academy,  and  graduated 
from  Amherst  College  in  1853.  While  in  college 
he  began  his  career  as  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools,  and,  after  graduation,  taught  in  acad- 
emies at  Limerick,  Me.,  Pembroke  and  Derry, 
N.  H.,  and  in  the  high  schools  at  Palmer  and 
Lawrence.  Mass.  On  July  31,  1855,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Helen  Eugenia  Field,  of  Charle- 
mont,  Mass.,  and  of  this  union  only  one  child 
(Charles  Edward)  was  born,  who  graduated  at 
Amherst  College  in  1881  and  died  December  23, 
1884.  Professor  Boltwood  also  served  for  a 
time  as  School  Commissioner  for  Rockingham 
County,  N.  H. 

In  1864  Professor  Boltwood  entered  the  serv- 
ice of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission  in 
the  Department  of  the  Gulf,  and,  during  the 
following  year,  was  ordained  Army  Chaplain 
for  the  Sixty-seventh  United  States  Colored 
Regiment,  but  was  never  formally  mustered  into 
the  service.  In  August,  1865,  he  removed  to 
Illinois  and  became  Superintendent  of  Schools 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


829 


at  Griggsville,  Pike  County,  where  he  remained 
two  years.  In  1867,  on  the  recommendation  of 
the  late  Dr.  Newton  Bateman,  then  State  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Principal  of  the  first  township  high 
school  established  in  Illinois,  which  was  organ- 
ized at  Princeton,  Bureau  County,  where  he 
remained  eleven  years,  making  the  school  a 
decided  success.  In  1878  he  organized  the  town- 
ship high  school  at  Ottawa,  remaining  there 
five  years,  and  then  in  1883  removed  to  Evans- 
ton,  111.,  to  organize  and  take  charge  of  the 
township  high  school  there,  with  which  he  has 
been  connected  continuously  ever  since,  cover- 
ing a  period  of  over  twenty  years. 

During  the  thirty-nine  years  of  his  connection 
with  the  public  school  system  of  Illinois,  Prof. 
Boltwood  has  occupied  a  prominent  place  among 
the  teachers  of  the  State.  He  served  for  a  time 
as  President  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  has  been  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education,  and  especially  active  in 
securing  important  legislation  affecting  the 
State  school  system.  He  has  devoted  much 
attention  to  the  English  language  and  litera- 
ture, and  is  the  author  of  an  English  Grammar, 
two  Readers,  a  High  School  Speller,  and  a 
"Topical  Outline  of  General  History."  In  reli- 
gion he  is  a  Congregationalist,  and  in  politics 
an  Independent  with  a  strong  bent  in  favor  of 
tariff  reform.  June  17,  1903,  Prof.  Boltwood 
completed  fifty  full  years  service  as  teacher, 
and  the  Evanston  Township  Board  of  Educa- 
tion honored  him  with  a  public  reception 
which  was  attended  by  nearly  a  thousand  of 
his  former  pupils  and  friends.  The  President 
of  the  Board,  in  behalf  of  the  citizens,  pre- 
sented him  with  a  purse  of  $500. 

CHARLES  A.   BOND. 

The  life  of  Mr.  Charles  A.  Bond  is  an  inter- 
esting one,  if  for  nothing  else  because  it  illus- 
trates the  possibility  of  beginning  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  ladder  and  resolutely  climbing  up- 
ward, rung  by  rung.  He  is  a  Rhode  Islander 
by  birth,  having  been  born  at  Providence  on 
November  12,  1863.  Since  March,  1872,  his 
home  has  been  in  Chicago,  where  at  present 
he  is  prominently  identified  with  the  live-stock 
interests  which  center  in  and  around  the  Union 
Stock  Yards.  After  completing  his  course  at 
the  Cottage  Grove  Avenue  (public)  School,  he 
worked  at  various  places,  as  opportunity  offered, 


until  1876,  when  he  began  working  at  the  stock 
yards.  His  first  employers  there  were  Horine 
Brothers  &  Co.,  with  whom  he  remained  for 
a  year,  when  he  entered  the  service  of  Martin 
Brothers,  continuing  there  over  five  years,  when 
he  engaged  with  S.  R.  Noe  &  Co.,  for  whom  he 
worked  another  year.  In  1884  he  obtained  a 
position  with  Simon  O'Donnell  &  Co.,  and  in 
1899,  after  fifteen  years  of  faithful  service,  was 
admitted  to  partnership  with  the  firm.  In  the 
spring  of  1903  he  withdrew  and  went  into  gen- 
eral insurance  business  at  the  Union  Stock 
Yards,  where  he  has  made  a  great  success  in 
his  new  endeavor.  Mr.  Bond  is  of  a  genial 
and  social  temperament,  fond  of  company  and 
has  many  friends.  He  is  an  influential  member 
of  several  fraternal  organizations,  including  the 
Knights  Templar,  being  a  member  of  Engle- 
wood  Commandery,  No.  59. 

LESTER  LE  GRAND   BOND. 

Lester  L. Bond, lawyer,  (deceased), was  born  at 
Ravenna,  Ohio,  October  27,  1829,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  an  academy, 
meanwhile  laboring  in  local  factories.  Later 
he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1853,  the  following  year  coming  to  Chicago, 
where  he  remained  during  the  rest  of  his  life, 
giving  his  attention  chiefly  to  practice  in  con- 
nection with  patent  laws.  Mr.  Bond  served 
several  terms  in  the  Chicago  City  Council,  was 
Republican  Presidential  Elector  in  1872,  and 
served  two  terms  as  Representative  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  (1866-70).  He  was  a  prominent 
Mason  and  member  of  the  Union  League  and 
Illinois  clubs.  Mr.  Bond's  death  occurred  April 
15,  1903,  after  a  residence  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago of  fifty  years. 

JOHN   C.    BONE. 

The  life  story  of  John  C.  Bone,  for  many 
years  in  business  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards, 
shows  the  high  degree  of  success  that  may 
be  attained  by  industrious  business  habits 
backed  by  resolute  purpose.  He  first  saw  the 
light  on  a  farm  near  Nashville,  Tenn.,  -Septem- 
ber 7,  1817,  whence  his  parents  removed  to  Illi- 
nois in  October,  1824,  settling  at  Springfield. 
His  minority  was  spent  on  his  father's  farm, 
until,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  secured  a 
farm  for  himself  adjacent  to  his  father's  on 
Rock  Creek,  in  Menard  County.  Here  he 
raised  live  slock,  at  the  same  time  buying  and 


830 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


selling  more  or  less  extensively.  In  1845  he 
commenced  shipping  to  Chicago,  and  in  1856- 
57  he  sought  the  markets  of  Albany,  N.  Y., 
Boston  and  Brighton,  not  being  able  to  dispose 
of  his  cattle  in  Chicago.  This  business  he  car- 
ried on  until  1871,  in  that  year  taking  up 
his  residence  in  this  city.  For  two  years  he 
sold  cattle  and  hogs  for  Jesse  Adams,  and  then 
entered  into  the  commission  business  on  his 
own  account.  In  this  he  was  very  successful 
until  1896,  when  failing  health  compelled  his 
retirement  from  active  business.  His  death 
occurred  November  17,  1901. 

Mr.  Bone  was  married  four  times,  his  first 
wife  being  Catherine  S.  Foster,  the  daughter 
of  a  farmer  near  Springfield,  111.  Their  only 
daughter  died  in  infancy,  and  Mrs.  Bone  passed 
away  in  1841.  Four  years  later,  on  April  1, 
1845,  he  was  united  to  Elizabeth  J.  Purvines, 
near  Pleasant  Plains,  Sangamon  County.  Their 
only  child,  Almeda,  is  the  widow  of  Robert 
Harrison.  The  second  Mrs.  Bone  died  in  1852, 
and  in  1854  he  married  Lydia  Ann  Purvines, 
also  of  Pleasant  Plains,  who  bore  him  one 
daughter,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Mary  Long,  a  widow. 
Two  years  after  her  death,  which  occurred  in 
1862,  he  became  the  husband  of  Nancy  F.  Pur- 
vines. The  issue  of  this  marriage  has  been 
three  sons  and  one  daughter,  one  son — John — 
being  deceased.  The  children  of  the  last  mar- 
riage still  living  are:  Charles  R.  M.,  Carrie 
Barrett  and  Orland  Smith. 

FRANCIS  B.  H.  BONTER. 
Francis  B.  H.  Bonter,  contractor,  attorney  and 
searcher  of  taxes,  was  born  in  Belleville,  On 
tario,  Canada,  September  '  25,  1837,  and  edu- 
cated in  a  district  school  and  at  Queen's  Col- 
lege, Kingston,  Canada.  After  graduating  from 
Queen's  College,  in  1853,  he  became  purser  on 
his  father's  steamboats  between  Trenton  and 
Kingston  and  Trenton  and  Montreal,  for  eleven 
years.  He  then  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon. 
John  Ross  and  John  Bell  at  Belleville,  Canada, 
and  after  remaining  one  year,  was  obliged  to 
leave  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  next  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad 
Company,  first  on  the  west  end,  in  training  for 
a  position  as  conductor,  whence  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  east  end,  where,  having  been  in- 
jured, he  resigned  in  1857.  He  then  studied 
dentistry  for  one  year  with  his  brother  in 
Goderich,  when  he  engaged  in  the  soda-water 


business  for  five  years,  coming  to  Chicago  July 
12,  1865.  Here  he  worked  for  Fred  H.  Avers 
as  a  carpenter,  and  later  for  A.  J.  Stapley,  until 
he  entered  into  the  employment  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company  in  1886,  where  he 
remained  one  year.  Then  after  spending  some 
time  in  the  employment  of  A.  J.  Stapley  he 
was  engaged  in  business  as  a  contractor  and 
sidewalk  builder  for  twenty  years,  when  he 
entered  the  business  of  examination  and  search- 
ing of  tax  titles. 

Mr.  Bonter  was  married  in  Watertown,  N. 
Y.  March  13,  1864,  to  Mrs.  Lodica  M.  Hunter, 
who  passed  away  in  1881.  On  February  23, 
1882,  he  married  Mrs.  Esther  C.  Hedstrom  of 
Chicago,  and  three  children  have  blessed  their 
union. 

NATHANIEL     SHERMAN     BOUTON. 

It  is  an  ecclesiastical  aphorism  that  "the 
blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  church." 
Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  certain  that  the  blood 
of  the  Huguenots,  who  fled  from  France  after 
the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  has  shown 
its  vital  power  in  the  earnest  faith  and  vir- 
tuous lives  of  their  descendants,  men  and 
women,  in  every  land  where  the  emigrants 
found  shelter,  built  homes  and  reared  families. 
It  is  from  this  illustrious  stock  that  Mr. 
Nathaniel  S.  Bouton  claims  descent  on  the 
paternal  side.  He  belongs  to  the  seventh  gen- 
eration in  direct  line  of  descent  from  John 
Bouton,  a  Huguenot,  who  emigrated  from  Eng- 
land, and  was  the  founder  of  the  family  in 
this  country.  Mr.  Bouton's  father  was  a  clergy- 
man and  Doctor  of  Divinity,  receiving  his  de- 
gree from  Dartmouth  College.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Norwalk,  Conn.,  and  a  Yale  graduate. 
In  his  day  he  was  one  of  the  best  known  Con- 
gregational divines  in  New  England,  and 
served  for  many  years  as  State  Historian  of 
New  Hampshire,  being  the  author  of  many 
essays  showing  profound  research.  For  fifty- 
two  years  he  lived  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  dur- 
ing forty-three  years  filled  one  pastorate.  His 
wife,  Harriet  Sherman,  was  a  granddaughter 
of  the  renowned  Roger  Sherman.  Dr.  Bouton 
died  in  1878,  and  a  posthumous  autobiography, 
edited  by  his  son,  John  Bell  Bouton,  appeared 
soon  afterward. 

Nathaniel  S.  Bouton  was  born  in  the  parson- 
age at  Concord,  N.  H.,  May  14,  1828.  At  four- 
teen years  of  age  he  left  home  and  started  in 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


831 


life  for  himself.  Going  to  Connecticut  he 
worked  there  on  a  farm  for  wages,  attending 
school  in  the  winter;  when  sixteen  years 
old  he  taught  school  in  Granby,  Mass.,  and 
later  in  New  Hampshire.  In  the  fall  of  1846 
he  took  a  journey  into  the  West,  traveling 
through  Wisconsin  and  Northern  Illinois  on 
foot,  prospecting.  Returning  to  New  Hamp- 
shire during  the  winter,  he  entered  into  the 
employment  of  E.  S.  Fairbanks  &  Co.,  scale 
manufacturers,  of  St.  Johnsburg,  Vt,  as  trav- 
eling salesman,  continuing  in  their  employ  more 
than  five  years.  This  was  in  1846-52,  and  it 
was  on  horseback  and  by  stage  coaches  that 
the  young  traveler  covered  the  territory  as- 
signed him,  which  included  Pennsylvania,  Vir- 
ginia, Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Michigan. 

Having  thus  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the 
future  possibilities  of  Chicago  and  the  enor- 
mous resources  of  the  territory  naturally  trib- 
utary to  it,  in  the  fall  of  1852  he  came  to  this 
city  in  the  employ  of  George  W.  Sizer  &  Co., 
iron-founders  of  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  here  built  up  and  managed  a  plant  for  them, 
the  following  year  being  taken  into  partner- 
ship of  the  concern.  In  1855  he  bought  out 
the  interests  of  Sizer  &  Co.,  continuing  the 
business  under  the  name  of  N.  S.  Bouton.  At 
the  same  time  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
Stone  &  Boomer,  of  the  Union  Car  and  Bridge 
Works,  the  firm  then  becoming  Stone,  Boomer 
&  Bouton.  In  1857  Stone,  Boomer  &  Bouton  sold 
out  their  plant  to  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
when  Mr.  Bouton  proceeded  to  enlarge  his  foun- 
dry business  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Fif- 
teenth streets,  having  added  to  it  by  purchase 
the  architectural  department  of  the  Fred  Letz 
Iron  Foundry. 

Mr.  Bouton's  business  career  has  been  one  of 
conspicuous  and  almost  uninterrupted  success. 
His  business  associations  have  undergone  many 
changes,  yet  among  them  all  the  reputation  of 
his  house  for  excellence  of  work  and  rigid 
fidelity  to  contract  has  remained  unexcelled. 
The  firms  with  which  he  has  been  connected 
have  erected  most  of  the  railroad  bridges  on 
western  railways,  among  them  being  the  double 
span  at  Rock  Island,  the  first  to  cross  the  Mis- 
sissippi. All  descriptions  of  railway  material, 
and  notably  cars,  have  been  among  their  out- 
put. The  concern  of  which  he  was  the  head 
secured  contracts  for  the  architectural  iron 
work  in  the  principal  hostelries  and  business 


blocks  of  the  city,  the  custom  houses  at  Chi- 
cago and  St.  Louis,  the  State  houses  of  Illinois 
and  Iowa,  and  a  majority  of  the  grain  elevators 
in  this  city.  In  1881,  under  the  inducement 
of  overtures  from  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Com- 
pany, the  plant  was  removed  to  Pullman  and 
greatly  enlarged,  a  new  corporation,  the  Union 
Foundry  Company  and  Pullman  Car  Wheel 
Works,  being  formed.  The  new  works  cov- 
ered eleven  acres  and  employed  600  men,  the 
monthly  pay-roll  being  about  $30,000  and  the 
annual  output  valued  at  $1,500,000.  In  1886 
Mr.  Bouton  disposed  of  his  interests  in  this 
concern,  to  establish  the  Bouton  Foundry  Com- 
pany, in  Chicago,  his  chief  object  in  so  doing 
being  to  aid  young  men  in  his  employ,  while 
contemplating  his  early  retirement.  During 
his  entire  career,  to  extend  a  helping  hand 
to  this  class  of  his  employes  has  been  one  of 
his  most  cherished  and  constant  aims.  No 
matter  how  great  the  magnitude  or  the  pres- 
sure of  his  most  important  business  interests, 
no  one  having  a  claim  upon  his  attention 
failed  to  find  him  easy  of  access,  while  his 
kindly,  sympathetic  nature  prompted  him  to 
aid  with  friendly  counsel  and  material  help 
as  well.  Today  there  exist  not  less  than  seven 
concerns  in  the  iron  trade  and  allied  lines  in 
this  great  manufacturing  center,  founded  by 
young  men  whom,  he  trained  and  helped,  while 
scores  of  others  owe  their  first  start,  toward 
success  to  his  unostentatious  and  well  directed 
kindness. 

In  his  political  creed  Mr.  Bouton  is  a  Repub- 
lican, although,  in  municipal  elections,  he  acts 
independently  of  party  ties.  Besides  giving 
his  attention  to  the  foundry  business  in  1857, 
he  accepted  from  Mayor  John  Wentworth  the 
position  of  Superintendent  of  Public  Works, 
which  he  held  during  Mr.  Wentworth's  admin- 
istration and  that  of  his  successor,  John  C. 
Haines;  and  it  was  during  his  occupancy  of 
this  office  that  the  grades  of  the  city  streets 
were  established  and  the  work  of  raising  them 
to  grade  and  paving  them  was  inaugurated. 
About  the  same  time,  also,  the  "pivot  bridge" 
came  into  use  in  place  of  the  old  "jack-knife 
bridge."  In  1862  he  was  commissioned  Quar- 
termaster of  the  Eighty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  served  as  a  staff  officer  until  after  the 
battle  at  Chickamauga,  when  he  tendered  his 
resignation. 

In  religious  and  charitable  work  he  is  zealous 


832 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


and  indefatigable.     He  was  one  of  the  twelve 
charter   members    of   the    Chicago   Relief    and 
Aid    Society,   and    rendered   indefatigable   and 
invaluable  personal  aid  in  the  distribution  of 
the  large  sums  sent  to  the  aid  of  the  sufferers 
from   the  Chicago  fire.     For  several  years  he 
was   President  of  the   Young  Men's   Christian 
Association,   and  also  held   the  same  office  in 
the  Chicago  Bible  Society.     Reared  a  Presby- 
terian,  he   was   for   a   time   an   elder   in   the 
Olivet,  and  afterwards  connected  with  the  Sec- 
ond Presbyterian  Church.     Some  years  ago  he 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  organization  of 
the    Kenwood    Evangelical    Church,    a    society 
formed   along  wholly   non-sectarian   lines.     In 
private     life,     his     tastes     are    domestic,    and 
although  a  member  of  both  the  Union  League 
and  Kenwood  Clubs,  his  favorite  resort  is  his 
fireside.      It   may    also    be    said   of    him    that, 
apart  from  the  pleasure  which  he  finds  in  the 
society  of   his   family   and   immediate   friends, 
his  chief  happiness  lies  in  the  performance  of 
works   of  unostentatious   charity   and    benevo- 
lence. 

Mr.  Bouton  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  wife  was  Emily,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Bissell, 
of  Suffield,  Conn.,  who  died  in  1857,  a  year 
after  their  marriage.  He  subsequently  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Ellen  Shumway,  daughter  of  Judge 
Gould,  of  Essex,  N.  Y. 

JOHN    P.   BOWLES. 

John  P.  Bowles,  President  and  General  Man- 
ager of  the  Bowles  Live  Stock  Commission 
Company,  Chicago,  Kansas  City,  St.  Louis,  St. 
Joseph,  South  Omaha,  Sioux  City  and  St.  Paul, 
was  born  in  Quincy,  111.,  May  26,  1859,  the  son 
of  John  and  Mary  (Cass)  Bowles.  His  father 
came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  in  1826,  and 
located  near  Joliet,  111.,  and  as  a  young  man 
engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  cattle  to  New 
Orleans  by  boat,  making  his  headquarters  at 
St.  Louis  before  Chicago  was  a  cattle  market. 
He  became  one  of  the  gold-hunters  of 
1849,  being  one  of  the  first  to  go  overland  to 
California  after  the  Mormon  migration  to 
Utah.  After  spending  three  years  in  California, 
trading  principally  with  the  Indians  in  cattle 
and  mules,  he  returned  to  Quincy  in  the  spring 
of  1852,  bringing  with  him  $45,000  in  gold, 
when  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  grow- 
ing, feeding  and  shipping  stock  to  the  Chicago 
market. 


John  P.   Bowles,  the  son,  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Edina,  Mo.,  where  he  worked  on  a 
farm,  feeding  and  shipping  cattle  until  he  was 
twenty  years  old,  when  he  spent  a  year  in  the 
Gem   City  Business  College  at  Quincy.     After 
completing  his  course  there,  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago and,  on  July  7,  1881,  engaged  with  Keenan 
&  Hancock  at  the  Union   Stock  Yards  at  $40 
per   month,   and   from   that    beginning    made 
steady  advancement  until  he  received  a  salary 
of    $7,000    per    year   for   selling   cattle    at   the 
yards.    After  remaining  over  eight  years  with 
Keenan   &   Sons,   he   formed   a  partnership  in 
1889  under  the  firm  name  of  Tomlinson,  Bowles 
&  Co.,  which  was  continued  until  December  1, 
1895.     From  that  time   until   December,   1898, 
he  was  a  member,  director  and  chief  salesman 
of     the      Strahorn-Hutton-Evans     Commission 
Company.     Then   retiring   from   this   company 
he  organized  the  firm  of  J.  P.  Bowles  &  Co., 
followed    on    August    1,    1899,    by    the    Bowles 
Live   Stock   Commission   Company,   having   its 
principal  offices  at  Chicago,   with  branches  at 
Kansas  City,  the  National  Stock  Yards  at  St. 
Louis,   St.   Joseph,    South   Omaha,   Sioux   City, 
and    St.    Paul.     Of   the   latter   company   he   is 
President  and  General  Manager.     He  has  been 
one   of   the   most   successful   salesmen   at   the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  and  has  had  but  few  brief 
absences  from   his  business  since  he  came  to 
Chicago.     The  company  occupies  elegant  offices 
on  the  first  floor  of  the  Exchange  Building  at 
the  Union  Stock  Yards. 

Mr.  Bowles  was  married  in  Quincy,  111.,  Oct. 
18,  1893,  to  Miss  Ella  Bertha  Hense,  and  three 
children  have  blessed  their  union:  Dolores 
Joan,  John  Hense  and  Helen  Edith. 

CHARLES  H.  BRADLEY. 

Charles  H.  Bradley,  executive  officer,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  111.,  April  28,  1850.  For  nine 
years  he  was  employed  in  the  Sheriff's  office, 
(from  1866  to  1875),  in  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of 
the  Superior  Court  under  Capt.  John  J.  Healy 
for  nine  years  as  Assistant  Chief  Clerk,  and 
in  1884  was  appointed  Chief  Deputy  in  the 
office  of  Henry  Best,  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court, 
making  a  continuous  official  service  of  thirty- 
eight  years.  He  thoroughly  understands  the 
duties  of  the  office  in  all  their  details  and  is  a 
most  efficient  officer. 

The  Bradley  family  were  pioneers  in  Chi- 
cago and  have  been  well  known  to  our  citizens 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


833 


for  more  than  fifty  years.  His  father,  Cyrus 
P.  Bradley,  was  in  1849  collector  of  taxes  for 
the  town  of  South  Chicago,  in  1850  Chief  of 
the  Fire  Department,  Sheriff  1854-56,  and  Chief 
of  Police  for  seven  years.  He  conducted  a 
United  States  detective  agency,  and  in  this 
line  had  no  superior,  assisting  the  Government 
in  various  capacities  during  the  Civil  War. 
His  uncle,  Timothy  M.  Bradley,  was  Chief  Clerk 
of  the  Sheriff's  office  for  25  years,  and  served 
one  term  as  Sheriff  (1870-72).  His  uncle, 
David  M.  Bradley,  was  for  years  business  man- 
ager, and  right-hand  man  of  "Long  John  Went- 
worth,"  of  the  "Chicago  Democrat,"  and  another 
uncle,  Asa  F.  Bradley,  was  among  the  first 
Chicago  surveyors,  having  surveyed  during  the 
'thirties  what  is  now  Lincoln  Park  for  a  cem- 
etery. The  Bradley  family  had  much  to  do 
with  managing  the  affairs  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago fifty  years  ago. 

JAMES  B.  BRADWELL. 
James  Bolesworth  Bradwell,  lawyer,  ex-Judge 
and  editor,  was  born  in  Loughborough,  Eng- 
land, April  16,  1828,  and  brought  to  America 
in  infancy  by  his  parents,  who  first  settled  at 
Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  removed  to  Illinois  in  1834. 
He  was  educated  at  Knox  College  and  taught 
and  studied  law  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  where  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  began  practice  in  Chicago,  and 
was  County  Judge  from  1861  to  1869,  making 
a  distinguished  record  as  a  probate  jurist.  In 
1872  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature 
and  re-elected  in  1874,  serving  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  two  terms.  In  1882  he  was 
again  a  candidate  and,  as  many  believed,  hon- 
estly elected,  though  his  opponent  received  the 
certificate.  He  made  a  contest  for  the  seat 
and  the  majority  of  the  Committee  on  Elec- 
tions reported  in  his  favor,  but  he  was  defeated 
through  the  treachery  and  suspected  corrup- 
tion of  a  professed  political  friend.  He  is  the 
author  of  the  law  making  women  eligible  to 
school  offices  in  Illinois  and  allowing  them  to 
become  Notaries  Public.  His  wife,  Myra 
(Colby)  Bradwell,  was  the  first  woman  to  apply 
for  admission  to  the  bar  in  the  United  States, 
and  the  founder  and  editor  of  the  "Chicago 
Legal  News,"  in  which  enterprise  Judge  Brad- 
well  was  associated  and  which,  since  her  death, 
he  has  conducted  in  partnership  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Bessie  Bradwell  Helmer. 


EZRA  L.  BRAINERD. 

Ezra  L.  Brainerd,  real  estate  operator,  born 
in  Haddam,  Conn.,  July  14,  1836,  was  educated 
in  the  Brainerd  Academy  of  his  native  place, 
and  later  was  graduated  from  the  Law  Depart- 
ment of  Yale  College.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 
October,  1859,  and  was  connected  with  Waite 
&  Towne  in  their  law  office  until  September, 
1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
Army,  and  after  following  recruiting  for  a 
time  was  chosen  Second  Lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany K,  Fifty-first  Illinois  Infantry,  afterwards 
being  advanced  to  Captain  of  Company  D  in 
the  same  regiment.  After  completing  the 
organization  of  the  company,  he  went  to  the 
front,  but  was  honorably  discharged  on  account 
of  failing  health  on  July  8,  1862.  He  then 
returned  to  Chicago,  and  by  doing  outdoor 
work  regained  his  health.  In  1866  he  bought 
the  Kenwood  property  of  P.  L.  Sherman  and 
other  parties,  which  he  afterwards  sold,  and 
became  interested  in  forty-five  acres,  and  later 
in  seventy  acres  of  property  at  Eighty-ninth 
and  Loomis  Streets.  The  station  on  the  Rock 
Island  Railroad  at  that  place  was  named 
"Brainerd"  in  his  honor.  He  has  built  up  a 
town  there  that  will  honor  the  name,  has  given 
to  it  a  school  site,  furnished  the  pressed  brick 
for  a  school  building,  and  has  always  been 
ready  to  do  anything  that  would  advance  the 
interests  of  the  place.  Mr.  Brainerd  was  mar- 
ried, in  Chicago,  to  Miss  Hattie  B.  Morehouse, 
in  May,  1861,  and  they  have  four  children: 
Harry  H.,  William  L.,  Frederick  H.  and  Wal- 
lace H. 

RICHARD   BRAY. 

Richard  Bray  (deceased),  former  hardware 
merchant  and  manufacturer,  Arlington  Heights, 
Cook  County,  111.,  was  born  in  St.  Johns,  Can- 
ada, in  1861.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  a  Republican  in  politics. 
In  February,  1894,  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
J.  Allen,  daughter  of  John  Allen  of  Elk  Grove, 
and  had  two  children:  Allen  Richard  and  John 
Campbell.  Mr.  Allen,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Bray, 
was  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  in  1823,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  Cook  County,  111., 
in  1835,  going  to  California  in  1850.  He  there 
spent  three  years,  after  which  he  returned  to- 
his  old  home  and  resumed  farming  at  Elk 
Grove,  where  he  had  a  farm  of  270  acres.  He 
died  August  10,  1889.  At  different  times  Mr. 


834 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Allen  held  the  offices  of   Supervisor,  Assessor 
and  Road  Commissioner. 

SOLVA  BRINTNALL. 

Among  the  many  successful  business  men 
who  have  been  identified  with  the  building  up 
of  the  industrial  and  financial  prosperity  of 
the  city  of  Chicago,  none  have  had  a  more 
noteworthy  or  more  honorable  career  than  he 
whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  article. 
It  is  seldom  that  any  one  has  been  dependent, 
to  so  large  an  extent,  upon  his  own  unaided 
resources,  and  the  success  which  he  achieved 
was  all  the  more  conspicuous  and  worthy  of 
emulation  on  that  account. 

Solva  Brintnall  was  born  in  Schoharie 
County,  N.  Y.,  October  24,  1817,  the  son  of 
Solva  and  Betsy  (Stannard)  Brinthall,  who 
were  early  settlers  in  that  region.  On  the 
paternal  side  he  was  descended  from  English 
ancestors  who  came  to  America  in  the  seven- 
teenth century.  His  grandfather,  Isaac  Brint- 
nall, born  August  31,  1752,  died  at  Watertown, 
N.  Y.,  January  27,  1822;  his  maternal  grand- 
father, Abiah  Stannard,  born  March  5,  1758, 
died  in  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  July  13,  1836. 
His  parents  were  born  in  consecutive  years — • 
his  father  December  1,  1773,  and  his  mother, 
December  5,  1774 — and,  after  a  wedded  union 
of  sixty-two  years,  both  died  within  three 
months  of  each  other,  the  mother  March  8, 
1867,  and  the  father  June  1st  of  the  same  year. 
On  both  sides  his  family  gave  abundant  evi- 
dence of  their  patriotism,  his  grandfathers 
being  prominently  identified  with  the  war  for 
American  independence,  while  his  father  was 
a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812. 

Mr.  Brintnall's  early  educational  advantages 
were  only  of  that  meager  character  common 
to  the  time  and  locality  in  which  he  lived. 
Naturally  a  close  observer,  he  was  enabled  to 
supplement'  the  single  winter's  schooling  which 
he  received  in  boyhood  by  an  amount  of  self- 
training  which,  in  the  years  of  his  later  man- 
hood, made  him  a  well-informed  citizen  and 
an  educated  business  man.  Up  to  his  nine- 
teenth year  his  life  was  spent  chiefly  in  assist- 
ing his  father  in  opening  up  and  cultivating  a 
farm  in  Lewis  County,  N.  Y.,  where  the  family 
located  when  the  youthful  Solva  was  about 
five  years  of  age.  This  being  in  the  heavily 
timbered  region  of  Northwestern  New  York, 
gave  abundant  employment  for  his  youthful 


energies  during  the  period  of  their  most  active 
development,  the  effect  of  which  was  manifest 
in  later  years  in  the  physical  and  mental  activ- 
ity which  he  displayed  in  business  life.  In 
this  frontier  region  for  a  number  of  years 
church  and  school  privileges  were  almost 
entirely  wanting,  though  their  absence  did  not 
necessarily  lower  the  moral  standard  of  the 
men  and  women  who  constituted  the  pioneers 
of  the  Middle  West. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  (1836)  Mr. 
Brintnall  entered  upon  his  first  business  ven- 
ture as  a  railroad  builder  on  the  line  of  the 
New  York  Central  Railway,  being  employed  in 
the  construction  of  the  first  five  miles  of  that 
road  west  of  Schenectady.  Two  years  later 
he  was  engaged  in  a  similar  capacity  on  the 
Erie  Railroad,  and  still  later  on  the  Black 
River  and  Erie  Canals,  being  employed  upon 
the  improvement  of  the  latter  in  1839-40.  The 
following  year  he  resumed  his  work  in  con- 
nection with  railroad  construction,  and  assisted 
in  building  a  road  from  Auburn  to  Canandaigua. 
Then  coming  west,  he  became  connected  with 
the  construction  of  the  Miami  Canal  and  that 
between  Cincinnati  and  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana, 
upon  which  he  was  engaged  from  1843  to  1846. 
During  the  latter  year  he  entered  upon  a  mer- 
cantile career,  engaging  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness at  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  whence  he  subsequently 
removed  to  Attica,  and  in  1854  to  Suspension 
Bridge,  his  residence  in  these  places  covering 
a  period  of  eighteen  years.  It  was  during  his 
residence  at  the  latter  place  that  the  great 
suspension  bridge  across  the  Niagara  River, 
from  which  the  city  takes  its  name,  was  in 
course  of  construction.  As  a  business  man  and 
personal  friend  of  the  projector  and  superin- 
tendent, Mr.  Roebling,  he  was  a  keen  observer 
of  the  progress  of  this  great  work,  and  watched 
its  completion  with  deep  interest. 

Attracted  by  the  business  and  other  advan- 
tages offered  by  the  city  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Brint- 
nall removed  thither  in  1863,  establishing  him- 
self there  in  the  hardware  trade,  to  which  he 
had  added  the  stove  business.  Three  years 
later  (1866),  having  formed  a  partnership 
with  Messrs.  Terry  and  Belden,  they  entered 
upon  a  wholesale  hardware  trade  under  the 
firm  name  of  Brintnall,  Terry  &  Belden.  This 
partnership  was  continued  until  1876,  when, 
Mr.  Lamb  having  purchased  the  interest  of 
Mr.  Terry,  the  firm  became  Brintnall,  Lamb  & 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


835 


Co.  In  1883  the  business  was  sold  out  to 
Messrs.  Keith,  Benham  &  Dezendorf,  and  Mr. 
Brintnall  retired  permanently  from  a  business 
with  which  he  had  been  connected,  in  Chicago 
and  elsewhere,  for  a  period  of  thirty-seven 
years. 

Mr.  Brintnall's  next  business  enterprise  was 
in  connection  with  the  Drovers'  National  Bank 
at  the  Chicago  Union  Stock  Yards,  which  he 
founded  immediately  after  his  retirement  from 
the  hardware  trade  in  1883,  and  of  which  he 
became  President,  serving  until  January,  1900, 
when  he  retired,  being  succeeded  by  his  son, 
William  H.  Brintnall.  His  management  of  this 
enterprise  was  conspicuously  successful  from 
the  start,  and  has  proved  a  most  valuable  aid 
to  the  live-stock  trade,  not  only  as  it  is  con- 
nected with  the  city  of  Chicago,  but  to  those 
engaged  in  the  trade  throughout  the  North- 
west. 

In  1846  Mr.  Brintnall  was  married  to  Miss 
Kurd,  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Kurd,  of  Alex- 
ander, N.  Y.,  and  they  had  three  children: 
William  H.,  who  succeeded  his  father  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Drovers'  National  Bank  in  1900, 
and  is  still  at  the  head  of  that  institution; 
George  S.,  who  resided  at  McPherson,  Kan., 
but  died  in  1883,  and  Mrs.  M.  F.  Perry,  now  of 
Seattle,  Washington.  Mrs.  Brintaall  died  in 
October,  1875,  and  in  1878  he  married  Leonice, 
the  daughter  of  the  late  0.  F.  Woodford,  who 
died  in  1896.  Mr.  Brintnall's  death  occurred 
June  8,  1902,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his 
age,  and  was  greatly  deplored  by  all  who  knew 
him  personally  and  had  learned  to  respect  his 
manly  integrity  and  admire  his  well-rounded 
life. 

Politically  Mr.  Brintnall  was  an  earnest 
Republican,  zealously  devoted  to  the  principles 
represented  through  forty  years  of  national 
history  by  Lincoln,  Grant,  McKinley  and  the 
other  great  leaders  of  the  party,  of  several  of 
whom  he  was  the  ardent  personal  friend.  A 
conscientious  believer  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Christian  faith,  he  was  for  fifty  years  identi- 
fied with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  during  the 
period  of  his  residence  in  Chicago  being  a 
member  of  the  First  Church  of  that  denomi- 
nation. He  was  also  actively  identified  with 
many  works  of  a  benevolent  character,  includ- 
ing especially  the  Presbyterian  Hospital  and 
the  chapel  for  railway  employes. 

The    "Chicago    Daily    Sun,"    published    in    a 


locality  which  was  the  scene  of  his  principal 
business  activities  during  the  later  years  of 
his  life,  contained  the  following  announcement 
of  his  death:  "Mr.  Brintnall's  demise  removes 
an  old  and  valued  citizen  from  our  midst,  and 
a  man  who  had  earned  for  himself,  through 
his  upright  character  and  sterling  integrity, 
the  respect  and  friendship  of  the  community." 

This  sketch  cannot  be  concluded  more  appro- 
priately than  by  the  quotation  of  the  following 
contemporaneous  tribute  to  his  character  and 
memory  from  the  columns  of  the  "Chicago  Rec^ 
ord-Herald"  of  June  9,  1902:  "Successful  in  his 
business  and  financial  undertakings,  Mr.  Brint- 
nall very  early  became  a  strong  factor  in  social 
and  church  work,  and  all  his  life  was  a  most 
charitable  man,  highly  honored  by  all  who 
knew  him  and  recognized  his  sterling  honesty 
and  uprightness.  He  was  a  patriot,  like  his 
long  line  of  ancestors,  and  of  tried  loyalty  to 
the  country  when  that  virtue  was  most  highly 
prized." 

ALBERT  BROOKER. 

Albert  Brooker,  Chief  Engineer  Sixty-ninth 
and  Peoria  Street  Sewage  Pumping  Station, 
was  born  January  14,  1859,  in  Clayton,  N.  Y.; 
graduated  from  the  public  schools,  and  after 
leaving  school,  went  sailing  on  the  lakes  for 
three  years;  was  assistant  engineer  on  a  lake 
steamer  for  three  years,  and  for  nine  years  was 
chief  engineer  on  different  vessels.  He  came 
to  Chicago  in  June,  1886,  and,  in  1894,  worked 
for  the  Chicago  Ship  Building  Company,  being 
engaged  for  one  year  installing  engines  on 
steamers.  •  In  1895  he  began  work  as  Assistant 
City  Engineer  at  the  Seventy-third  Street  Sew- 
age Pumping  Station,  remaining  two  years; 
then  entered  into  the  employment  of  the  Illi- 
nois Steel  Company  at  South  Chicago,  contin- 
uing until  January,  1901,  when  he  was  certified 
by  the  Civil  Service  Commission  and  appointed 
Chief  Engineer  at  the  Sixty-ninth  Street  Sew- 
age Pumping  Station.  He  was  transferred  to 
the  new  Sewage  Pumping  Station  at  Pullman 
(as  Chief  Engineer),  June  1,  1901.  Mr.  Brooker 
was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Calder  in  Clayton, 
N.  Y.,  Dec.  23,  1885. 

ZENOPHILE   PIERRE   BROSSEAU. 

Zenophile  P.  Brosseau,  commission  merchant 

and  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  Chicago, 

was   born   at   La   Prairie,    in   the   Province   of 

Quebec,   Canada,    October   3,    1840,   the   son   of 


836 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Louis  and  Marguerite  (Ste.  Marie)  Brosseau, 
being  descended  from  French  ancestors  who 
came  to  Quebec  from  Nantes,  France,  in  1672. 
He  was  the  fourth  son  of  his  father's  family 
and  grew  up  on  a  farm  which  has  been  the 
property  of  the  Brosseau  family  since  1744. 
La  Prairie  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Canada, 
and  here  Mr.  Brosseau  received  his  education 
in  the  common  and  higher  schools  until  he 
had  reached  his  seventeenth  year,  when  he 
removed  to  Malone,  New  York,  where  he  found 
employment  as  clerk  in  a  general  store.  In 
1860  he  came  to  Woodstock,  McHenry  County, 
111.,  whence  he  removed  the  following  year  to 
Chicago.  Here  he  became  associated  with 
Joseph  McDonald  in  the  commission  business, 
in  1862,  becoming  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Trade,  a  relation  which  he  has 
retained  ever  since,  having  served  as  a  Director 
of  the  Board,  at  the  present  time  being  one  of 
its  oldest  and  most  honored  members.  In  com- 
mon with  the  majority  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Brosseau  was  a  heavy 
sufferer  by  the  fire  of  1871,  losing  both  his 
residence  and  his  business  office,  but  promptly 
resumed  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Bros- 
seau &  Company,  by  which  the  concern  is  still 
known.  The  firm  now  occupies  quarters  at 
No.  67  Board  of  Trade  Building. 

Mr.  Brosseau's  prominence  in  connection  with 
public  affairs  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he 
is  now  serving  his  third  term  as  a  Director  of 
the  Chicago  Public  Library,  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Chicago  Art 
Institute,  and  a  member  and  President  of  the 
Alliance  Francaise,  and  his  office  is  the  head- 
quarters for  French  Canadians  when  visiting 
Chicago.  Among  social  organizations  he  main- 
tains membership  in  the  Chicago,  the  Iroquois, 
Washington  Park,  Chicago  Golf,  and  Glenview 
Clubs.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  was 
the  founder  of  the  French  Democratic  Club  of 
Cook  County.  Although  deeply  interested  in 
public  affairs,  he  is  not  a  seeker  for  office. 

The  head  of  a  large  and  interesting  family, 
Mr.  Brosseau  still  finds  time,  aside  from  the 
cares  of  business  and  public  affairs,  to  devote 
much  attention  to  charitable  and  philanthropic 
enterprises  and  matters  of  general  interest  to 
the  city.  He  occupies  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
and  attractive  homes  on  the  North  Side,  located 
at  the  corner  of  Lake  Shore  Drive  and  Barry 
Avenue. 


ALEXANDER  D.  BROWN. 
Alexander  D.  Brown,  Engineer,  Engine  37 
(Fire-Boat  "Illinois"),  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  December 
22,  1861,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and,  after  leaving  school,  was  employed  on  one 
of  the  boats  in  the  harbor  of  Oswego  as  fire- 
man. Coming  to  Chicago  in  1879,  he  followed 
the  lakes  until  he  joined  the  Chicago  Fire 
Department,  April  1,  1887.  He  first  worked 
in  the  repair-shop  until  assigned  to  Engine  20, 
later  to  Engine  10,  then  to  Engine  32,  and,  as 
candidate  on  Engine  15,  in  September,  1887, 
was  transferred  to  Engine  13;  was  promoted 
as  Engineer,  December  6,  1892,  and  transferred 
to  Engine  65  and  to  Fire-Boat  "Yosemite," 
June  20,  1893,  to  Fire-Boat  "Illinois"  (Engine 
37),  January  14,  1899,  where  he  still  remains 
ready  for  any  duty.  Mr.  Brown  has  had  many 
hair-breadth  escapes;  was  on  the  "Yosemite," 
September  12,  1894,  when  the  boat  sank  in  the 
lake,  but  was  saved  by  clinging  to  the  vessel 
before  she  went  down;  was  also  at  the  North- 
western Elevator  fire,  August  7,  1897,  on  the 
"Yosemite,"  and  escaped  death  by  obeying  the 
order  of  Chief  Musham  to  move  out  of  the 
way  of  the  walls  that  fell  soon  after  the  order 
was  given. 

ISAAC  EDDY  BROWN. 

The  future  of  every  commonwealth,  and 
especially  of  every  democracy,  lies  in  the  hands 
of  its  young  men,  and  a  republic  has  no  truer 
patriots  than  the  self-denying  men  who  conse- 
crate their  talents,  their  energies  and  their 
lives  to  the  task  of  properly  training  and  influ- 
encing those  who  are  destined  to  shape,  if  not 
to  control  its  destinies.  No  more  effective  agency 
for  the  accomplishment  of  such  an  end  exists 
than  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
with  its  countless  ramifications  extending  over 
all  Christendom,  and  even  into  the  lands  of  the 
Mussulman  and  the  pagan.  Isaac  Eddy  Brown 
has  been  long  an  active  leader  in  this  move- 
ment, and  through  his  self-denying  activity  and 
unflagging  zeal,  his  name  has  become  familiar 
to  workers  in  the  cause  from  coast  to  coast. 
He  was  born  at  Kiantone,  N.  Y.,  May  17,  1849. 
On  the  paternal  side,  he  is  the  great-grandson 
of  Daniel  Brown,  of  Rensselaerville,  N.  Y., 
who  was  the  husband  of  Molly  Stedman.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  named  Alva,  was  also 
born  in  Rensselaerville,  and  married  Eunice 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


837 


Eddy,  who  was  descended  from  Miles  Standish, 
and  in  two  lines  from  John  Alden  and  Priscilla. 
His  father,  Russell  McCary  Brown,  was  born 
at  Milan,  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Electa  Louisa  Sher- 
man, was,  like  himself,  a  native  of  Kiantone. 
She  was  a  granddaughter  of  Noah  Sherman, 
who,  with  his  father,  John,  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War;  her  father  also  bearing  the 
name  of  Noah,  and  her  mother,  before  marriage, 
being  Nancy  Ward.  His  mother  was  descended 
from  the  Hoars  of  Brimfleld,  Mass. 

The  gentleman  whose  useful  life  forms  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  began  teaching  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  and  in  1874  graduated  from  the 
Illinois  State  Normal  University,  with  the  high- 
est honors  of  his  class.  During  the  next  six 
years  he  ably  filled  the  chair  of  Principal  of  the 
Decatur  High  School.  On  April  16,  1880,  he 
began  what  has  really  been  his  life  work,  by 
accepting  the  Secretaryship  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  for  the  State  of  Illinois, 
a  post  of  honor  and  duty  which  he  yet  fills 
(1904). 

Feeling  the  need  of  a  better  scholastic  equip- 
ment, Mr.  Brown  entered  Knox  College,  graduat- 
ing therefrom  in  1892,  receiving  the  degree  of 
A.  M.,  in  course,  in  1896.  In  1890  he  took  a 
prominent  part  in  founding  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Training  School  in  Chicago,  and  during  that 
year  was  chosen  President  of  the  Secretarial 
Institute,  which  he  assisted  in  founding  in  1884. 
These  two  departments  of  association  work 
have  since  been  consolidated  under  the  name 
of  "The  Institute  and  Training  School  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,"  with  Mr. 
Brown  as  President  until  1903. 

Mr.  Brown  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  Miss  Emma  V.  Stewart,  to  whom  he  was 
united  at  Plum  Grove,  Kansas,  on  August  9, 
1878,  died  August  1,  1880;  and  on  December  28, 
1881,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Johnson  of 
Greenfield,  Wis.  They  have  two  daughters  liv- 
ing— Alice  and  Florence.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  dea- 
con in  the  Congregational  Church  and  in  pol- 
itics is  an  Independent. 

NATHANIEL  J.  BROWN. 
Nathaniel  J.  Brown  (deceased),  formerly  of 
Lemont,  111.,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Vt.,  January 
27,  1812,  and  from  three  to  fourteen  years  of 
age  grew  up  at  Rochester  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Lockport,  N.  Y.  In  1826  his  parents  removed 


to  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  where  an  older  brother 
(Anson)  became  the  founder  of  the  lower  town 
of  that  name.  This  brother  served  as  post- 
master of  Ann  Arbor  by  appointment  of  Presi- 
dent Jackson,  and  also  ran  a  stage-line  west- 
ward, with  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
connected  as  agent.  Information  regarding  the 
country  thus  acquired  resulted  in  his  becoming 
interested  in  a  number  of  town  sites  which 
brought  him  a  handsome  profit.  Having  ac- 
quired the  title  to  a  large  body  of  land  in  Kent 
County,  he  built  a  mill  on  Grand  River,  and  in 
1835  began  shipping  lumber  to  Chicago,  using 
the  schooner  "White  Pigeon,"  which  he  had 
chartered  at  Detroit  for  that  purpose.  The  en- 
terprise proved  so  successful  that  it  enabled 
him  to  pay  for  the  land  and  expenses  incident 
to  the  erection  and  operation  of  the  mill  from 
the  proceeds  of  the  first  year's  business. 

While  in  Chicago  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Augustus  Garrett,  whose  name  is  associa- 
ted with  the  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  at  Evans- 
ton.  The  firm  laid  out  the  original  town  of 
Ionia,  Mich.,  on  a  tract  of  land  owned  by  Mr. 
Brown,  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation  on 
Grand  River,  netting  large  profits  which  were 
invested  in  Chicago  town  lots  and  lands  in  the 
vicinity.  Later  they  engaged  in  an  extensive 
auction  business  in  a  building  on  Dearborn 
Street  opposite  the  present  site  of  the  old  Tre- 
mont  House,  dealing  not  only  in  general  mer- 
chandise but  in  town-lots,  both  in  Chicago  and 
in  newly  located  towns  of  Wisconsin  and  North- 
ern Illinois.  By  a  characteristic  stroke  of  enter- 
prise, Mr.  Brown,  having  acquired  advance  in- 
formation of  the  location  of  the  capital  of  Wis- 
consin in  1836,  secured  the  entry  of  fifty-six  80- 
acre  tracts  of  land  at  Madison  and  vicinity  in 
the  name  of  himself  and  friends,  out  of  which 
they  realized  large  profits  For  a  time  Garrett  & 
Brown  exerted  a  strong  influence  in  the  finan- 
cial affairs  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Brown  was  also  as- 
sociated in  banking  operations  with  Lyman  A. 
Spaulding,  a  prominent  capitalist  of  Lockport, 
N.  Y.,  establishing  a  bank  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich., 
with  Brown  Brothers,  of  New  York,  as  their 
financial  agents. 

The  firm  of  Garrett  &  Brown  having  been  dis- 
solved with  the  collapse  of  land  speculation 
about  Chicago  in  1837,  Mr.  Brown  was  induced, 
at  the  solicitation  of  Gen.  William  F.  Thorn- 
ton, then  President  of  the  Board  of  Canal  Com- 
missioners, to  undertake  the  completion  of  two 


838 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


sections  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  of  one- 
half  mile  each  in  the  deep  rock-cut  at  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Lemont — taking  the  place  of  a 
contractor  who  had  got  into  difficulty  with  his 
employers.  Although  a  heavy  loser  by  this 
transaction  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  the 
State  credit — some  of  his  claims  against  the 
State  remaining  unpaid  to  the  present  day — he 
profited  indirectly  by  the  knowledge  thus  ac- 
quired ot  the  immense  resources  of  the  Lemont 
limestone  deposits  for  furnishing  valuable  build- 
ing stone.  Having  acquired  a  large  body  of 
what  was  known  as  "stone  land,"  after  recover- 
ing from  his  financial  reverses  he  set  about  its 
development,  and  the  present  status  of  the  Le- 
mont quarries  is  largely  due  to  his  sagacity  and 
enterprise.  Known  locally  as  "Gov."  Brown,  he 
spent  the  evening  of  his  days  in  the  midst  of 
scenes  made  familiar  by  his  early  business 
enterprises,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  handsome 
royalty  from  his  properties,  and  the  deserved 
respect  of  his  neighbors.  His  care  for  the  wel- 
fare of  his  employes  was  shown  in  his  promo- 
tion of  temperance  by  encouraging  the  organ- 
ization among  them  of  "Father  Matthew  Tem- 
perance Societies"  and  otherwise.  The  beneficent 
results  of  this  policy  are  shown  in  the  state- 
ment that,  "during  the  five  years  of  his  canal 
work,  not  a  saloon  was  to  be  found  on  the  sec- 
tion of  which  he  had  control,"  drunken  carous- 
als and  riotous  assemblies  were  unknown,  and 
his  employes  "were  recognized  as  the  most 
orderly  and  well  behaved  set  of  men  on  the 
line  of  the  canal."  Besides  this,  it  is  claimed 
"that  not  a  man  in  his  employ  was  injured 
at  his  work,  nor  were  there  any  accidents  of 
consequence."  Originally  a  Democrat,  with  the 
firing  of  Fort  Sumter,  he  became  a  supporter  of 
Mr.  Lincoln,  and  during  the  rest  of  his  life  co- 
operated with  the  Republican  party.  Mr.  Brown 
died  August  2,  1900,  aged  88  years  and  six 
months. 

WILLIAM  C.   BROWN. 

William  C.  Brown,  live-stock  commission  mer- 
chant and  farmer,  was  born  near  White  Sulphur 
Springs,  W.  Va.,  January  31,  1834.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  removed  to  Perry,  Mo.,  in  1853, 
and  worked  on  a  farm.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 
1856,  but  returned  to  Missouri  in  1858,  and, 
locating  on  a  farm,  engaged  in  raising  live- 
stock, especially  mules,  horses  and  cattle,  for 
market.  In  1874  he  returned  to  Chicago  and 


organized  the  firm  of  Brown,  Price  &  Company 
at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  which  firm  did  a  suc- 
cessful business  for  ten  years,  when,  Mr.  Price 
having  retired,  Mr.  Brown  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  Edwin  E.  Brown, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Brown  Brothers,  which 
continued  until  Edwin  E.  was  murdered  March 
2,  1893,  in  St.  Louis.  The  firm  is  now  known 
as  Brown  Brothers  &  Company,  consisting  of 
William  C".  and  his  son  Edward  Lee  Brown. 
William  Brown  is  a  charter  member  of  Normal 
Park  Lodge,  organized  about  1892,  and  is  one  of 
the  oldest  Masons  in  Chicago,  having  been  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  for  more  than 
forty  years.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Martha 
D.  Muldrow,  at  Perry,  Mo.,  November  15,  1859, 
and  six  children  have  been  born  to  them,  four 
of  whom  are  now  living.  Mr.  Brown  has  been 
a  successful  business  man  and  has  done  his 
part  well  in  building  up  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
and  Chicago. 

EDWIN  ERWIN  BROWN,  brother  of  William 
C.  Brown,  was  born  at  White  Sulphur  Springs, 
W.  Va.,  February  6,  1846,  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  brother  in  1884,  and  in  June,  1892, 
started  the  live-stock  business  in  St.  Louis, 
under  the  name  of  Brown  Brothers  &  Company. 
He  was  killed  on  the  streets  of  St.  Louis  March 
2,  1893,  by  three  footpads.  The  murderers  were 
sent  to  the  penitentiary  after  being  sentenced 
to  be  hanged,  but  were  pardoned  later  by  Gov- 
ernor Stevenson. 

JOHN   R.   BRUNNICK. 

John  R.  Brunnick,  Chief  Engineer  Seventy- 
third  Street  Pumping  Station,  was  born  in 
Janesville,  Wis.,  April  19,  1854,  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  and,  after  leaving  school, 
went  on  the  lakes  in  1869,  and  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  went  to  New  Orleans,  where  he 
shipped  as  a  boy  before-the-mast  on  board  a 
bark  from  Yarmouth,  Nova  Scotia,  bound  for 
Amsterdam,  Holland,  loaded  with  cotton.  He 
followed  the  sea  for  twelve  years,  including  a 
period  of  three  years,  during  which  he  was  chief 
boat'keeper  of  pilot  boats  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi;  then  spent  two  seasons  on  the 
lakes,  when  in  1883  he  commenced  work  for  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company  as 
fireman,  remaining  one  year.  He  then  served 
as  conductor  on  the  Wabash  Railroad  until 
1886,  when,  on  April  15,  1886,  he  was  appointed 
by  Supervisor  Thomas  Hahan  engineer  for  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OP  ILLINOIS. 


839 


Town  of  Lake  water-works,  serving  one  year. 
His  next  employment  was  as  engineer  on  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad,  remaining  from  December 
26,  1887,  to  1894,  when  he  resigned  and  on  July 
25,  1895,  was  appointed  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Canal  Pumping  Station,  under  Mayor  Hopkins, 
serving  until  his  term  expired  in  1895.  He  then 
spent  one  year  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  as  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Chicago  Fiber  Company,  but, 
returning  home  on  account  of  the  closing  down 
of  the  factory,  in  1897  was  appointed  by  Mayor 
Harrison  Assistant  Engineer  of  the  Sixty- 
eighth  Street  Pumping  Station,  remaining  four 
months,  after  which  he  entered  the  employ  of 
J.  B.  Clow  &  Sons  as  Chief  Engineer,  remain- 
ing in  that  position  until  January  7,  1901,  when 
he  resigned  to  take  charge,  as  Chief  Engineer, 
of  the  Seventy-third  Street  Sewage  Pumping 
Station,  having  passed  examination  under  the 
Civil  Service  rules  December  8,  1897,  taking 
rank  in  fourth  grade.  Mr.  Brunnick  is  married. 

EDWARD  J.  BUCKLEY. 
Edward  J.  Buckley,  Captain  Engine  No.  32, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago 
December  2,  1867,  and  educated  at  the  Franklin 
and  other  Chicago  schools.  After  leaving  school 
he  worked  at  different  trades  and  later  served 
as  turnkey  in  the  County  Jail  for  about  three 
years,  from  1884  to  1887.  On  April  22,  1888, 
he  joined  the  Fire  Department  as  pipeman  on 
Engine  14,  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant  in 
November,  1891,  and  transferred  to  Engine  No. 
67,  later  being  transferred  to  Engine  No.  12, 
and  then  to  Engine  No.  17.  July  2,  1896,  he 
was  promoted  to  Captain  and  assigned  to  En- 
gine No.  28.  His  next  transfer  was  to  Fireboat 
"Yosemite,"  then  No.  37,  later  being  successively 
transferred  to  Engine  21,  and  to  Engine  32, 
where  he  was  always  to  be  found  on  hand,  like 
all  the  Chicago  born  firemen,  ever  ready  for  any 
emergency  either  for  prompt  service  or  danger 
where  duty  calls. 

BENJAMIN  B.  BULLWINKLE. 
Benjamin  B.  Bullwinkle  (deceased),  long 
known  as  the  organizer  and  efficient  head  of 
the  Chicago  Insurance  Patrol,  was  born  in 
New  York  City  March  18,  1847,  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter  of  Charles 
T.  and  Eliza  (Laughlin)  Bullwinkle.  His 
mother  having  died  when  he  was  about  seven 
years  of  age,  the  family  soon  after  removed  to 


Chicago,  where  the  father  opened  a  butcher 
shop  at  the  corner  of  Madison  and  Sangamon 
Streets,  and  where  he  died  in  1864,  leaving  his 
three  children  to  face  the  problems  of  life 
alone.  Benjamin,  then  a  youth  of  seventeen 
years,  who  had  spent  his  early  years  in  aiding 
his  father  while  acquiring  a  common-school 
education,  still  later  working  in  a  grocery,  was 
thus  called  upon  to  assume  the  responsibility 
of  caring  for  his  younger  brother  and  sister, 
and  early  displayed  those  qualities  of  industry 
and  self-reliance  which  were  conspicuous  in 
his  latter  life.  Obtaining  a  position  as  errand 
boy,  he  managed  to  support  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  family  until  they  were  able  to  assist 
in  swelling  the  common  income.  Among  his" 
early  employers  were  the  late  Rufus  Blanchard, 
the  well-known  map  publisher,  and  the  American 
and  the  Merchants'  Union  Express  Companies, 
where  he  learned  the  value  of  system  and  ac- 
curacy. His  connection  with  the  Chicago  Fire 
Department  began  in  1868,  when  he  became 
driver  for  R.  A.  Williams,  at  that  time  at  the 
head  of  the  Department.  Here  he  remained 
until  1871,  when  at  twenty-four  years  of  age 
he  was  chosen  by  the  fire  underwriters  to  organ- 
ize the  Insurance  Patrol.  This  branch  of  the 
service  had  had  its  origin  in  New  York  as 
early  as  1837,  undergoing  many  changes  in  after 
years  with  a  view  to  securing  increased  effi- 
ciency, and  finally  being  adopted  in  other  cities 
as  necessity  required.  A  committee  of  the  Chi- 
cago Board  of  Underwriters,  consisting  of  A. 
C.  Ducat,  Charles  W.  Drew  and  Thomas  Buckley, 
who  had  been  appointed  to  organize  a  patrol 
on  the  New  York  plan,  selected  Mr.  Bullwinkle 
to  visit  the  East  and  investigate  its  operation. 
On  his  recommendation  a  force  of  eight  men, 
with  a  two-horse  wagon,  was  employed,  of 
which  he  was  appointed  to  take  charge  as  Cap- 
tain on  October  2,  1871,  just  one  week  before 
the  great  fire  of  that  year. 

The  service  rendered  by  the  newly  organized 
force  in  the  efforts  to  assist  in  checking  the 
fire  was  conspicuous  if  not  successful.  The 
company  occupied  headquarters  at  various 
points  until  February  16,  1878,  when  the  pres- 
ent headquarters  were  established  at  178  Mon- 
roe Street.  In  1875  a  second  company  was 
organized,  and  Mr.  Bullwinkle  was  appointed 
Superintendent,  a  position  which  he  continued 
to  fill  until  October  12,  1885,  when  he  tendered 
his  resignation.  Among  the  tributes  to  his 


840 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


efficiency  was  the  presentation  by  the  members 
of  the  force  on  December  23,  1875,  of  a  gold 
badge  valued  at  $150,  and,  in  February  follow- 
ing, by  the  Board  of  Underwriters,  of  a  gold 
watch,  chain  and  badge  of  the  value  of  $525. 
After  his  resignation,  which  was  on  account  of 
failing  health,  he  accepted  the  position  of  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  Arizona  Cattle  Company, 
with  headquarters  at  Flagstaff,  Ariz.,  the  com- 
pany having  control  of  100,000  acres  of  land, 
upon  which  10,000  head  of  cattle  were  herded. 
Mr.  Bullwinkle's  death  occurred  May  9,  1887, 
in  consequence  of  injuries  received  by  a  fall  of 
his  horse.  The  event  was  taken  note  of  in  a 
series  of  resolutions  adopted  by  the  Chicago 
Underwriters'  Association  May  14th,  following. 
Mr.  Bullwinkle  was  a  member  of  the  Third 
Presbyterian  Church  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and 
belonged  to  several  fraternal  organizations,  in- 
cluding the  Landmark  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Fairview  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.;  Apollo  Command- 
ery,  K.  T. ;  and  the  Royal  Arcanum.  November 
7,  1873,-  he  was  married  in  the  city  of  Chicago 
to  Miss  Angelina  J.  Moody,  who,  with  one  son, 
Benjamin  C.,  still  survives  him. 

HIRAM  S.  BUNKER. 

The  life  of  this  prosperous  Chicago  live-stock 
merchant  affords  an  admirable  illustration  of 
what  may  be  accomplished  by  the  man  who  joins 
sound  judgment  to  industry  and  unflagging 
energy  to  high  moral  sense.  His  career  has 
been  a  somewhat  varied  one,  but  involves  a 
continued  story  of  hard  work  crowned  by  suc- 
cess. He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  De  Ruyter, 
Madison  County,  N.  Y.,  on  April  19,  1834.  He 
attended  the  district  schools  of  that  early  period 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  ten  years,  when 
the  family  removed  to  East  Troy,  Walworth 
County,  Wis.  The  journey  was  made  in  two 
wagons,  which  were  carried  by  boat  from  Buf- 
falo to  Detroit.  Upon  reaching  his  destination 
his  father  preempted  a  tract  of  land,  but  when 
young  Hiram  was  seventeen  years  old  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  East  Troy  village,  where  the 
elder  Bunker  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
for  two  years.  About  this  time  the  young  man 
returned  to  the  place  of  his  birth  where,  for 
a  year,  he  pursued  his  studies  at  the  De  Ruyter 
Institute.  His  first  entry  into  business  was 
made  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store,  where  he 
remained  for  another  year.  Returning  to  Wis- 
consin, he  settled  at  Elkhorn,  in  that  State, 


where  he  conducted  a  dry-goods  store  for  four 
years,  after  which  he  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  purchase  and  shipping  of  live-stock  to 
Milwaukee.  At  times  he  personally  drove  his 
herds  the  entire  distance,  forty-five  miles,  this 
being  at  a  period  ante-dating  railroads.  To 
these  two  branches  of  business  he  later  added 
dealing  in  lumber  and  grain. 

Mr.  Bunker  made  his  advent  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards  in  1871,  although  he  had  previously 
shipped  sheep  and  hogs  to  the  Fort  Wayne 
Yards.  It  should  also  be  stated  that,  during 
the  Civil  War  he  was  an  extensive  purchaser  of 
horses  for  the  Government,  buying  more  than 
one  thousand,  which  he  shipped  from  Elkhorn 
and  the  West  to  Chicago,  for  branding  and 
transmission  to  the  troops.  On  coming  to 
Chicago,  however,  he  did  not  dissolve  his 
connection  with  the  firm  of  Graham  & 
Bunker,  which  was  founded  in  1869  for  the 
shipping  of  stock  and  was  continued  in  ex- 
istence until  1871.  Mr.  Bunker  then  started 
in  business  at  Chicago  under  the  name  of  H.  S. 
Bunker,  and  continued  until  1876,  when  the 
firm  of  Bunker  &  Cochran  was  formed  to  carry 
on  business  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards.  This 
copartnership,  without  change  of  name,  was 
continued  until  December  1,  1901.  Then  the 
firm  was  changed  to  H.  S.  Bunker  &  Company. 

Mr.  Bunker  joined  the  Masonic  fraternity 
early  in  life  and  was  for  many  years  affiliated 
with  the  lodge  of  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  at  Elkhorn, 
whence  he  was  demitted  to  a  Chicago  lodge. 
On  March  2,  1859,  at  Elkhorn,  Wis.,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Anna  Mary  Findley.  Of  their 
two  children  only  one  survives. 

HERBERT  E.  BURGESS. 
Herbert  E.  Bergess,  Assistant  Engineer  Cen- 
tral Park  Avenue  Pumping  Station,  Chicago, 
was  born  in  Cambridgeshire,  England,  August 
31,  1870,  and  in  1877  came  with  his  parents  to 
America,  finally  locating  at  Altamont,  Kan. 
Here  he  attended  the  country  schools  in  the 
winter,  working  on  the  farm  during  the  sum- 
mer months  until  1883,  when  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  commenced  work  in  an  office  building 
on  Fifth  Avenue  as  fireman  at  $6  per  week, 
remaining  there  two  years.  He  next  worked  as 
assistant  chief  engineer  at  Armour  &  Company's 
packing-house,  remaining  in  this  position  two 
years,  when  he  made  a  tour  of  the  South, 
erecting  sugar  machinery  on  plantations  there. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


841 


Then,  returning  to  Chicago,  in  1896  he  passed 
the  civil  service  examination  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  city  of  Chicago  as  Assistant 
Engineer  at  the  Seventieth  Street  Sewage  Pump- 
ing Station,  staying  there  one  year,  after  which, 
having  passed  the  fifth  grade  civil  service  ex- 
amination, he  was  appointed  Assistant  Engineer 
at  the  Sixty-Eighth  Street  Pumping  Station,  re- 
maining until  January  10,  1901,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Central  Park  Avenue  Pump- 
ing Station  as  Assistant  Engineer,  which  position, 
at  date  of  writing  this  sketch  he  still  retains 
ready  for  any  duty  he  may  be  called  upon  to 
perform. 

JOHN  W.   BURKITT. 

John  W.  Burkitt,  jeweler,  fruit-grower  and 
gardener,  Arlington  Heights,  111.,  was  born  at 
Arlington  Heights  August  8,  1854,  the  son  of 
Richard  and  Mary,  A.  (Pigott)  Burkitt,  who 
were  natives  of  England  and  settled  in  Wheel- 
ing Township,  Cook  County,  in  1846.  The  elder 
Burkitt  died  in  1864.  The  son  was  educated  in 
his  native  village,  and  early  acquired  a  fond- 
ness for  horticulture,  in  which  his  father  had 
been  interested  in  England.  Of  late  years  he 
has  proved  himself  a  successful  grower  of  cher- 
ries of  a  superior  quality,  which  are  shipped  to 
dealers  in  distant  cities  and  find  a  ready  sale 
at  high  prices.  His  experiments  in  this  branch 
of  horticulture  have  been  watched  with  deep 
interest,  and  have  already  won  for  him  the 
title  of  the  "Cherry  King  of  Illinois."  On  Jan- 
uary 7,  1882,  Mr.  Burkitt  was  married  to  Lydia 
Alma  Pratt,  of  Palatine,  111.,  who  died  March  1, 
1898,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years.  He  has 
four  children  living:  Ralph  Edward,  Granado 
Ross,  Hazel  Alma  and  John  W.,  Jr.  The  son, 
Granado,  within  the  last  year,  has  taken  charge 
of  the  fruit-garden  part  of  his  father's  business. 
In  addition  to  his  other  branches  of  business, 
Mr.  Burkitt  is  a  Director  of  the  local  bank  at 
Arlington  Heights,  111.,  and  also  a  stockholder, 
Director  and  Vice-President  of  the  Sierra  Gold 
Mining  Company  of  Tuolumne  County,  Cal. 

DANIEL  HUDSON  BURNHAM. 
Daniel  H.  Burnham,  Chief  of  Architecture  and 
Construction  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion of  1893,  is  a  native  of  Henderson,  Jefferson 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  September 
4,  1846,  the  son  of  Edwin  and  Elizabeth  Burn- 
ham.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Vermont, 
and  were  married  in  New  York  about  1841.  His 


great-grandfather  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary Army,  while  his  mother's  ancestors, 
on  both  sides,  were,  for  many  generations, 
clergymen.  She  was  a  granddaughter  of  the 
celebrated  Samuel  Hopkins,  of  Revolutionary 
times,  and  a  cousin  of  the  late  Mark  Hopkins 
of  California.  Edwin  Burnham,  the  father,  re- 
moved to  Chicago  with  his  family  in  1855,  where 
he  was  a  wholesale  merchant  until  his  decease 
in  1874,  a  part  of  the  time  being  President  of 
the  old  Merchants'  Exchange. 

Young  Burnham  was  a  pupil  in  Professor 
Snow's  private  school,  located  on  the  present 
site  of  the  Fair  Department  Store,  on  Adams 
Street,  and  afterwards  attended  the  old  Jones 
school  and  the  Chicago  High  School.  Later 
he  spent  two  years  under  private  instruction 
at  Waltham,  Mass.,  and  one  year  with  Professor 
T.  B.  Hay  ward  (previously  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity), at  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  as  his  sole 
pupil.  Returning  to  Chicago  in  the  fall  of 
1867,  he  spent  the  following  year  and  a  half 
in  the  office  of  Messrs.  Loring  and  Jenney,  archi- 
tects; then  went  to  Nevada  and,  for  one  year, 
was  engaged  in  mining,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  Chicago  and  entered  the  office  of  Mr. 
L.  G.  Laurean,  architect,  where  he  remained  one 
and  one-half  years.  Immediately  after  the  great 
fire  of  October  8th  and  9th,  1871,  he  entered 
the  office  of  Messrs.  Carter,  Drake  &  White, 
where  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  John 
W.  Root,  with  whom,  in  the  spring  of  1873,  he 
formed  a  co-partnership  which  lasted  until  Mr. 
Root's  demise  in  January,  1891. 

Among  the  buildings  planned  and  constructed 
by  Mr.  Burnham  may  be  mentioned  the  National 
Bank  of  Illinois  building,  the  Chemical  Bank 
building,  Montauk  block — ten  stories  high  and 
the  first  tall  fire-proof  building  erected  in  Chi- 
cago; the  Rialto,  the  Rookery,  the  Insurance 
Exchange,  Phoenix,  the  Counselman  building, 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  general  offices, 
the  Rand  and  McNally  building,  Calumet  and 
Calumet  Club  buildings.  He  also  designed  the 
Woman's  Temple,  twelve  stories,  high;  the  Ma- 
sonic Temple,  twenty  stories;  the  Great  North- 
ern Hotel  and  Monadnock  buildings,  sixteen 
stories;  the  Herald  building  on  Washington 
street;  St.  Gabriel's  Catholic  Church;  Church 
of  the  Covenant  (Presbyterian) ;  the  Merchants' 
National  and  the  Marshall  Field  retail  build- 
ings; the  new  Methodist  and  Presbyterian 
Churches  at  Evanston,  etc.  He  finished  in  Cleve- 


842 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


land,  Ohio,  the  Society  for  Savings  building;  the 
Western  Reserve  and  the  Evangelical  buildings. 
At  Kansas  City  he  built  the  Midland  Hotel, 
Board  of  Trade  and  American  Bank  buildings; 
at  Topeka,  Kan.,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  general  office  building;  the  Phoenix  Hotel 
at  Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs,  N.  M.;  the  Chronicle 
building  and  Mills  building  in  San  Francisco, 
the  latter  one  of  the  finest  office  buildings  in 
America;  also  a  large  office  building  at  Atlanta 
Ga.;  one  in  Philadelphia  twenty-six  stories,  and 
another  twenty-two  stories;  one  in  New  York 
twenty-one  stories;  one  in  Baltimore  fourteen 
stories;  three  in  Cincinnati;  the  Union  Depots 
at  Washington  and  Pittsburgh;  an  entire  block, 
the  Ellicott  Square,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  many 
other  buildings.  Mr.  Burnham  originated  the 
Western  Association  of  Architects  and  was  its 
first  President.  He  is  also  a  member  of  many 
clubs  in  this  and  other  cities.  In  October  of 
1890  he  was  appointed  by  the  Directory  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition  Chief  of  Con- 
struction and  Supervising  Architect.  He  made 
all  drawings  and  contracts,  and  supervised  the 
artistic  and  working  construction  and  disburse- 
ments for  the  buildings. 

Mr.  Burnham  has  been  President  of  the  West- 
ern and  American  Institute  of  Architects,  was 
chairman  of  the  National  Commission  estab- 
lished by  the  United  States  Senate  for  beauti- 
fying the  National  Capitol,  and  has  recently 
been  entrusted  with  the  designing  of  some  im- 
portant plans  in  this  connection.  He  has  been 
honored  by  Harvard  and  Yale  Universities  with 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Science.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1876  to  Margaret  Siebring  Sherman, 
daughter  of  John  B.  Sherman,  and  five  children 
have  been  born  to  them:  Ethel,  the  wife  of 
Albert  B.  Wells  of  Southbridge,  Mass.;  John; 
Hubert,  a  cadet  in  the  United  States  Navy; 
Margaret  and  Daniel. 

WILLIAM  J.  BURNS. 

William  J.  Burns,  Chief  Engineer,  North 
Side  Pumping  Station,  Chicago,  was  born  in 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  November  2,  1857,  and  attended 
the  Christian  Brothers'  School.  After  leaving 
school  he  served  his  time  as  machinist  at  Sut- 
ton  Brothers'  Machine  Works  in  Buffalo,  re- 
maining there  four  years.  He  was  later  on  the 
lakes  as  chief  engineer  of  lake  steamers.  The 
last  steamer  on  which  he  was  employed  was 
the  "H.  L.  Worthington,"  on  which  he  remained 


until  1892.  June  10,  1893,  he  was  appointed 
Assistant  Engineer  at  the  North  Side  Pumping 
Station.  He  took  the  civil  service  examination 
and,  on  January  10,  1901,  was  appointed  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  Springfield  Avenue  Pumping 
Station.  Mr.  Burns  has  earned  his  promotion 
by  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  many  important 
duties.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  Gib- 
bons, in  Chicago,  January  5,  1887,  and  they 
have  four  children. 

WILLIAM  BUSSE. 

William  Busse,  County  Commissioner  of  Cook 
County,  was  born  of  German  parents  in  Elk 
Grove  Township,  Cook  County;  111.,  January 
27,  1864.  His  parents  were  Louis  and  Chris- 
tiana (Kirchoff)  Busse,  and  his  father  and  both 
his  grandparents  (Frederick  and  Frederika 
Busse)  were  natives  of  Hanover,  Germany.  Mr. 
Busse  was  educated  in  local  public  and  private 
schools,  attending  school  in  the  winter  and 
helping  his  father  on  the  farm  in  summer. 
From  1880  to  1885  he  assisted  his  father  in  the 
butter  and  cheese  manufacture  and  conducting 
a  general  mercantile  business.  Arriving  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  he  began  farming  on  his  own 
account,  in  which  he  has  been  quite  successful. 
For  ten  years  he  has  served  as  Deputy  Sheriff 
of  Cook  County,  having  been  appointed  in  1890 
by  Sheriff  Gilbert,  and  has  established  a  high 
reputation  for  personal  and  official  integrity. 
He  has  always  been  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
in  1900  was  nominated  as  a  Republican  candi- 
date for  County  Commissioner  and  elected  in 
November  following  by  a  decided  plurality,  and 
re-elected  in  1902.  Mr.  Busse's  first  wife  hav- 
ing died  February  20,  1894,  he  was  married  a 
second  time  in  August,  1894,  to  Dina  Busse, 
in  Elk  Grove  Township,  by  whom  he  has  had 
two  children:  Helen,  born  March  6,  1896,  and 
Oscar,  born  February  6,  1898,  and  died  in 
August,  1898.  In  addition  to  his  other  official 
positions,  Mr.  Busse  has  been  of  late  years 
one  of  the  Directors  of  the  new  school  at  Mount 
Prospect,  his  present  place  of  residence. 

EDWARD  B.  BUTLER. 

Edward  B.  Butler,  merchant,  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Lewiston,  Maine,  December  16,  1853. 
When  he  was  six  years  old  his  family  removed 
to  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  grammar  and  high  schools  of  that 
city,  between  school  hours  assisting  his  father  in 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


843 


a  retail  grocery  store.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
left  the  usual  positions  of  bundle-boy,  packer, 
entry  clerk  and  shipper,  and  at  eighteen  years 
of  age  became  a  commercial  traveler.  For  five 
years  he  sold  merchandise  in  New  England, 
Canada,  and  throughout  the  Western  States. 
In  1877  he  returned  to  Boston  and  with  his 
brother,  George  H.,  engaged  in  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Butler  Brothers,  their  brother, 
Charles  H.,  joining  them  a  year  later.  The  com- 
ing together  of  these  three  brothers  meant  suc- 
cess; for,  by  their  joint  efforts,  their  business 
as  wholesalers  of  notions  and  small  wares  in- 
creased rapidly.  In  1878  they  made  a  decided 
and  radical  change  in  merchandising  methods 
by  inaugurating  a  five-cent  counter  plan.  This 
at  first  seemed  only  a  bright  idea,  but  proved 
to  be  the  foundation  of  the  wonderfully  suc- 
cessful department  stores  now  in  every  city 
throughout  the  country.  The  entire  soliciting 
has  been  done  by  a  comprehensive  catalogue, 
widely  known  as  "Our  Drummer." 

Mr.  Butler  is  President  of  the  corporation 
still  retaining  the  name  of  Butler  Brothers, 
which  he,  with  his  brothers  (now  deceased), 
founded.  Their  three  houses — one  in  Chicago, 
one  in  St.  Louis,  and  the  other  in  New  York — 
employ  more  than  three  thousand  men  and  do  a 
yearly  business  of  more  than  eighteen  million 
dollars.  Mr.  Butler  takes  a  special  interest  in 
all  matters  pertaining  to  moral  progress,  and 
contributes  liberally  of  his  means  to  the  support 
of  every  worthy  cause.  He  was  chairman  of  the 
Ways  and  Means  Committee  of  the  World's  Col- 
umbian Exposition  of  1893,  while  at  the  same 
time  Chairman  of  the  Bureau  of  Admissions 
and  Collections.  Later,  he  was,  for  two  years, 
the  active  head  of  the  Civic  Federation  of  Chi- 
cago. He  is  now  President  of  the  Illinois  Man- 
ual Training  School  Farm  for  Boys,  at  Glen- 
wood,  besides  being  a  Director  of  the  Chicago 
Orphan  Asylum,  the  Chicago  Bureau  of  Char- 
ities, the  Erring  Woman's  Refuge,  and  a  num- 
ber of  other  charitable  organizations.  He  is  also 
a  Trustee  of  the  Rockford  College,  the  Chicago 
Athenaeum,  and  the  Hull  House  Social  Settle- 
ment, and  a  Director  in  the  Corn  Exchange 
National  Bank,  Chicago.  Besides  being  affili- 
ated with  the  leading  social  clubs  of  the  city, 
Mr.  Butler  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  and 
Merchants'  Clubs.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Jane  Holley  of  Norwalk,  Conn. 


FRANK  H.  BUTTERFIELD. 
Frank  H.  Butterfield,  "Pioneer  Fireman"  and 
Captain  Engine  No.  88,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Chicago, 'January  26,  1849, 
and  was  educated  in  the  Scammon  and  New- 
berry  public  schools.  After  leaving  school  at 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  enlisted,  and  wanted 
to  go  as  bugler  for  the  United  States  Army,  but 
was  refused  on  account  of  his  being  "too  short" 
for  the  service.  Later  he  went  to  Boston,  Mass., 
and  there  learned  his  trade  at  the  William 
Mason  Locomotive  Works,  remaining  there  three 
years,  when  he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  worked 
for  his  uncle,  D.  N.  Chappel — known  as  "Pop 
Chappel"  (who  was  also  Captain  of  Enterprise 
Engine  No.  2) — in  a  meat  market  until  he 
joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department  in  Novem- 
ber, 1869,  being  assigned  to  duty  on  Winnebago 
Engine  No.  16,  when  it  was  organized.  He 
was  transferred  to  Long  John  Engine  No.  1 
September  1,  1871,  and  worked  on  that  engine 
during  the  great  fire  in  October,  1871.  The  com- 
pany lost  their  horses  at  the  corner  of  Wells 
and  Adams  Streets,  and  had  to  pull  their 
engine  by  hand  to  Clark  and  Jackson  Streets, 
where  it  remained  until  a  large  boulder  fell 
from  the  top  of  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel  and  cut 
off  the  tray  of  the  engine.  Leaving  there  they 
went  to  Third  Avenue  and  Jackson  Street  and, 
having  lost  their  hose,  obtained  a  canvas  hose 
from  the  "Little  Palmer  House"  at  Quincy  and 
State  Streets,  when  they  tried  to  save  the  African 
Church,  but  finding  they  could  not  do  so,  they 
went  to  the  Honore  building,  corner  of  Dear- 
born and  Adams  Streets,  and  later  to  the  Little 
Palmer  House  on  State  Street.  After  working 
there  for  awhile,  they  found  that  there  was  no 
water  in  the  hydrants,  and  they  had  to  go  into 
line  and  get  the  water  from  the  Lake  basin  at 
Congress  Street.  Then  after  working  at  the 
J.  B.  Rice  Engine  House,  they  went  to  Michi- 
gan Avenue  and  Congress  Street,  and  then  south 
to  Harrison  Street,  where  they  saved  their  en- 
gine from  tipping  into  the  basin  by  first  putting 
a  rope  around  it  and  then  taking  the  two  lead- 
ing horses  from  Engine  11  and  pulling  it  out 
of  its  perilous  position.  From  there  going  to 
Washington  Street  and  the  Chicago  River  on 
the  West  Side,  they  pumped  water  into  the 
mains  for  twenty-four  hours;  then  went  to 
Michigan  Avenue  and  Hubbard  Court,  and 
pumped  water  into  the  mains  there  for  forty 
hours  for  fire  protection,  Engines  1,  12,  15  and 


844 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


16  being  the  only  ones  then  fit  for  service  after 
the  fire. 

Mr.  Butterfield  was  promoted  to  Assistant 
Foreman  on  Engine  1  March  1,  1872;  was 
transferred  to  Chemical  No.  1  in  September, 
1874;  transferred  to  Engine  24  September  11, 
1875;  promoted  to  Captain  August  1,  1878; 
transferred  to  Engine  64  May  12,  1894,  and  to 
Engine  88  December  31,  1900. 

Chicago  owes  a  large  debt  of  gratitude  to  her 
pioneer  firemen,  and  among  them  the  name  of 
Frank  H.  Butterfield  is  entitled  to  honorable 
mention.  He  has  had  many  accidents  and  nar- 
row escapes;  was  run  over  by  the  "Long  John" 
hose-cart  in  August,  1873,  but  his  limbs  were 
not  broken;  was  rescued  from  the  debris  of 
the  Globe  Theater  after  having  been  there  for 
nearly  an  hour,  and  was  found  to  be  not  seri- 
ously injured.  On  June  30,  1881,  he  had  his 
right  leg  broken,  sustaining  a  compound 
fracture  of  both  bones,  but  has  recovered  its 
use.  He  also  had  his  right  hand  nearly  severed 
by  the  fall  of  a  chemical  from  the  roof,  and  suf- 
fered many  other  mishaps  too  numerous  to 
mention. 

Mr.  Butterfield  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Ellen  Holmes  in  Peru,  111.,  March  4,  1871,  and 
two  children  have  blessed  this  union.  One 
daughter  is  still  living. 

EDWARD  T.  CAHILL. 

Edward  T.  Cahill,  attorney-at-law,  was  born 
in  Chicago  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Me- 
Cormick)  Cahill,  who  came  from  Ireland.  Prior 
to  leaving  the  old  country,  the  mother  was  a 
school  teacher  in  the  national  schools,  the 
father  being  the  son  of  a  farmer.  The  father 
and  mother  were  married  in  the  State  of  New 
Jersey,  later  removing  to  Chicago,  where  the 
father  was  soon  after  killed  in  a  railroad  acci- 
dent, leaving  the  family  with  little  or  no  finan- 
cial support.  Edward  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  afterwards  pursuing  a  course  of  self- 
study  and  attending  lectures  of  an  educational 
character,  usually  pursued  in  colleges  and  uni- 
versities, also  studying  Latin  and  French.  He 
began  life  as  a  cash-boy,  rising  to  the  position 
of  clerk,  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  entering  the  law  office  of  Wilson,  Mont- 
gomery &  Waterman,  and  becoming  associated 
later  with  Hawes  &  Lawrence. 

Mr.  Cahill  has  never  held  public  office,  but 
has  occupied  many  responsible  positions  in  pri- 
vate life,  such  as  executor,  trustee,  receiver, 
assignee,  etc.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican 
and,  being  a  fluent  speaker,  has  made  many 
able  speeches  in  support  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chi- 


cago Philosophical  Society,  before  which  he  has 
delivered  lectures  on  various  topics;  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Western  Psychical  Society,  of  the 
Art  Institute,  and  other  literary  and  scientific 
bodies,  and  one  of  the  Vice-Presidents  of  the 
Sons  of  Illinois.  He  has  been  a  contributor  to 
the  daily  newspapers  and  magazines  on  relig- 
ious, political,  social,  scientific  and  legal  ques- 
tions, and  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
different  public  movements,  having  for  their 
object  the  advancement  of  the  city  and  the  pub- 
lic good. 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Cahill's  practice  has  been 
more  especially  connected  with  real-estate 
affairs.  He  declines  to  accept  criminal  cases. 
He  has  gained  prominence  by  having  raised  the 
question  of  the  constitutionality  of  the  act  of 
the  State  Legislature,  known  as  the  "Short 
Cause  Calendar."  He  has  been  employed  in  the 
trial  of  a  number  of  large  and  important  chan- 
cery cases  involving  the  title  to  realty.  He  has 
many  devoted  friends  and  a  large  and  increas- 
ing list  of  clients,  by  whom  he  is  regarded  with 
much  favor  because  of  his  ability  and  faithful- 
ness to  their  interests;  and  is  also  regarded 
by  his  colleagues  as  a  conscientious  and  pains- 
taking member  of  the  profession  in  Chicago. 

JOHN   CALAHAN. 

John  Calahan,  Engineer  Engine  No.  83,  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Albany,  N. 
Y.,  May  9,  1842;  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  New  York,  and  coming  to  Chicago  in 
1853,  attended  the  Dearborn  school.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  worked  as  shop-boy  in  several 
shops,  and  later  on  the  lakes.  On  September  11, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Navy  on 
the  United  States  Frigate  "Cumberland," 
remaining  on  that  vessel  until  she  was  sunk  by 
the  Merrimac,  March  8,  1862.  Then  he  served 
on  the  Frigate  "St.  Lawrence"  until  honorably 
discharged,  October  14,  1863,  after  which  he 
sailed  on  the  lakes  and  later  worked  at  steam- 
fitting  until  October,  1875,  when  he  joined  the 
Fire  Department,  taking  a  position  on  Engine 
No.  17.  He  was  transferred  to  Engine  27,  on 
December  31,  1875;  to  Engine  22,  in  1877; 
back  again,  as  Engineer,  to  Engine  27,  in  April, 
1887;  and  to  Engine  83,  September  14,  1898, 
where  (1901)  he  still  remained.  Mr.  Calahan 
has  met  several  minor  accidents  and  has  had 
many  narrow  escapes,  but  is  ever  ready  to  face 
any  duty  or  danger  he  may  be  called  upon  to 
meet.  He  is  an  "old  timer"  and  has  chased 
and  shot  quails  and  other  kinds  of  game  from 
Fort  Dearborn  on  Michigan  Avenue  to  Twelfth 
Street  in  1854  and  1855.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Kent,  in  Chicago,  May  3,  1872,  and 
they  have  had  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
now  living,  viz.:  John,  James,  Catharine,  Mary 
and  Grace. 

JOHN    M.    CAMERON. 

John  M.  Cameron,  lawyer,  Chicago,  was  born 
in  Ottawa,  Ontario,  September  18,  1867,  the  son 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


845 


of  Neil  and  Mary  (McRae)  Cameron,  and  at  two 
years  of  age  was  brought  to  Chicago,  where  he 
has  lived  ever  since.  He  acquired  his  education 
in  the  Chicago  grammar  and  high  schools,  then 
studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  June, 
1889,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  practice, 
being  first  connected  with  the  firm  of  Campbell 
&  Custer,  then  with  its  successor,  Custer,  God- 
dard  &  Griffin,  and  at  the  present  time  as  junior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Custer,  Griffin  &  Cam- 
eron. On  January  1,  1895,  Mr.  Cameron  was 
married  to  Miss  Anna  Iverson,  and  they  have 
(1904)  two  surviving  children,  viz.:  Alan  C. 
Cameron  and  Anita  C.  Cameron.  In  politics 
Mr.  Cameron  is  a  Republican,  is  affiliated  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  is  a  member  of  St. 
Paul's  Episcopal  Church  at  Riverside,  and  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  that  place,  where 
he  has  resided  for  a  number  of  years.  The  law 
firm  of  which  Mr.  Cameron  is  an  active  work- 
ing member  has  its  office  at  809  to  815  Rookery 
Building,  Chicago,  where  they  have  been  located 
for  fifteen  years. 

JOHN  G.  CARLSON. 

John  G.  Carlson,  pioneer  fireman,  Captain 
Engine  No.  83,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  in  the  western  part  of  Sweden,  November 
29,  1835,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
and,  after  leaving  school,  learned  the  tailor's 
trade  with  his  father.  Coming  to  Chicago  in 
September,  1852,  he  remained  in  the  tailoring 
business  until  the  death  of  his  father,  which 
occurred  in  1855.  In  March,  1857,  he  joined 
the  Volunteer  Fire  Department  as  hoseman  on 
the  Philadelphia  Hose  Company.  The  company 
disbanded  in  the  spring  of  1859,  and  on  July  12, 
1862,  he  joined  the  paid  Fire  Department  as 
pipeman  on  "Long  John,"  No.  1,  under  the 
command  of  foreman  "Matt  Benner,"  where 
he  remained  until  June,  1869,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  Jake  Rehm  Engine,  No.  4,  and 
was  promoted  to  foreman  July,  1871.  He  was 
in  Saturday  night's  fire  (October  7,  1871),  and 
went  to  Canal  and  Adams  Streets;  was  called 
out  Sunday  night  about  nine  o'clock,  to  the 
"big  blaze"  of  October  8-9th,  and  took  a  position 
at  the  church  at  the  corner  of  Mather  and  Clin- 
ton Streets,  working  there  until  he  was  obliged 
to  move  to  Mather  and  Jefferson  Streets,  where, 
with  the  assistance  of  Engine  No.  17,  he  pre- 
vented the  fire  from  going  west;  then  went  to 
the  corner  of  Canal  and  Beach  Streets,  and 
fought  the  fire  in  the  lumber  yards  until  the 
water  gave  out.  He  then  went  in  line  with 
Engine  No.  6,  and  worked  on  the  Government 
Bonded  Warehouse  at  the  foot  of  Beach  Street, 
until  ordered  to  form  a  line  with  other  com- 
panies from  the  lake.  From  there  he  went  to 
the  North  Side,  going  to  work  at  Division  and 
Halsted  streets  in  connection  with  compan- 
ies from  other  cities,  remaining  there  until 
3  o'clock  Tuesday  morning.  The  next  two 
weeks  were  spent  working,  off  and  on,  in  put- 
ting out  fires  in  the  coal  yard  and  pumping  into 
the  water-mains  for  the  West  Side.  He  was 


successively  transferred  to  Engines  20,  22  and 
27,  and,  in  1879  to  Engine  4;  June  15,  1893, 
organized  Engine  69 ;  was  transferred  to  Engine 
79  in  January,  1896,  and  to  Engine  83,  June  15, 
1897.  During  his  long  and  constant  service,  he 
has  had  many  narrow  escapes  and  rescues,  but 
(1901)  is  still  on  hand  ready  for  any  call  of 
duty  or  danger.  Captain  Carlson  was  married 
in  Chicago,  March  8,  1873,  to  Miss  Matilda  John- 
son, and  they  have  had  four  children,  three  of 
whom  are  now  living. 

JAMES  A.  CARNES. 

James  A.  Carnes,  Captain  Engine  No.  62,  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Conn.,  January  23,  1862;  came  to  Chicago  with 
his  parents  in  1867,  and  was  educated  in  the 
Mitchell  and  Foster  public  schools.  He  worked 
for  Norton  Brothers,  can  manufacturers,  for 
five  years,  when  he  went  to  Leadville,  Colo., 
remaining  there  five  years  more.  Returning  to 
Chicago  in  1885  he  joined  the  Hyde  Park  Fire 
Department,  May  1,  1886,  on  Engine  No.  1; 
was  promoted  to  Lieutenant  in  June,  1887,  the 
number  of  the  engine  being  changed  to  45  when 
Hyde  Park  was  annexed  to  Chicago,  August  1, 
1889.  He  was  next  transferred  to  Truck  16  on 
December  31,  1890,  and  to  Engine  51  in  June, 
1891;  was  promoted  to  Acting  Captain,  May  1, 
1893,  on  Engine  No.  63,  World's  Fair  Grounds, 
and  to  Captain,  May  31,  1894.  His  subsequent 
changes  include  his  transfer  to  Engine  73,  to 
Engine  82,  April  15,  1897,  and  to  Engine  62, 
October  6,  1900.  He  is  now  (1904)  in  charge 
of  Engine  No.  63. 

Captain  Carnes  was  at  the  Cold  Storage  fire, 
World's  Fair  Grounds,  July  10,  1893.  His  com- 
pany remained  on  the  tower  until  forced  to 
leave,  when  they  worked  on  the  ground  while 
Chief  Murphy  and  Lieutenants  Barker,  Wilbur 
and  Reffeld  went  up  the  ladder  and  rescued  Cap- 
tain Fitzpatrick,  who  was  lying  on  the  roof. 
The  rest  of  the  company  worked  on  the  fire 
and  carried  out  five  bodies  of  those  killed. 
There  was  no  fire  anywhere  when  they  arrived 
at  the  building,  except  in  the  dome.  Captain 
Carnes  thinks  the  hot  air  exploded  and  set  fire  to 
the  stack.  He  has  had  many  narrow  Escapes  and 
rescues;  during  a  fire  at  Oakwood  Boulevard 
and  Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  while  looking  for 
a  party  in  peril,  he  went  through  to  the  base- 
ment and  had  his  jaw  and  leg  broken;  was  also 
nearly  suffocated  at  the  World's  Fair  Hotel  fire 
in  1893,  and  later  rescued  pipeman  Powers. 
Captain  Carnes  was  married  in  Chicago,  July 
31,  1889,  to  Miss  Mary  O'Donnell,  and  they  have 
had  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing. 

WILLIAM    E.    CARNEY. 

William  E.  Carney,  Captain  of  Fire-Insurance 
Patrol  No.  5,  was  born  at  Union  Springs,  N.  Y., 
November  25,  1854,  came  to  Kenosha,  Wis.,  in 
1860,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
He  worked  in  a  grocery  and  feed-store  until 
1872,  when  he  came  to  Chicago  and  there 
worked  at  different  trades  and  in  the  coal  busi- 


846 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ness,  also  being  employed  by  the  American 
Express  Company.  He  joined  the  Fire-Insur- 
ance Patrol,  December  15,  1889,  was  assigned  to 
Patrol  No.  1,  and  served  as  patrolman  for  five 
years  and  as  driver  for  four  years.  He  was 
transferred  January  1,  1898,  to  Patrol  No.  3, 
and  promoted  to  Lieutenant;  then  transferred 
to  Patrol  No.  5  May  1,  1900,  and  promoted  to 
Captain.  One  of  his  closest  calls  was  at  the 
McVicker's  Theater  fire,  when,  by  hard  running 
before  the  roof  fell,  he  escaped  personal  injury. 
Later  he  had  a  similar  escape  when  a  building 
on  Cottage  Grove  Avenue  and  Thirty-second 
Street  was  split  in  twain.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Catharine  Lavin  in  Chicago,  on  Easter 
Sunday,  1879,  and  they  had  two  children,  one 
of  whom  is  now  living.  Mrs.  Carney  having 
died  some  years  previous,  on  Easter  Monday  of 
1893,  Mr.  Carney  was  married  to  his  second 
wife,  who  was  Margaret  A.  Furness  of  Chicago. 
A  brave  patrolman,  Captain  Carney  has  always 
shown  himself  ready  for  service  where  duty 
calls. 

SAMUEL  T.   CARR. 

Samuel  T.  Carr,  contractor,  son  of  Silas  T. 
and  Susan  L.  Carr,  natives  of  New  York,  was 
born  March  13,  1841,  in  the  same  place,  and 
educated  in  private  schools.  On  June  22,  1862, 
he  came  to  Chicago  and  went  into  the  dry- 
goods  business  with  A.  G.  Downs  &  Co.,  remain- 
ing nine  years.  On  May  12,  1864,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  (Captain  John 
Dyer),  and  served  nearly  six  months,  taking 
part  in  the  campaign  against  guerrillas  in  Ken- 
tucky and  Missouri,  and  being  discharged  Octo- 
ber 25,  1864.  Mr.  Carr  was  married  to  Mary  E. 
Halleck,  in  Chicago,  September  20,  1866,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  four  children:  Susie 
E.,  Anna  Belle,  Ethel  May  and  Daniel  W.  Mrs. 
Carr  died  in  1875  and  on  May  13,  1900,  Mr. 
Carr  married  Elizabeth  Ross.  He  is  a  Protest- 
ant in  religious  belief,  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  by  occupation  a  contractor. 

ROBERT  S.  CARROLL. 

Robert  S.  Carroll,  attorney,  was  born  on 
November  20,  1845,  in  the  city  of  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools.  On  September  20,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  the  Forty-seventh  Massachusetts 
Infantry — the  Merchants'  Guard  of  Boston — 
serving  in  New  Orleans  under  Gen.  Banks, 
when  the  latter  relieved  Gen.  Butler,  being 
mustered  out  September  1,  1863.  He  re-enlisted 
in  the  Fifty-eighth  Massachusetts  Veteran 
Regiment,  January  20,  1864,  and  served  under 
General  Grant  when  he  took  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  participating  in  the  bat- 
tles of  the  Wilderness,  Cold  Harbor  and  Peters- 
burg, up  to  the  battle  of  The  Crater,  July,  1864, 
when  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  confined  in  the 
rebel  prison  at  Danville,  Va.,  and  Libby  Prison 
at  Richmond,  until  February  22,  1865,  when  he 
was  paroled.  Later  he  returned  to  his  regi- 
ment and  participated  in  the  grand  review  at 


Washington,  just  before  the  mustering  out  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  which  occurred  July 
14,  1865. 

After  returning  home,  Mr.  Carroll  studied  law 
in  Boston,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and,  in 
1877,  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  prac- 
ticed his  profession  ever  since.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Chicago,  November  30,  1881,  and  has 
one  son.  Mr.  Carroll  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order  (32nd  degree),  Independent 
Order  of  Odd-Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

CHARLES  E.  CASE. 

Charles  E.  Case,  Captain  of  Engine  No.  20, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
Jan.  15,  1859,  and  educated  in  the  Kinzie 
and  Hayes  schools;  then  worked  for  Crane  & 
Company  as  a  molder,  and  later  ran  the  ele- 
vator at  the  Hale  Building,  103  State  street. 
He  joined  the  Fire  Department  December  31, 
1881,  on  Chemical  No.  1,  and  was  transferred  to 
Engine  17,  and  then  to  Engine  26  in  Decem- 
ber, 1884.  March  1,  1886,  he  was  promoted  to 
Lieutenant  and  assigned  to  Engine  34,  then  on 
May  1,  1888,  to  Engine  17;  was  promoted  to 
Captain  August  31,  1889,  and  assigned  to 
Engine  5;  was  transferred  to  World's  Fair 
Engine  in  service  building  in  1893,  and  later 
had  successive  transfers  to  Engine  59,  then  to 
Engine  24,  and  on  January  31,  1900,  to  Engine 
20.  On  September  1,  1884,  at  a  fire  in  McComb's 
Veneering  Works  at  Kinzie  Street  and  Ashland 
Avenue,  he  was  buried  beneath  the  fallen  tim- 
bers and  badly  crushed,  compelling  him  to 
remain  off  duty  for  seven  months.  On  Septem- 
ber 1,  1885,  while  driving  the  cart  for  Engine 
26,  he  came  into  collision  with  Engine  No.  12, 
was  thrown  from  and  run  over  by  the  cart, 
sustaining  internal  injuries,  besides  a  broken 
arm,  which  laid  him  up  about  four  months. 
He  received  the  Lambert  Tree  medal  and  hon- 
orable mention  for  promptness,  skill,  and 
bravery  in  assisting  in  the  rescue  of  seventeen 
persons  from  a  burning  building  at  92  West 
Lake  Street,  on  the  morning  of  October  12,  1888. 
Captain  Case  has  had  many  other  narrow 
escapes,  but  like  many  other  Chicago  boys  is 
ready  for  any  emergency  where  duty  and  danger 
calls.  , 

CHARLES  C.  CHACE. 

Few  positions  in  business  life  call  for  a  com- 
bination of  qualities  at  once  so  essential  and  so 
rare  as  that  of  auditor  of  the  accounts  of  a 
great  corporation.  To  a  familiarity  with  fig- 
ures and  a  ready  comprehension  of  their  rela- 
tions must  be  added  painstaking  accuracy,  to 
quick  perception  must  be  joined  thorough  fam- 
iliarity with  detail,  tireless  energy  and  executive 
capacity  must  go  hand  in  hand,  while  the 
entire  superstructure  must  rest  upon  a  founda- 
tion of  incorruptible  integrity.  Probably  no 
man  in  Chicago's  commercial  world  better 
understands  these  requirements  than  Mr. 
Charles  C.  Chace,  the  auditor  of  the  Union 
Stock  Yards  and  Traction  and  the  Chicago 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


847 


Junction  Railway  companies.  To  the  discharge 
of  the  high  trust  and  grave  responsibilities 
attaching  to  this  dual  position  he  has  brought 
a  ripe  experience  and  thorough  equipment. 

Born  at  Port  Jervis,  N.  Y.,  August  30,  1855, 
he  received  a  thorough  elementary  and  business 
education,  and  in  1881  was  given  the  position 
of  cashier  in  the  Lafayette,  Ind.,  office  of  the 
Lake  Erie  &  Western  Railway  Company.  After 
five  years  of  faithful  service  there,  he  was 
appointed  the  company's  agent  at  Findlay,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  for  six  years.  In  1892  he 
accepted  an  offer  from  C.  H.  Hammond  &  Co., 
to  become  their  traffic  manager  at  Omaha.  Four 
years  later  the  Hammond  Company  organized 
the  Chicago,  Hammond  &  Great  Western  Rail- 
way Company,  Mr.  Chace  being  made  auditor. 
On  the  merging  of  this  corporation  with  the 
Chicago  Junction  Railway  Company,  on  April 
1,  1897,  he  continued  to  fill  the  same  post.  In 
February,  1898,  he  was  appointed  auditor  of 
the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  Transit  Company. 

Mr.  Chace  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  M. 
Finney,  a  young  lady  of  Indianapolis,  on  May 
23,  1890,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
one  daughter. 

CALVIN  CHAMBERLAIN. 

Calvin  Chamberlain,  storekeeper,  Union  Stock 
Yards  &  Transit  Company,  was  born  in  South 
Danvers  (now  Peabody),  Mass.,  August  29, 
1844;  received  a  common  school  education 
until  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  then  assisted 
his  father  on  a  small  farm  in  Lynn,  Mass., 
until  the  fall  of  1861,  when,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Seven- 
teenth Regiment,  Massachusetts  Volunteer 
Infantry,  in  which  he  served  three  years.  This 
regiment  joined  General  Burnside's  expedition 
into  North  Carolina,  and  participated  in  all  the 
principal  engagements  in  that  department, 
including  Roanoke  Island,  Newbern,  Goldsboro, 
Kingston  and  others. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Chamberlain  returned  to 
his  native  city  for  one  month,  and  then  coming 
to  Chicago  in  December,  1864,  was  employed  by 
the  United  States  Express  Company,  to  which 
he  rendered  efficient  services  in  the  great  fire 
of  1871,  assisting  in  saving  much  valuable  prop- 
erty, for  which  he  was  rewarded  by  the  com- 
pany. In  1875,  he  severed  his  connection  with 
the  Express  Company  and  entered  into  the 
employment  of  Atkinson  &  Lunt,  marble  deal- 
ers, remaining  with  that  firm  until  the  sum- 
mer of  1878,  when  he  entered  the  service  of 
the  Union  Stockyard  &  Transit  Company,  as 
bookkeeper  and  storekeeper  of  the  commissary 
department  of  the  Transit  House,  making  a 
continuous  service  of  twenty-two  years  for  that 
company.  After  the  fire  of  1871,  he,  with  his 
brother  Charles,  purchased  a  home  in  Engle- 
wood,  and  has  since  resided  there. 

On  April  17,  1879,  Mr.  Chamberlain  married 
Miss  Ida  A.  Gregory,  of  Englewood,  111.,  and 
two  children  have  been  born  to  them.  Mr. 
Chamberlain  is  a  member  of  George  G.  Meade 


Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Englewood,  Ringgold  Coun- 
cil  Royal   Arcanum,   and  other  societies. 

WILLIAM  ROSWELL  CHAMBERLAIN. 

When  William  the  Conqueror  invaded  Eng- 
land in  1066,  one  of  the  chief  officers  was 
named  Chamberlayne.  The  Chamberlains  in 
England  belonged  to  the  Puritan  party  in  the 
war  with  Charles  I.  The  ancestors  of  William 
R.  Chamberlain  came  to  America  in  1638  and 
settled  near  Boston,  Mass.,  since  which  time 
there  has  not  been  a  war  fought  by  the  Colo- 
nies or  the  United  States  that  has  not  been  par- 
ticipated in  by  some  members  of  the  family. 
Mrs.  Chamberlain  also  traces  her  ancestry 
back  to  the  early  settlers  of  Massachusetts. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  near  St. 
Elmo,  Fayette  County,  111.,  August  31,  1851, 
the  son  of  Philo  Culver  and  Euphemia  (Cooper) 
Chamberlain,  the  former  born  in  Campbells- 
burg,  Ind.,  and  the  latter  in  Ohio.  The  paternal 
grandparents  were  Jonathan  and  Hannah  (Cul- 
ver) Chamberlain,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
New  York.  On  the  maternal  side  of  the  family 
the  grandfather  was  Thomas  Cooper,  born  in 
Ireland,  who  married  Ann  Locke,  a  native  of 
Ohio.  When  four  years  of  age  William  R.  lost 
his  father  by  death,  and  five  years  later  his 
mother  died.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years  he 
began  working  on  a  farm  for  four  dollars  a 
month  and  continued  to  be  thus  employed  until 
he  attained  his  majority,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools,  which  he  attended 
during  the  winter  months  until  he  was  able 
himself  to  become  a  teacher.  Later  he  attended 
the  Northwestern  University,  at  Evanston,  111., 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1881.  He  then 
taught  school  and  studied  law,  being  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Springfield  in  1884,  since  when  he 
has  been  engaged  in  active  practice.  He  has 
organized  a  large  number  of  corporations,  being 
especially  proficient  in  that  line  of  legal  work, 
and  has  also  contributed  to  various  law  jour- 
nals. Mr.  Chamberlain  has  acquired  an  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  German  language  and, 
being  a  zealous  Republican,  made  speeches  in 
that  language  during  the  McKinley  campaign. 
He  also  canvassed  Missouri  for  a  month  during 
1896  by  request  of  the  National  Committee. 
Religiously  Mr.  Chamberlain  is  affiliated  with 
the  Methodist  Church.  On  February  21,  1887, 
Mr.  Chamberlain  was  married  in  Chicago  to 
Harriet  I.  Haines,  and  three  children  have  been 
born  to  them:  Faith  Carrie,  Grace  Ann,  and 
Philo  Haines. 

EDWARD  BRUCE  CHANDLER. 
To  the  chronicler  of  human  events  it  is 
always  a  grateful  task  to  recount  the  life  story 
of  the  man  of  earnest  purpose  and  resolute  will, 
who  has  hewn  out  his  road  to  success  and 
inscribed  his  name  upon  the  roll  of  the  coun- 
try's successful  men.  Born  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  Mr.  Chandler's  father's  family  was  of 
New  Jersey  origin,  while  that  of  his  mother 
belonged  to  one  of  the  old  and  respected  houses 


848 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


of  Connecticut.  His  paternal  great-grandfather, 
Joseph  Chandler,  settled  in  Granville,  Washing- 
ton County,  N.  Y.,  where  his  grandfather,  Wil- 
liam, and  his  father,  George  Chandler,  were 
born.  His  maternal  great-grandmother,  Martha 
Utler,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey;  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Louisa  Harris.  The  latter 
was  born  at  Hartford,  Washington  County,  N. 
Y.,  the  granddaughter  of  Israel  and  Sarah 
(Morse)  Harris,  of  Cornwall,  Conn.  Her  father, 
Joseph  Harris,  was  a  native  of  Williamstown, 
Mass.,  and  her  mother,  born  Lucretia  Lord,  first 
saw  the  light  at  Norwich,  Conn. 

Edward  Bruce  Chandler  was  born  at  Hart- 
ford, N.  Y.,  January  30,  1838,  and  in  his  boy- 
hood coming  west,  attended  school  at  Romeo, 
Mich.,  and  in  1858  graduated  from  the  Univer- 
sity at  Ann  Arbor.  The  natural  "bent"  of  his 
mind  being  towards  electricity,  on  leaving  col- 
lege he  commenced  the  study  of  telegraphy  in 
the  office  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Illinois 
&  Mississippi  Telegraph  Company — the  old 
"Caton  Lines."  His  first  salaried  position  was 
at  Bureau  Junction,  where  the  Rock  Island 
Railroad  Company  paid  him  a  monthly  stipend 
of  thirty  dollars;  next  was  stationed  succes- 
sively at  Rock  Island  and  Peru,  and  later  spent 
a  year  in  the  office  of  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Illinois  Central  at  Amboy,  and  two  years  as 
operator  and  cashier  in  offices  of  the  Rock 
Island  Company.  Skill,  experience  and  fidelity 
next  secured  for  him  the  position  of  manager 
of  the  Caton  lines  with  headquarters  at  Spring- 
field, 111.,  which  position  he  filled  during  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  Civil  War,  when  the 
receipt  and  transmission  of  secret  governmental 
dispatches,  the  handling  of  which  called  for 
inviolable  secrecy,  rendered  his  duties  doubly 
responsible. 

Wearying  of  telegraphy  and  anxious  to  enter 
the  broader  field  for  which  he  felt  himself  fitted, 
Mr.  Chandler,  leaving  Springfield  in  1865  came 
to  Chicago  to  become  the  first  General  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Chicago  Fire  Alarm  Telegraph 
Service,  and  in  this  capacity  was  in  charge  of 
the  city's  electrical  service  at  the  time  of  the 
great  fire  in  1871.  He  resigned  this  position 
May  1,  1876,  to  become  the  General  Western 
Agent  of  the  Gamewell  Fire  Alarm  Telegraph 
Company.  He  was  also  President  or  Secretary 
of  the  Police  Telephone  and  Signal  Company 
almost  continuously  from  its  organization  in 
1882,  and  was  Treasurer  of  the  old  American 
Electrical  Society  until  it  passed  out  of  exist 
ence.  His  reputation  as  an  electrical  expert 
was  widely  recognized,  while  his  business 
career  was  marked  by  well  earned  success. 

Of  genial  temperament  and  fond  of  social 
pleasures,  Mr.  Chandler  had  many  friends.  In 
his  college  days  he  was  a  member  of  the  Beta 
Theta  Pi  fraternity,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  over  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
having  been  initiated  into  Home  Lodge  No.  508 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  1877,  becoming  a  Royal  Arch- 
Mason  the  same  year  as  a  member  of  Chicago 
Chapter,  No.  127,  and  still  later  a  Sir  Knight  in 


Apollo  Commandery  No.  1.  In  his  later  years 
he  was  one  of  those  who  organized  the  Cheva- 
lier Bayard  Commandery  No.  52,  in  which  he 
filled  the  various  offices,  terminating  with  that 
of  Eminent  Commander.  He  was  also  member 
of  the  Medinah  Temple  Lodge  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  was  an  active  and  enthusiastic 
craftsman,  always  on  the  alert  for  the  good  of 
his  Order.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Calu- 
met Club  and  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 

At  Princeton,  111.,  January  8,  1872,  Mr.  Chand- 
ler was  married  to  Miss  Emily  Mosley,  and  the 
issue  of  this  union  has  been  two  children — 
Alice,  married  to  Capt.  O.  L.  Spaulding,  Jr., 
U.  S.  A.,  and  George  M.,  a  civil  engineer  of  Chi- 
cago. Mr.  Chandler  died  of  pneumonia  at  his 
home  in  Chicago,  June  6,  1904. 

HORACE  G.  CHASE. 

Horace  G.  Chase,  retired,  Chicago,  was  born 
in  Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  July  9,  1827,  the  son  of 
Hon.  Horace  and  Betsey  (Blanchard)  Chase,  the 
former  a  native  of  Unity,  N.  H.,  and  the  latter 
of  Medford,  Mass.  His  father  was  a  graduate 
of  Dartmouth  College,  N.  H.,  the  Alma  Mater 
of  many  of  the  most  distinguished  statesmen 
and  jurists  in  American  history,  including  such 
names  as  Daniel  Webster,  Rufus  Choate  and 
others.  In  early  life  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  for  many  years  served  as  Judge  of 
Probate  of  Merrimack  County,  in  his  native 
State.  During  the  administration  of  President 
Jackson  he  was  appointed  Postmaster  at  Hop- 
kinton, but  owing  to  the  demands  of  profes- 
sional and  judicial  duties,  being  unable  to  give 
his  personal  attention  to  the  office,  placed  it  in 
charge  of  his  son,  Horace  G.,  who,  although  a 
youth  of  only  twelve  years,  took  the  usual  oath 
as  Deputy  Postmaster,  discharging  the  duties  of 
the  office  in  a  practical  and  efficient  manner. 
Judge  Chase,  in  his  day,  was  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was  highly 
honored  and  widely  known  in  Masonic  circles 
throughout  New  England  as  "Father  Chase," 
and  up  to  the  time  of  his  decease  in  1875,  was 
recognized  as  an  authority  on  fraternity  laws 
and  customs. 

Horace  G.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
Hopkinton  Academy,  while  a  member  of  the 
latter  his  hours  of  recitation  being  so  arranged 
as  not  to  interfere  with  his  postoffice  duties.  It 
was  the  purpose  of  his  father  to  give  him  the 
advantages  of  a  course  in  Dartmouth  College, 
but  this  plan  was  frustrated  by  the  desire  of 
the  son  to  engage  in  business  away  from  home 
and  on  his  own  account.  Therefore,  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  the  latter  became  an  apprentice  in 
the  mathematical  and  nautical  instrument  store 
of  Samuel  Thaxter  &  Son,  in  the  city  of  Bos- 
ton, where  he  remained  until  his  health  becom- 
ing impaired,  he  returned  to  his  home  at  Hop- 
kinton, but  in  1852  followed  his  two  brothers 
who  had  preceded  him  to  Chicago.  On  his 
arrival  here  he  promptly  found  employment 
with  James  H.  Rees,  who,  with  Edward  A. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


849 


Rucker,  originated  the  present  system  of  exam- 
ining real-estate  titles,  for  which  purpose  the 
compiling  of  the  abstract  books  had  already 
been  commenced.  Mr.  Chase's  brother,  Samuel 
B.,  was  already  associated  with  Mr.  Rees,  being 
in  charge  of  the  abstract  department  of  the 
business,  and  engaged  in  the  investigation  of 
titles  while  the  indexes  were  in  course  of  prepa- 
ration. In  1855  Mr.  Chase  became  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Rees,  Chase  &  Company,  consisting 
at  that  time  of  James  H.  Rees  and  Samuel  B. 
and  Horace  G.  Chase.  A  few  years  later  tbo 
Chase  Brothers  bought  out  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Rees,  and  the  business  was  continued  until  the 
fire  of  1871,  the  firm  name  at  that  time  being 
Chase  Brothers  &  Company,  consisting  of  three 
Chase  brothers — Samuel  B.,  Charles  C.,  and 
Horace  G. — with  George  H.  Bailey.  This  great 
catastrophe  wiped  out  every  vestige  of  county 
and  court  records,  but  fortunately  for  real-estate 
owners  in  Cook  County,  each  of  the  three  firms 
then  engaged  in  the  abstract  business — Chase 
Brothers  &  Company,  Shortall  &  Hoard  and 
Jones  &  Sellers — saved  a  portion  of  their  records 
which,  united,  made  a  complete  whole.  Mr.  Hor- 
ace G.  Chase  became  an  active  factor  in  secur- 
ing the  consolidation  of  these  firms;  and 
although  this  step  was  at  first  widely  misun- 
derstood, and  through  the  medium  of  the  press 
and  otherwise  severely  criticised  and  misrepre- 
sented as  an  attempt  to  establish  a  monopoly  in 
the  abstract  business,  it  was  practically  recog- 
nized by  act  of  the  State  Legislature  and  has 
been  vindicated  by  the  courts  and  popular  judg- 
ment of  real-estate  owners.  Following  this  com- 
bination, the  united  firms  leased  their  abstract 
books  to  several  of  their  old  clerks  under  the 
firm  name  of  Handy,  Simmons  &  Co.,  who  con- 
tinued the  business  of  making  abstracts  of  title 
to  real  estate  in  Cook  County  until  1888,  when 
the  Title  Guarantee  and  Trust  Company  became 
the  outcome  of  the  combination  above  named. 
In  the  meantime  the  Security  Title  &  Trust 
Company  and  the  Chicago  Title  &  Trust  Com- 
pany had  been  formed,  and  were  doing  busi- 
ness on  the  same  lines,  as  the  Title  Guarantee 
&  Trust  Company,  when  largely  through  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  Chase,  who  was  a  director  in  the 
Title  Guarantee  &  Trust  Company,  the  stock- 
holders of  the  several  companies  sold  their 
holdings  to  a  syndicate  which  formed  the  pres- 
ent Chicago  Title  &  Trust  Company,  represent- 
ing a  capital  of  five  millions  of  dollars.  The 
growth  of  real  estate  interests  in  Chicago,  dur- 
ing the  past  fifty  years,  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Chase  and  his  brother  Samuel  B. 
Chase,  were  able  to  make  all  the  abstracts 
required  by  the  public  and  assist  in  compiling 
the  abstract  books  when  they  entered  into  the 
business  in  1852,  the  same  work  now  requiring 
a  force  of  over  300  clerks. 

From  the  date  of  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  Mr. 
Chase  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  Masonic 
affairs,  there  being  at  that  time  only  two  lodges 
of  the  Order  in  the  city — the  LaFayette  and 
Oriental.  Mr.  Chase  was  secretary  of  the  latter 


for  ten  years  and  held  a  similar  relation  with 
LaFayette  Chapter  for  two  years.  In  religious 
faith  he  is  an  Episcopalian,  an  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  movement, 
and  a  member  of  Christ  Church  congregation 
under  the  leadership  of  Bishop  Charles  Edward 
Cheney.  Allying  himself  with  the  Republican 
party  on  its  organization  in  1856,  he  supported 
John  C.  Fremont  for  President  that  year,  and 
has  since  been  an  earnest  champion  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  that  party. 

Mr.  Chase  was  married  June  14,  1860,  to  Miss 
Ellen  Marian  Sherwin,  of  Chicago,  and  they 
have  four  children:  Samuel  M.,  Bessie  L.  B., 
Lucy  B.,  and  Horace  Stanley.  Mrs.  Chase  is  a 
niece  of  the  late  William  Rickcords,  well 
known  in  the  early  history  of  Chicago  as  land- 
lord of  the  old  Lake  House,  and  later  proprietor 
of  the  old  Sherman  House. 

Although  spending  his  summers  at  his  birth- 
place, Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  Mr.  Chase  is  still 
deeply  interested  in  Chicago  affairs  with  which 
he  has  been  connected  for  the  past  fifty  years, 
and  has  unlimited  faith  in  the  future  of  the 
city  in  which  he  has  been  so  prominent  and 
influential  a  factor  during  that  eventful  period. 

CHARLES  CARROLL  CHASE. 

Charles  C.  Chase  (deceased),  early  citizen 
and  prominent  business  man  of  Chicago,  was 
born  at  Hopkinton,  Merrimack  County,  N.  H., 
September  19,  1829,  the  son  of  Horace  and 
Betsey  (Blanchard)  Chase,  and  died  in  Chi- 
cago December  4,  1895,  after  a  residence  here 
of  nearly  forty-five  years.  His  father,  Horace 
Chase,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  but  served 
for  many  years  as  Judge  of  the  Probate  Court 
in  Merrimack  County.  He  was  also  prominent- 
ly identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and, 
for  a  considerable  period,  held  the  office  of 
Grand  Secretary  of  the  order  for  the  State  of 
New  Hampshire.  In  the  days  of  the  early 
stage-coach  he  served  as  postmaster  of  his 
native  town  on  the  route  from  Boston  leading 
northward.  Jonathan  Chase,  the  father  of  Hor- 
ace and  grandfather  of  Charles  Carroll,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  holding 
the  rank  of  Captain  and,  for  a  time,  serving  as 
Aide-de-Camp  on  the  staff  of  the  celebrated  Gen- 
eral Stark. 

Charles  C.  Chase  received  his  education  in  a 
grammar  school  and  academy  in  his  native 
town.  The  Hopkinton  Academy  was  considered 
one  of  the  best  of  the  State,  at  one  time  having 
an  enrollment  of  over  one  hundred  pupils,  many 
of  whom  came  from  a  distance  and  were  board- 
ers in  the  institution.  A  course  in  an  institu- 
tion of  its  character  was  considered  a  sufficient 
preparation  for  admission  to  college,  while  it 
was  regarded  as  an  ample  qualification  for  the 
ordinary  pursuits  of  a  business  life  unless  the 
pupil  contemplated  entering  upon  one  of  the 
learned  professions. 

Mr.  Chase  came  to  Chicago  in  May,  1851,  and 
was  ever  afterwards  prominently  identified 
with  the  social  and  business  life  of  the  city. 


850 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


The  day  after  his  arrival  in  Chicago  he  obtained 
employment  as  assistant  in  the  office  of  the 
City  Clerk,  remaining  until  September,  1852, 
when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of 
principal  bookkeeper  in  the  banking-house  of 
H.  A.  Tucker  &  Co.  Compelled  a  year  later  to 
relinquish  this  position  on  account  of  ill-health, 
in  the  spring  of  1854  he  became  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Chicago  Hide  &  Leather  Com- 
pany, which  place  he  continued  to  fill  until 
July,  1862,  when  he  tendered  his  resignation  to 
become  Chief  Clerk  in  the  City  Comptroller's 
office,  where  he  remained  until  February,  1870. 

For  a  considerable  portion  of  the  period  of 
his  connection  with  the  Comptroller's  office,  Mr. 
Chase  had  served  as  school  agent,  to  which  he 
had  been  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Education 
in  May,  1865,  being  re-elected  biennially  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life — a  period  of  thirty  years. 
His  first  monthly  payment  to  teachers  amounted 
to  about  $12,000,  which  has  since  grown  to  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  monthly.  In  1870,  he 
engaged  in  the  abstract  business  in  partnership 
with  his  brothers,  Samuel  Blanchard  and  Hor- 
ace G.  Chase,  under  the  firm  name  of  Chase 
Brothers.  This  business  was  continued  until 
after  the  fire  when,  in  1872,  the  firm  was  dis- 
solved and,  in  1875,  he  became  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Chase  &  Adams,  real  estate 
and  loan  agents,  continuing  until  1881,  from 
which  date  he  carried  on  the  same  business 
alone  up  to  the  date  of  his  death.  This  came 
December  4,  1895,  at  his  home  after  a  brief 
illness  resulting  from  an  attack  of  neuralgia 
of  the  heart. 

Mr.  Chase  was  married  three  times.  His  first 
marriage  was  on  May  22,  1858,  to  Julia  Marsh 
Sawyer,  who  was  a  cousin  of  William  B.  Ogden, 
the  first  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  for 
many  years  prominent  in  connection  with  rail- 
way enterprises  and  Chicago  real-estate  busi- 
ness. Mrs.  Chase  died  July  19,  1866,  leaving 
three  children,  besides  two  who  had  died  in 
childhood.  Their  children  were:  Charles  Glid- 
den,  born  October  19,  1859,  died  January  25, 
1861;  Carroll  Sawyer,  born  January  25,  1861, 
died  April  8,  1871;  Harry  Goodnow,  born  Janu- 
ary 31,  1863,  and  Edward  Olcott,  born  July  8, 
1865.  In  1874,  Mr.  Chase  was  married  to 
Belinda  Newman  Jones,  who  died  early  in 
1883,  leaving  no  children.  June  15,  1886,  he 
was  married  to  Grace  A.  Lamb,  who  bore  him 
two  daughters  named  Alice  Louise,  born  March 
12,  1889,  and  Dorothy,  born  January  30,  1891. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Chase  was  a  life-member  of 
the  Oriental  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  an  hon- 
orary member  of  the  Chicago  Light  Guards.  He 
had  been  for  years  an  attendant  upon  the  Peo- 
ple's Church  under  the  ministration  of  the  late 
Dr.  Swing.  His  connection  of  over  thirty  years, 
without  interruption,  with  the  office  of  School 
Agent  under  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education, 
during  which  it  became  his  duty  to  pay  out 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  of  public 
funds  annually,  attested  the  confidence  placed 
during  that  period  in  his  business  capacity  and 


personal  integrity.  His  death  was  deeply 
deplored  by  those  who  had  been  brought  in 
contact  with  him  officially,  socially  or  in  busi- 
ness relations.  On  that  occasion  the  Board  of 
Education  appointed  a  committee  of  their  num- 
ber to  attend  his  funeral,  and,  by  unanimous 
vote,  adopted  the  following  tribute  to  his  mem- 
ory: 

"In  the  death  of  Charles  C.  Chase,  who  for 
over  thirty  years  filled  the  responsible  position 
of  school  agent,  the  Board  of  Education  has  lost 
the  services  of  a  faithful  employe.  The  best 
interests  of  our  educational  system  he  always 
subserved.  Loyal  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him, 
an  honored  resident  of  the  city,  to  the  material 
success  of  which  he  contributed  largely,  his 
demise  will  bring  sorrow  to  the  hearts  of  his 
many  friends,  all  of  whom  appreciated  his 
sterling  qualities.  We,  the  members  of  the 
Board  of  Education  in  special  meeting  assem- 
bled, bear  testimony  to  his  memory,  and  extend 
to  the  bereaved  family  our  sincerest  sympathy." 

Among  the  many  personal  tributes  to  his 
character,  the  following  from  his  long-time  and 
intimate  personal  friend,  John  G.  Shortall,  is 
especially  deserving  of  reproduction  in  this  con- 
nection: 

"He  was  a  splendid  citizen,  whose  voice  and 
vote  were  always  for  the  best  interests  of  Chi- 
cago. Clear-headed,  amiable  and  just,  he  was 
honest  and  honorable  in  all  business  and  other 
relations  of  life.  All  who  ever  knew  him  will 
be  sorry  to  part  with  him;  and,  after  all,  the 
great  test  of  a  man's  character  and  merits  is, 
that  he  could  live  in  intimate  relations  wirh 
men  for  thirty  or  forty  years  and  die  sincerely 
regretted  by  them  all." 

SAMUEL  BLANCHARD  CHASE. 
Among  the  professional  and  business  men  of 
Chicago  who  have  left  to  their  intimate  friends 
and  descendants  the  cherished  memory  of  a 
life  of  straightforward  integrity  and  purity  of 
character,  the  name  of  none  stands  out  more 
prominently  in  the  estimation  of  those  who 
knew  him  best,  than  does  that  of  Samuel 
Blanchard  Chase  which  heads  this  article.  Mr. 
Chase  belonged  to  a  family  whose  ancestors 
came  from  England  at  an  early  period  in  Ameri- 
can history,  and  from  them  he  inherited  those 
characteristics  of  unswerving  honesty  and 
sturdy  independence  which  had  been  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation,  and  which 
distinguished  him  in  business  and  private  life. 
His  great-grandfather,  Captain  Jonathan  Chase, 
gave  evidence  of  his  bravery  and  patriotism 
as  a  soldier  in  the  Colonial  and  Revolutionary 
Wars,  while  his  grandfather,  Samuel  Chase, 
fought  by  the  side  of  General  Stark  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Bennington.  His  father,  Judge  Horace 
Chase,  was  equally  prominent  in  a  more  peace- 
ful period  in  the  history  of  his  native  State 
of  New  Hampshire,  during  a  long  and  useful 
career  in  various  public  positions.  Having 
taken  a  course  in  Dartmouth  College,  he  stud- 
ied law  and  practiced  for  a  time  at  Hopkin- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


851 


ton,  N.  H.,  and  also  held  the  positions  of  Mod- 
erator of  Town  Meetings,  Town  Clerk,  Town 
Treasurer,  Representative  in  the  General  Court 
of  the  State,  as  well  as  that  of  Postmaster  at 
a  time  when  Hopkinton  was  prominently  talked 
of  as  the  future  capital  of  the  "Granite  State." 
Judge  Chase  also  served  as  Probate  Judge  of 
Merrimack  County  for  many  years,  and  pub- 
lished a  "Probate  Directory,"  a  volume  which 
has  since  been  in  universal  use  in  the  probate 
courts  of  New  Hampshire.  He  possessed  a  wide 
social  popularity  among  the  members  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  of  New  Hampshire,  to  whom 
he  was  known  as  "Father  Chase,"  'having 
attained  the  thirty-third  degree  and  held  the 
office  of  Grand  Master  and  Grand  Commander  of 
the  Knights  Templar. 

Carefully  educated  himself,  Judge  Chase  was 
well  fitted  to  train  the  mind  of  his  eldest  son, 
Samuel  Blanchard  Chase,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  who  was  born  at  Hopkinton,  N.  H., 
October  1,  1825.  Having  taken  a  preparatory 
course  in  the  Hopkinton  Academy,  Samuel 
Blanchard  Chase  entered  Dartmouth  College  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years,  and,  after  leaving 
college  one  of  the  first  of  his  class,  engaged  in 
the  study  of  law  and,  in  1843,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  his  native  State.  Here  he  contin- 
ued to  practice  until  1850,  when  he  removed  to 
Chicago,  where  he  became  associated  with 
James  H.  Rees  in  the  making  of  abstracts  of 
title.  Being  a  lawyer  by  profession,  he  imme- 
diately took  charge  of  the  abstract  business, 
which  he  mastered  so  thoroughly  that  his  opin- 
ions on  the  most  complicated  questions  of  law 
affecting  titles  to  real  estate  were  often  sought 
and  always  regarded  as  final.  Under  the  super- 
vision of  himself  and  Mr.  Rees,  the  first  set  of 
abstract  books  or  real  estate  indices  for  Cook 
County  were  prepared.  In  1854,  his  brother, 
Horace  G.  Chase,  became  a  member  of  the  firm, 
which  took  the  name  of  Rees,  Chase  &  Co.,  and 
a  short  time  previous  to  the  great  fire  in  1871, 
their  brother  Charles  C.  Chase  and  Geo.  H. 
Bailey  were  admitted  to  the  partnership  under 
the  firm  name  of  Chase  Bros.  &  Co.  Although 
each  of  the  three  firms  then  engaged  in  the 
abstract  business  in  the  city  of  Chicago — 
Messrs.  Chase  Brothers,  Shortall  &  Hoard,  and 
Jones  &  Sellers — saved  a  large  proportion  of 
their  books  from  the  fire,  neither  of  them 
recovered  a  complete  set.  It  was  therefore 
deemed  advisable  to  consolidate  their  several 
sets  of  indices  under  the  .management  of  one 
firm,  and  out  of  this  grew  what  is  known  today 
as  "Ante-Fire  Records,"  thus  making  a  com- 
plete set,  which  has  proved  of  the  greatest 
value  to  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  the  original  records  in  the  County  Record- 
er's office  had  been  destroyed.  On  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  several  real  estate  abstract  firms, 
Mr.  Chase  retired  from  business  and  subse- 
quently united  with  Mr.  A.  H.  Sellers  in  the 
organization  of  the  Title  Guarantee  and  Trust 
Company,  in  which  he  was  General  Manager 
of  the  Guarantee  Department  for  a  period  of 


four  years,  and  a  Director  in  the  Company  until 
his  death  in  1896. 

Although  entertaining  no  taste  for  political 
life,  Mr.  Chase  never  refused  to  accept  a  posi- 
tion in  which  he  thought  he  could  render  a 
benefit  to  his  fellow-men.  For  several  suc- 
cessive terms  he  served  as  Supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Lake  View,  and  was  chosen  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Equalization  for  a 
term  of  four  years.  His  characteristic  fairness 
and  foresight  have  been  as  noteworthy  in  his 
political  life  as  in  his  business  career.  He  was 
quick  to  realize  the  future  of  Chicago  prop- 
erty, making  a  specialty  in  his  investments  of 
North  Shore  lands. 

The  principal  street  in  Mr.  Chase's  old  home 
town  in  Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  is  shaded  by  old 
elm  trees,  none  of  which  are  less  than  a  hun- 
dred years  old.  Possibly  it  was  the  impression 
produced  upon  his  mind  by  these  beautiful 
elms  in  his  early  life,  that  developed  his  pas- 
sion for  trees  and  led  him,  in  later  life,  to 
plant  every  tree  on  the  north  side  of  Belmont 
Avenue  between  the  Lake  and  Halsted  Street — 
the  results  of  which  are  seen  today  in  one  of 
the  finest  lines  of  trees  in  the  city  of  Chicago, 
some  of  them  being  nearly  three  feet  in  diame- 
ter. He  was  one  of  the  first  to  experiment  in 
the  transplanting  of  large-sized  elms  about  his 
old  home  on  the  Lake  Shore  Drive.  Some  of 
these,  from  twenty-five  to  forty  years  old,  which 
were  successfully  transplanted  by  him,  are  now 
among  the  largest  and  finest  to  be  seen  in  the 
city.  This  locality  he  transformed  from  a  bar- 
ren waste  of  sand  into  a  spot  which  looks  today 
like  an  old  New  England  home,  instead  of  a 
place  in  new  Chicago. 

Mr.  Chase  was  united  in  marriage  in  1855, 
to  Miss  Emma  Elizabeth  Thompson,  the 
daughter  of  Captain  Amherst  Thompson,  of 
Amherst,  Mass.  Six  children  were  born  of 
this  union,  viz.:  Mary  Elizabeth,  Emma 
Susan  Lord,  Horace  Blanchard,  Ruth  Glidden, 
Charles  Amherst,  and  Samuel  Thompson — all 
of  whom  are  living  except  the  oldest  daughter, 
Mary  Elizabeth. 

In  the  business  world  Mr.  Chase's  name  was 
always  a  synonym  for  the  most  scrupulous 
integrity,  the  most  rigid  justice.  Of  exception- 
al mental  attainments,  he  was  yet  one  of  the 
most  genial  and  approachable  of  men,  at  all 
times  courteous,  kindly  and  sympathetic. 
His  profound  legal  learning,  his  breadth  of 
mind  and  his  efficiency  as  a  business  man  were 
widely  recognized,  and  he  was  credited  with  a 
knowledge  of  the  real  estate  law  second  to  no 
man  of  his  time.  Possessing  a  mind  keen  and 
logical,  broadened  by  a  life  of  untiring  indus- 
try and  careful  reading,  he  was  a  close  observer 
of  passing  events  and  often  foretold,  with  start- 
ling accuracy,  the  results  of  the  social  and 
economic  tendencies  of  the .  times.  In  his 
moments  of  freedom  from  business  cares  he 
found  his  greatest  pleasure  in  reading,  retain- 
ing to  the  end  of  his  life  a  love  for  the  classics 


852 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


which,  in  his  Dartmouth  days,  formed  so 
important  a  part  of  his  college  curriculum. 

In  his  social  and  domestic  relations  Mr. 
Chase  was  beloved  and  venerated  by  all  who 
knew  him.  Simple,  unassuming,  wholly  unself- 
ish, he  was  ever  ready  to  sacrifice  his  own 
interests  to  any  call  upon  his  aid,  advice  or 
sympathy.  His  death  occurred  March  27,  1896, 
his  passing  away  being  deeply  deplored  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
conceive  of  a  more  fitting  tribute  to  his  mem- 
ory than  is  contained  in  the  following  extract 
from  a  sketch  of  the  deceased  furnished  to  the 
local  press  by  his  intimate  acquaintance  and 
business  associate,  Mr.  John  G.  Shortall,  of 
Chicago : 

"Conspicuous  as  he  was,"  says  Mr.  Shortall, 
"for  his  profound  legal  knowledge,  for  his  per- 
ception of  right  and  wrong,  for  his  unswerving 
fidelity  to  all  trusts  reposed  in  him — and  they 
were  many;  for  his  devotion  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  community  in  which  he  lived;  for 
his  fearlessness  in  following  the  path  of  recti- 
tude wherever  it  might  lead,  and  for  many  other 
quailties  of  mind  which  brought  him  confi- 
dences and  the  honor  of  the  community,  yet  to 
those  who  had  the  privilege  of  his  intimate 
friendship,  all  these  qualities  were  felt  to  be 
merely  a  necessary  part  of  the  man  himself,  so 
full  of  kindness,  so  full  of  the  delightful  con- 
fidences of  friendship,  so  beloved  by  his  family 
as  friend  and  father,  and  so  bright  and  clear  in 
the  esteem  and  regard  of  every  one  who  knew 
him.  We  may  all  feel  that  a  great  light  has 
gone  out  from  among  us,  a  strong  defense  of 
the  community's  honor  has  departed." 

FRANK  L.  CHURCH. 

Frank  Linaeus  Church  was  born  in  Chicago, 
111.,  June  9,  1842,  a  son  of  William  L.  and 
Roxanna  Jones  (Pike)  Church,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Lima,  N.  Y.,  and  the  latter 
in  Charleston,  Mass.  On  the  maternal  side  his 
great-grandparents  were  Nathaniel  and  Grace 
(Esterbrook)  Trask,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  New  Hampshire.  The  maternal 
grandparents,  Thomas  and  Mary  Marble 
(Trask)  Pike,  were  also  born  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. The  paternal  grandparents  were  Laza- 
rus and  Catharine  (Brockway)  Church,  whose 
birth  took  place  in  New  York  State.  William 
L.  Church,  the  father  of  Frank  L.,  came  to 
Chicago  in  1836  and  opened  a  general  store  on 
Lake  Street,  under  the  firm  name  of  Sheldon  & 
Church,  which  afterwards  became  Neff  & 
Church. 

Mr.  Church  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
was  selected  by  President  Lincoln  as  one  of 
the  two  commissioners  to  represent  the  State 
of  Illinois  at  the  dedication  of  the  National 
Cemetery  at  Gettysburg.  He  held  many 
elective  offices  during  his  life,  having  been 
County  Clerk,  Alderman,  City  Clerk,  Sheriff, 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  and  ex-officio 
Recorder,  and,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 


occurred  in  1882,  he  was  United  States  Deputy 
Collector  at  Chicago. 

Frank  L.  Church  was  educated  in  private 
schools  and  was  graduated  from  the  first  high 
school  in  Chicago.  He  served  as  First  Lieuten- 
ant of  the  United  States  Marines  from  1861 
until  August  12,  1869,  when  he  resigned.  He 
was  on  the  flag-ship  Black  Hawk,  commanding 
the  Marine  Guard,  and  served  with  Admiral 
Porter  on  the  Red  River  in  the  operations  with 
General  Banks.  He  afterwards  served  with 
Admiral  Lee,  on  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland 
Rivers.  He  was  a  member  of  the  National 
Guard  Cadets,  which  afterwards  became  the 
Ellsworth  Zouaves,  remaining  with  that  organi- 
zation until  its  famous  trip,  when  he  resigned. 

In  politics  Mr.  Church  is  an  independent 
Republican  and  in  religion  is  an  Episcopalian. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  the 
Knights  Templar,  and  an  ex-officer  of  the  Illi- 
nois Naval  Veterans.  His  mother  is  now  living 
(1905)  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty -one  years. 
On  September  15,  1864,  Mr.  Church  was  married 
at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  to  Alice  G.  Duncan,  and 
four  children  were  born  to  them,  as  follows: 
Frank  L.,  William  L.,  D.  Duncan  and  Al  C. 
After  the  death  of  his  wife  he  was  married  at 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  August  4,  1885,  to  Quintia  L. 
Smith.  Mr.  Church  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
abstract  business. 

MAXIMILIAN  F.  CLAUSIUS. 

Maximilian  F.  Clausius,  M.  D.,  Palatine,  111., 
is  of  German  birth,  born  in  East  Prussia, 
March  11,  1852.  He  was  educated  in  his  native 
country,  attending  lectures  there,  and  came  to 
New  York  in  1870.  In  1874  he  graduated  from 
the  New  York  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  in 
1878  engaged  in  the  drug  business  in  the  city 
of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  continuing  until  1880,  when 
he  entered  the  College  of  Medicine  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  where  he  took  a  two  years'  course.  In 
1884  he  entered  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  remaining  one 
year,  after  which  he  spent  one  year  at  the  Ben- 
nett Medical  College,  Chicago,  graduating  from 
that  institution  in  1886.  In  the  latter  year  he 
began  practicing  his  profession  at  Beecher,  Will 
County,  111.,  where  he  remained  until  1890, 
when,  returning  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  he  took  his 
degree  in  medicine  from  the  University  of  that 
city.  In  December  of  the  same  year  he 
removed  to  Kenosha,  Wis.,  and  in  1892  was 
appointed  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the 
Northern  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  at  Winne- 
bago  (near  Oshkosh),  Wis.,  continuing  in  this 
position  until  1894.  In  January,  1895,  he  locat- 
ed at  Barrington,  111.,  and  was  local  Surgeon 
for  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  and  Belt  Line 
Railroads;  has  also  given  lectures  on  minor 
surgery  at  the  Jenner  Medical  College,  Chicago. 

In  1900,  after  a  successful  examination,  Dr. 
Clausius  received  an  appointment  as  Assistant 
Surgeon  in  the  United  States  Army,  after  which 
he  served  about  a  year  in  the  Philippine  Islands. 
Returning  from  the  Philippines  in  1901,  he  was 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


853 


assigned  to  duty  at  Fort  Grant,  Ariz.,  still  later 
being  transferred  to  Fort  Huachuca,,  Ariz., 
where  he  served  as  Post  Surgeon.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1902,  having  resigned  his  position  in  the 
army,  he  returned  to  the  States  and  located  at 
Palatine,  111.,  where  he  now  resides.  Dr.  Clau- 
sius  is  a  member  of  the  Association  of  Military 
Surgeons  of  the  United  States  and  various 
other  medical  organizations,  including  Chicago 
and  Illinois  State  Medical  Societies. 

Dr.  Clausius  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  died  in  1884,  and  in  1885  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Pauline  Fetsch,  and  they  have  a  family 
of  six  children — five  boys  and  one  girl — viz.: 
Theodore,  Caesar,  Ovid,  by  his  first  wife,  and 
Pauline,  Ewald  and  Willie  by  his  second  wife. 

NORRIS   COCHRAN. 

Among  the  older  and  more  successful  live- 
stock commission  merchants  of  Chicago,  and 
one  whose  name  is  a  synonym  for  honest  deal- 
ing and  upright  behavior,  is  the  gentleman 
whose  name  appears  above.  He  was  born  at 
Pembroke,  N.  H.,  November  27,  1838,  and  was 
a  great-grandson  of  Major  James  Cochran, 
Deacon  Joseph  Emory,  and  Matthew  Gault — 
all  valiant  and  distinguished  soldiers  of  the 
Revolution,  the  last  two  serving  under  General 
Stark. 

Norris  Cochran  received  his  academical  edu- 
cation at  Pembroke,  Northfield  and  Pittsfield, 
N.  H.,  and,  after  leaving  school  in  1858,  worked 
on  the  farm  with  his  father,  also  being  engaged 
in  the  lumber  and  live-stock  business  until 
1859.  Thinking  he  might  do  better  in  the  Far 
West,  he  went  to  California  and  remained  in 
San  Francisco  until  1862,  when  he  returned  to 
New  Hampshire,  and  resumed  his  former 
labors. 

In  August,  1868,  Mr.  Cochran  again  came 
west,  locating  at  Clarence,  Iowa,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  lumber  and  live-stock  trade  with 
successful  results.  Becoming  closely  identified 
with  the  Stock  Yards  interests  of  Chicago,  he 
removed  to  that  city  in  1871.  On  arriving  here 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  H.  S.  Bunker, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bunker  &  Cochran, 
which  existed  for  nearly  thirty  years,  making 
a  record  of  honorable  business  that  is  com- 
mendable in  the  highest  degree.  November  11, 
1901,  Mr.  Cochran  passed  away  after  an  illness 
of  one  year. 

Mr.  Cochran  was  married,  to  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Whitehouse,  in  Pembroke,  N.  H.,  June  12,  1866, 
Three  children  have  blessed  this  union:  Eliza- 
beth Sophia,  Anna  Dudley  and  Norris  White- 
house. 

SAMUEL  COCHRAN. 

Samuel  Cochran,  real  estate  dealer,  Park 
Ridge,  Cook  County,  was  born  at  Springfield, 
Ohio,  February  21,  1831,  and  educated  at  the 
Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  in  the  same 
State.  His  father,  George  W.  Cochran,  was 
a  native  of  Virginia  and  his  mother  (Cath- 
erine) of  Pennsylvania.  In  his  early  manhood 


Mr.  Cochran  taught  school  for  a  time  in  his 
native  town,  but  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on 
September  24,  1860,  and  practiced  law  for  about 
ten  years,  when  he  was  ordained  a  preacher  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  also  served 
as  an  Agent  of  the  American  Bible  Society 
some  ten  years.  In  1880  he  came  to  Park  Ridge, 
Cook  County,  111.,  and  entered  upon  the  real 
estate  business,  in  which  he  has  been  engaged 
ever  since.  He  bought  a  considerable  body  of 
land  upon  which  he  erected  a  large  number  of 
houses  for  working  people;  also  built  a  fine 
residence  opposite  the  railroad  depot,  which 
has  been  a  marked  ornament  of  the  town.  Alto- 
gether he  has  done  more  to  build  up  Park 
Ridge  than  any  other  single  individual. 

Mr.  Cochran  was  married  December  25,  1853, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Neer,  of  Springfield,  Ohio, 
and  has  one  son,  Aaron  W.,  who,  at  the  date 
of  the  preparation  of  this  sketch  (1900),  was 
traveling  in  Europe.  In  religious  belief  Mr. 
Cochran  is  a  Methodist,  and  in  politics  a  Re- 
publican. As  indicated  by  the  foregoing 
sketch  of  his  business  career,  he  ranks  among 
the  most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of 
Park  ridge. 

M.  LESTER  COFFEEN. 

To  the  towering  snow-capped  mountain  peaks 
of  New  England,  with  its  fallow,  comparatively 
sterile  valleys  stretching  out  between  long 
ranges  of  lofty  hills,  the  country  has  long  been 
accustomed  to  look  for  brains,  for  a  high  stand- 
ard of  morals,  for  rugged  determination  and 
inflexible  will — in  a  word,  for  all  those  ele- 
ments that  enter  into  the  make-up  of  the  true 
man,  be  they  physical,  intellectual  or  moral. 
In  an  overflowing  stream  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  New  England  have  spread  over  the  en- 
tire land,  to  irrigate  and  fructify  its  "dry  and 
waste  places."  It  is  of  such  stock  that  Mr.  M. 
Lester  Coffeen  comes,  and  it  was  to  the  Green 
Mountains  that  his  great-grandfather,  Captain 
John  Coffeen,  removed  from  Topsfleld,  Mass., 
before  the  shot  was  fired  "that  echoed  round 
the  world."  He  was  the  first  settler  in  Caven- 
dish, Vt,  and  an  influential  citizen,  sitting  in 
the  first  Constitutional  Convention  of  that 
State  and  being  repeatedly  elected  to  the  legis- 
lature. He  was  an  ardent  patriot  and  did  much 
to  aid  the  army  of  the  Revolution.  Captain 
Coffeen  was  the  husband  of  Susannah  Gold- 
smith, like  himself  born  in  Massachusetts. 
Their  son  William  was  born  in  Cavendish,  and 
married  Abigail  Green  Lyndes.  They,  in  turn, 
were  the  parents  of  William  L.  G.  Coffeen,  the 
father  of  M.  Lester.  He  became  the  husband 
of  Helen  E.  Lester,  daughter  of  Milo  Lester, 
for  whom  Mr.  Coffeen  of  Chicago  was  named. 
M.  Lester  Coffeen  came  to  Illinois  in  early 
youth,  and,  after  receiving  a  preliminary  edu- 
cational training  at  Normal,  111.,  removed  to 
Chicago,  where  he  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  old  Chicago  University,  being  admitted 
to  the  bar  upon  his  graduation  in  1874.  His 
success  seemed  assured  from  the  first,  and  his 


§54 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


professional  standing  is  high.  He  has  been 
for  many  years  a  member  of  the  prominent 
firm  of  Tenney,  McConnell,  Coffeen  &  Harding. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  has  never 
held  office. 

Mr.  Coffeen  was  married  on  December  13, 
1877,  to  Miss  Martha  Martin,  of  Chicago.  The 
handsome  city  residence  of  the  -  family  is  at 
3133  Calumet  Avenue.,  and  their  country  home 
stands  on  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coffeen  have  two  daugh- 
ters, Mae  and  Lester,  and  one  son,  Henry 
Martin,  who  was  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1902  at  Yale  University. 

JAMES    COLFORD. 

James  Colford,  Engineer,  Engine  No.  79, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago, March  8,  1854,  and  was  educated  in  the 
Kinzie  and  Franklin  public  schools,  the  "Holy 
Name"  and  private  schools.  After  leaving 
school  he  learned  the  trade  of  boiler-maker, 
and  worked  for  the  P.  W.  Gates  Manufactur- 
ing Company  for  nine  years,  after  which  he 
was  employed  by  Frazer  &  Chalmers  three 
years,  when  he  joined  the  Fire  Department, 
August  15,  1876,  being  assigned  to  duty  on 
Engine  No.  16;  then  on  Truck  4,  and  later  on 
Engines  1  and  27  as  candidate;  was  trans- 
ferred to  Truck  5,  January  19,  1877,  remain- 
ing two  years,  when  he  was  detailed  to  the 
repair  shop,  serving  there  eight  years  and 
three  months.  He  was  appointed  Assistant 
Engineer  May,  1885,  and  transferred  to  Engine 
14;  was  promoted  to  Engineer  and  trans- 
ferred to  Engine  11,  November  9,  1886;  to  En- 
gine 4,  in  October,  1892,  and  to  Engine  79, 
December  28,  1896,  where  (1901)  he  still  re- 
mains. He  has  had  numerous  narrow  escapes, 
and  is  on  hand  for  any  call  that  may  come. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Nora  Daly  in  Chicago, 
September  17,  1878,  and  eight  children  have 
been  born  to  them,  five  of  whom  are  still  living. 

PATRICK  E.  COLLINS. 
Patrick  E.  Collins,  Captain  Engine  Com- 
pany No.  59,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  November  28,  1861,  and  was 
educated  in  the  Graham  school.  After  leaving 
school  he  worked  for  the  Chicago  Packing  & 
Provision  Company  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards, 
but  on  June  4,  1883,  he  joined  the  Town  of  Lake 
Fire  Department,  being  assigned  to  Engine  No. 
3;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant  in  1887,  and 
transferred  to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company 
No.  1;  was  promoted  to  the  Captaincy  in  Oc- 
tober, 1888,  and  assigned  to  Engine  No.  53; 
was  next  transferred  to  Engine  No.  50,  July 
1,  1899;  to  Engine  48,  January  1,  1890,  and  to 
Engine  59,  September  7th  1898,  at  Dexter  Park 
Avenue,  corner  of  Broadway,  Stock  Yards  dis- 
trict, where  (1904)  he  is  still  on  duty.  He 
has  attended  all  the  fires  that  have  occurred 
in  the  Stock  Yards  district  since  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Department,  and  has  had 
some  narrow  escapes,  but  received  no  perma- 


nent injuries.  Like  the  true  Chicago  fireman, 
he  is  always  ready  to  face  any  danger  where 
duty  may  call  him. 

JOSEPH  CONNOR. 

Joseph  Connor,  live-stock  dealer,  was  born 
in  Earlville,  LaSalle  County,  111.,  Oct.  20,  1854; 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and 
after  leaving  school  worked  on  a  farm  at 
Earlville  until  1879,  when  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  found  employment  with  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  and  Transit  Company,  being  employed 
in  the  Yards  and  in  the  Fire  Department  until 
1899.  He  then  commenced  business  for  him- 
self, buying  and  selling  hogs,  with  headquar- 
ters with  Clark,  Bowles  &  Co. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Ann  Grotty,  in  Chi- 
cago, December  2,  1885,  and  six  children  have 
blessed  their  union.  Mr.  Connor  has  worked 
faithfully  for  the  interests  of  his  employers, 
and  is  esteemed  by  his  associates. 

THOMAS  L.  CONWAY. 
Thomas  L.  Conway,  Captain  of  Engine  55, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago January  10,  1861,  and  educated  in  the 
Newberry  and  Vedder  public  schools.  After 
leaving  school  he  engaged  in  the  printing  bus- 
iness with  the  Western  Bank  Note  Company, 
remaining  there  five  years,  after  which  he  was 
employed  on  the  Chicago  River  tug-boats  (V. 

0.  T.   line),  until  he  joined  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment,   November    16,    1883,    on    Truck    No.    1. 
He  was  transferred  to  Truck  3,  December  31, 
1885;    was    promoted    to    Lieutenant,    January 

1,  1890,  and   transferred   to   Truck   10;    trans- 
ferred   to    Truck    3,    April    3,    1890;    promoted 
to  Captain   July  1,  1893,  and  assigned  to  En- 
gine 32;   transferred  to  Truck  No.  1,  July  16, 
1897,  and  to  Engine  56,  December  1,  1900,  and 
(1904)   is  on  duty  on  Engine  No.  55,  ready  for 
any  call.     He  has  had   many  narrow  escapes, 
plenty  of  cuts  and  bruises,  and  came  near  los- 
ing an  arm   by  lacerating  an  artery. 

Captain  Conway  was  married  in  Chicago, 
February  4,  1891,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Walsh,  and 
four  children  have  blessed  their  union. 

CAPT.   JOHN  COOK. 

John  Cook,  Chief  of  Sixth  Battalion,  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Germany, 
in  1843,  and  on  leaving  school  early  in  life 
became  a  painter.  In  1868  he  joined  the  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department  on  Engine  17,  of  which 
Charley  Brown  was  Foreman  and  Fire  Mar- 
shal Musham  Assistant  Foreman.  He  re- 
signed, but  later  returned  to  Engine  17  and 
subsequently  served  on  Engines  26,  28  and  18. 
He  was  made  Lieutenant  in  1875,  and  Captain 
in  1876,  and  promoted  to  Chief  of  Sixth  Bat- 
talion, April  30,  1895,  which  position  (1904) 
he  still  holds.  He  has  had  many  narrow  es- 
capes while  on  duty  at  fires,  and  has  dis- 
charged his  duty  without  flinching. 

Captain  Cook  enlisted  in  the  Thirteenth  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry  during  the  Civil  War, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


855 


and  fought  at  'Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas 
Post,  the  two  battles  at  Jackson,  Miss.,  at 
Vicksburg,  Tuscumbia,  Lookout  Mountain,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge  and  Ringgold  Gap. 

JOHN    S.    COOPER. 

Great  are  the  rewards  that  wait  upon  energy 
that  knows  not  fatigue,  and  courage  that  fails 
to  recognize  defeat.  "Be  not  weary  in  well- 
doing," is  a  Scriptural  injunction,  which  the 
indefatigable  man  of  business  not  infrequent- 
ly perverts  into  "be  not  weary  in  striving 
after  success."  Singleness  of  purpose,  joined 
to  resolute  will,  lies  at  the  foundation  of  many 
a  fortune  built  up,  stone  by  stone,  from  a  hum- 
ble beginning  to  the  apex  which  crowns  the  ed- 
ifice. From  the  position  of  a  railway  brake- 
man  to  that  of  a  successful  and  prosperous 
business  man,  this  has  been  bridged  by  the 
union  of  pluck,  hard  work  and  sound  business 
sense.  It  is  this  combination  of  quality,  joined 
to  a  recognized  integrity  that  is  never  ques- 
tioned, that  has  given  to  Colonel  John  S. 
Cooper  his  eminent  position  as  a  business  man 
and  a  citizen. 

He  is  a  native  Chicagoan,  having  been  born 
here  March  18,  1842.  His  father  did  a  small 
business  in  the  way  of  contracting  for  railroad 
work,  and  after  quitting  school  the  boy  worked 
for  him  until  1859.  Then,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, he  began  his  own  battle  with  the  world  as 
brakeman  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Company,  two  years  later  being  promoted  to 
freight  conductor.  He  subsequently  held  a 
similar  position  with  the  Chicago  &  Alton, 
and,  in  July,  1862,  was  given  charge  of  a  train 
running  from  Nashville,  Tenn.,  to  "the  front," 
where  two  hostile  armies  lay  facing  each  other. 
For  twenty  months  he  remained  in  the  South, 
running  trains  (among  them  pay  trains), 
sometimes  among  suroundings  of  grave  peril, 
one  of  his  thrilling  experiences  being  the  run- 
ning of  the  first  train  across  the  Chattahoo- 
chee  Bridge  into  the  burning  city  of  Atlanta. 
His  loyalty,  rigid  fidelity  to  duty  and  spirit 
of  kindly  helpfulness  to  those  in  need  gained 
for  him  the  honorary  title  of  "Colonel,"  which 
he  has  carried  ever  since.  Between  1864  and 
1872  he  was  a  passenger  conductor  on  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  road,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
carrying  on  a  teaming  business  of  his  own. 

On  May  1,  1872,  he  established  boarding  sta- 
bles, which  were  burned  in  July,  1874,  and  on 
which  he  carried  no  insurance.  At  this  crisis 
in  his  affairs,  when  financial  ruin  stared  him 
in  the  face,  Mr.  J.  C.  McMullen,  then  General 
Manager  of  the  Alton  line,  personally  tendered 
him  his  former  position.  This  proffer  Colonel 
Cooper  gratefully  acknowledged,  but  declined. 
On  the  same  day  he  borrowed  $5,000,  with 
which  he  purchased  the  Eaton  Livery  Stables, 
on  Adams  Street  between  Michigan  and  Wabash 
Avenues.  Since  then  his  business  success 
may  be  said  to  have  been  extraordinary. 
He  has  owned  various  boarding,  livery  and 
sale-stables,  where  he  has  held  weekly  auc- 


tions; has  conducted  a  mile  track  for  the  test- 
ing of  speed,  and,  since  1886,  has  carried  on 
a  general  commission,  sale  and  auction  busi- 
ness at  the  Union  Stock  Yards.  For  several 
years  his  annual  sales  of  horses  and  mules 
have  averaged  between  fifteen  and  twenty  thou- 
sand annually.  His  rare  skill  as  a  judge  of 
horse-flesh  and  his  known  probity  have  caused 
him  to  be  chosen  President  of  the  National 
Horse  Exchange  and  a  member  of  the  execu- 
tive Committee  of  the  International  Live  Stock 
Exposition  of  Chicago.  Through  the  enter- 
prise, very  largely  of  Colonel  Cooper,  this  has 
become  the  largest  horse  market  in  the  world. 

Colonel  Cooper  has  other  important  business 
interests,  including  street-sweeping  contracts 
with  the  city,  coal-carrying  for  Peabody  & 
Company,  and  the  conduct  of  a  winter  hotel 
at  Phrenix,  Ariz.  Some  idea  of  the  magnitude 
of  his  local  business  may  be  formed  from  the 
fact  that,  in  its  management,  he  uses  some 
three  hundred  horses  daily.  From  1893  to 
1897  he  swept  the  streets  of  Buffalo  under  a 
contract  with  that  municipality. 

In  connection  with  his  other  business  inter- 
ests, Colonel  Cooper  has  recently  opened  a  sale 
and  commission  house  in  South  Omaha,  Neb., 
for  the  sale  of  horses  and  mules.  The  sta- 
ble now  occupied  by  him  was  the  first  ever 
opened  in  the  Stock  Yards,  being  purchased  by 
him  from  Thos.  Evers,  the  original  horse  dealer. 

Mrs.  Cooper's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Walsh, 
and  their  union  was  solemnized  at  Chicago  on 
September  19,  1869.  Mrs.  Cooper  died  Febru- 
ary 3,  1879,  leaving  two  children,  a  son  and 
daughter:  Robert  Walsh  and  Mary  Grace 
Cooper.  Politically  Colonel  Cooper  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

THOMAS   R.   CORN  WELL. 

Thomas  R.  Cornwell  (deceased),  former  Yard- 
master  Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit  Company, 
was  born  in  Beekman,  N.  Y.,  September  18,  1838, 
and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools.  After 
leaving  school  he  remained  on  his  father's  farm 
until  coming  to  Chicago  in  1858,  when  he  went 
to  work  for  John  B.  Sherman  at  the  Myrick 
Stock  Yards  as  weighmaster.  He  returned  to 
New  York  in  September,  1865,  and,  in  1866, 
again  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  employed 
by  the  Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit  Company 
as  weighmaster  until  the  resignation  of  Orrin 
Dean,  Superintendent  of  Division  A,  known  as 
"Rock  Island,"  when  he  was  appointed  to  that 
position,  which  he  retained  until  he  passed 
away,  July  30,  1888. 

Mr.  Cornwell  was  married  September  14,  1864, 
to  Miss  Marie  S.  Chapman,  of  Dover  Plains,  N. 
Y.  They  had  one  adopted  daughter,  Anna  M. 
Cornwell,  who  married  William  L.  Elder, 
December  22,  1898.  Mr.  Cornwell  was  noted  for 
his  kind  and  friendly  treatment  of  those  with 
whom  he  was  associated.  Chicago  and  the  Un- 
ion Stock  Yards  &  Transit  Company  owe  a  large 
debt  of  gratitude  to  her  sturdy  pioneers,  and 
to  none  more  so  than  to  Thomas  R.  Cornwell. 


856 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ALPHONSO  LORAIN  CORY. 

Alphonso  Lorain  Cory,  M.  D.,  was  born  at 
Adrian,  Mich.,  September  26,  1851,  the  son  of 
Vincent  P.  and  Alzina  (Weightman)  Cory,  who 
were  natives  of  the  State  of  New  York,  but  early 
in  their  married  life  moved  to  Michigan.  After 
attending  the  local  schools,  the  son  began  the 
study  of  medicine  in  1867,  and  two  years  later 
entered  Bennett  Medical  College,  Chicago,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1871.  Prior  to  the  great 
fire  of  that  year  his  office  was  located  on  Canal 
Street,  between  Polk  and  Bwing,  and  it  was 
the  first  physician's  office  in  the  city  to  be 
consumed.  He  immediately  thereafter  removed 
to  the  Town  of  Lake,  where  he  soon  built  up 
a  large  practice.  In  that  year  he  was  appointed 
local  surgeon  for  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad  Company,  but  resigned  in 
1874,  to  devote  himself  wholly  to  private  prac- 
tice.' During  this  period  he  originated  the 
"health  organization"  of  the  road,  and,  in  1886, 
at  the  company's  urgent  solicitation,  re-entered 
its  service,  remaining  several  years.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1880,  he  organized  the  Health  Department 
of  the  Town  of  Lake,  and  was  in  full  control 
of  its  operations,  as  Deputy  Health  Commis- 
sioner, until  May,  1883.  When  he  died  he  was 
President  of  the  staff  of  the  Englewood  Hospital, 
having  charge  of  the  department  of  Gynecology. 

Dr.  Cory  was  a  close  and  earnest  student, 
keeping  himself  in  touch  with  the  progress  of 
medical  science  throughout  the  civilized  world. 
In  1892  he  took  a  special  post-graduate  course  at 
Rush  Medical  College.  The  Doctor  was  also  a 
Mason  of  high  degree,  having  entered  the  fra- 
ternity in  October,  1875,  as  a  member  of  Engle- 
wood Lodge,  No.  690,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Two  years 
later  he  became  a  charter  member  of  Mystic 
Star  Lodge,  No.  758,  and  in  1883  was  chosen 
Worshipful  Master;  was  made  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason  in  March,  1882,  in  Englewood  Chapter; 
in  1884,  aided  in  the  formation  of  Delta  Chapter, 
becoming  a  charter  member,  and  in  1887  was 
honored  by  being  installed  its  High  Priest;  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Royal  and  Select  Master  in 
Lafayette  Council,  in  October,  1882,  and  in  1885 
served  as  Thrice  Illustrious  Master  of  Temple 
Council,  No.  65.  He  became  a  Knight  Templar 
in  June,  1893,  in  Calumet  Commandery,  at  the 
date  of  his  death  being  affiliated  with  Engle- 
wood Commandery.  On  April  26,  1895,  he  was 
made  a  Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

In  1872  Dr.  Cory  was  married  to  Miss  Pauline 
R.  Carpenter,  of  Oconomowoc,  Wis.,  and  a  son. 
Edwin  V.,  and  a  daughter,  Ella  A.,  were  born 
to  them.  The  son  is  also  a  physician,  being  a 
graduate  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
Northwestern  University. 

Dr.  Cory  died  September  25,  1902,  of  pneu- 
monia after  an  illness  of  six  days,  and  is  buried 
at  Oakwood. 

VINCENT  P.  CORY. 

Vincent  P.  Cory,  real-estate  agent  and  ex-Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  was  born  in  Seneca  County, 
N.  Y.,  November  16,  1829,  and  when  young 


moved  to  Washtenaw  County,  Mich.,  where  he 
was  employed  in  saw-mills  and  also  learned  the 
trade  of  carriage-maker,  at  Saline,  Mich.  In 
1847  he  enlisted  in  the  First  Michigan  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  served  eight  months  during 
the  Mexican  War,  after  which  he  was  employed 
at  his  trade  in  Michigan.  About  1863  he  en- 
tered the  service  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad  Company,  being  employed  in 
their  shops  at  Adrian,  Mich.,  and  six  years  later 
came  to  Chicago  as  foreman  of  the  company's 
freight-car  repair  shops,  which  position  he  filled 
up  to  September  1,  1876. 

Mr.  Cory  has  resided  in  the  Town  of  Lake 
since  1872,  which  was  annexed  to  Chicago  in 
1889.  In  1875  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  and  in  the  spring  of  1877 
was  chosen  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  a  term  of 
four  years,  and  re-elected  in,  1881.  He  is  a 
member  of  Mystic  Star  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Englewood;  Past  High  Priest  of  Delta  Chapter 
191,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  member  of  Englewood  Com- 
mandery K.  T.  Mr.  Cory  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Alzina  Barnum,  at  Saline,  Mich.,  March  8,  1849, 
and  one  son,  Dr.  A.  L.  Cory,  has  blessed  their 
union.  Mrs.  Cory  died  August  5,  1891,  and  the 
son,  Dr.  A.  L.  Cory,  September  25,  1902. 

FRANKLIN  DWIGHT  COSSITT. 

Franklin  Dwight  Cossitt,  President  Board  of 
Village  Trustees,  LaGrange,  111.,  was  born  in 
LaGrange,  Fayette  County,  Tenn.,  December  4, 
1861,  being  the  only  son  of  Franklin  D.  and 
Martha  L.  (Moore)  Cossitt.  After  acquiring 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Chicago, 
where  his  father  had  settled  in  1863,  at  the 
age  of  eighteen,  he  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business  at  LaGrange,  111.,  which  he  dis- 
posed of  some  three  years  later  and,  after  a 
course  of  study  at  the  Metropolitan  Business 
College,  Chicago,  in  1885,  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  his  father,  under  the  firm  name  of 
F.  D.  Cossitt  &  Son,  dealers  in  real  estate.  The 
present  beauty  and  prosperity  of  the  village  of 
LaGrange  is  in  great  part  due  to  the  enterprise 
and  business  forethought  of  this  firm.  The 
partnership  continued  until  the  death  of  his 
father  in  July,  1900,  since  which  time  Mr. 
Cossitt  has  continued  the  business  alone.  A 
few  years  since  he  accepted  the  agency  of  sev- 
eral well-known  fire  insurance  companies,  with 
which  he  is  still  connected,  doing  the  largest 
business  in  this  line  in  LaGrange. 

Prominent  among  the  business  men  of  La- 
Grange,  Mr.  Cossitt  has  naturally  ranked  among 
its  political  leaders,  and  has  served  his  fellow- 
townsmen  in  the  following  official  capacities: 
Trustee  of  the  village  since  1889;  Highway 
Commissioner  of  Lyons  Township  since  1892, 
and  Treasurer  of  the  same  since  1892.  In  the 
spring  of  1901  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
Village  Board  of  Trustees,  and  again  in  1902 
and  1903.  He  has  also  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Cook  County  Democratic  Central  Committee. 
On  National  issues  Mr.  Cossitt  voted  with  his 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


857 


party  until  the  advent  of  "Bryanism,"  when  he 
joined  the  "Gold  Democrats." 

On  February  10,  1886,  he  married  Margaret  A., 
daughter  of  Dr.  George  M.  Fox,  one  of  the  old- 
est and  most  respected  citizens  of  LaGrange. 
Mrs.  Cossitt  is  one  of  the  most  popular  ladies 
of  LaGrange,  a  leader  in  social  and  church  cir- 
cles, and  a  woman  of  most  pleasing  personality. 
Their  family  of  eight  children — viz.:  Franklin 
D.,  Jr.,  Jean  F.,  George  M.,  Margaret,  Marion, 
Harry  Rene,  Frederick  H.  and  James  L. — give 
promise  of  the  perpetuation  of  a  family  whose 
marked  characteristics  are  such  as  make  the 
true  American  citizen.  Mr.  Cossitt  is  a  member 
of  LaGrange  Chapter,  207  Royal  Arch  Masons; 
LaGrange  Lodge,  No.  770,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Sub- 
urban Lodge,  No.  110,  I.  O.  O.  F.;  Royal  Ar- 
canum; Royal  League;  National  Union;  North 
American  Union;  Suburban  and  Country  Clubs. 

DAVID  A.  COURTER. 

Talent  and  energy,  the  roots  from  which 
springs  success,  are  indigenous  to  no  one  clime. 
They  find  equally  nutritive  soil  in  the  sun-kissed 
prairies  of  the  West  and  among  the  snow-laden 
pines  of  Canada.  Indeed,  to  the  stalwart  sons 
of  the  Dominion,  rugged  alike  in  physique  and 
integrity,  the  "States"  owe  a  heavy  debt  for 
their  enterprise  in  designing,  no  less  than 
their  energy  in  achieving.  It  was  from  the 
County  of  Lennox  and  Addington,  in  Upper 
Canada,  that  Mr.  Courter  emigrated  to  Chicago. 
Born  in  the  town  of  Mill  Creek,  February  18, 
1830,  he  attended  the  district  and  "special" 
schools,  devoting  not  a  little  time  and  study  to 
architecture. 

After  leaving  his  Canadian  home,  he  spent  a 
few  years  in  the  State  of  New  York,  learning 
the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner  in  Wayne 
County,  where  for  a  time  he  carried  on  business 
as  a  contractor  and  builder.  Going  thence  to 
Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  he  completed  his  archi- 
tectural studies  in  the  office  of  James  A.  Mc- 
Kay, and  in  1853  visited  Chicago  for  the  first 
time.  Not  being  pleased  with  the  prospect  here, 
he  went  on  to  Beloit,  Wis.,  where  he  aided  in 
the  construction  of  the  Beloit  &  Madison  Rail- 
road. He  then  made  a  close  study  of  engineer- 
ing, and  was  given  charge  of  bridges  and  build- 
ings during  the  building  of  the  Racine  &  Mis- 
sissippi Railroad,  a  line  running  from  Racine  to 
Freeport.  For  thirty  years  he  was  identified 
with  railroad  construction  in  the  West,  among 
his  associates  being  such  prominent  officials  as 
Robert  Harris,  C.  H.  Chappell,  Max  Hjortsberg, 
C.  H.  Hudson  and  Geo.  H.  Nettleton.  To  the 
unflagging  industry  and  tireless  energy  of  these 
practical  railroad  men  Chicago  owes  not  a  little 
of  her  proud  pre-eminence  as  a  railroad  center 
today.  Mr.  Courter  is  passing  his  declining 
years  quietly  at  Hinsdale,  111.,  where  he  holds 
the  office  of  Postmaster  and  Justice  of  the 
Peace. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  L.  War- 
ren, on  February  18,  1852,  at  Ontario,  N.  Y.,  and 
of  their  five  children  only  one  survives. 


FRANK  M.   COX. 

Frank  M.  Cox,  lawyer,  was  born  in  New  Vi- 
enna, Ohio,  October  1,  1856,  the  son  of  Ulysses  S. 
and  Lydia  A.  (Myers)  Cox,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  Buckeye  State.  On  the  paternal 
side  his  grandparents  were  Aaron  and  Mary 
(Bailey)  Cox.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  State,  studied  law  with  E.  M.  Ash- 
craft,  at  Vandalia,  111.,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  Mr.  Vernon,  111.,  in  February,  1882. 
On  May  1,  1884,  he  was  married  at  Vandalia, 
111.,  to  Miss  Martha  N.  Arnold,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Leah  F. 

While  in  Vandalia,  Mr.  Cox  was  a  partner 
of  the  law  firms  of  Webb  &  Cox  and  Cox  &  Wills, 
and  since  coming  to  Chicago,  of  the  firms  of 
Ashcraft,  Gordon  &  Cox;  Cox,  Winslow  & 
Ward,  and  the  present  firm  of  Cox,  Heldman  & 
Shortle.  He  and  his  firm  have  a  large  and 
growing  general  practice  in  all  the  courts,  and 
he  has  been  engaged  in  a  number  of  important 
cases  in  the  State.  Accustomed  to  devote  his 
entire  time  to  the  study  and  practice  of  his 
profession,  he  does  not  allow  other  branches 
of  business  to  be  mixed  up  with  it. 

Mr.  Cox  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
Methodist  in  religious  belief;  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  National  Un- 
ion and  Hamilton  Club.  Still  a  young  man, 
Mr.  Cox  has  a  brilliant  future  before  him. 

IRUS  COY. 

Irus  Coy  (deceased),  former  attorney  Union 
Stock  Yards  &  Transit  Company,  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Pitcher,  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  July 
25,  1832,  the  son  of  John  and  Almira  (Pierce) 
Coy.  His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  a  man  much  respected  in  his  day. 
Receiving  his  early  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  neighborhood,  young  Coy  after- 
ward entered  Central  College,  Cortland  County, 
N.  Y.,  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1853.  In 
order  to  secure  means  to  fit  himself  for  the 
legal  profession,  he  engaged  as  a  day  laborer 
in  the  hay  and  harvest  fields,  and  in  the  fall  of 
that  year,  with  but  fifty  dollars  in  his  pocket, 
came  to  Newark,  111.,  and  engaged  as  clerk  in 
a  dry-goods  store.  From  his  earnings  while 
thus  employed  he  saved  enough  to  defray  his 
expenses  through  the  New  York  State  and 
National  Law  School,  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y., 
and,  after  completing  his  studies,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Albany,  in  1857. 

Returning  to  Illinois,  he  located  in  Newark, 
Kendall  County,  and  later  at  Bristol,  then  the 
county-seat  of  Kendall  County,  and  with  but 
thirty-five  dollars  in  cash,  a  suit  of  clothes  and 
a  few  law  books,  started  in  to  compete  with  the 
skill  and  experience  of  the  profession.  Success 
was  with  him  from  the  outset,  for  he  soon  ac- 
quired a  lucrative  practice,  and  became  the 
leading  lawyer  in  his  section  of  the  State.  Such 
was  his  ability  and  reputation  that  his  counsel 
was  sought  by  those  needing  it  far  and  near, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


and  during  his  residence  in  Kendall  County,  he 
was  engaged  in  every  trial  of  note  before  the 
courts  of  his  circuit. 

The  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  may  be 
gathered  from  the  fact  that  he  represented  the 
county  in  the  State  Legislature  of  1869-70, 
where  he  became  an  influential  leader,  and  it 
was  said  that,  during  these  sessions,  no  im- 
portant measure  could  be  passed  unless  aided 
by  his  influence  and  counsel,  while  many  of  his 
speeches  were  among  the  most  eloquent  ever 
delivered  in  the  Illinois  Legislature.  It  may 
be  truly  said  that  no  constituency  ever  had  a 
more  faithful  servant  than  Kendall  County  had 
in  Mr.  Coy,  or  any  State  a  more  sagacious 
legislator,  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  term,  than 
had  the  State  of  Illinois. 

In  1871,  Mr.  Coy  removed  to  Chicago,  and 
served  as  attorney  for  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
&  Transit  Company  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred on  the  20th  day  of  September,  1897.  In 
1872  he  was  chosen  Presidential  Elector  on  the 
Republican  ticket,  and  assisted  in  casting  the 
vote  of  the  State  for  General  Grant. 

Mr.  Coy  was  married  on  January  19,  1859,  to 
Miss  Julia  A.  Manchester,  at  Newark,  111.,  and 
two  sons  and  two  daughters  were  born  to  them. 
He  was  a  man  of  commanding  presence  and 
pleasing  address,  of  broad  culture  and  elevated 
tastes.  He  was  of  a  genial  and  social  nature, 
and  a  most  companionable  friend,  and,  by  his 
manly  qualities  and  upright  life,  won  the  re- 
spect and  love  of  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances 
and  friends.  His  life  was,  in  the  best  sense,  a 
success,  and  furnished  an  example  of  energy, 
perseverance  and  loyalty  to  principle,  and  a 
noble  purpose  worthy  of  emulation. 

JAMES  GOULD  COZZENS. 

James  Gould  Cozzens,  real-estate  dealer,  the 
son  of  William  Cole  and  Martha  Stanton 
(Gould)  Cozzens,  was  born  in  Newport,  R.  I., 
June  1,  1836,  and  educated  in  the  Brown  Uni- 
versity. William  Cole  Cozzens,  the  father,  was 
born  in  1811  and  died  in  1876,  and  his  wife, 
Martha  Stanton  (Gould)  Cozzens,  was  born  in 
1811  and  died  in  1896.  On  the  paternal  side  of 
the  family,  James  Gould  Cozzens'  great-grand- 
parents were  Joseph,  born  in  1752  and  died  in 
1835,  and  Mary  (Johnson)  Cozzens,  born  in 
1735  and  died  in  1831,  and  his  grandparents 
were  Matthew,  born  in  1784  and  died  in  1870, 
and  Anne  (Cole)  Cozzens,  born  in  1782  and  died 
in  1815.  On  the  maternal  side,  his  great-grand- 
parents were  James,  born  in  1739  and  died  1812, 
and  Hannah  (Wanton)  Gould,  born  in  1749  and 
died  in  1831,  and  his  grandparents  Isaac,  born 
in  1783  and  died  in  1853,  and  Sarah  Waldron 
(Hammett)  Gould,  born  in  1782  and  died  in 
1850.  These  ancestors  were  all  born  in  New- 
port, R.  I. 

James  G.  Cozzens,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
is  an  Episcopalian  in  religious  faith,  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  a  real-estate  dealer  by  occu- 
pation. His  father,  William  Cole  Cozzens,  was 
the  thirty-fourth  (acting)  Governor  of  Rhode 


Island  (1863-1864),  being  President  of  the  State 
Senate  when  Governor  William  Sprague  and 
Lieutenant-Governor  S.  G.  Arnold  were  elected 
to  the  United  States  Senate,  thus  promoting 
him  to  the  Governorship.  In  1854  he  was 
elected  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Newport,  R.  I., 
being  the  second  Mayor  under  the  revised 
charter.  Mr.  Cozzens  was  married  in  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  August  21,  1886,  to  Mary  E.  Pomeroy. 
He  has  lived  in  Chicago  since  1868,  for  ten 
years  having  been  a  citizen  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

CLAYTON  EDWARD  CRAFTS. 

The  reputation  of  Mr.  Crafts  as  a  lawyer, 
political  leader  and  statesman  is  not  confined 
to  Cook  County,  but  extends  over  the  whole 
State.  Chicago  knows  him  as  a  citizen  of  gen- 
erous public  spirit,  and  Illinois  as  a  watchful, 
intelligent,  careful  legislator.  Ohio  claims  the 
honor  of  his  birth,  he  having  been  born  at 
Auburn,  Geauga  County,  in  that  State,  on  July 
8,  1848.  He  came  from  revolutionary  stock, 
both  his  great-grandfather,  Edward,  and  his 
great-uncle,  Thomas,  having  been  officers  in  the 
patriot  army  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
— the  latter  carrying  a  Colonel's  and  the  former 
a  Major's  commission,  and  both  having  virtu- 
ally dedicated  their  entire  fortunes  to  the  cause 
of  American  Independence.  His  grandfather, 
William  Crafts,  was  the  first  white  settler  in 
the  Township  of  Auburn,  Ohio,  clearing  the 
farm  on  which  he  reared  his  family.  Clayton 
E.  Crafts'  father  was  named  Edward,  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Helen  Johnson. 

Mr.  Crafts'  early  educational  advantages  were 
fairly  good,  his  training  being  received  at  dis- 
trict and  private  schools  and  at  Hiram  College. 
His  early  predilection  was  for  the  study  of 
law,  and,  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he 
graduated  from  the  Ohio  State  and  Union  Law 
College  at  Cleveland,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  June  of  the  same  year.  The  following 
September  he  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  John 
J.  Van  Allen,  at  Watkins,  N.  Y.,  under  whose 
tutelage  he  continued  his  studies  for  eight 
months.  In  June,  1869,  he  visited  Chicago, 
somewhat  in  the  character  of  an  investigator, 
and  being  pleased  with  the  prospect,  settled 
there  immediately  after  his  marriage,  which  oc- 
curred September  15th  of  the  same  year.  For 
four  years  he  was  in  partnership  with  Henry 
Lincoln,  and  from  1873  to  1885  practiced  alone. 
In  the  year  last  named  he  was  associated  with 
Hon.  George  M.  Stevens,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Crafts  &  Stevens,  and  from  that  time  the 
firm  has  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 

From  the  period  of  his  early  manhood  Mr. 
Crafts  was  irresistibly  attracted  to  the  field 
of  politics,  his  natural  characteristics  being 
such  as  fitted  him  for  leadership.  From  1882 
until  1894  he  represented  his  district  in  the 
lower  house  of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  and  in 
1887  and  1889  he  received  the  caucus  nomination 
of  his  party  for  the  Speakership.  This  made 
him  the  recognized  leader  of  the  minority  on 
the  floor  of  the  House,  in  which  position,  deli- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  .OF  ILLINOIS. 


859 


cate,  difficult  and  trying,  he  exhibited  rare  skill 
as  a  tactician  and  astute  knowledge  as  a  parlia- 
mentarian. In  1891,  and  again  in  1893,  the 
Democrats  being  in  the  ascendancy,  he  was 
elected  Speaker,  in  which  position  he  mani- 
fested a  readiness  of  resource,  a  quick  intuition 
and  a  strong,  nervous  power  which  surprised 
even  his  friends.  During  the  last  session  in 
which  he  held  the  gavel,  many  important  meas- 
ures were  passed,  among  them  the  Australian- 
ballot  law  and  one  providing  for  the  redistrict- 
ing  of  the  State.  Among  the  acts  which  he 
either  personally  introduced  and  supported,  or 
whose  passage  was  largely  due  to  his  personal 
efforts  and  influence,  may  be  mentioned  those 
for  the  establishing  of  a  "short  cause  calendar," 
the  extension  of  the  Sheridan  Drive  and  of 
Washington  Boulevard,  and  the  annexation  of 
several  important  suburbs  to  the  city.  He  was 
one  of  the  special  committee  of  fifteen  which 
drafted  the  law  creating  the  Sanitary  District 
of  Chicago,  rendering  possible  the  construction 
of  the  great  Drainage  Canal.  In  fact,  it  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  he  has  ardently  sup- 
ported all  legislation  looking  to  the  benefit  of 
Chicago,  while  he  has  never  been  unmindful 
of  the  interests  of  the  State  at  large. 

In  the  State  and  National  councils  of  his 
party,  Mr.  Crafts  has  been  repeatedly  honored; 
perhaps  because  of  his  natural  qualifications  for 
such  positions  of  confidential  trust,  inasmuch  as 
to  earnestness,  energy,  patience  and  persever- 
ance he  joins  a  rare  capacity  for  "judicious 
silence."  He  has  been  repeatedly  an  active  mem- 
ber of  both  State  and  County  (Democratic) 
Central  Committees,  and  in  1892  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Democratic  National  Convention, 
in  which  body  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Committee  on  Resolutions.  In  the  same  year 
(1892)  he  presided  over  the  deliberations  of 
the  State  Convention.  As  a  campaign  speaker 
he  is  clear,  forcible  and  ready  at  repartee,  quick 
to  give  sharp  forensic  thrusts  and  readily  re- 
pelling those  returned  by  his  opponent  in 
debate. 

Mrs.  Crafts'  maiden  name  was  Cordelia  E. 
Kent.  The  issue  of  their  marriage  has  been 
four  children:  William  C.,  Helen,  Harry  K., 
and  Frederick  A.  (deceased).  William  grad- 
uated from  Yale  College  in  1894 ;  Helen  married 
Frederick  W.  Job,  and  Harry  K.  has  scarcely 
passed  his  majority.  The  family  are  all  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Aus- 
tin, where  Mr.  Crafts  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  for  more  than  twenty- 
five  years,  repeatedly  serving  as  President  of 
that  body. 

ANDREW    CRAWFORD. 

Andrew  Crawford  (deceased)  was  born  near 
Kilmarnock,  Ayrshire,  Scotland,  December  1, 
1831,  being  the  third  son  of  Andrew  and  Janet 
Crawford.  His  father  was  a  highly  respected 
man  of  the  Middle  Class,  for  a  number  of  years 
being  manager  of  the  Duke  of  Portland's  ex- 
tensive coal  mines.  He  died  in  1855  at  the 


age  of  fifty-six  years.  His  mother  was  a 
descendant  of  the  Hay  family,  of  whom  it  has 
been  said  that,  "to  write  their  history  would 
be  little  less  than  writing  the  history  of  Scot- 
land." The  Hays  were  among  the  greatest  of 
the  families  who  emigrated  to  Scotland  in  the 
beginning  of  the  twelfth  century. 

Andrew  Crawford  lived  with  his  parents  and 
attended  the  parochial  school  until  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age,  when,  to  please  his  father, 
he  entered  the  mines.  The  lad  was,  however, 
anxious  to  secure  an  education,  and  for  this 
reason  he  began  attending  sessions  at  a  night 
school,  and,  although  the  strain  upon  his 
strength  was  great,  his  Scotch  pluck  enabled 
him  to  endure  a  discipline  which  ordinarily 
would  ruin  the  constitution  of  a  twelve-year-old 
boy.  He  was  brought  up  in  an  atmosphere  of 
strict  Scotch  Presbyterianism,  and  as  he  could 
find  no  time  for  recreation  during  the  week,  and 
Sunday  was  too  sacred  for  aught  but  religious 
services  at  the  kirk,  it  is  not  strange  that  the 
lad  grew  restive.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was 
indentured  as  an  apprentice  for  five  years,  to 
an  iron  company,  for  which  he  was  to  receive 
for  his  first  year's  labor  fifteen  pounds,  for  his 
second  twenty  pounds,  for  his  third  twenty-five 
pounds,  his  fourth  thirty  pounds,  and  for  his 
fifth  forty  pounds.  He  possessed  at  this  time 
some  slight  knowledge  of  Latin  and  French, 
and  now  began  the  study  of  civil  engineering 
and  general  surveying.  He  must  have  been 
something  of  an  adept  at  this  work,  for,  at  the 
end  of  his  first  year,  the  company  promoted 
him.  His  Scotch  blood  could  hardly  bear  to 
recall  the  long  period  of  service  ahead, '  and 
yet  he  could  not  prove  false  to  a  contract, 
and,  until  a  change  in  the  management  of  the 
iron  company  left  him  free  to  seek  other  em- 
ployment, he  continued  as  an  apprentice.  Not 
yet  of  age,  but  fired  with  a  great  ambition 
which  would  not  permit  the  idea  of  a  return  to 
the  colliery  work  at  home,  Andrew  went  to 
London  in  search  of  employment,  and  oppor- 
tunity offering,  in  November,  1852,  he  sailed 
from  Liverpool  for  the  shores  of  the  new  world. 
The  sailing  vessel  was  slow,  and  severe  storms 
compelled  the  skipper  to  put  into  the  Azores 
for  repairs.  Another  vessel  was  boarded  and 
his  second  venture,  more  fortunate  than  the 
first,  saw  him  landed  in  New  York  harbor  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1853. 

On  arriving  in  New  York  he  had  just  one  cent 
in  his  pocket — an  unpromising  outlook  for  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  land — but  from  the  first 
young  Crawford  never  seemed  to  doubt  that 
the  great  opportunity  of  his  life  had  come. 
Though  it  was  winter,  he  at  once  sold  his  good 
Scotch  overcoat  and  thus  began  his  career  as 
a  tradesman.  This  transaction  seems  strangely 
grotesque  when  viewed  from  the  millionaire's 
standpoint  of  today,  but  it  was  the  lowest  round 
of  the  ladder  up  which  Mr.  Crawford  has  since 
climbed.  Ceaseless  toil,  unusual  determination, 
character  and  brains  always  tell,  and,  unin- 
viting as  the  prospects  then  appeared,  the  lad 


86o 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


knew  that  the  field  before  him  was  infinitely 
superior  to  that  which  he  had  left  behind  in  old 
Scotland.  Everything  partook  of  a  strangeness 
which  would  have  dazed  many  a  new-comer,  but 
none  of  these  things  dampened  his  ardor.  From 
New  York  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  thence  to 
New  Jersey,  in  which  latter  State  he  received 
$1.25  per  day  as  helper  to  the  cook  for  a  con- 
struction gang  on  the  railroad.  Fever  and  ague 
finally  drove  him  south  as  far  as  New  Orleans, 
and  after  various  occupations  had  given  him 
the  means  whereby  he  laid  up  a  small  amount 
of  money,  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
a  young  Southern  gentleman  which  ended  dis- 
astrously, and  caused  him  to  journey  north- 
ward, where  he  at  length  landed  in  Illinois. 
Little  did  this  wanderer  dream  of  future  great- 
ness when  he  arrived  in  Chicago,  nor  did  he 
imagine  how  the  city  of  less  than  66,000  pop- 
ulation was  to  change. 

Settling  in  Geneseo,  111.,  in  1857,  Mr.  Craw- 
ford married  Miss  Sarah  Louise  Baxter,  of  that 
place.  The  young  couple  began  their  married 
life  unpretentiously,  but  prospered  from  the 
first,  the  young  husband  beginning  a  course  of 
law  study  which  he  diligently  pursued  at  night 
when  his  daily  toil  was  over.  In  1860  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  It  is  a  matter  of  interest 
that  his  first  client  was  arrested  for  stealing  a 
mule. 

Mr.  Crawford's  time  was  divided  between 
banking  and  the  practice  of  law.  In  1860  he 
secured  naturalization  papers,  and  became 
an  American  citizen.  Never  a  partisan,  he  was 
still  a  stanch  Republican.  In  1868  he  was 
elected  from  Henry  County  to  the  State  Sen- 
ate, where  he  served  a  term  of  four  years,  the 
second  session  being  under  the  Constitution 
of  1870.  He  was  appointed  by  the  Governor 
Trustee  of  one  of  the  State  institutions,  and  in 
1872  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention  at  Philadelphia,  which  nominated 
General  Grant  for  President  for  his  second 
term.  By  this  time  having  accumulated  con- 
siderable means  from  his  law  practice  and 
Chicago,  and  in  September,  1873,  he  removed 
banking  interests,  he  purchased  real  estate  in 
with  his  family  to  that  city.  In  1877  he  be- 
came one  of  the  incorporators,  and,  later,  a 
director  and  Vice-President  of  the  Chicago  & 
Western  Illinois  Railway.  In  1886  we  find  him 
the  attorney  of  Mr.  Yerkes  and  his  associates 
in  street-railway  circles,  his  wide  and  varied 
experience  making  him  an  authority  in  this 
line,  and  for  more  than  twenty  years  vast  com- 
mercial interests  passed  through  his  hands. 

Andrew  Crawford  was  a  member  of  the  Uni- 
tarian Church,  and  a  sincerely  religious  man. 
Modest  and  affable,  he  never  worried  and  was 
seldom  in  haste.  He  believed  in  a  "good  foun- 
dation," as  he  termed  it,  and  always  worked 
from  the  bottom  upward.  Loved,  honored  and 
trusted  by  those  who  knew  him,  he  had  a  con- 
spicuously successful  business  career,  and  at 
his  death  left  an  estate  valued  at  over  one 
million  dollars. 


On  November  22,  1900,  while  in  his  office, 
he  was  stricken  with  heart  failure  and  without 
a  word  departed  into  the  invisible  land.  His 
wife,  two  sons  and  three  daughters  were  left 
to  mourn  his  loss.  The  body  was  interred  in 
the  family  lot  at  Geneseo,  the  locality  of  his 
first  American  home,  and  the  scene  of  his  first 
real  successes.  What  a  magnificent  legacy  such 
a  man  leaves  to  the  generation  who  shall  come 
after  him.  He  has  won  the  victory,  and  erected 
for  himself  a  monument  more  enduring  than 
the  granite  hills. 

F.  M.  GROSSMAN. 

F.  M.  Grossman,  liveryman  in  Chicago  for 
twenty-seven  years,  and  stock  farmer,  Wheeling, 
Cook  County,  111.,  is  descended  from  a  Massa- 
chusetts family,  both  his  grandfather  and  his 
father  having  been  born  in  Sutton  in  that 
State,  the  former  in  1779,  and  the  latter  in 
1816.  His  grandmother,  Olive  Whipple,  was 
also  a  native  of  the  same  place.  On  December 
13,  1870,  Mr.  Grossman  was  married  to  Ella 
Kelley,  of  Brookfield,  Mass.,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Ella  Annie  and  Frederick  Kelley.  In 
1886  he  became  the  proprietor  of  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Spring  Brook  Stock  Farm, 
located  in  the  town  of  Wheeling,  and  embracing 
440  acres  of  the  farm  formerly  belonging  to 
Hiram  Kennicott.  Here  of  late  years  he  has 
made  a  specialty  of  breeding  Wilkes  horses, 
Poland  China  hogs,  Dorset  Horned  sheep  and 
Holstein  cattle,  and  boarding  city  horses,  in  this 
line  of  business  being  especially  successful. 

MICHAEL   CROTTY. 

Michael  Grotty,  Pipeman,  Engine  No.  58 
(Fire-boat  "Chicago"),  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1855,  was  educated  in  the  National 
School,  coming  to  Chicago  in  1887,  worked  for 
the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Railroad 
Company  in  the  freight  house  until  he  joined 
the  Fire  Department,  May  18,  1890,  on  Truck 
11;  was  a  substitute  on  Engine  5,  and  candi- 
date on  Engine  10,  December,  1890;  was  trans- 
ferred to  Truck  6;  April,  1891,  and  to  Engine 
58,  December,  1892;  then  to  Truck  17,  May, 
1893,  and  Engine  58,  June,  1898.  He  was  badly 
burned  on  the  hand  at  a  fire  at  Ninety-second 
Street  and  Commercial  Avenue,  October  22, 
1899,  when  Lieutenant  Ambrose,  of  Engine  72, 
and  himself  escaped  by  jumping  from  the  third 
story  window  thirty  feet  to  the  alley,  receiving 
severe  injuries.  In  1891  he  was  rescued  at  a 
fire  on  Charles  Place  near  Fifth  Avenue  (bot- 
tling works),  by  order  of  Chief  Musham  and 
Captain  Horan  (now  Chief  of  the  First  Bat- 
talion), and  would  have  lost  his  life  but  for  that 
order. 

On  June  22,  1880,  Mr.  Crotty  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Dalton,  in  Wyandotte  County, 
Ohio,  and  eight  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  viz.:  Mary  Agnes,  Helen,  Johanna,  Mar- 
garet, Agnes,  John,  Michael  and  Anna.  Mr. 
Crotty  is  still  (1904)  connected  with  the  Chi- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


86 1 


cage   Fire    Department   as   truckman    in    Hook 
and  Ladder  Company  No.  17. 

GEORGE  P.  CROWE. 

George  P.  Crowe,  Assistant  Engineer  Engine 
No.  10,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in 
Elburn,  111.,  June  22,  1873,  came  to  Chicago  in 
1873,  and  was  educated  in  the  Oak  Street  and 
Franklin  public  schools  and  the  Christian 
Brothers'  school.  After  leaving  school  he  learned 
the  machinists'  trade,  at  which  he  worked  for 
seven  years.  Later  he  was  engineer  for  Zero 
Marx's  sign  works  until  he  joined  the  Fire 
Department,  July  1,  1898,  on  Engine  No.  21,  was 
transferred  to  Engine  65,  December  31,  1898, 
and  to  Engine  10,  June  9,  1900. 

Mr.  Crowe  was  married  to  Miss  Agnes  Ber- 
ger,  in  Chicago,  June  22,  1898.  He  has  always 
been  found  in  his  place  ready  for  any  emer- 
gency where  duty  calls. 

J.  HENNING  CROWLEY. 

J.  Henning  Crowley,  Chief  Clerk  West  Side 
Pumping  Station,  was  born  in  Menasha,  Wis., 
September  7,  1856,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city  and  at  Engelman's 
Academy  in  Milwaukee,  and  coming  to  Chicago 
in  1871  worked  for  S.  P.  Rounds,  type-founder, 
for  two  years,  and  then  with  W.  E.  Strong,  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company,  and  later 
for  Montgomery  Ward  &  Co.,  in  charge  of  their 
main  office,  until  1882.  He  was  then  employed 
as  traveling  salesman  by  Simpson,  Hall,  Miller 
&  Co.,  of  Wallingford,  Conn.,  for  one  year,  and 
for  Frier  &  Jack,  glassware  merchants,  for  a 
year,  traveling  through  Michigan,  Minnesota 
and  Northern  Iowa.  Having  quit  traveling,  he 
was  appointed  head  clerk  for  the  shipping  de- 
partment of  Armour  &  Co.,  later  had  charge 
of  the  clerks  in  the  jobbing  department  in  a 
down-town  office  until  1889,  when  he  went  to 
Washington  Territory  and  helped  to  make  the 
State  and  found  four  towns  on  Puget  Sound. 

While  on  the  Pacific  coast  Mr.  Crowley 
worked  on  a  Seattle  newspaper  for  six  months, 
and  printed  a  newspaper  at  Anacortes,  Fidalgo 
Island,  Puget  Sound;  also  worked  for  the  City 
of  Seattle  when  there  were  only  12,000  inhab- 
itants, and  until  there  were  40,000,  in  1890. 
During  the  taking  of  the  census  of  1890  he  was 
employed  by  United  States  Commissioner  R.  B. 
Porter,  as  Special  Agent  for  six  months;  then 
returning  to  Chicago  in  1891,  worked  for  the 
World's  Fair  Committee  at  headquarters,  re- 
maining until  the  spring  of  1894.  He  then 
became  manager  of  the  Ely  Manufacturing 
Company  (in  general  merchandise),  until 
they  sold  out;  later  had  charge  of  the  corres- 
pondence department  of  Sears,  Roebuck  &  Co., 
until  the  election  of  Mayor  Harrison,  in  1897, 
when  he  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the 
sidewalk  department  in  the  Special  Assessment 
Office,  continuing  in  the  service  of  the  city  as 
assistant  in  different  departments  under  Civil 
Service  rules  until  his  appointment  as  Chief 
Clerk  of  the  West  Side  Pumping  Station.  He 


has  also  been  proof-reader  and  reporter  for 
many  of  the  newspapers.  Mr.  Crowley  has 
shown,  by  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his 
employers  and  the  positions  of  trust  which  he 
has  been  called  upon  to  fill,  that  he  can  be 
relied  upon  in  whatever  place  he  may  be  called 
upon  to  occupy. 

JACOB    RAMBO    CUSTER. 

Jacob  Rambo  Custer,  lawyer,  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Chester  County,  Pa.,  the  son  of  David  Y. 
and  Esther  (Rambo)  Custer,  who  were  both 
natives  of  Montgomery  County,  Pa.  For  gen- 
erations his  ancestors  had  been  residents  of 
the  same  section  of  Pennsylvania,  his  paternal 
grandparents  being  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Yer- 
ger)  Custer,  and  his  great-grandfather,  Peter 
Custer,  and  his  great-grandmother  (whose 
maiden  name  was  Vanderslice),  all  being  born 
in  Montgomery  County.  On  the  maternal  side 
his  grandparents  were  George  and  Ann  (Fox) 
Rambo,  and  his  great-grandparents  Abraham 
and  Catharine  (Tyson)  Rambo — also  natives  of 
the  same  county. 

Mr.  Custer  was  educated  at  Washington  Hall, 
Trappe,  Pa.,  in  the  school  of  Dr.  Abel  Rambo, 
his  uncle  at  Pennsylvania  College,  Gettysburg, 
Pa.,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1867.  He 
then  studied  law  one  year  (1868)  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  the  next  year  (1869)  at  the  Albany 
Law  School,  New  York.  Then  coming  to  Chi- 
cago in  October  of  the  latter  year,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  practiced  alone  until 
May,  1879,  when  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  the  late  William  J.  Campbell,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Campbell  &  Custer,  which  was  con- 
tinued until  Mr.  Campbell's  death,  March  4, 
1896. 

Mr.  Custer's  present  business  partnership  is 
with  Joseph  A.  Griffin  and  John  M.  Cameron  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Custer,  Griffin  &  Cameron, 
with  office  at  811  Rookery  Building,  Chicago. 
On  December  1,  1879,  he  was  married  in  the 
City  of  Chicago,  to  Miss  Ella  A.  White,  who 
was  born  in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  and  educated 
in  Chicago,  and  they  have  had  two  children, 
Charles  W.  and  Esther  Rambo  Custer,  both 
now  deceased.  Mr.  Custer  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  but  has  never  held  or  sought  office, 
accepting  the  principle  that  the  proper  sphere 
of  the  true  lawyer  is  in  the  domain  of  work. 

CHARLES  SIDNEY  CUTTING. 
Charles  Sidney  Cutting,  lawyer  and  Judge 
Probate  Court,  Cook  County,  is  one  of  the  many 
sons  of  Vermont  who,  by  character  and  achieve- 
ment, have  reflected  credit  upon  the  city  of 
their  adoption.  To  the  little,  long,  narrow 
State,  the  western  foot-hills  of  whose  towering 
mountain  range  reach  down  to  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  while  its  eastern  spurs  join  those  of  the 
White  Mountains,  the  entire  country,  and  espe- 
cially the  great  Central  West,  owe  a  debt.  Her 
stalwart  sons  have  helped  break  Western 
prairies  and  build  Western  cities,  and  Chicago 
alone  can  furnish  many  a  proof,  material,  in- 


862 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


tellectual  and  aesthetic,  of  their  prowess  and 
success. 

Judge  Charles  S.  Cutting  was  born  at  High- 
gate  Springs,  in  the  Green  Mountain  State, 
March  1,  1854.  Through  his  father,  Charles  A. 
Cutting,  and  his  mother,  whose  name  before 
marriage  was  Laura  E.  Averill,  he  claims 
descent  from  those  early  English  immigrants 
who  sought  freedom  of  conscience  in  a  new 
world,  the  Averills  having  originally  belonged 
to  the  Society  of  Friends.  Mr.  Cutting,  Sr., 
with  his  family  removed  to  Salem,  Oregon, 
while  his  son,  Charles  S.,  was  a  boy,  and  the 
latter  received  a  classical  education  at  Willa- 
mette University.  At  the  early  age  of  seven- 
teen he  was  tendered  the  editorship  of  the  Cedar 
Rapids  (Iowa)  Times.  He  remained  in  the 
sanctum  of  this  journal  for  three  years,  and 
while  a  young  man  of  twenty,  was  appointed 
Principal  of  the  High  School  at  Palatine,  Cook 
County,  111.  To  the  discharge  of  his  new  duties 
he  brought  a  sound  scholarship  and  an  earnest, 
conscientious  desire  to  succeed.  If  he  lacked 
experience,  he  had  an  abundance  of  enthusiastic 
devotion  for  his  work.  He  retained  the  prin- 
cipalship  for  six  years,  meanwhile  reading  law 
in  the  office  of  the  late  Judge  Knickerbocker, 
in  Chicago.  In  1880  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  in  1881  began  practice,  his  first  part- 
nership being  with  Judge  Williamson.  For 
twenty  years  his  success  has  steadily  become 
more  and  more  pronounced.  Endowed  with  a 
keen,  penetrating  mind,  of  a  judicial  quality,  he 
is  also  a  constant  and  deep  student  and  a  pro- 
found thinker.  For  several  years  he  was  at 
the  head  of  the  firm  of  Cutting,  Castle  and 
Williams,  whose  reputation  at  the  bar  is  second 
to  that  of  none  other. 

Judge  Cutting  has  been  the  recipient  of  many 
high  honors,  professional,  public'  and  political. 
During  1887-90  he  was  Master  in  Chancery,  for 
nine  years  a  member  of  the  Cook  County  Board 
of  Education,  for  three  years  being  its  Presi- 
dent, and  for  three  years  President  of  the  Pala- 
tine Board  of  Education.  In  1895  he  removed 
from  Palatine  to  Austin,  and  was  at  once 
elected  Town  Attorney  of  Cicero.  He  has  been 
a  life-long  Republican,  casting  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  Hayes  in  1876.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Hamilton  and  Union  League  Clubs, 
and  by  his  forceful  arguments  and  earnest  elo- 
quence upon  the  stump  and  the  rostrum,  has 
done  much  to  promote  Republican  success.  In 
1900,  without  the  solicitation  or  desire  on  his 
part,  and  during  his  absence  from  the  country, 
the  convention  of  his  party  nominated  him  for 
the  office  of  Probate  Judge  of  Cook  County,  and 
his  triumphant  election  and  his  re-election  to 
the  same  position  in  1904,  demonstrated  the 
firm  hold  which  he  has  upon  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  the  electors  of  Cook  County  with- 
out regard  to  party  affiliation. 

In  private  life  Judge  Cutting  is  genial  and 
whole-souled,  a  delightful  host  and  always  a 
welcome  guest.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  Knight 
Templar  and  a  Mason  of  the  thirty-second  de- 


gree. He  readily  wins  friends  whose  regard 
he  easily  retains,  because  founded  upon  respect. 
He  was  married  June  27,  1876,  to  Anna  E. 
Lytle,  his  only  son,  Robert  M.,  a  graduate  of 
the  University  of  Michigan,  is  now  a  law  stu- 
dent in  Northwestern  University.  Judge  and 
Mrs.  Cutting  are  members  of  the  Oaks  Social 
Club  of  Austin. 

LAWRENCE  F.  DARLINGTON. 

Lawrence  F.  Darlington,  late  Assistant  En- 
gineer, Fourteenth  Street  Pumping  Station,  Chi- 
cago, now  Chief  Engineer  for  the  Swift  &  Com- 
pany Packing  Plant,  Union  Stock  Yards,  was 
born  in  Charleston,  W.  Va.,  February  28,  1858, 
and  educated  in  a  subscription  school.  After 
leaving  school  he  found  employment  at  Thayer's 
machine  shop,  in  Charleston,  where  he  worked 
for  three  years,  learning  the  trade  of  engineer, 
after  which  he  was  employed  by  the  S.  H. 
Brown  Lumber  Company  for  two  years,  when 
he  came  to  Ogle  Station,  111.,  and  worked  as 
engineer  for  a  Coal  Mining  Company  for  one 
year.  He  was  then  employed  by  the  Kelsau 
Lumber  Company  at  Vincennes,  Ind.,  for  one 
year,  by  the  Danville  (111.)  Sugar  Refining 
Company  as  machinist  for  three  years,  and  as 
master  mechanic  for  two  years,  after  which  he 
worked  in  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Rail- 
road shops  at  Danville  one  year,  and  for  the 
Furminigh  Sugar  Manufacturing  Company  as 
master  mechanic  for  two  years.  Coming  to 
Chicago  in  1887,  he  was  chief  engineer  of  the 
Northwestern  Fertilizing  Company  for  six 
years;  then  for  the  John  Cudahy  Packing  Com- 
pany for  two  years,  the  International  &  Wells 
Packing  &  Provision  Company  for  one  year, 
and  for  Swift  &  Company  for  one  year,  when  he 
was  appointed  chief  engineer  for  the  Sewage 
Pumping  Works  at  Seventieth  Street  and  Yates 
Avenue,  and  later  at  Sixty-ninth  and  Peoria 
Streets.  On  January  3,  1901,  he  was  appointed 
assistant  engineer  at  the  Fourteenth-  Street 
Pumping  Works,  having  received  his  promo- 
tional examination  under  the  Civil  Service  rules 
and  his  promotion  from  the  Fourth  to  the 
Fifth  grade. 

Mr.  Darlington  was  married  September  6, 
1881,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Duffy,  of  Danville,  111., 
and  four  children  have  blessed  their  union.  In 
1904  he  is  chief  engineer  for  the  Swift  &  Com- 
pany Packing  plant,  Union  Stock  Yards. 

GEORGE  M.  DEARLOVE. 
One  by  one,  the  "old  settlers"  of  Chicago,  like 
the  veterans  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, are  passing  away.  Few  are  left  of  the  early 
pioneers  whose  self-privation,  toil  and  courage 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  great  city,  which 
stands  today  as  a  lasting  monument  to  their 
energy  and  self-sacrifice.  Among  those  who 
yet  survive  to  recall  the  "stories  of  the  olden 
days"  is  Mr.  George  Dearlove,  the  father  of  the 
gentleman  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of 
this  imperfect  biographical  sketch.  The  elder 
Mr.  Dearlove  is  a  native  of  Harrigate,  York- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


863 


shire,  England,  where  he  was  born  in  1817, 
emigrating  to  America  as  a  youth  at  nineteen 
years  of  age  and  settling  at  Chicago  in  1833. 
In  those  early  days  he  cultivated  a  small  farm, 
while  at  the  same  time  dealing  in  real  estate. 
Today,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  weh  preserved 
in  body  and  with  mind  unimpaired,  he  looks 
back  upon  the  past  with  pleasant  memories  and 
forward  to  the  future  without  fear. 

George  M.  Dearlove  was  born  in  Northfleld 
Township,  Cook  County,  March  10,  1873;  from 
the  King  public  school,  Chicago,  he  entered  the 
Northwestern  Military  Academy  at  Highland 
Park,  and  after  graduating  from  the  latter, 
matriculated  at  Lake  Forest  University,  receiv- 
ing his  degree  in  due  course  and  supplementing 
his  studies  there  by  a  special  course  at  Mon- 
mouth  College,  Monmouth,  111.  Two  years  he 
devoted  to  travel  in  both  hemispheres,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time  returned  to  Chicago 
to  engage  in  the  real-estate  business,  in  which 
he  is  yet  successfully  employed.  On  November 
15,  1899,  Mr.  Dearlove  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Nellie  Hortense,  of  Aurora,  111. 

JEPHTHA   C.    DENISON. 

Jephtha  C.  Denison,  ex-Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer, Union  Stock  Yard  and  Transit  Company 
and  Treasurer  Roanoke  Investment  Company, 
Chicago,  was  born  in  Vermont,  and  educated 
in  the  public  schools.  In  early  life  he  removed 
to  New  York  State,  and  in  the  'fifties  came  to 
Mendota,  111.,  and  from  there  removed  to  Elgin, 
111.  Here  h.e  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-sixth  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry  and  served  to  the 
close  of  the  war,  a  part  of  the  time  as  hospital 
steward  of  the  field  hospital  at  Chattanooga, 
later  being  detailed  for  duty  in  the  office  of 
Medical  Director  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  until,  by 
order  of  President  Lincoln,  he  was  honorably 
discharged  from  the  service. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Denison  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  at  Elgin,  but,  in  1874,  came 
to  Chicago  and  entered  the  service  of  the  Union 
Stock  Yard  &  Transit  Company,  where  he 
worked  his  way  up  through  every  position  but 
one  in  the  general  office  of  the  company.  He 
was  Assistant  Secretary  and  Treasurer  for  thir- 
teen years,  on  the  resignation  of  George  T. 
Williams  becoming  Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
and  retaining  this  position  until  his  resigna- 
tion, January  17,  1900,  to  accept  the  position  of 
Secretary  of  the  Federal  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Chicago.  At  the  present  time  (1904) 
he  is  Treasurer  of  the  Roanoke  Investment 
Company.  Mr.  Denison  has  the  reputation  of 
being  one  of  the  best  posted  men  in  matters 
relating  to  the  live-stock  trade,  and  has  been 
identified  with  various  other  interests,  having 
been  one  of  the  first  Directors  of  the  National 
Live-Stock  Bank.  He  has  for  many  years  been 
President  of  the  Englewood  Building  &  Loan 
Association.  Personally  Mr.  Denison  is  genial 
and  courteous,  of  unswerving  loyalty  to  friends 
and  associates,  a  man  whose  word  may  be 
absolutely  relied  upon,  and  who  has  done  his 


part  well  towards  the  upbuilding  of  Cook 
County  and  the  various  business  enterprises 
with  which  he  has  been  associated. 

WILLIAM  DEERING. 

William  Deering,  merchant  and  manufacturer, 
was    born    at    Paris,    Oxford    County,    Maine, 
April  24,  1826.     His  parents  were  James  and 
Eliza    (Moore)    Deering.     His   ancestors  immi- 
grated  from   England  in   1634,  and,   in   all   of 
the  histories  of  New  England  from  that  time, 
the  name  of  Deering  finds  most  honorable  men- 
tion.   William  Deering's  boyhood  was  much  the 
same  as  that  of  other  boys  reared  by  earnest 
Christian    parents.      His    scholastic    education 
consisted    of   the    full    and    regular   course   of 
studies  in  vogue  at  that  time  in  the  common 
and  graded  schools,  and  was  finished  in  the  high 
school  at  Readfield,  Maine,  in  1843.    While  yet 
in  his  early  manhood  he  occupied  the  position 
of  manager  of   a   woolen   mill    in  Maine,   dis- 
charging  every   trust   reposed    in   him   to   the 
eminent  satisfaction  of  his  employers.     After 
the  termination  of  his  labors  there  he  engaged 
in  various    business   enterprises,    to    which    is 
largely   due   his   marked   genius   for   handling 
large     manufacturing      details.      His    greatest 
achievement  has  been  the  building  up  of  the 
works  of  William  Deering  &  Company,  for  the 
manufacture    of    harvesters    and    agricultural 
machinery.    The  firm  was  founded  in  1870,  the 
name   being  changed   in   1894   to   the   Deering 
Harvester  Company,  but  is  now  the  "National 
Harvester    Company,"    in    which    Mr.    Deering 
holds  the  controlling  interest.     The  works  are 
now  located  in  Fullerton  Avenue,  along  the  line 
of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  with 
.  docks   on    the   North    Branch   of    the    Chicago 
River.     At  the   present   time  eighty-five   acres 
are  occupied  by  the  plant,  which  is  compactly 
arranged.      The    works    comprise    large    wood- 
working shops,   knife   and   section   shops,  ma- 
chine   and    blacksmith    shops,    bolt    and    rivet 
works,  a  foundry,  a  large  malleable  iron  plant, 
and  an  extensive  twine  plant.     The  works  con- 
sume annually  45,000  tons  of  steel  and  a  like 
quantity  of  pig  iron,  comprising  both  Northern 
and   Southern  coke-iron.     Some  72,000  tons  of 
coal  and  coke  are  annually  consumed,  4,817,750 
gallons   of  oil  and    31,000,000   feet  of   lumber. 
The  force  employed  in  the  shops  is  usually 
7,000  hands,  and  many  of  the  departments  work 
with    regular   night   shifts,    the    establishment 
operating  its  own   electric   light  plant,   which 
gives  it  facilities  for  producing  a  larger  num- 
ber of  machines  of  all  kinds  than  any  other 
harvester  company  in  the  world.     It  receives  a 
part  of  its   raw  material   from   many  foreign 
countries,   including  the   Philippines,  and   dis- 
tributes its  products  all  over  the  globe.     The 
sales    department    embraces    fifty-eight   branch 
houses  and  general  agencies,  and  the  sales  ex- 
tend over  Europe,  Australia,  New  Zealand  and 
South  America.     Mr.  Deering,  the  founder  of 
this  immense  plant,  continues  actively  identi- 


864 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


fled   with   its  operations,   ably  assisted  by  his 
two  sons,  Charles  and  James. 

Mr.  Deering  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Miss  Abby  Barbour,  of  Maine,  daughter 
of  Charles  and  Joanna  (Cobb)  Barbour,  to 
whom  he  was  married  October  3i,  1849.  Of  this 
union  there  was  one  child,  Charles,  born  in 
1852,  now  Secretary  of  the  Deering  Harvester 
Company.  The  second  marriage,  on  December 
15,  1857,  was  to  Miss  Clara  Hamilton,  of  Maine, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Barbour)  Ham 
ilton.  The  issue  was  two  children,  James  and 
Abby  Marion,  born  in  Maine — the  former  in 
1859,  and  the  latter  1867.  James  Deering  is  the 
present  Treasurer  of  the  Deering  Harvester 
Company.  William  Deering  removed  with  his 
family  to  Evanston,  111.,  in  1873,  where  he  now 
resides  in  his  beautiful  home.  He  is  liberal, 
public-spirited  and  benevolent,  and  his  business 
career  has  been  noteworthy  from  the  absence 
of  controversies  with  his  employes.  He  has 
been,  for  a  number  of  years,  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  Northwestern  University  at 
Evanston,  and  at  the  present  time  is  President 
of  the  Board.  He  is  also  a  Director  and  stock- 
holder in  several  financial  institutions.  One  of 
his  latest  acts  of  beneficence  was  the  giving  of 
Fisk  Hall  to  the  Northwestern  University. 

MILES   J.    DEVINE. 

Miles  J.  Devine,  lawyer,  Chicago,  was  born 
in  the  city  where  he  now  resides,  November  11, 
1866.  He  is  the  son  of  Patrick  and  Elizabeth 
(Conway)  Devine,  both  natives  of  Ireland.  His 
mother  was  a  sister  of  Rt.  Rev.  P.  J.  Conway 
(deceased),  late  Vicar-General  of  the  diocese 
of  Chicago.  Mr.  Devine  attended  school  at  the 
Seminary  of  St.  Francis,  at  Bay  View,  Wis.. 
also  the  Lake  Forest  University,  111.,  and  grad- 
uated at  the  Niagara  University,  at  Niagara 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  in  1882.  He  then  spent  five  years 
on  his  father's  farm,  acquiring  brawn  for  his 
future  brain  work.  He  studied  law  at  the  Chi- 
cago College  of  Law  and  graduating  therefrom 
in  1890,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  formed  a 
law  partnership  with  Jeremiah  B.  O'Connell. 
Mr.  Devine  was  appointed  Assistant  Attorney 
in  1892  by  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Sr.,  and  con- 
tinued during  Hopkins'  administration  as 
Mayor  and  resigned  this  office  the  first  year  of 
Mayor  Swift's  term. 

In  1893  he  was  nominated  for  State  Senator 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  in  a  strong  Demo- 
cratic district,  but  declined.  In  1896  Mr.  De- 
vine  was  nominated  for  Congress  in  a  district 
that  was  so  strongly  Democratic  that  a  nom- 
ination was  equivalent  to  election,  but,  pre- 
ferring to  continue  his  law  practice,  he  declined 
this  nomination  also. 

In  1897  he  was  elected  City  Attorney  by  the 
largest  majority  ever  given  to  a  Democrat, 
served  his  term  of  two  years  and  was  the  only 
City  Attorney  to  try  all  his  own  cases,  giving 
good  and  general  satisfaction.  Mr.  Devine  was 
Vice-President  and  Chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Cook  County  Democratic 


Club.  Besides  being  a  leading  member  of  the 
Cook  County  Democratic  Club,  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Iroquois  Club,  Knights  of  Pythias,  For- 
esters and  several  Irish  societies. 

Mr.  Devine  was  born  an  orator,  as,  at  the 
early  age  of  fifteen,  he  stumped  the  Counties  of 
Lake,  McHenry  and  Boone  in  Illinois,  for  Rep- 
resentative Haines  (afterwards  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives),  and  at  this  time 
was  known  as  the  "boy  orator." 

He  and  his  law  firm  give  special  attention  to 
criminal  law  practice.  Besides  having  the 
largest  personal  injury  docket  of  any  law  firm 
in  Chicago,  he  has  tried  no  less  than  twenty- 
nine  cases  of  murder  and  did  not  lose  one  of 
them. 

Mr.  Devine  was  married  October  25,  1885, 
to  Miss  Emma  Gamash,  in  Chicago,  and 
six  children  have  been  born  to  them,  viz.: 
Miles  J.,  Jr.,  Paul,  Leo,  Mabel,  Carter  Harri- 
son, who  died  February  10,  1899,  and  Raymond, 
born  May,  1901. 

WILLIAM  H.  DICKSON. 
It  is  a  saying  no  less  true  than  euphonious, 
that  "the  law  is  a  jealous  mistress."  Yet  to 
those  who  love  and  serve  her  well,  no  pro- 
fession holds  out  hope  of  richer  reward.  Suc- 
cess, however,  is  usually  slow  of  attainment, 
and  never  reached  without  hard,  conscientious 
work;  and  to  occupy  a  position  of  prominence 
and  honor  at  the  Metropolitan  Bar  at  the  early 
age  of  thirty,  is  a  distinction  of  which  the  holder 
may  well  feel  proud.  Mr.  William  H.  Dickson 
was  born  in  Pittsfield,  111.,  October  5,  1871,  but 
pursued  his  professional  studies  at  the  law 
department  of  the  Northwestern  University, 
graduating  therefrom.  Until  February,  1899,  he 
carried  on  his  practice  alone,  but  at  that  time 
formed  a  co-partnership  with  Mr.  John  Stirlen, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Stirlen  &  Dickson.  As 
a  "trial  lawyer"  he  has  already  gained  an  envi- 
able reputation,  and  is  frequently  retained  in 
that  capacity  by  other  members  of  the  profes- 
sion. A  cause  in  which  he  was  engaged,  and 
which  attracted  wide  public  attention,  was 
familiarly  known  as  the  "X-ray  case,"  being 
the  first  action  brought  for  damages  sustained 
by  a  subject  of  X-ray  photography.  In  this 
cause  Mr.  Dickson  recovered  a  verdict  of 
$10,000.  He  has  a  wife  and  one  daughter,  hav- 
ing been  married  to  Miss  Winona  A.  Hoffman, 
of  Chicago,  on  January  16,  1895. 

WILLIAM  T.  DICKSON. 
Comparatively  few  of  the  present  residents 
of  Chicago  can  recall  the  appearance  of  the  in- 
fant metropolis  half  a  century  ago.  It  was  in 
1851  that  Mr.  William  T.  Dickson  first  visited 
the  city,  his  trip,  with  all  its  attendant  circum- 
stances remaining  deeply  impressed  upon  his 
memory.  Born  on  a  farm  near  Indianola,  Ver- 
milion County,  111.,  he  was  a  mere  boy  when, 
in  company  with  H.  H.  Conover,  a  youth  about 
his  own  age,  he  came  to  Chicago  with  a  drove 
of  cattle.  In  those  days  Illinois  had  few  rail- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


865 


roads,  and  the  "Garden  City"  could  boast  a 
population  of  but  30,000.  The  journey  and  the 
transaction  of  their  business  occupied  seven 
weeks.  In  1870  Mr.  Dickson  decided  to  make 
Chicago  his  permanent  home.  Immediately  on 
coming  here  he  embarked  in  the  live-stock  com- 
mission business  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  in 
partnership  with  A.  B.  Condict  and  Erastus 
Doty,  the  firm  name  being  Condict,  Doty  & 
Dickson.  Since  then  the  style  of  the  firm  has 
undergone  several  mutations.  Condict  and 
Doty  were  succeeded  by  J.  W.  Byers.  The  firm 
of  Dickson  &  Byers  was  dissolved  by  the  re- 
tirement of  Mr.  Byers,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Dickson,  Harpole  &  Lott,  Mr.  Dickson's  part- 
ners being  Messrs.  William  Harpole  and  James 
P.  Lott.  Mr.  Harpole  withdrew  in  1884,  and  for 
seven  years  the  business  was  conducted  under 
the  name  of  Dickson  &  Lott.  Mr.  Lott  retired 
in  1901,  and  the  past  four  years  Mr.  Dickson  has 
been  associated  with  the  Drovers'  Commission 
Company  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  T.  Dickson 
&  Company.  Despite  his  more  than  three  score 
years,  Mr.  Dickson  remains  hale  and  vigorous 
in  body  and  mind  alike,  a  fine  specimen  of 
manhood,  while  his  successful  career  affords  a 
noteworthy  illustration  of  the  possibilities  that 
wait  upon  energy  and  integrity. 

EDWARD  J.   DIEHL. 

Edward  J.  Diehl,  cattle  buyer,  Union  Stock 
Yards,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Canal  Dover,  Ohio, 
December  15,  1848,  was  educated  in  the  district 
school,  and  when  fourteen  years  of  age  went 
with  his  father  with  cattle  across  the  moun- 
tains to  Pennsylvania,  passing  through  Car- 
lisle, Chambersburg  and  Harrisburg,  walking 
all  the  way  (over  500  miles),  and  leading  the 
ox  at  the  head  of  the  drove,  returning  home  by 
rail.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  old,  when  he  went  to  the  Cher- 
okee Nation,  Indian  Territory,  in  1869,  remain- 
ing there  two  years.  In  1871  he  came  back  to 
Chicago,  and  worked  in  a  soap  factory  until 
1873,  when  he  went  to  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
in  the  employment  of  Wood  Brothers  for  one 
year;  then  shipped  cattle  for  Louis  Keefer  for 
one  and  a  half  years;  for  Morris  &  Waixel  for 
about  two  years;  remained  with  Nelson  Morris 
three  years,  and  then  worked  for  the  Union 
Stock  Yard  &  Transit  Company  on  a  hay  wagon 
for  three  and  a  half  years,  and  was  with  Evans, 
Snider  &  Buel  three  and  a  half  years.  Later 
he  shipped  cattle  for  Nelson  Morris  &  Company, 
and  then  for  the  Government  Meat  Inspector 
for  two  and  a  half  years,  but  a  change  in  the 
administration  knocked  him  out.  He  worked 
for  Frazer  &  Chalmers  for  four  years,  and 
then  returned  to  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  where 
in  1901  he  was  shipping  cattle  for  Nelson  Mor- 
ris &  Company.  Mr.  Diehl  was  married  in  Chi- 
cago, May  12,  1886,  to  Miss  Christine  Morine, 
and  four  children  have  blessed  their  union. 
Has  done  his  full  share  in  building  up  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  and  is  well  esteemed  by 
his  friends  and  associates. 


GEORGE   H.   DIEHL. 

George  H.  Diehl,  live-stock  dealer  and  in- 
ventor, was  born  in  Canal  Dover,  Tuscarawas 
County,  Ohio,  March  29,  1837,  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools,  and  when  thirteen  years 
old,  followed  a  drove  of  cattle  from  Canal 
Dover,  Ohio,  to  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  riding  a  black 
pony  which  was  taught  to  bite  the  cattle  to 
hurry  them  along.  The  pony  lived  to  be  thirty- 
four  years  old.  When  fourteen  years  old,  his 
father  gave  him  $400  and  employed  him  as  a 
manager  of  a  herd  of  cattle,  which  he  drove 
over  the  mountains  from  Ohio  to  Harrisburg, 
Pa.,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  bought  the 
largest  part  of  a  herd  of  cattle,  and  superin- 
tended the  driving  of  them  from  Ohio  to  Penn- 
sylvania, selling  them  at  a  good  profit.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  1870,  and  invented  a  smoke- 
burner,  which  proved  a  success,  selling  his 
patent  to  a  Mr.  Hutchinson,  who  named  it  the 
"Hutchinson  Smoke-Burner,"  which  was 
adopted  by  many  of  the  large  manufactories 
and  other  buildings.  In  1873  he  commenced 
work  for  Wood  Brothers  at  the  Union  Stock 
Yards,  and,  after  one  month  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Richard  Nash  in  handling  stock  cat- 
tle, which  lasted  for  seven  years.  Later  he 
bought  and  sold  live  stock,  in  which  he  is  still 
engaged.  Mr.  Diehl  was  married  at  Kankakee, 
111.,  July  2,  1879,  to  Miss  Jenny  Sibley,  and 
five  children  have  been  born  of  this  union,  of 
whom  two  (1901)  are  living — Harold  S.,  aged 
sixteen  years,  and  Ethel,  aged  fourteen.  Mrs. 
Diehl  is  a  niece  of  the  late  H.  H.  Cooley.  Here 
we  have  another  plucky  pioneer,  who  has 
helped  to  make  the  Union  Stock  Yards  a  won- 
derful success. 

ARTHUR  DIXON. 

Arthur  Dixon  is  one  of  Chicago's  most  re- 
spected citizens,  his  private  character  is  one  to 
be  admired  and  loved  and  his  public  record  is 
without  a  blemish.  Throughout  his  life  he  has 
been  actuated  by  pure  motives  and  manly  prin- 
ciples, and,  by  following  a  fixed  purpose  to 
make  the  most  and  best  of  himself,  he  has 
overcome  many  difficulties  and  risen,  step  by 
step,  to  a  position  of  influence  and  honor  among 
public-spirited,  high-minded  men. 

Mr.  Dixon  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  having 
been  born  March  27,  1837,  in  Fermanagh 
County,  North  of  Ireland,  in  the  charming  rural 
district  of  Lough  Killygreen,  the  son  of  Arthur 
and  Jane  (Allen)  Dixon.  The  former  was  a 
Scotchman  whose  father  and  brother  held  com- 
missions in  the  British  army.  His  father  was 
a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  and 
by  occupation  was  a  farmer  and  a  country 
school  teacher.  He  also  practiced  with  consid- 
erable success  as  a  country  attorney.  He  had 
four  sons  and  one  daughter,  the  latter,  Eliz- 
abeth Carson,  wife  of  Thomas  Carson  of  Chi- 
cago. Mr.  Dixon  and  his  sister  are  the  only 
survivors  of  the  family,  and  from  their  father, 
Arthur  Dixon  received  his  early  training  and 
inherited  many  sterling  traits  of  character  that 


866 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


have  signally  characterized  his  life.  The  mem- 
ory of  Mr.  Dixon's  parents  is  held  in  sacred 
remembrance  by  the  son,  and  he  never  speaks 
of  them  except  with  feelings  of  the  most  tender 
and  affectionate  regard. 

Arthur  Dixon  attended  the  district  and  na- 
tional schools  during  his  boyhood,  and  early 
developed  a  fondness  for  mathematics,  logic, 
history  and  questions  of  moral  and  social  eth- 
ics. He  was  an  apt  scholar  and  read  much,  took 
a  lively  interest  in  all  stirring  questions  of 
the  day  and  watched  with  boyish  enthusiasm 
and  delight  the  progress  of  events.  He  loved 
home  and  its  environments  and  attended  reg- 
ularly the  Episcopal  and  Methodist  Sunday 
schools  and  services.  The  discipline  of  those 
early  years,  and  the  influence  of  his  surround- 
ings during  the  formative  period  of  his  char- 
acter, left  an  impression  that  has  marked  all 
his  subsequent  life. 

Mr.  Dixon  had  read  glowing  reports  of  the 
republic  across  the  Atlantic,  and  early  resolved 
to  go  thither  and  seek  his  fortune,  and,  when 
'eighteen  years  old,  put  his  resolution  into 
effect.  Going  to  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where  he 
had  some  friends,  he  remained  with  them  for 
a  time,  and  on  July  4,  1858,  went  to  Pittsburgh 
and  spent  three  years  in  the  nursery  business, 
learning  tree-planting  and  grafting. 

In  1861  Mr.  Dixon  began  clerking  in  the  gro- 
cery house  of  Mr.  G.  C.  Cook,  at  Chicago,  but 
soon  afterwards  opened  a  retail  grocery  store 
on  his  own  account,  which  he  conducted  with 
good  success  some  two  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1863  he  established  a  general  teaming  busi- 
ness at  No.  299  Wells  Street,  now  Fifth  Avenue, 
being  led  into  that  line  of  business  by  seem- 
ingly a  mere  accident.  He  had  been  obliged 
to  take  a  team  of  horses  and  wagon  in  payment 
of  a  grocery  debt,  and  with  them  he  began  the 
business,  which  under  his  careful  and  skilful 
management,  has  prospered  and  grown  until  it 
is  now  the  largest  of  its  kind  west  of  New 
York  City.  Mr.  Dixon  has  been  untiring  in  his 
vigilance  in  watching  the  interests  of  his 
patrons,  among  whom  are  many  for  whom  he 
has  done  business  for  nearly  thirty  years. 
Financially  the  business  has  yielded  most  satis- 
factory results,  and  for  many  years  its  pro- 
prietor has  been  known  as  one  of  Chicago's 
prosperous  and  thrifty  business  men.  Mr. 
Dixon  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
many  public  interests,  and  has  been  a  well- 
known  character  in  Chicago  for  thirty  years. 

During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he  was 
active  in  response  to  the  calls  of  President 
Lincoln  in  enlisting  and  equipping  men  for 
service.  He  became  especially  prominent  in 
1866  by  the  active  part  he  took  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  fire  limits,  and  in  the  spring  of 
the  following  year  was  elected  Alderman  from 
the  Second  Ward  of  the  City  of  Chicago  on  the 
same  ticket  with  ex-Mayor  Rice.  From  that 
time  until  April,  1891,  when  he  voluntarily  de- 
clined to  longer  remain  a  member  of  the  City 
Council,  he  was  re-elected  with  increased  ma- 


jorities, and  sometimes  without  opposition,  and 
has  the  honor  of  having  served  longer  than 
any  other  Alderman  of  Chicago.  He  was  often 
called  "The  Nestor  of  the  Aldermen."  At  the 
close  of  his  incumbency  a  delegation  from  the 
City  Council  presented  him  with  the  following 
resolutions,  richly  bound  and  superbly 
illumined  and  engrossed,  the  volume  being 
prized  as  one  of  his  richest  treasures: 

"At  a  regular  meeting  of  the  City  Council  of 
the  City  of  Chicago,  held  April  27,  1891,  the 
following  preamble  and  resolutions,  endorsing 
the  official  actions  of  Alderman  Arthur  Dixon, 
were  unanimously  adopted: 

"WHEREAS,  The  City  Council  of  the  City  of 
Chicago  is  about  to  lose  the  services  of  its 
oldest  and  best-known  member  through  his  vol- 
untary and  we  hope  temporary  retirement  from 
the  political  field  of  action, 

"Resolved,  That  we,  the  colleagues,  some  of 
many  years,  others  of  short  acquaintance,  ten- 
der to  Alderman  Dixon  on  this  occasion  the 
expression  of  our  heartiest  good  wishes  for  his 
future,  and  also  the  expression  of  our  appreci- 
ation of  the  loss  which  the  Council  and  the  City 
sustain  through  his  withdrawal  from  our  muni- 
cipal legislature; 

"Resolved,  That  we  place  on  record  our  con- 
viction of  his  great  public  worth,  his  zeal  for 
honest  and  economical  government,  his  sin- 
cere interest  in  the  cause  of  the  taxpayers,  and 
his  undoubted  and  unquestioned  ability  in 
every  position  assigned  to  him;  and,  further, 
we  record  the  expression  of  our  hope  that  his 
zeal,  his  earnestness  and  ability  may  soon  be 
utilized  for  the  public  in  some  new  capacity; 
and,  be  it  further 

"Resolved,  That  the  City  Clerk  be,  and  is 
hereby  directed  to  spread  this  preamble  and 
the  resolutions  upon  the  records  of  the  Council, 
and  to  present  to  Alderman  Arthur  Dixon  a 
suitably  engrossed  copy  of  the  same. 

"HEMP.  WASHBURN,  Mayor. 
"James  R.  B.  Van  Cleave,  City  Clerk." 
Mr.  Dixon  has  been  editorially  described  in 
the  Chicago  papers  as  "The  careful  guardian  of 
the  City's  interests  against  the  assaults  of 
boodlers,  corruptionists  and  monopolists,"  and 
was  called  the  watch-dog  of  the  City  treasury. 
In  1874,  after  a  bitter  contest,  he  was  chosen 
President  of  the  City  Council,  and  was  re- 
elected  to  the  same  position  for  six  years.  He 
served  as  chairman  of  all  important  committees 
at  various  times,  and  on  many  occasions  was 
elected  unanimously.  As  a  member  of  the 
Aldermanic  Council  Mr.  Dixon  was  a  recog- 
nized leader  in  debate  and  a  practiced  parlia- 
mentarian under  the  city  charter.  He  advo- 
cated, among  other  important  measures,  that 
of  the  city's  owning  its  own  gas  plant;  high 
water  pressure;  the  building  of  sewers  by  spe- 
cial assessments;  the  creation  of  a  public 
library;  the  annexation  of  the  suburbs;  the 
building  of  viaducts  over  railway  crossings; 
the  drainage  law;  the  city's  receiving  the  inter- 
est on  her  public  funds;  extension  of  the  fire 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


867 


limits,  etc.  He  opposed  the  erection  of  elevated 
railroads  upon  public  thoroughfares,  and  is  one 
of  a  committee  of  three  favoring  a  subway 
connecting  Michigan  Boulevard  with  the  Lake 
Shore  Drive.  He  was  appointed  by  the  Mayor 
one  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  arrange- 
ments for  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
and  was  also  one  of  the  committee  that  assisted 
in  arranging  and  passing  the  ordinance  pro- 
viding for  the  loan  of  five  million  dollars  for 
the  Exposition.  In  April,  1892,  he  was  elected 
a  director  of  the  Exposition,  and  his  services 
and  counsels  in  that  capacity  proved  invaluable 
in  the  prosecution  of  this  enormous  enterprise. 
Mr.  Dixon  represented  the  First  Senatorial 
District  of  Illinois  in  the  Twenty-seventh  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and  as  a  member  of  that  body 
had  charge  of  measures  and  rendered  services  of 
great  value  to  the  City  of  Chicago.  Among  the 
bills  introduced  by  him  and  passed  was  that 
providing  for  the  location  of  the  Chicago  Pub- 
lic Library,  providing  for  the  construction  of 
the  Drainage  Canal,  and  that  authorizing  the 
one  mill  tax  and  special  assessments.  For  over 
twenty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  City 
and  County  Republican  Central  committees, 
and  many  times  Chairman  of  the  same.  In 
1868  he  was  the  first  President  of  the  Irish- 
Republican  convention  held  in  Chicago,  and 
was  elected  Treasurer  of  that  organization.  In 
1872  he  was  a  prominent  candidate  for  Con- 
gress, and  lacked  but  a  few  votes  of  receiving 
the  nomination.  He  was  a  delegate  in  the 
National  'Convention  of  1880,  which  nominated 
James  A.  Garfield  for  the  Presidency.  In  all 
his  public  career  Mr.  Dixon  has  maintained  a 
character  above  reproach,  and  all  his  actions 
have  been  straightforward,  business-like  and  in 
the  interest  of  good  government. 

Mr.  Dixon  became  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  in  1865,  and  is  now  a  life  member 
of  the  Chapter,  the  Commandery  Knights  Tem- 
plar, and  holds  the  32d  degree  of  the  Scottish 
Rite.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Union 
League,  the  La  Salle,  Hamilton,  Irish-American 
and  Sheridan  Clubs,  and  has  held  official  posi- 
tions in  most  of  them  at  different  times.  He 
has  also  been  President  of  the  Irish  Literary 
Society,  and  is  a  man  of  a  literary  turn  of 
mind.  His  library  contains  the  choicest  books 
of  the  best  editions,  finely  bound  and  carefully 
selected,  containing  a  due  proportion  of  re- 
ligious, scientific,  poetic,  philosophic  and  humor- 
ous volumes.  Here,  among  his  silent  but  elo- 
quent companions,  Arthur  Dixon  finds  the  chief 
charm  and  pleasure  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Dixon  was  raised  in  the  Episcopal  faith, 
but  for  many  years  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  First  Methodist  Church  of  Chi- 
cago, and  is  one  of  the  Trustees  of  that  organi- 
zation. He  has  always  taken  an  active  part 
in  religious  work,  and,  for  twenty-five  years, 
has  taught  a  Bible  Class  of  young  men  in  the 
Sunday  school. 

In  1862  Mr.  Dixon  married  Miss  Anna  Car- 
son, of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  they  have  had  four- 


teen children,  thirteen  of  whom  are  living. 
Domestic  in  his  tastes,  and  home-loving,  he 
finds  no  place  so  attractive  as  his  own  fireside, 
and  there,  in  the  company  of  his  estimable  wife 
and  merry,  light-hearted,  happy  children,  passes 
his  happiest  hours. 

His  personal  qualities  are  of  a  high  order; 
while  firm  in  his  own  convictions,  he  is  tolerant 
of  the  views  of  others  who  differ  from  him  in 
opinion.  He  is  liberal,  broad-minded  and  chari- 
table, and  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow-men, 
is  unselfish,  generous  and  the  soul  of  honor. 
He  is  a  man  of  strictly  temperate  habits,  vir- 
tuous and  upright  in  every  relation  of  life.  In 
a  word,  Mr.  Dixon  is  a  Christian  gentleman. 
He  is  six  feet  tall  with  a  well-proportioned 
physique,  of  fair  complexion  and  robust  health 
and  weighs  over  two  hundred  pounds. 

Rev.  William  Fawcett,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the 
First  Methodist  Church  of  Chicago,  says:  "Mr. 
Arthur  Dixon  has  been  a  member  of  the  First 
Methodist  Church,  in  this  city,  for  over  thirty 
years,  and  the  greater  part  of  that  time  he  has 
held  official  positions  in  the  church.  He  is 
also  a  Trustee  of  the  great  First  Church  prop- 
erty, and  in  the  distribution  of  the  funds  for 
the  aid  of  Mission  churches  many  a  poor, 
struggling  church  has  found  in  Arthur  Dixon 
a  friend  in  need.  For  many  (over  twenty- 
eight)  years  he  has  been  a  teacher  of  a  Bible 
class  in  the  Sabbath  school  of  the  First  Church, 
and  from  that  class  and  from  his  instructions 
men  have  gone  into  leading  positions  in  the 
Methodist  Church  in  Chicago,  and  through  the 
country.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  find 
men  in  all  parts  of  the  country  who  attribute 
the  highest  impulse  of  their  lives  to  the  in- 
struction they  received  in  his  Bible  class. 
Perhaps  the  best  evidence  of  Mr.  Dixon's  Chris- 
tian character  and  influence  is  found  in  his 
own  home,  where  a  large  family  of  sons  and 
daughters  love  him  dearly  and  have  the  faith 
of  their  father  by  their  association  and  work 
in  the  Methodist  Church.  If,  as  some  one  has 
said,  'the  best  evidence  of  a  man's  Christian 
character  is  what  his  children  think  of  his 
Christianity,'  then  is  Arthur  Dixon  an  honored 
Christian." 

H.    K.    G.    DOERMANN. 

Rev.  H.  K.  G.  Doermann,  pastor  of  the  First 
German  Lutheran  Church,  Blue  Island,  111.,  was 
born  at  Eden,  N.  Y.,  in  1860,  the  son  of  Rev. 
J.  H.  and  Mary  (Allwardt)  Doermann,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  The  father 
was  educated  for  the  ministry  at  Ft.  Wayne, 
Ind.,  and  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  in  1857,  entered 
the  ministry  at  Eden,  N.  Y.,  where  he  served 
four  years,  when  he  removed  to  Chester,  111., 
and  thence  to  Yorkville,  111.,  in  1882,  becota- 
ing  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Blue 
Island.  At  the  termination  of  his  pastorship 
of  the  church  at  Blue  Island  in  1898,  he  went 
to  Manassas  Junction,  Va.,  where  he  is  now 
preaching  in  the  church  which  stands  on  the 
old  battle  ground  on  which  the  battles  of  the 


868 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


first  and  second  Bull  Run  were  fought  in  1861 
and  1862.  The  Rev.  J.  H.  Doermann  has  been 
in  ministeral  work  for  over  forty  years.  He 
and  his  wife  have  had  eight  children,  those 
besides  the  subject  of  the  sketch  being,  J.,  edu- 
cated at  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  and  now  a  minister 
at  Washington,  D.  C.;  Theodore,  of  Columbus, 
Ohio;  Martin,  a  minister  in  South  Chicago; 
August,  teacher  in  the  parochial  school  at  Blue 
Island,  111.;  Minnie,  married  Rev.  Mr.  Strason, 
pastor  of  a  church  in  Wisconsin;  Mary,  the 
wife  of  Rev.  A.  Dupper,  of  Lee's  Cross  Roads, 
Ohio,  and  Clara. 

Rev.  H.  K.  G.  Doermann  was  reared  in  Illi- 
nois, but  educated  at  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind.,  where 
he  graduated  in  1879,  when  he  entered  the  Lu- 
theran Theological  School  at  St.  Louis,  gradu- 
ating there  in  the  class  of  1882.  He  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry  on  March  5th  of  the 
same  year,  when  he  became  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Ninety-first  and  Superior  Streets,  South 
Chicago,  but  subsequently  removed  to  Hickory, 
N.  C.,  where  he  had  charge  of  a  seminary  near 
Asheville  for  some  years,  whence,  in  1898,  he 
came  to  Blue  Island  to  assume  the  pastorship 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  that  place,  which 
he  still  retains. 

In  1890  Mr.  Doermann  was  married  at  Mary- 
ville,  Ohio,  to  Ruth  Mead,  and  of  this  union 
have  been  born  three  children:  Henry,  Mary 
and  Paula. 

THE  FIRST  GERMAN  LUTHERAN 
CHURCH,  Blue  Island,  was  organized  in  1863 
with  a  membership  of  twenty  person.  At  first, 
services  were  held  in  the  home  of  Peter  Engel- 
land,  Rev.  A.  Renske  being  the  pastor,  but  dur- 
ing the  same  year  a  church  edifice  was  erected. 
This  was  a  good  stone  building  with  walls  three 
feet  in  thickness.  A  parochial  school  and  a 
parsonage  were  built  in  1873,  and  the  former 
now  has  a  membership  of  135  pupils,  while  the 
voting  church  membership  numbers  about  110. 
The  number  of  communicants  aggregate  about 
one  thousand,  representing  about  three  hundred 
families.  Rev.  Mr.  Renske  remained  in  charge 
of  the  church  from  1863  to  1871.  *  Others  who 
have  followed  successively  have  been:  Rev.  H. 
Ernst,  1871-77;  Rev.  Durhing,  1877-82;  Rev.  J. 
H.  Doermann,  1882-98,  and  from  1898,  Rev.  H. 
K.  G.  Doermann,  the  present  pastor.  During 
the  past  few  years  the  church  has  erected  a 
parsonage  at  a  cost,  including  the  lot,  of  $6,000. 

PATRICK  J.  DONAHUE. 
Patrick  J.  Donahue,  Chief  of  the  Eleventh 
Battalion,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born 
in  Chicago,  August  4,  1856,  the  son  of  Patrick 
and  Ellen  (Kelcher)  Donahue,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Limerick,  Ireland.  In  1870  the  future 
Fire  Marshal  left  school  to  earn  a  living  for 
himself;  was  employed  for  six  years  at  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  and  for  the  following  two 
years  was  salesman  for  the  commission  firm  of 
Adams  &  Bush  at  the  Stock  Yards.  In  August, 
1881,  he  joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department, 
becoming  a  member  of  Hook  and  Ladder  Com- 


pany No.  9;  in  1885  was  transferred  to  Hook 
and  Ladder  No.  1;  on  March  1,  1886,  returned  to 
Hook  and  Ladder  No.  9;  and  on  December  1, 
1888,  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  on  Engine 
9.  He  then  resumed  his  connection  with  Hook 
and  Ladder  No.  9  on  the  Lake  Front,  where  he 
won  a  host  of  friends,  who  gave  a  memorable 
demonstration  in  his  honor  when  he  left  them, 
with  a  white  helmet  and  the  whitest  kind  of 
character.  He  was  appointed  Chief  of  the 
Fifteenth  Battalion,  Dec.  31,  1895,  serving  until 
he  was  transferred  to  his  present  position  as 
Chief  of  Battalion  11. 

As  his  rank  indicates,  Marshal  Donahue  is 
a  splendid  fireman  and  a  sterling  citizen.  He 
has  had  many  close  calls  in  his  twenty-odd 
years'  experience  as  a  fire-fighter.  The  closest, 
perhaps,  was  at  the  burning  of  the  clothing 
establishment  at  the  corner  of  Franklin  and 
Van  Buren  Streets,  where  four  firemen — Lieu- 
tenant Patrick  O'Donnell,  John  Downs,  Thomas 
J.  Prendergast  and  Martin  Sherrek,  of  Engine 
No.  2 — were  instantly  killed.  Donahue's  com- 
pany was  working  on  the  second  floor  with  two 
others,  when  the  upper  floors  crushed  down 
and  caught  the  boys  of  Engine  2.  Donahue's 
quick  ear  detected  the  noise  of  the  yielding 
joists  just  soon  enough  to  escape.  Shouting 
to  his  comrades,  all  of  them  reached  the  win- 
dow, and  saved  their  lives.  He  and  his  truck- 
man rescued  McNally,  the  driver  of  Engine  No. 
2,  from  the  wreck.  At  the  Langham  Hotel 
fire,  corner  of  Wabash  Avenue,  in  1885,  the 
south  wall  of  the  structure  fell  upon  a  two- 
story  brick  building,  upon  which  the  members 
of  the  Fire  Patrol  were  at  work.  The  boys  on 
the  second  floor,  warned  by  the  cracking  of  the 
walls,  escaped  to  the  windows.  John  C.  Walsh 
and  Edward  Jones  were  caught  on  the  first 
floor,  however,  and  killed.  Donahue  rescued 
Captain  Shepherd  and  others  under  the  most 
perilous  circumstances,  a  huge  piece  of  over- 
hanging wall  threatening  to  bury  him  at  any 
moment. 

Marshall  Donahue  was  married  October  26, 
1882,  to  Miss  Catharine  Cahill  of  Springfield, 
111.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Mac- 
cabees, Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  and 
the  Firemen's  Benevolent  Association;  is  also 
a  devout  member  of  the  St.  Charles  Parish. 
No  man,  in  this  or  any  other  fire  department, 
has  won  his  honors  more  worthily  or  wears 
them  more  becomingly  than  Marshal  Donahue. 

FRANK  J.  DONEGAN. 

Frank  J.  Donegan,  Lieutenant  Hook  &  Ladder 
Company  No.  12,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  June  9,  1863,  and  educated  in 
the  Dore,  Foster  and  Clark  public  schools. 
After  leaving  school  he  worked  for  his  father 
in  the  teaming  business  for  six  years,  when  he 
joined  the  Fire  Department,  August  3,  1884, 
as  pipeman  on  Engine  No.  1 ;  was  transferred  to 
Engine  No.  8,  and  to  Truck  4,  March,  1886; 
to  Engine  31,  June,  1886,  and  to  Engine  7,  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1888;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant, 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


869 


February  7,  1891,  and  assigned  to  Engine  25; 
was  transferred  to  Engine  41  (Fire-Boat  "Gey- 
ser"), June  1891;  to  Engine  66,  December  1, 
1891;  to  Engine  7,  January,  1894,  and  to  Truck 
12,  October  31,  1898,  where  (1901)  he  still  re- 
mains on  duty. 

Lieutenant  Donegan  has  had  many  close 
calls,  on  one  occasion  being  badly  injured  by 
having  his  collar-bone  broken,  his  head  split 
open  and  his  back  severely  injured  by  a  fall 
from  the  top  of  a  30-foot  ladder  at  the  Weber 
Wagon-Works  fire.  He  was  severely  burned  at 
the  Northwestern  Elevator  fire,  August  5,  1897; 
was  struck  by  an  electric  bar  when  on  Truck 
12,  and  laid  in  the  hospital  for  three  weeks 
from  wounds  on  his  head  and  back.  Lieutenant 
Donegan  is  still  on  duty  (1904).  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Chicago,  October  19,  1897,  to  Miss  Mary 
O'Connell  and  they  have  had  four  children. 


WILLIAM  DONLAN. 

William  Donlan,  Supervising  Engineer,  Sewer 
Pumping  Station,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
October  29,  1868,  attended  the  public  grammar 
and  the  Englewood  High  School,  and  after  leav- 
ing school  at  fifteen  years  of  age,  went  as  ap- 
prentice and,  later,  as  assistant  engineer  at  Gil- 
son's  Steam  Laundry,  remaining  there  two 
years.  Then  he  spent  one  and  a  half  years  as 
engineer  at  Simpson's  Planing  Mill,  and  later 
(1887)  accepted  a  position  as  chief  engineer  of 
Kelly  Brothers'  Planing  Mill,  remaining  for  ten 
years  until  1897,  when  he  was  employed  by 
the  City  of  Chicago  as  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Sixty-ninth  Street  Sewage  Pumping  Station 
until  January,  1898.  He  was  then  promoted  to 
General  Supervising  Engineer  of  the  Sewerage 
Department,  for  which  he  was  certified  by  the 
Civil  Service  Commission,  and  where  he  still  re- 
mains (1904). 

JOSEPH  H.  DONLIN. 

Joseph  H.  Donlin,  Lieutenant  Hook  &  Ladder 
Company  No.  1,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  March  11,  1869,  was  educated 
in  the  Ogden  public  school  and  St.  Ignatius 
College,  and  after  leaving  school,  was  a  mer- 
chandise broker  in  the  grocery  trade  for  four 
years.  Later  he  served  as  cashier  of  the  Chi- 
cago Club  four  and  a  half  years,  until  he  joined 
the  Fire  Department,  July  20,  1891,  entering 
upon  duty  on  Truck  No.  3,  was  transferred  to 
Truck  No.  10  in  July,  1892,  to  Engine  No.  1,  in 
July,  1893,  to  Truck  6,  in  1894;  was  promoted 
to  Lieutenant,  July  7,  1895,  transferred  to  Truck 
4,  and  to  Truck  No.  1,  July,  1896,  where  he  re- 
mained several  years.  In  1904  Lieutenant  Donlin 
is  still  on  duty  in  connection  with  Engine  Com- 
pany No.  6.  He  has  had  numerous  narrow  es- 
capes, but  has  never  received  a  scratch,  al- 
though he  has  shown  any  amount  of  pluck  and 
bravery.  Lieutenant  Donlin  was  married  in 
Chicago,  Nov.  5,  1890,  to  Dora  Leonard,  and 
they  have  two  children. 


HENRY  W.  DORNBUSCH,  M.D. 
Henry  W.  Dornbusch,  physician,  DesPlaines, 
111.,  was  born  in  1860,  the  son  of  Henry  and 
Sophia  Dornbusch,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  the  same  year, 
but  after  his  birth,  at  first  settling  in  Han- 
over Township,  Cook  County,  111.  Dr.  Dorn- 
busch received  his  primary  education  in  the 
common  schools  at  Palatine,  after  which  he 
took  a  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Col- 
lege in  the  City  of  Chicago.  In  1880  he 
entered  Rush  Medical  College,  where  he 
graduated,  February  20,  1883,  and  the  same 
year  began  practice  at  Barrington,  111.,  remain- 
ing until  1888,  when  he  removed  to  Arlington 
Heights.  Here  he  practiced  until  1890,  when  he 
removed  to  DesPlaines;  in  1900  he  located  at 
1038  North  Forty-second  Avenue  (Hermosa). 
Dr.  Dornbusch  was  married  at  Barrington,  111., 
in  February,  1886,  to  Elizabeth  Zimmerman, 
born  in  1863,  and  they  have  two  children — 
Franklin  H.  and  Elizabeth  L.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  and  a  Catholic  in  religious  faith. 

DANIEL  B.  DOTSON. 

Daniel  B.  Dotson,  Engineer,  R.  A.  Waller 
Electric  Lighting  Station,  Chicago,  was  born 
near  Oil  City,  Pa.,  December  3,  1853,  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  and,  after  leaving 
school,  worked  in  a  paper-mill  at  Elkhart,  Ind., 
for  three  years.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1882, 
and  ran  an  engine  for  the  Empire  Warehouse 
Company  two  years,  after  which  he  worked  two 
years  in  the  electric  department  of  the  Western 
Electric  Company.  In  1887  he  installed  the  first 
city  electric-lighting  station  at  Clinton  and 
Washington  Streets,  putting  the  machinery  in 
place.  February  1,  1888,  he  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  engineer  with  Frank  B.  Flynn,  now 
Chief  Engineer  in  charge  of  all  the  city  light- 
ing stations,  being  assigned  to  the  lighting  sta- 
tion at  Jefferson  and  Van  Buren  Streets,  where 
he  remained  one  year.  In  1890  he  was  appoint- 
ed Chief  Engineer  at  Chicago  Avenue  Lighting 
Station,  remaining  until  1898,  when  he  met. 
with  a  severe  accident  which  laid  him  up  for 
seven  months,  after  which  he  went  to  the  Rice 
&  Lincoln  Streets  Lighting  Station,  as  engineer 
in  charge.  He  was  transferred  to  the  R.  A. 
Waller  Lighting  Station,  August  1,  1900,  where 
he  still  remains  in  charge  of  that  extensive 
plant.  He  has  shown  by  his  long  service  for 
the  city  and  his  steady  promotion  that  he  is 
appreciated  by  his  employers,  and  is  the  "right 
man  in  the  right  place."  Mr.  Dotson  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Josie  Beck  in  Chicago,  Nov.  5, 
1884.  Mrs.  Dotson  passed  away  April  6,  1899. 

LEVI  BARNES  DOUD. 

Levi  Barnes  Doud,  ex-President  National  Live 
Stock  Bank,  Chicago,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Mahoning  County,  Ohio,  April  7,  1840.  His 
parents,  James  and  Mary  (Barnes)  Doud,  spent 
their  early  years  in  Canfield,  Ohio,  but  their 
parents  were  descended  from  old  colonial  set- 
tlers from  Connecticut  and  Virginia.  After 


8;o 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


the  completion  of  Mr.  Doud's  education  at  the 
Salem  (Ohio)  Academy,  he  returned  to  his 
father's  farm,  and  remained  there  until  1860, 
when  he  began  life  for  himself  as  a  cattle-dealer 
at  Allegheny  City,  Pa.  He  was  successful  in 
his  business  venture,  but  being  of  an  ambitious 
nature  and  foreseeing  a  great  future  for  the 
live-stock  trade  in  Chicago,  he  began  operations 
there  in  1864,  and  in  the  following  year  there 
took  up  his  abode.  He  has  been  largely  con- 
nected with  the  cattle  interests  of  Chicago  for 
nearly  forty  years,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Doud  &  Kee- 
fer,  live-stock  commission  buyers.  He  has  also 
been  identified  with  the  packing  business,  but 
has  disposed  of  that  interest. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Doud  has  been  interested 
in  various  banking  institutions,  was  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Union  Stock  Yards  Bank,  and 
in  January,  1889,  was  chosen  President,  retain- 
ing this  position  some  ten  years.  He  came 
from  a  State  that  has  been  aptly  termed  by  an 
eminent  historian,  "the  lap  of  patriotism  and 
the  mother  of  Republicanism."  He  has  followed 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  anti-slavery  movement  in  Ohio,  and  is 
a  stanch  Republican. 

Mr.  Doud  was  married  at  Ottumwa,  Iowa, 
December  24,  1874,  to  Elizabeth  R.  Dunham, 
and  one  daughter,  Marian,  has  blessed  this 
union.  Mrs.  Doud  is  a  native  of  Newark,  Ohio, 
and  was  educated  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Doud  is  a 
man  of  domestic  tastes,  and,  when  not  absorbed 
in  his  business,  in  which  he  takes  a  natural  and 
just  pride,  he  finds  nowhere  else  such  solid 
enjoyment  as  in  his  own  home  at  No.  3257 
Michigan  Avenue.  During  the  heated  season  of 
each  year  he  seeks  recuperation  and  rest  at 
the  sea-shore  with  his  family.  Pre-eminently 
a  self-made  man,  he  has  attained  to  a  position 
among  Chicago's  representative  men  of  which 
he  may  be  justly  proud.  He  started  in  life  with 
no  capital  save  health,  a  persistent  purpose 
and  an  honorable  ambition,  and,  by  persevering 
effort,  uprightness  and  fidelity,  has  risen,  step 
by  step,  to  his  present  position  as  one  of  Chi- 
cago's most  prominent  and  succesful  business 
men. 

WILLIAM  CARY  DOW. 

William  C.  Dow  (deceased),  former  real- 
estate  operator,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  October  24,  1822,  the  son  of  Jones  and 
Catherine  (Page)  Dow.  His  father  was  a  mer- 
chant-tailor during  his  residence  in  Boston,  but 
later  became  a  farmer  near  Waterville,  Maine, 
finally  removing  to  Foxboro,  Mass.,  where  he 
lived  in  retirement  until  his  decease.  He  was 
a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  previous  to 
his  death,  at  eighty-nine  years  of  age,  was  the 
last  surviving  member  of  his  regiment.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  being  a 
member  of  the  St.  Paul  Lodge  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  in  Boston.  The  Dow  family  was  promi- 
nent in  various  ways  in  early  colonial  and  New 
England  history,  Lorenzo  Dow,  the  famous 


evangelist,  and  the  late  Gen.  Neal  Dow,  the 
champion  of  Prohibition  and  a  soldier  of  the 
Civil  War,  being  descended  from  branches  of 
the  same  family.  The  father  of  Jones  Dow 
was  a  Major,  and  his  grandfather  a  Colonel, 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

William  C.  Dow,  acquired  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  and,  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years,  engaged  in  mercantile  life,  still  later  be- 
coming partner  in  a  store  at  Waterville,  Maine. 
About  1850  he  had  charge  as  supercargo  of  a 
vessel  loaded  with  goods  for  the  Bahama 
Islands,  with  a  view  to  establishing  a  line  of 
trade  between  Boston  and  the  Islands;  but  hav- 
ing changed  his  plans,  in  1853  came  to  the 
city  of  Chicago  and  there  engaged  in  the  roof- 
ing business,  which  he  carried  on  successfully 
for  a  number  of  years.  About  1858-60  he  en- 
tered upon  the  real-estate  business,  in  which 
he  continued  for  a  period  of  over  forty  years. 
As  an  evidence  of  his  marked  probity  of  char- 
acter as  a  business  man,  it  may  be  mentioned 
incidentally  that,  in  the  capacity  of  manager, 
he  had  charge  of  an  estate,  during  the  long 
period  of  his  administration  affecting  the  inter- 
ests of  four  generations. 

After  the  great  fire  of  1871,  his  home,  having 
fortunately  escaped  the  ravages  of  the  con- 
flagration, became  a  temporary  "house  of  ref- 
uge" for  many  homeless  citizens  and  their  fam- 
ilies. Of  reserved  temperament  and  innate 
modesty,  he  lived  a  retired  and  home-loving  life, 
manifesting  those  traits  of  character  which 
were  most  highly  appreciated  by  those  who 
knew  him  best.  He  was  by  nature  a  genuine 
optimist;  and,  while  patient  under  physical 
suffering,  in  his  domestic  life  exhibited  that 
sunny,  affectionate  disposition  which  has  en- 
deared him  in  the  memories  of  his  family  and 
those  brought  in  most  intimate  contact  with 
him. 

Besides  looking  after  his  large  real-estate 
interests  on  the  North  Side,  in  his  later  years 
Mr.  Dow  devoted  his  attention  largely  to  the 
leasing  of  down-town  offices  until  1900,  after 
which,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he  lived 
practically  retired. 

Mr.  Dow  was  a  Unitarian  in  religious  belief, 
connected  with  the  Unity  Church — u.nder  the 
ministration  of  Rev.  Robert  Collyer,  now  of 
New  York — and  after  the  fire  of  1871,  was  a 
member  of  the  committee  chosen  to  superintend 
the  restoration  of  the  church  edifice.  The  other 
members  of  the  committee  were  Nathan  Mears, 
Henry  T.  Thompson,  Thomas  L.  Wallin  and 
Edward  I.  Tinkham — all  well  known  and  prom- 
inent citizens  of  that  time.  Generous  in  many 
ways,  but  with  a  strong  dislike  for  mere 
ostentation,  Mr.  Dow's  acts  of  benevolence  were 
always  performed  in  private 

While  an  arden-t  Republican  in  his  political 
convictions,  Mr.  Dow  was  not,  in  the  popular 
sense  of  the  term,  a  politician,  and  never  held 
a  public  office.  His  political  views  were  .of 
that  independent  and  conscientious  character 
entertained  by  the  man  who,  unselfishly,  de- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


871 


sires  to  secure  the  highest  degree  of  welfare  for 
the  whole  country. 

On  May  10,  1865,  Mr.  Dow  was  united  in 
mariage  to  Marietta  Adriance,  daughter  of  John 
and  Jane  E.  (Van  Wyck)  Adriance,  of  Fish- 
kill,  N.  Y.,  her  family  being  of  old  Knicker- 
bocker stock.  One  daughter,  Jenny — now  Mrs. 
William  P.  Harvey,  of  Aurora,  111. — was  born 
of  this  union.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  have  four 
children:  William  Dow,  Julia  Plato,  Grace 
Furness  and  Joel  Demetrius.  Mr.  Dow  died 
at  his  home,  473  Orchard  Street,  Chicago,  Octo- 
ber 13,  1903.  Mrs.  Dow  still  survives. 

THOMAS  DOWNS. 

Thomas  Downs,  'Supervising  Mechanical  En- 
gineer, Chicago  Water  Service,  was  born  in 
Belleville,  Ontario,  Canada,  December  25,  1858, 
attended  the  public  schools,  and  later  Ontario 
Business  College  (night  department),  while 
serving  his  time  as  a  machinist  in  steam-fitting, 
boiler-work,  molding,  and  different  branches  of 
the  trades  just  mentioned.  In  1880  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Holly  Manufacturing  Company 
of  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  remaining  there  as  gang 
boss  until  1892,  being  employed  in  building 
engines  for  pumping  stations,  and  traveling 
and  installing  engines  for  the  company.  Later 
he  was  employed  by  the  G.  F.  Blake  &  Knowles 
Company,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  manufacturers 
of  steam-pumping  machines,  as  traveling  sales- 
man and  consulting  engineer,  remaining  with 
them  two  and  a  half  years. 

In  1895  Mr.  Downs  entered  into  the  service 
of  the  B.  R.  Worthington  Hydraulic  Company, 
remaining  until  he  came  to  Chicago  in  Sep- 
tember, 1897,  when,  at  the  solicitation  of  City 
Engineer  Ericson  and  L.  E.  McGann,  Commis- 
sioner of  Public  Works,  he  accepted  the  position 
of  pumping  engine  expert,  and  later,  under  civil 
service  rules,  was  made  Supervising  Mechanical 
Engineer,  having  charge  of  the  reconstruction 
of  the  entire  pumping  machinery,  and  the  oper- 
ation and  maintenance  of  the  various  pumping 
stations.  The  position  is  a  very  important  one, 
the  entire  organization  having  been  systema- 
tized and  placed  upon  a  high-grade  business 
basis.  During  the  three  years  previous  to  1901 
fifty  boilers  were  repaired  and  reset,  and  over 
20,000  pump-valves  replaced  in  the  various 
pumping  engines,  the  machinery  generally  was 
overhauled  and  placed  in  good  working  order. 
Up  to  that  time  over  $200,000  had  been  ex- 
pended in  repairing  buildings,  securing  and  im- 
proving grounds  and  placing  machinery  in 
proper  condition.  In  1899  water  was  pumped, 
per  foot  high,  at  less  cost  than  ever  before 
since  the  organization  of  the  Water  Depart- 
ment. By  his  close  attention  to  this  business, 
Mr.  Downs  had  developed  a  saving  and  care 
in  his  department  that  has  given  the  city  a 
better  and  equalized  pressure  at  a  saving  of 
many  thousands  of  dollars  to  the  tax-payers. 
He  was  married  June  9,  1885,  to  Miss  Ella  K. 
Martin,  in  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  and  three  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  are  now 
living. 


MICHAEL  J.  DRISCOLL. 
Michael  J.  Driscoll,  driver,  Engine  No.  82, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
May  1,  1876,  was  educated  in  the  Scammon 
School,  and  then  for  four  years  was  with  Reid, 
Thompson  &  Co.  (ice  cream  manufacturers), 
until  March  12,  1900,  when  he  joined  the  Fire 
Department  and  was  assigned  to  Engine  82, 
as  driver.  Mr.  Driscoll's  father,  Michael  J. 
Driscoll,  was  the  first  pilot  of  the  tug  "Alpha," 
from  the  time  she  was  launched  remaining 
with  her  about  ten  years,  and  until  after  she 
went  into  the  service  of  the  Fire  Department 
on  September  5,  1885;  later  was  Captain  of  the 
steamboat  "Soo  City,"  owned  by  the  Holland 
&  Chicago  line,  remaining  in  this  position  until 
his  death,  July  22,  1897.  At  the  present  time 
(1904)  Mr.  Driscoll  still  retains  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Fire  Department  ready  for  the 
performance  of  any  duty  that  may  devolve  upon 
him. 

NICHOLAS  DUBACH. 

Nicholas  Dubach  (deceased),  late  Chief  of 
Tenth  Battalion,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  of  French  ancestry,  in  Lorraine  (then  in 
France  but  now  a  part  of  Germany),  October 
11,  1842;  came  to  Chicago  when  a  boy  of  eight 
years  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  city 
schools.  After  starting  in  life'  struggle  he 
worked  for  a  time  in  Betcham's  and  in  Abbott 
&  Kingman's  planing  mills,  in  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Car  Works,  then  carried  on  a  cooperage 
business  with  James  Stevens  for  five  years, 
and  then  worked  as  foreman  in  the  "ham 
houses"  of  Gassard  &  Company  and  Leland  & 
Mixer.  On  May  6,  1865,  he  began  his  career 
as  a  fireman  on  the  engine  known  as  "Long 
John,"  receiving  subsequent  transfers,  promo- 
tions and  assignments  as  follows:  to  Engine 
No.  2  (the  "Enterprise")  in  February,  1866; 
to  "Economy,"  No.  8,  June  1,  1867;  promoted  as 
foreman  of  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  4, 
upon  its  organization;  assigned  to  Engine  No. 
2,  in  1868;  and  to  Engine  No.  8,  the  following 
year.  In  1872  he  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy, 
and  in  1880  given  charge  of  Engine  Company 
No.  16.  He  was  made  Chief  of  the  Tenth  Bat- 
talion on  July  1,  1890,  holding  that  post  for 
three  years,  when  failing  health  compelling 
him  to  tender  his  resignation,  he  was  retired 
as  captain  on  a  pension  July  14,  1895.  The  day 
following  his  resignation  the  men  of  his  bat- 
talion presented  him  with  a  magnificent  dia- 
mond studded  watch  as  a  token  of  their  esteem 
and  appreciation  of  his  courage  and  fidelity. 
Chief  Swenie  also  presented  him  with  a  gold 
medal;  the  event  was  celebrated  with  much 
enthusiasm,  as  shown  by  the  comments  of  the 
press  at  the  time. 

During  his  twenty-eight  years  of  service  Cap- 
tain Dubach  met  with  not  a  few  serious  casual- 
ties, being  forced  through  a  sidewalk  by  a  fall- 
ing chimney  on  Milwaukee  Avenue;  carried 
down  with  a  falling  roof  on  Lake  Street,  and 
buried  under  debris  at  a  fire  in  the  Armour 
Packing  House.  He  also  had  many  gallant 


872 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


rescues  to  his  credit,  accomplished  at  the  risk 
of  life  and  limb.  The  "great  fire"  of  October, 
1871,  found  him  physically  exhausted  from  over- 
exertion  and  loss  of  sleep,  through  attending 
two  large  fires  between  the  Saturday  night  and 
Sunday  noon  preceding.  He  was  about  to  seek 
sleep  on  the  night  of  the  memorable  Sunday, 
when  the  first  alarm  sounded.  His  company — 
Economy  No.  8 —  promptly  responded,  and  was 
first  stationed  at  the  intersection  of  DeKoven 
and  Jefferson  Streets.  Thence  the  engine  was 
ordered  to  Bohemian  Hall  on  DeKoven  Street,, 
and  before  the  men  left  that  station,  the  flames 
had  spread  over  two  blocks.  They  were  next 
sent  across  the  river,  with  instructions  to  try 
to  save  the  gas  works  on  Adams  Street,  but 
the  intensity  of  the  heat  at  that  point  drove 
them  north,  first  to  LaSalle  and  Madison  Streets 
thence  to  Washington,  and  then  to  Randolph. 
While  standing  at  this  corner  the  first  of  a 
series  of  explosions  occurred  in  Heath  &  Mil- 
ligan's  paint  works,  blowing  out  the  entire  front 
of  the  building.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  gal- 
lant conduct  of  Foreman  Dubach  and  his  crew 
at  this  juncture,  in  crawling  on  hands  and 
knees  to  uncouple  the  hose  from  the  hydrant, 
their  engine  would  have  been  lost.  The  Wells 
Street  bridge  being  on  fire,  the  men  crossed 
to  the  West  Division  by  Lake  Street  through 
most  intense  heat,  proceeded  south  through 
Halsted  to  Twelfth  Street,  whence  they  made 
their  way  to  Clark  and  Polk,  only  to  be 
driven  back  by  the  flames  to  Taylor  Street. 
There  they  made  a  stand,  and  saved  over 
2,000,000  feet  of  lumber  with  one  stream.  Ter- 
race Row  on  Michigan  Avenue  was  next  visited, 
and  at  this  crisis  the  water  works  gave  out,  and 
Economy  No.  8,  was  one  in  a  line  of  four 
steamers  to  force  water  from  the  lake  in  a 
futile  effort  to  save  engine  house  No.  10,  on 
State  Street.  On  Tuesday  afternoon  the  com- 
pany was  permitted  to  take  a  brief  rest  at  its 
quarters,  but  was  soon  ordered  to  take  its 
engine  to  the  rear  of  the  Illinois  Central  round 
house  on  Fourteenth  Street,  and  there  water 
was  pumped  into  the  mains  until  the  water 
works  had  been  repaired.  Chief  Dubach  was 
married  in  Chicago,  in  1866,  to  Miss  Susan 
Schroeder,  and  of  ten  children  born  to  this 
union  four  sons,  and  three  daughters  are  yet 
living.  Ex-Chief  Dubach's  death  occurred  Tues- 
day, March  19,  1901. 

JOHN  F.  DUBACH. 

John  F.  Dubach,  son  of  Ex-Chief  Nicholas 
Dubach,  and  pipeman  on  Engine  No.  16,  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
September  16,  1870,  and  educated  in  the  Web- 
ster public  and  the  parochial  schools.  After 
leaving  school  he  learned  the  plumbing  trade, 
at  which  he  worked  from  1887  until  he  joined 
the  Fire  Department,  December  3,  1894,  as  pipe- 
man on  Engine  16.  During  part  of  that  time 
he  held  the  position  of  Acting  Lieutenant.  He 
had  a  narrow  escape  at  the  fire  in  a  bakery  at 
Eighteenth  and  State  Streets.  While  stand- 


ing on  a  window-sill  the  floors  above  dropped 
down  and  he  had  to  slide  down  the  ladder,  but 
escaped  without  injury.  Mr.  Dubach  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Elsie  Marie  Nelson,  in  Chicago, 
May  8,  1893,  and  three  children  have  blessed 
this  union.  Mr.  Dubach  was  promoted  to  Lieu- 
tenant October  31,  1904,  on  Engine  No.  50. 

OSCAR  L.  DUDLEY. 

To  relieve  the  distressed,  to  aid  the  unfortu- 
nate, to  raise  the  fallen,  to  reclaim  and  rehab- 
ilitate the  vicious — this  is  a  mission  in  the 
discharge  of  which  man,  even  though  weak 
and  erring,  exhibits  a  true  spark  of  the  Divine 
nature.  To  the  worker  who  has  consecrated 
himself  to  this  sublime  task,  occasional  failure 
is  but  renewed  incentive;  ingratitude  proves  no 
discouragement;  while  his  richest  reward  is 
found  in  the  thoughts  of  lives  redeemed  to 
virtue  and  society  which,  without  his  patient, 
self-denying  effort,  might  have  been  passed  in 
idleness  or  crime,  ending  in  physical  and 
moral  ruin.  This  is  the  high  aim  of  the  Illinois 
Manual  Training  School  at  Glenwood,  of  which, 
for  seventeen  years,  Mr.  Oscar  L.  Dudley,  has 
served  as  the  active  and  efficient  manager. 

Mr.  Dudley  can  boast  a  long  and  honored 
New  England  lineage;  being  a  direct  descendant 
of  Thomas  Dudley,  who,  between  1634  and  1651, 
was  four  times  Governor  of  Massachusetts  Bay 
Colony.  His  grandfather  was  named  Stephen 
and  his  father  John  G.  The  latter,  born  in 
New  Hampshire,  was  married  in  Vermont  to 
Mary  C.  Townsend.  The  son  of  John  G.  and 
Mary  C.  (Townsend)  Dudley  was  born  at  Troy, 
Vt.,  August  2,  1844,  but  removed  to  the  North- 
west at  an  early  age.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  served,  first  in  the  Sixteenth  Wisconsin  and 
after  devoting  some  time  to  preparing  him- 
self for  the  work,  in  1866  opened  the  Minne- 
apolis Business  College,  which  he  successfully 
conducted  for  several  years.  In  1873  he  came 
to  Chicago  to  accept  the  superintendency  of  the 
Illinois  Humane  Society,  and  in  the  discharge 
of  the  delicate  and  trying  duties  connected  with 
this  position  for  fourteen  years  has  exhibited 
rare  tact  and  devotion.  In  1887,  chiefly  through 
his  efforts  and  instrumentality,  the  Glenwood 
School  was  founded,  and  Mr.  Dudley  was  ap- 
pointed its  General  Manager.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  repeat  here  the  familiar  tale  of  the 
great  public  good  which  it  has  accomplished 
in  giving  to  homeless  and  dependent  boys  a 
moral  and  manual  training,  preparing  them  to 
lead  the  lives  of  upright  men  and  worthy  citi- 
zens. 

In  1894  Mr.  Dudley  was  elected  as  a  Repub- 
lican to  the  Thirty-ninth  General  Assembly 
from  the  Second  (Chicago)  district,  serving  one 
term.  He  was  married,  December  20,  1866,  to 
Miss  Louise  C.  Edmonds,  at  Evansville,  Wis. 
Their  only  child,  William  E.,  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-four  years,  shortly  after  graduation 
from  Rush  Medical  College. 

ILLINOIS  MANUAL  TRAINING  SCHOOL 
FARM. — An  institution  for  the  training  of  de- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


873 


pendent  boys,  organized  under  an  act  of  March 
28,  1895,  which  was  in  effect  a  re-enactment  of  a 
statute  passed  in  1883  and  amended  in  1885.  Its 
legally  denned  object  is  to  provide  a  home  and 
proper  training  for  such  boys  as  may  be  placed 
in  its  charge.  Commitments  are  made  by  the 
County  Court  of  Cook  and  contiguous  counties. 
The  school  is  located  at  Glenwood,  in  the 
county  of  Cook,  24  miles  from  Chicago  on  a 
rich  farm  of  300  acres,  which  was  generously 
donated  and  deeded  to  this  school  in  1889  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milton  George,  of  Chicago.  The 
institution  was  first  opened  for  the  reception  of 
inmates  at  Norwood  Park  in  1887.  Its  revenues 
are  derived  in  part  from  voluntary  contribu- 
tions, and  in  part  from  payment  by  the  counties 
sending  boys  to  the  institution,  which  payments 
are  fixed  by  law  at  $10  per  month  for  each 
boy  during  the  time  he  is  actually  an  inmate. 
In  1898  nearly  one-half  of  the  entire  income 
came  from  the  former  source,  but  the  surplus 
remaining  in  the  treasury  at  the  end  of  any 
fiscal  year  is  never  large. 

The  school  is  under  the  inspectional  control 
of  the  State  Commissioners  of  Public  Charities, 
as  though  it  were  an  institution  founded  and 
maintained  by  the  State.  The  educational  cur- 
riculum closely  follows  that  of  the  ordinary 
grammar  school,  pupils  being  trained  in 
eight  grades,  substantially  along  the  line 
established  in  the  public  schools.  In  addition  a 
military  drill  is  taught  with  a  view  to  develop- 
ing physical  strength,  prompt  obedience,  and 
graceful  manly  carriage.  Since  the  home  was 
organized  there  have  been  received  (down  to 
1903)  4,112  boys.  The  industrial  training  given 
the  inmates  is  both  agricultural  and  mechani- 
cal. The  institution  owning  such  a  good  farm 
and  operating  well  equipped  industrial  shops 
for  the  education  of  pupils,  a  fair  portion  of 
the  boys  devote  themselves  to  the  learning  of 
trades,  and  not  a  few  develop  into  excellent 
workmen. 

One  of  the  purposes  of  this  school  is  to  secure 
homes  for  those  thought  most  likely  to  prove 
creditable  members  of  respectable  households. 
As  a  result  of  this  work  there  are,  today,  in 
every  State,  graduates  from  this  school  who  are 
respected  and  self-respecting  citizens.  There 
are  farmers,  merchants,  contractors  and  doctors 
who  owe  their  start  in  life  to  the  Glenwood 
School.  During  the  seventeen  years  of  its  ex- 
istence, nearly  2,500  boys  have  been  placed 
in  homes,  and  usually  with  the  most  satis- 
factory results.  The  legal  safe-guards  thrown 
around  the  ward  are  of  the  comprehensive 
and  binding  sort,  so  far  as  regards  the 
parties  who  take  children  from  the  institution 
for  either  adoption  or  apprenticeship.  The  wel- 
fare of  the  ward  always  being  the  object  pri- 
marily aimed  at,  adoption  is  preferred  by  the 
administration  to  institutional  life,  and  the 
result  usually  justifies  their  judgment.  Many 
of  the  pupils  are  returned  to  their  families  or 
friends  after  a  mild  course  of  correctional 
treatment. 


The  system  of  government  adopted  is  analog- 
ous to  that  of  the  cottage  plan  employed  in 
many  reformatory  institutions  throughout  the 
country.  An  administration  building  stands  in 
the  center  of  the  group  of  structures,  each 
of  which  has  its  own  individual  name,  viz.: 
Clancy  Hall,  Wallace,  Plymouth,  Beecher,  Pope, 
Windsor,  Lincoln,  Sunnyside  and  Sheridan. 
While  never  a  suppliant  for  benefactions,  the 
home  has  always  attracted  the  attention  of 
philanthropists  who  are  interested  in  the  care 
of  society's  waifs.  The  average  annual  number 
of  inmates  has  been  about  365. 

JOHN  FREDERICK  EBERHART,  LL.D. 

John  Frederick  Eberhart,  A.M.,  L.L.D.,  has 
been  for  nearly  fifty  years  a  prominent  figure  in 
Illinois  and  Cook  County  local  history,  first  as 
a  practical  educator  and  later  as  a  successful 
real-estate  operator.  Born  in  Mercer  County, 
Pa.,  January  21,  1829,  his  early  boyhood  was 
spent  on  his  father's  farm  until  the  age  of 
eight  years,  when  his  parents  removed  to  Big 
Bend,  Venango  County.  Here  his  time  was 
divided  between  working  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tending school  during  the  winter,  until  he  was 
sixteen,  when  he  taught  his  first  school,  receiv- 
ing a  salary  of  $8.50  per  month  while  "board- 
ing round"  among  the  patrons.  During  the 
following  summer  he  took  special  lessons  in 
writing  and  drawing,  thereby  qualifying  him- 
self for  teaching  penmanship,  which  proved  a 
valuable  aid  in  later  years  in  working  his  way 
through  college.  After  spending  several  terms 
at  Cottage  Hill  Academy,  at  Ellsworth,  Ohio, 
he  entered  Allegheny  College  at  Meadville,  Pa., 
graduating  July  2,  1853. 

While  in  college  Mr.  Eberhart  supported  him- 
self by  giving  instruction  in  penmanship  and 
other  branches  during  the  spring  and  fall  vaca- 
tions, and  working  in  the  harvest  field  during 
the  summer,  though  compelled  to  eke  out  his 
earnings,  during  a  part  of  the  time,  by  loans 
from  an  older  brother,  which  he  subsequently  re- 
paid with  interest.  Energetic,  studious  and 
ambitious,  he  took  a  high  rank  among  more 
than  three  hundred  fellow-pupils,  both  as  a  stu- 
dent and  a  gymnast,  being  one  of  two  members 
of  the  institution  who  proved  their  ability  to 
lift  a  brass  cannon  in  the  arsenal  at  Meadville 
weighing  900  pounds.  Two  days  after  gradu- 
ating in  1853,  he  delivered  the  Fourth  of  July 
oration  at  Rockland,  Pa.,  winning  earnest  ap- 
plause by  his  oratory  from  an  audience  of 
7,000  persons,  mostly  old  neighbors  and  friends. 
On  September  1st,  following  his  graduation,  he 
entered  upon  duty  as  Principal  of  the  Seminary 
at  Berlin,  Somerset  County,  Pa.  Among  his 
pupils  were  several  who  afterwards  attained 
wide  distinction,  including  Rev.  H.  W.  Thomas, 
for  many  years  pastor  of  the  People's  Church, 
Chicago. 

At  this  time  Prof.  Eberhart  looked  upon 
teaching  as  his  future  life-work;  but  before  the 
close  of  his  second  year  in  the  Seminary,  acting 
under  the  advice  of  physicians  he  felt  com- 


874 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


pelled  to  resign  on  account  of  ill-health.  Com- 
ing west  he  arrived  in  Chicago,  April  15,  1855, 
and,  after -a  brief  stay,  proceeded  to  Dixon,  111., 
where  he  spent  the  summer,  devoting  his  time 
to  hunting  and  fishing,  with  the  result  that  his 
health  was  greatly  improved,  leading  him  to 
adopt  a  custom  of  spending  a  certain  portion 
of  each  season  in  out-door  life.  While  at  Dixon 
he  devoted  a  portion  of  his  time  to  editing 
"The  Dixon  Transcript,"  a  local  political  paper; 
but  not  finding  this  occupation  to  his  taste, 
soon  sold  out  and  spent  the  following  winter 
in  delivering  courses  of  lectures,  of  ten  each, 
chiefly  before  institutions  of  learning,  on  vari- 
ous scientific  subjects,  including  chemistry, 
natural  philosophy,  meteorology  and  astronomy. 
Then,  after  traveling  a  year  in  the  interest  of 
New  York  school-book  publishers,  desiring  to 
re-enter  an  educational  life,  he  purchased  and 
assumed  the  publication  and  editorship  of  "The 
Northwestern  Home  and  School  Journal"  in 
Chicago,  of  which  he  retained  the  management 
for  three  years.  During  this  period  he  spent 
much  time  in  lecturing  before  Teachers'  Insti- 
tutes, many  of  which  he  conducted  in  Illinois 
and  Iowa,  besides  being  employed  by  Dr.  Henry 
Barnard,  then  Chancellor  of  the  Wisconsin 
State  University,  to  conduct  Institutes  in  that 
State — a  work  which  brought  him  in  intimate 
contact  with  many  distinguished  educators  of 
that  time. 

In  the  fall  of  1859  Mr.  Eberhart  entered  upon 
a  new  and  more  important  field  in  educational 
work,  having  been  elected  School  Commissioner 
for  Cook  County,  the  title  of  the  office  being 
changed  soon  after  to  Superintendent  of  Schools. 
This  position  he  continued  to  fill  consecutively 
for  a  period  of  ten  years.  The  duties  of  the 
office  were  onerous  and  at  first  inadequately 
paid,  the  salary  amounting  to  only  two  dollars 
per  day;  yet  he  made  it  a  point  to  visit  each 
school  in  the  county  at  least  once  a  year.  Per- 
ceiving the  want  of  thoroughly  trained  teach- 
ers, he  early  began  the  agitation  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  County  Normal  School.  In  this 
he  was  finally  successful;  and  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  having  appropriated  the  necessary 
funds,  the  school  was  opened  at  Blue  Island, 
in  September,  1867,  under  the  principalship  of 
the  late  Prof.  D.  S.  Wentworth.  Two  years 
later  the  institution  was  transferred  to  Engle- 
wood  (now  within  the  city  limits  of  Chicago) 
and,  in  September,  1870,  it  took  possession  of 
the  Normal  School  Building  especially  erected 
for  its  use,  and  which  it  still  occupies.  For 
nearly  seventeen  years  (from  1883  to  1899)  the 
institution  was  under  the  management  of  the 
late  Col.  Francis  W.  Parker,  who,  on  his  retire- 
ment in  the  latter  year  to  take  charge  of  the 
Chicago  Institute,  gave  place  to  Prof  Arnold 
Tompkins,  who  still  (1904)  retains  the  posi- 
tion of  Principal.  In  the  fall  of  1899  Mr. 
Eberhart  prepared  an  extended  and  exhaustive 
paper  on  the  history  of  the  Cook  County  Nor- 
mal School,  which  is  a  most  valuable  contribu- 
tion to  the  history  of  education  in  Illinois.  So 


long  as  this  institution  exists  it  will  stand  as 
a  monument  to  his  sagacity  and  foresight  as  a 
practical  educator  and  his  devotion  to  the  inter- 
ests which  it  represents. 

Some  of  Mr.  Eberhart's  most  important  work 
while  identified  with  the  cause  of  education  in 
Cook  County,  included  his  participation  in  the 
organization  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers' 
Association,  whose  annual  sessions  he  attended 
for  seventeen  consecutive  years;  the  drafting 
of  the  State  law  authorizing  the  establishment 
of  County  Normal  Schools;  organization  of  the 
State  Association  of  School  Superintendents,  of 
which  he  was  the  first  President;  the  part 
which  he  played  in  securing  the  location  of  the 
State  Normal  University  at  Normal,  as  a 
member  of  the  American  Institute  of  In- 
struction and  of  the  National  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, of  the  last  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  first  life-members.  He  was  also  actively 
identified  with  various  other  educational  and 
charitable  associations,  and,  while  President 
of  the  Cook  County  Board  of  Education,  was 
an  influential  factor  in  securing  the  intro- 
duction of  kindergarten  work  in  the  Cook  Coun- 
ty Normal  School  and  in  promoting  the  estab- 
lishment of  "free  kindergartens"  in  the  city. 
The  appreciation  of  his  work  as  Superintendent 
is  indicated  in  the  fact  that,  while  the  salary 
of  the  office  at  the  beginning  of  his  term  in 
1859,  was  only  two  dollars  per  day,  it  had  in- 
creased, ten  years  later,  to  $5,000  per  year. 

Among  those  who  received  their  first  certifi- 
cates as  teachers  from  Professor  Eberhart  dur- 
ing this  period  appear  such  names  as  Bishop 
Charles  Fowler,  Bishop  Vincent,  the  late  Miss 
Frances  E.  Willard  and  President  Blanchard, 
of  Wheaton  College.  He  was  intimately  identi- 
fied in  educational  work,  during  this  time,  with 
such  distinguished  educators  as  Horace  Mann, 
Dr.  Newton  Bateman,  Charles  E.  Hovey,  Dr. 
Richard  Edwards  and  many  more.  In  his  Bi- 
ennial Report  as  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  for  1867-68,  the  late  Dr. 
Bateman  gave  especial  credit  to  Prof.  Eberhart 
and  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Cook  County, 
for  what  had  been  accomplished  in  solving  the 
problem  of  providing  competent  teachers  by  the 
establishment  of  the  Cook  County  Normal 
School,  of  which,  after  speaking  of  the  school 
at  Blue  Island  as  "the  pioneer,"  Dr.  Bateman 
says:  "In  thus  practically  demonstrating  the 
feasibility  of  this  new  and  most  successful 
mode  of  increasing  the  supply  of  superior  teach- 
ers, Cook  County  has  rendered  the  State  a  very 
eminent  service."  The  Report  also  contains, 
in  extenso,  a  report  on  County  Normal  Schools 
read  by  Prof.  Eberhart  before  the  State  Associa- 
tion of  County  School  Superintendents  held  at 
Aurora,  October  13,  1868. 

At  different  times  during  this  period,  Dr. 
Eberhart  received  tenders  of  important  posi- 
tions, such  as  a  professorship  or  the  presidency 
of  some  of  the  most  prominent  educational  in- 
stitutions in  the  country,  but  felt  compelled  to 
decline  in  view  of  the  warning  he  had  received 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


875 


through  his  early  experience  as  a  teacher,  as 
to  the  effects  of  such  confinement  upon  his 
health.  After  twenty-five  years  spent  in  pur- 
suits connected  with  the  cause  of  education,  he 
turned  his  attention  to  operations  in  real  estate 
in  which  he  has  also  been  quite  successful. 
He  was  the  chief  promoter  of  Norwood  Park 
and  Chicago  Lawn — until  within  a  few  years 
suburbs,  but  now  part  of  the  City  of  Chicago 
— and  has  handled  thousands  of  lots  and  acres 
in  Chicago  and  Cook  County,  and  is  today  a 
large  land-holder  and  is  out  of  debt. 

On  December  25,  1864,  Prof.  Eberhart  was 
married  to  Miss  Matilda  Charity  Miller,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  C.  and  Mercie  H.  Miller,  who  were 
among  Chicago's  earliest  settlers.  She  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  Aurora  and  Chicago, 
and  is  a  lady  of  marked  talent  and  literary 
ability. 

Reared  in  a  religious  family,  Mr.  Eberhart 
was  for  years  an  attendant  upon  the  preaching 
of  Rev.  H.  W.  Thomas,  of  the  People's  Church, 
who  was  his  pupil  in  the  days  of  his  early 
experience  as  a  teacher  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
is  also  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  People's  Church,  and  Vice-President  of  the 
"School  of  Life,"  an  institutional  organization 
which  is  an  offspring  of  the  church.  His 
creed,  as  defined  by  himself,  is  brief  but  com- 
prehensive: "I  trust  in  an  All-Wise  Creator 
and  Disposer  of  Events,  and  1  believe  in  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  epitomized  in  His 
Sermon  on  the  Mount:  'Whatsoever  ye  would 
that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to 
them;  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets.'  " 

MICHAEL  EHRET. 

Michael  Ehret,  Captain  of  Engine  No.  4,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  June  9,  1859,  and  educated  in 
the  Kinzie,  Ogden,  Scammon  and  Franklin 
Schools.  Later  he  worked  for  his  father  who 
was  a  manufacturer  of  cigar  boxes,  but  in  April, 
1880,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  joined 
the  Fire  Department  as  substitute  on  Chemical 
Engine  No.  4  and  Engine  10;  was  a  candidate 
on  Engine  1;  transferred  to  Chemical  4  and 
later  to  Engine  11,  being  finally  promoted  to 
Lieutenant,  and  on  January  1,  1887,  to  Captain 
and  assigned  to  Engine  No.  32.  March  31,  1888, 
he  organized  Engine  Company  No.  42,  and  was 
assigned  to  the  captaincy  of  that  company;  re- 
signed November  31,  1888,  and  went  into  the 
grocery  business,  but  finally  sold  out  and  was 
placed  in  command  of  Hose  Company  No.  1, 
at  Garfield  Race  Track,  in  1890.  He  took  charge 
of  the  World's  Fair  Exposition  Depot  Hotel 
fire  appliances,  in  January,  1893,  and,  on  July 
18,  1893,  was  appointed  Captain  on  Engine  No. 
1  at  the  World's  Fair.  On  December  11,  1893, 
he  rejoined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department  as 
candidate  on  Truck  26,  was  promoted  to  Lieu- 
tenant, June  15,  1894;  was  next  transferred  to 
Engine  67;  on  March  27,  1895,  to  Engine  26, 
and  on  April  5,  1895,  to  Engine  34;  promoted  to 
Captain  April  15,  1897,  and  assigned  to  Engine 
21,  and,  on  May  24,  1898,  transferred  to  Engine 


34.     In  1904  he  is  again  on  duty  as  Captain  on 
Engine  No.  4 

Captain  Ehret  has  had  many  narrow  escapes 
and  close  calls;  among  them  being  caught 
among  the  falling  walls  at  Meyer's  Mill  and 
badly  bruised;  was  thrown  from  the  cart  in  a 
collison  with  a  grip-car  and  badly  hurt,  not  to 
mention  numerous  other  accidents,  but  like 
many  other  brave  Chicago  firemen,  he  is  hard 
to  kill,  and  stands  ready  to  answer  any  call 
where  danger  and  duty  may  demand  his  serv- 
ice. Captain  Ehret  was  married  in  Chicago 
to  Annie  Keyes,  June  11,  1884,  and  six  children 
have  been  born  .to  them 

EDWARD  C.  ENTHOF. 

Edward  C.  Enthof,  Assistant  Engineer  on 
Engine  No.  82,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  in  Chicago  August  26,  1873,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Pickard  Public  School.  After 
leaving  school  he  learned  the  steam  fitting 
business  in  1889,  in  which  he  worked  until  he 
joined  the  Fire  Department  April  1,  1898. 
Commenced  at  the  repair  shop  and  was  assigned 
to  Engine  82,  May  7,  1898,  where  he  still  re- 
mains ready  for  any  call  that  may  come.  He 
has  had  many  narrow  escapes,  but  has  not  been 
severely  injured. 

JOHN  E.  ERICSON. 

Earnestness  of  purpose,  determined  resolu- 
tion, pluck  and  perseverance — these  are  among 
the  recognized  characteristics  of  the  Swedish 
people;  and  when  to  these  qualities  are  joined 
intellect  of  a  high  order  and  a  thorough  scien- 
tific education,  no  obstacle  can  successfully 
stand  in  the  way  of  the  aspirant  for  success. 
The  career  of  John  E.  Ericson,  who  for  nearly 
eight  years  has  been  Chicago's  able  and  efficient 
City  Engineer,  may  well  serve  as  an  apt  illus- 
tration. 

Mr.  Ericson  was  born  in  Upland,  Sweden, 
October  21,  1858,  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Sophia 
Ericson.  A  collegiate  course  was  followed  by 
one  at  the  Royal  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Stock- 
holm, from  which  the  young  student  graduated 
on  April  1,  1880,  with  distinguished  honor. 
He  was  at  once  given  an  appointment  as  assis- 
tant engineer  on  the  Vasa  bridge  at  Stockholm, 
but  a  year  later,  believing  that  a  wider  field  and 
better  opportunities  awaited  him  in  the  United 
States,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic.  Nor  has  he  been 
disappointed.  In  August  of  the  year  of  his  ar- 
rival he  was  appointed  resident  engineer  of  the 
Toledo,  Cincinnati  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  and 
the  following  year  (1882)  Hopkins  &  Com- 
pany, of  St.  Louis,  made  him  a  flattering  offer 
to  enter  their  service  as  a  bridge  designer. 
From  June  until  March,  1883,  he  was  an  assist- 
ant engineer  on  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
Canal.  After  a  trip  to  Europe  he  entered  the 
Chicago  Municipal  Engineering  .Department, 
in  April,  1884,  and  since  that  time  his  ability 
and  fidelity  have  resulted  in  his  steady  and 
rapid  promotion.  From  the  position  of  drafts- 
man he  rose  to  that  of  assistant  engineer,  being 


876 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


made  first  engineer  on  June  1,  1893.  In  well 
merited  recognition  of  his  skill  and  integrity, 
Mayor  Harrison,  on  July  6,  1897,  named  him 
City  Engineer.  In  this  position  he  has  at- 
tained an  enviable  reputation  for  capability 
and  fidelity,  and  many  of  the  important  works 
which  he  has  successfully  carried  to  completion 
will  remain  as  enduring  monuments  of  his 
engineering  skill.  Among  these  may  be  named 
the  Fifth  Avenue  approach  to  the  viaduct,  as 
well  as  the  Lake  View,  North  Shore,  and  Sixty- 
eighth  Street  tunnels.  The  new  addition  to  the 
water  supply  system,  embracing  the  Carter  H. 
Harrison,  and  the  Springfield  Avenue  and  Cen- 
tral Park  Pumping  Stations  were  designed  and 
constructed  by  him.  In  fact,  over  fifty  per  cent, 
of  the  present  enormous  system  of  water-works 
of  the  City  of  Chicago  were  constructed  under 
his  supervision;  also  a  number  of  bascule 
bridges,  bearing  his  name,  were  designed  and 
constructed  under  his  direction.  Meanwhile,  Mr. 
Ericson  has  also  been  employed  by  the  city  of 
Seattle,  Washington,  as  Assistant  Chief  Engin- 
eer for  the  location  and  designing  of  a  new 
water  works  there.  He  is  an  honored  member 
of  the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers, 
of  the  Western  Society  of  Engineers,  the  Scan- 
dinavian Technical  Society  of  Chicago,  of  which 
he  was  the  first  President,  and  the  Chicago 
Academy  of  Sciences,  as  well  as  of  the  Chicago 
Athletic  Association.  He  is  fond  of  travel, 
and  besides  visiting  all  sections  of  the  United 
States,  as  well  as  British  Columbia  and  the 
Hawaiian  Islands,  he  has  journeyed  extensively 
through  Sweden,  Germany,  Holland,  England 
and  Scotland. 

On  July  11,  1858,  Mr.  Ericson  married  Miss 
Inez  Malmgren,  in  Chicago,  who  died  Febru- 
ary 1,  1893,  leaving  one  daughter,  Mildred. 
On  June  30,  1896,  he  was  united  to  Miss  Esther 
Malmgren,  of  Chicago,  sister  of  his  first  wife. 

JOHN  J.  EVANS. 

John  J.  Evans,  Captain  Engine  No.  18,  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
March  6.  1856,  was  educated  at  the  St.  John 
parochial  and  Haven  public  schools,  and  later 
worked  in  a  planing  mill  and  for  a  railroad 
company.  December  30,  1880,  he  joined  the 
Chicago  Fire  Department  as  pipeman,  and  was 
assigned  to  Engine  No.  6;  was  next  transferred 
to  Engine  1,  then  to  Engine  5;  September  1, 
1889,  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant  and  assigned 
to  Engine  6;  was  transferred  to  Engine  No.  18, 
February  7,  1891;  promoted  to  Captain,  July  1, 
1891,  and  transferred  to  Engine  6;  then  to 
Engine  5,  January  9,  1896,  and  to  Engine  13, 
January  2,  1899.  In  1904  he  is  on  duty  on 
Engine  No.  18.  He  has  had  many  narrow  es- 
capes from  death,  one  of  them  resulting  from  an 
explosion  at  the  fire  of  the  Northwestern  Ele- 
vator on  August  5,  1897.  He  was  in  command 
of  Engine  5,  and,  while  blown  away  from  the 
elevator  as  the  walls  fell,  was  badly  injured 
by  the  wheat  being  shot  into  his  face,  eyes  and 
body,  compelling  his  removal  to  the  County 


Hospital.  His  hands  being  protected  were  not 
burned  as  were  those  of  a  fireman  named 
Hanley.  The  latter  was  thought  to  be  less  se- 
verely injured  than  Captain  Evans,  but  blood- 
poisoning  having  set  in  caused  his  death  from 
lockjaw  a  few  days  after  the  fire.  After  re- 
maining at  the  hospital  two  weeks  Captain 
Evans  was  removed  to  his  home  and  finally 
recovered.  Captain  Evans  had  another  close 
call  at  a  fire  on  South  Water  Street  in  July, 
1899,  when  he  received  an  electric  shock  from 
the  wires  suspended  over  the  stairs.  The  elec- 
tric current  was  attracted  by  his  fire-hat,  but 
the  rubber  sweat-band  acted  as  a  non-conductor, 
thereby  saving  his  life,  although  he  was  thrown 
down  two  flights  of  stairs  by  the  shock.  In 
1889  he  fell  off  the  roof  of  a  two-story  building 
and  was  badly  injured,  but,  after  being  laid 
up  for  two  weeks,  was  on  duty  again. 

He  was  married  in  Chicago,  January  27,  1881, 
and  three  children  have  been  born  to  them,  two 
of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Mabel  and  John. 
Like  his  brother  Chicago  firemen,  Captain 
Evans  is  ever  present  at  his  post  of  duty  ready 
for  any  call. 

WILLIAM  FALLON. 

William  Fallon  (deceased),  Veteran  Yard- 
master,  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago,  and  Presi- 
dent of  Board  of  Education,  Town  of  Lake, 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Mooers,  Clinton  County, 
N.  Y.,  November  17,  1837;  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  and  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  attained  his  seventeenth  year, 
when  he  went  to  Sudbury,  Rutland  County, 
Vt,  and  entered  the  service  of  James  K. 
Hyde,  the  owner  of  a  large  summer  hotel, 
which  he  superintended  until  1860.  Then,  tak- 
ing Horace  Greeley's  advice,  he  came  west  "to 
grow  up  with  the  country,"  locating  near  Fort 
Dodge,  Iowa,  with  William  Hodges,  whose  inter- 
ests in  conjunction  with  those  of  his  brother 
Samuel,  he  later  bought  out.  In  1862  he  came 
to  Chicago  and  entered  the  service  of  John  B. 
Sherman,  ex-President  of  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  &  Transit  Company,  who  was  then  run- 
ning the  old  Myrick  Yards  at  Thirtieth  Street 
and  Cottage  Grove  Avenue.  For  several  years 
Mr.  Fallon  had  charge  of  the  feeding  depart- 
ment of  the  yards,  and  when  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  were  opened,  he  was  made  Yardmaster 
of  the  Northwestern  Division,  subsequently  be- 
ing promoted  to  the  position  of  Division  Super- 
intendent, serving  until  1886,  when  he  began 
brick  manufacturing  and  contracting.  In  1876 
Mr.  Fallon  was  elected  to  the  old  School  Board 
of  District  No.  2,  then  comprising  the  greater 
part  of  Lake  Township,  and  served  until  the 
annexation  of  the  Town  of  Lake  to  Chicago  in 
1889.  As  President  of  the  Board  for  many 
years,  he  did  much  toward  developing  the 
school  system  of  the  town,  and  the  Fallon 
School,  at  Wallace  and  Forty-second  Streets, 
was  named  after  him  in  appreciation  of  his 
valuable  services.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
organizers  and,  for  many  years,  President  of 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


877 


the  Free  Home  Building  Loan  and  Homestead 
Association,  one  of  the  most  substantial  finan- 
cial concerns  in  the  Stock  Yards  District. 

Few  men  have  been  more  prominently  identi- 
fied with  Town  of  Lake  affairs  than  William 
Fallen.  For  many  years  he  took  an  active 
part  in  local  politics  and  in  1884,  when  Thomas 
Gahan  was  elected  Supervisor,  he  refused  the 
nomination  which  was  tantamount  to  an  elec- 
tion. Mr.  Fallen  was  married  in  Chicago,  in 
1875,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Haslett,  and  six  chil- 
dren have  been  the  result  of  this  union.  Mr. 
Fallon  passed  away  at  his  home,  Union  Avenue 
and  Forty-fourth  Street,  July  3,  1897.  As  one 
of  the  pioneers  who  did  his  full  part  towards 
the  development  of  his  section  of  the  country, 
he  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  a  large  circle  of 
relatives  and  friends. 

JAMES  W.  FARRELL. 

James  W.  Farrell,  live-stock  dealer  and 
farmer,  was  born  in  County  Meath,  Ireland, 
December  7,  1847,  the  son  of  Patrick  and  Cath- 
arine (Riley)  Farrell.  He  came  to  America 
with  his  parents  in  1850,  arriving  May  1st  of 
that  year  and  settling  at  Waukegan,  111.  After 
arriving  at  years  of  maturity  he  engaged  in 
farming,  and  has  shipped  live-stock  to  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  for  the  past  twenty-five 
years.  His  father  died  in  1879,  and  his  mother 
in  1893.  Mr.  Farrell  has  lived  in  Lake  County 
for  fifty  years,  and  has  witnessed  the  growth 
of  Lake  and  Cook  Counties  from  the  condition 
of  a  pioneer  settlement  up  to  the  present  time, 
when  the  population  numbers  between  two  and 
three  million.  In  his  business  experience  he 
has  withstood  all  the  panics,  never  having 
made  a  failure,  and  has  always  paid  one  hun- 
dred cents  on  the  dollar.  He  came  to  this 
region  before  there  were  any  railroads,  driv- 
ing an  ox-team  to  Chicago  to  secure  supplies, 
later  driving  his  live-stock  to  the  same  place 
to  find  a  market.  Mr.  Farrell  was  married 
June  12,  1877,  at  Waukegan,  111.,  to  Miss  Cath- 
arine Conley,  and  they  have  had  seven  children, 
of  whom  five  are  now  living. 

CHARLES  B.  FARWELL. 
Charles  Benjamin  Farwell,  merchant  and 
United  States  Senator,  was  born  at  Painted 
Post,  N.  Y.,  July  1,  1823,  the  son  of  Henry  and 
Nancy  Farwell,  and  until  twenty  years  of  age, 
lived  with  his  parents.  After  passing  through 
the  primary  schools,  he  entered  the  academy 
at  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  where  he  took  a  course  in 
surveying.  In  1838  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his 
father,  who  located  upon  a  farm  in  Ogle  Coun- 
ty, and  there  gave  his  attention  for  several 
years  alternately  to  farming  and  surveying, 
which  out-door  exercise  gave  him,  during  his 
growing  manhood,  the  robust  constitution  which 
fitted  him  for  the  arduous  duties  of  his  later 
life.  On  January  10,  1844,  Mr.  Farwell  came 
to  Chicago,  where  he  obtained  a  position  as 
deputy  in  the  office  of  George  R.  Davis,  County 
Clerk  of  Cook  County,  during  a  part  of  the  time 


performing  the  duties  of  his  chief,  who  was 
incapacitated  for  active  service  by  illness. 

Mr.  Farwell  remained  in  the  County  Clerk's 
office  until  the  spring  of  1846,  when  Capt.  J.  B. 
F.  Russell  offered  him  a  clerkship  in  his  real- 
estate  office,  which  he  accepted.  In  1849  he 
was  engaged  as  corresponding  clerk  in  the  bank- 
ing house  of  George  Smith,  and  was  afterwards 
promoted  to  the  position  of  chief  teller,  re- 
maining there  four  years.  In  1853  he  was 
elected  County  Clerk  by  a  large  majority  over 
his  opponent,  Dr.  E.  S.  Kimberly,  at  the  end  of 
his  term  in  1857,  being  re-elected,  but  retiring 
at  the  close  of  his  second  term  in  1861.  His 
administration  of  the  office  was  marked  by  abil- 
ity and  efficiency,  and  while  he  held  it,  he  reor- 
ganized the  entire  system  of  keeping  the  county 
records.  For  the  next  six  years  he  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  his  private  business,  en- 
gaging in  the  real-estate  business  until  1865, 
when  he  purchased  an  interest  in  what  is  now 
the  J.  V.  Farwell  Company,  to  which  he  after- 
ward gave  his  attention  more  or  less  up  to  the 
date  of  his  death.  In  1867  Governor  Oglesby 
appointed  him  a  member  of  the  first  State 
Board  for  the  Equalization  of  Taxes,  and  he 
bore  his  part  in  the  preliminary  work  upon 
which,  as  a  basis,  the  operations  of  all  subse- 
quent Equalization  Boards  have  been  conduct- 
ed. In  1867  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  of  Cook  County,  and  was 
made  Chairman  of  the  Board.  During  his  term 
of  office  the  new  wings  were  added  to  the  old 
court  house,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1871. 

In  1870  Mr.  Farwell  was  nominated  as  the 
Republican  candidate  for  Congress  from  the 
First  District  and  was  elected  by  a  majority 
of  5,300  over  his  Democratic  opponent,  was  re- 
elected  under  a  reapportionment  for  the  Third 
District  in  1872,  and  again  a  candidate  in  1874, 
received  the  certificate  of  election,  but  a  Dem- 
ocratic majority  in  the  Congress  of  1875-76 
resulted  in  the  seating  of  his  Democratic  op- 
ponent, Mr.  Le  Moyne,  near  the  close  of  the  ses- 
sion. In  1880  Mr.  Farwell  was  again  a  candi- 
date for  Congress  and  was  elected,  thus  serving 
in  that  body  three  full  terms  and  part  of  a 
fourth.  In  1887,  after  the  death  of  United 
States  Senator  John  A.  Logan  in  December 
previous,  Mr.  Farwell  was  elected  to  the  va- 
cancy, serving  out  General  Logan's  unexpired 
term  of  four  years.  Other  prominent  political 
positions  held  by  him  include  those  of  Chair- 
man of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee 
for  several  years,  and  delegate  to  the  Repub- 
lican National  Conventions  of  1876  and  1888. 

When  not  engaged  in  the  discharge  of  offi- 
cial duties,  Mr.  Farwell  gave  his  attention  to 
the  immense  mercantile  business  of  the  J.  V. 
Farwell  Company,  during  his  latter  years  being 
President  of  the  Company.  Another  enterprise 
with  which  he  was  prominently  identified  as  a 
member  of  the  J.  V.  Farwell  Company,  was  the 
erection  of  the  magnificent  State  capitol  at 
Austin,  Texas,  through  which  the  company 


878 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


came  into  possession  of  a  vast  body  of  Texas 
lands,  which  will  go  on  increasing  in  value 
indefinitely.  Quiet  and  unostentatious  in  man- 
ner, Mr.  Farwell  was  a  liberal  promoter  of 
many  local  charities,  and  a  generous  contributor 
to  the  support  of  Lake  Forest  University,  for 
a  number  of  years  serving  as  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees.  He  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  Chicago  Club,  and  a  member  of  the 
Union  League  and  Commercial  Clubs. 

Mr.  Farwell  was  married  October  11,  1852,  to 
Miss  Mary  B.  Smith,  of  South  Williamstown, 
Mass.,  and  three  daughters  and  one  son  were 
born  to  them.  Mr.  Farwell's  oldest  daughter 
became  the  wife  of  Reginald  DeKoven;  Grace, 
the  second,  married  Mr.  Dudley  Winston;  and 
Rose,  the  youngest,  on  the  day  of  her  gradua- 
tion from  Lake  Forest  University,  became  the 
bride  of  Hobart  Chatfield  Chatfield-Taylor. 
Walter  Farwell,  the  son,  is  associated  with  the 
J.  V.  Farwell  Company,  at  the  present  time 
being  Vice-President  of  the  company.  Mr. 
Farwell  died  at  his  home  at  Lake  Forest,  Sep- 
tember 23,  1903. 

JOHN  VILLIERS  FARWELL. 

John  V.  Farwell,  known  throughout  two  con- 
tinents as  a  merchant  prince  and  Christian 
philanthropist,  was  born  in  Campbelltown,  Steu- 
ben  County,  N.  Y.,  July  25,  1825.  On  the  pa- 
ternal side  he  traces  his  ancestry  back  to 
Richard  Farwell  of  England,  who  flourished 
about  1620,  and  he  is  in  the  eighth  generation 
in  lineal  descent  from  Henry  Farwell,  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  the  town  of  Concord, 
Mass.  In  1838  his  father  removed  from  New 
York  to  Ogle  County,  111.,  bringing  his  family 
with  him.  There  the  lad  passed  his  boyhood, 
working  hard  upon  the  home  farm  and  in  the 
winter  months  attending  the  district  school. 
A  brief  course  at  Mount  Morris  Seminary  com- 
pleted his  scholastic  training  and  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  a  good  business  education.  Young 
Farwell's  means  were  slender,  and  during  his 
attendance  at  the  seminary  he  boarded  himself. 
It  may  be  readily  believed,  therefore,  that  he 
fully  prized  such  advantages  as  he  enjoyed, 
and  improved  them  to  the  utmost. 

In  1845,  being  then  a  mere  stripling  of 
twenty  years,  Mr.  Farwell  left  home  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world,  his  first  objective  point 
being  the  then  straggling,  struggling,  but  al- 
ways ambitious  city  of  Chicago.  He  arrived 
there  with  a  cash  capital  of  three  dollars  and 
twenty-five  cents,  but  at  the  same  time  pos- 
sessing resources  more  valuable  than  gold, — 
good  health,  keen  intelligence,  high  principle 
and  resolute  purpose.  Little  did  he  then  dream 
of  the  future  in  store  for  him  in  the  commer- 
cial and  financial  world,  or  the  important  part 
that  he  was  destined  to  play  in  Chicago's 
economic  and  sociological  history.  He  first 
found  employment  in  the  office  of  the  City 
Clerk  at  a  salary  of  twelve  dollars  per  month, 
to  which  compensation  was  added  the  privilege 
of  reporting  the  meetings  of  the  Council,  for 


which  service  he  was  to  receive  the  stipend  of 
two  dollars  for  each  report  furnished.  For- 
tunately for  himself  and  for  the  cause  of  com- 
merce, his  fidelity  to  truth  gave  offense  to 
some  of  the  city  fathers,  and  led  to  his  sur- 
render of  his  position.  For  a  year  thereafter 
he  worked  for  the  dry-goods  house  of  Hamilton 
&  White,  his  monthly  compensation  being 
eight  dollars.  He  next  accepted  an  offer  of 
$250  per  annum  from  Hamlin  &  Day,  and  later 
became  a  book-keeper  for  Wadsworth  &  Phelps, 
at  a  salary  of  fifty  dollars  per  month.  In  1851 
he  was  admitted  into  partnership  with  his 
employers,  the  firm  at  that  time  doing  a  busi- 
ness of  $100,000  per  annum.  Largely  through 
his  efforts  a  large  wholesale  trade  was  rapidly 
built  up.  The  firm  passed  through  various 
changes  until  1865,  when  the  style  of  the  firm 
became  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Company,  the  sales  of 
the  house  at  that  time  exceeding  $10,000,000 
annually.  In  1891  an  incorporation  was  formed 
under  the  name  of  the  J.  V.  Farwell  Co. 

The  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  in  1861  stirred 
Mr.  Farwell's  patriotic  spirit  to  its  depths.  He 
had  already  been  president  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  for  two  years,  and  was 
then  chosen  chief  executive  officer  of  the  Chi- 
cago branch  of  the  Christian  Commission,  to 
whose  funds,  as  well  as  to  those  of  the  San- 
itary Commission,  he  was  a  constant  and  lib- 
eral contributor.  Being  second  Vice-President 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  at  the  commencement  of 
the  war,  he  took  an  especially  prominent  and 
active  part  in  the  organization  of  the  "First 
Board  of  Trade  Regiment,"  which  was  equipped 
through  private  subscriptions  at  an  outlay  of 
$40,000.  He  was  ever  a  warm  and  generous 
friend  to  the  soldiers'  families,  subscribing  lib- 
erally to  every  public  movement  having  for  its 
object  their  maintenance  and  relief,  accom- 
plishing not  a  little  in  the  way  of  unostenta- 
tious private  beneficence. 

Apart  from  his  enormous  mercantile  busi- 
ness Mr.  Farwell  has  been  identified  with  other 
enterprises  of  great  magnitude.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  the  erection  of  the  Texas 
State  House,  at  Austin.  The  Farwell  Brothers, 
John  V.  and  Charles  B.,  undertook  this  great 
work,  in  consideration  of  a  grant  of  3,000,000 
acres  of  land  in  the  famous  "Pan-Handle"  of 
that  State,  and  completed  the  work  two  years 
in  advance  of  the  time  specified  in  their  con- 
tract. Such  an  achievement  may  be  rightly 
called  stupendous,  when  the  size  and  character 
of  the  building  are  considered.  It  stands  in 
the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  having  an  extreme 
frontage  of  600x288  feet,  and  is  constructed  of 
granite  and  iron.  Competent  judges  have  pro- 
nounced it  one  of  the  finest  structures  of  its 
class  on  the  continent. 

Although  singularly  well  equipped  for  pub- 
lic life,  and  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics, 
Mr.  Farwell  has  preferred  the  tranquillity  of 
private  life  to  the  excitement  and  turmoil  in- 
separable from  office.  In  1864,  however,  he 
enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


879 


Presidential  Electors  who  voted  for  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  in  1869  accepted  from  President 
Grant  an  appointment  on  the  Board  of  Indian 
Commissioners. 

Mr.  Farwell  is  a  man  of  deep  religious  con- 
victions and  earnest  Christian  life,  contribut- 
ing generously  to  the  cause  of  evangelical  re- 
ligion, alike  of  his  time,  his  energy  and  his 
means.  Denominationally  he  is  a  Presbyterian, 
being  a  ruling  elder  in  his  home  church,  yet 
his  charity  is  broad  and  comprehensive.  His 
interest  in  the  work  of  the  late  Dwight  L. 
Moody  dates  from  the  commencement  of  the 
career  of  that  great  evangelist,  and  between 
the  two  men  existed  a  warm  personal  friend- 
ship. In  fact,  it  was  Mr.  Moody  who,  when  a 
new  building  was  erected  for  the  use  and  oc- 
cupancy of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, suggested  naming  it  Farwell  Hall,  by 
which  cognomen  it  was  known  until  converted 
to  purposes  of  trade. 

In  private  life  Mr.  Farwell  is  genial,  social 
and  hospitable.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club,  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society 
and  of  the  Art  Institute.  His  home  is  a  beau- 
tiful one,  yet  exemplifies  bis  own  aversion  to 
ostentatious  display.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried; first,  in  1849,  to  Miss  Abigail  G.  Taylor, 
of  Ogle  County,  111.,  and  three  years  after  her 
death  to  Miss  Emerette  C.  Cooley,  of  Hartford, 
Conn.  The  fruit  of  the  first  union  was  one 
daughter,  and  of  the  second  a  daughter  and 
three  sons:  John  V.,  Jr.,  Frank  Cooley  and 
Arthur  Lincoln.  All  the  sons  are  connected 
with  the  J.  V.  Farwell  Company,  John  V.  being 
Treasurer  and  General  Manager,  Frank  C.  at  the 
head  of  the  credit  department,  and  Arthur  L. 
connected  with  the  buying  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness. 

MARSHALL  FIELD. 

The  career  of  this  eminent  merchant  and 
capitalist  furnishes  no  exception  to  the  rule 
that  comparatively  few  of  the  pre-eminently 
successful  men  have  achieved  their  triumph 
without  the  spur  of  early  necessity  to  stim- 
ulate their  efforts.  Born  in  Conway,  Mass.,  in 
1835,  he  passed  his  boyhood  on  a  farm,  and  at- 
tended the  country  schools  and  the  town 
academy  of  half  a  century  ago.  He  early  de- 
veloped, however,  a  disposition  toward  more 
active  pursuits  and  a  closer,  broader  inter- 
course with  the  world  than  was  offered  by  a 
life  devoted  to  agriculture.  While  yet  a  boy 
he  manifested  a  predilection  for  commerce,  and, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  began  his  mercantile 
career  as  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store  at  Pitts- 
field  in  his  native  State.  It  may  be  safely  as- 
sumed that  his  first  employer  was  far  from 
perceiving  in  the  raw  country  lad,  whom  he 
received  as  a  junior  assistant,  the  future  mil- 
lionaire and  merchant  prince  of  the  great  West- 
ern metropolis. 

After  four  years  spent  in  Pittsfield,  Mr.  Field 
determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  what  was 
then  regarded  as  the  "Far  West."  In  1856  he 


made  the  journey  to  Chicago,  and  here  first 
obtained  employment  with  Cooley,  Wadsworth 
&  Company,  where  he  exhibited  such  rare, 
innate  business  capability  that,  in  1860,  he  was 
taken  into  partnership,  the  style  of  the  firm 
becoming  Cooley,  Farwell  &  Company,  which 
was  later  changed  to  Farwell,  Field  &  Company. 
On  the  dissolution  of  the  last  named  firm  in 
1865,  the  business  was  carried  on  by  its  suc- 
cessor, Field,  Palmer  &  Leiter.  Two  years 
later  Mr.  Palmer  withdrew,  and  the  famous 
firm  of  Field,  Leiter  &  Company  came  into  ex- 
istence in  1867.  In  1881  Mr.  Leiter  severed 
his  connection  with  this  concern,  and,  for 
nearly  twenty  years,  Marshall  Field  &  Company 
has  been  the  style  of  the  firm,  a  cognomen 
known  and  respected  in  every  quarter  of  the 
civilized  world.  Under  its  present  judicious, 
far-seeing  management  the  business  of  the 
house  has  steadily  grown.  Before  the  fire  of 
1871  the  volume  of  sales  did  not  exceed  $12,- 
000,000  annually;  it  has  now  reached  over  $40,- 
000,000.  Such  a  record  is  phenomenal,  even  in 
a  city  famed  for  the  rapid  growth  of  its  solid, 
far-reaching  commercial  enterprises. 

Despite  the  weighty  business  cares  which  have 
necessarily  engrossed  much  of  his  time  and 
thought,  Mr.  Field  has  found  leisure  and  inclina- 
tion for  the  patronage  and  advancement  of  many 
projects  looking  to  the  public  welfare,  at  the 
same  time  showing  rare  discrimination  in  the 
bestowal  of  his  benefactions.  To  the  Chicago 
University  he  has  donated  a  part  of  its  orig- 
inal site,  $100,000  in  cash  and  a  tract  of  land 
for  athletic  sports.  He  is  also  the  founder  of 
the  Field  Columbian  Museum,  located  in  Jack- 
son Park,  Chicago,  the  removal  of  which  to  ex- 
tensive buildings  to  be  erected  on  Lake  Fronf 
Park  is  contemplated  at  an  early  day.  It  haa 
been  through  Mr.  Field's  continued  munificence 
that  the  Museum  has  already  attained  high 
rank  among  the  scientific  institutions  of  the 
world. 

In  addition  to  his  mercantile  enterprise,  Mr. 
Field  has  other  extensive  financial  interests. 
He  is  a  director  in  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Com- 
pany; the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Rail- 
way Company;  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
road Company,  and  other  important  enterprises. 

RICHARD  FITZGERALD. 
Richard  Fitzgerald,  Vice-President  and  Gen- 
eral Manager  Chicago  Junction  Railway,  Chi- 
cago, was  born  in  Xenia,  Ohio,  in  September, 
1857;  was  educated  in  the  district  and  public 
schools,  and  after  leaving  school  learned  tel- 
egraphy and  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  for  a  time  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards,  later  being  appointed  freight 
agent  for  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway  Company,  remaining  there  several 
years.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  railroad 
transit  department  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  & 
Transit  Company,  when  it  was  organized  in 
1893,  remaining  in  that  position  until  January 
1,  1898,  when  he  was  appointed  General  Super- 


88o 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


intendent  of  the  Chicago  Junction  Railway  Com- 
pany, continuing  to  serve  in  that  capacity  until 
January  1,  1900,  when  he  was  elected  Vice-Presi- 
dent  of  the  company,  thus  holding  the  position 
of  Vice-President  and  General  Superintendent 
at  the  same  time.  Although  still  a  young  man, 
Mr.  Fitzgerald  has  obtained  his  present  respon- 
sible position  by  close  attention  to  his  many 
duties,  and  by  his  friendly  and  genial  tempera- 
ment has  won  the  esteem  and  friendship  of 
those  with  whom  he  is  associated.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Gertrude  Newcomer  in  Shan- 
non, I1L,  and  two  children  have  blessed  this 


union. 


JOHN  FITZPATRICK. 


John  Fitzpatrick,  operator  Fire  Alarm  and 
Police  Telegraph,  Englewood  Station,  was  born 
in  County  Meath,  Ireland,  March  25,  1849;  at- 
tended the  public  schools  until  he  was  eleven 
years  old,  when,  in  1860,  he  commenced  work 
as  a  messenger  boy  for  the  Magnetic  Telegraph 
Company,  43  Wall  Street,  New  York.  This 
company  was  later  united  with  the  New  York, 
Boston  &  Albany  Telegraph  Company,  and  still 
later  with  the  American  Telegraph  Company, 
21  Wall  Street.  He  was  the  first  messenger 
boy  at  the  old  Stock  Exchange  Building  in  1861 
at  Beaver  &  Williams  Streets,  until  the  com- 
pany was  consolidated  with  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company,  in  1862.  During  the  draft 
riots  of  1863  he  worked  all  night  carrying  mes- 
sages; was  promoted  to  operator  in  1865,  when 
sixteen  years  of  age,  remaining  with  the  com- 
pany until  April  1,  1866,  when  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  worked  as  telegraph  operator,  car- 
accountant,  train-dispatcher  and  assistant 
train-master  for  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad 
Company,  until  December,  1876.  He  commenced 
work  for  the  City  of  Chicago,  January  1,  1877, 
and  upon  examination  was  appointed  operator 
at  Fire  Alarm  and  Police  Telegraph  headquar- 
ters, where  he  has  since  remained  until  trans- 
ferred to  Englewood  Station.  By  close  atten- 
tion to  his  business  and  kind,  pleasant  ways, 
he  has  won  a  host  of  friends.  Mr.  Fitzpatrick 
was  married  in  Chicago,  June  21,  1878,  to  Miss 
Anastasia  Healy,  and  nine  children  have  blessed 
their  union,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living. 

JAMES  W.  FITZSIMONS. 
James  W.  Fitzsimons,  Superintendent  of  Re- 
pairs, Police  Department,  was  born  in  Lansing- 
burg,  N.  Y.,  October  7,  1853,  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  June,  1859,  and  attended  the  Washing- 
ton public  school  and  St.  Patrick's  Academy. 
After  leaving  school  he  learned  the  trade  of 
carriage  blacksmith  with  Coen  &  Ten  Broeke, 
remaining  with  them  sixteen  years,  later  or- 
ganizing the  firm  of  Wallin  &  Fitzsimons  for 
the  manufacture  of  carriages  and  wagons,  re- 
maining in  the  business  twelve  years.  He  was 
appointed  Superintendent  of  Repairs  of  the  Po- 
lice Department,  December,  1898.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Thirty-ninth  General  Assembly 
in  1894-95. 


He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
Lodge,  Golden  Rule,  No.  325,  Chief  Ranger 
Marquette  Court  No.  13,  Catholic  Foresters, 
Division  No.  11,  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians 
and  Arcon  Conclave  No.  683,  Improved  Order 
of  Heptisaphs.  Mr.  Fitzsimons  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Chicago  for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  dur- 
ing all  of  his  business  life  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  helping  to  build  up  the  business 
interests  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Fitzsimons  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Sweeney,  in  Chicago,  August  28,  1898.  At  the 
present  time  (1904)  Mr.  Fitzsimons  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Wallin  &  Fitzsimons. 

The  first  repair  shops  for  the  Police  Depart- 
ment (with  which  Mr.  Fitzsimons  has  been 
connected)  were  located  on  the  corner  of  Un- 
ion and  Eagle  Streets,  in  1883,  and  remained 
there  until  1896,  when  they  were  removed  to 
the  new  works  located  on  Ashland,  south  of 
Blue  Island  Avenue,  the  building  having  a 
frontage  of  60  feet  by  180  feet  in  depth;  steam 
heat  is  obtained  from  the  Water- Works  repair 
shop,  and  the  blast  from  the  West  Side  Pumping 
Station.  All  of  the  buggies,  patrol  wagons, 
ambulances,  Bridewell  omnibus,  dog  pound 
wagons  and  patrol  boxes  are  built,  repaired 
and  painted  at  these  works,  and  all  harnesses 
are  made  and  repaired  there,  also  tin  and  stone 
work.  Fifty  buggies  are  in  constant  use  by  the 
officials  of  the  Police  Department,  fifty-two 
wagons,  nine  ambulances,  three  dog  pound 
wagons,  one  Bridewell  omnibus  and  five  supply 
wagons  are  in  use  by  the  department.  The 
total  force  required  at  these  works  consists  of 
twenty-one  men. 

FRANCIS   JULIUS   FITZWILLIAM. 

Francis  J.  Fitzwilliam  (deceased),  soldier 
and  merchant,  was  born  at  Bainbridge,  Ohio, 
July  11,  1840,  the  oldest  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  M.  Fitzwilliam,  and  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Earl  William  Wentworth  Fitzwilliam 
of  England.  His  great-grandfather  came  to 
America  and  settled  near  Washington,  Pa., 
where  some  of  his  descendants  still  reside, 
while  representatives  of  a  later  generation  set- 
tled in  Ross  County,  Ohio.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  early  inspired  to  secure  an  educa- 
tion and  learn  the  details  of  a  merchant's  busy 
life  like  that  of  his  father  before  him.  He  at- 
tended the  district  school  of  his  native  village 
until  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was 
sent  by  his  father  to  assist  in  establishing  a 
branch  store.  The  skill  and  courage  exhibited 
while  still  a  youth  in  making  long  journeys  on 
horseback  for  the  purpose  of  making  collections 
for  his  father,  gave  evidence  of  traits  of  char- 
acter which  were  manifest  in  his  future  life. 

After  leaving  the  district  school,  Mr.  Fitzwil- 
liam entered  Union  Academy  in  his  native  vil- 
lage, where  he  prepared  himself  for  a  college 
course,  upon  which  he  entered  in  1859  at  the 
Wesleyan  University,  Delaware,  Ohio.  In  com- 
mon with  multitudes  of  the  young  men  of  the 
time  he  left  college  in  1861  to  enter  upon  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


88 1 


more  arduous  duties  of  a  soldier,  enlisting  and 
being  mustered  in  Company  G,  Thirty-third 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which 
he  became  First  Lieutenant,  under  command  of 
Colonel  Sill.  During  the  previous  winter  and 
spring  he  had  been  undergoing  the  process  of 
drilling  as  a  member  of  the  "Olentangy  Grays," 
made  up  of  college  students  organized  with  a 
view  to  training  for  the  soldier  life,  which 
eventually  came  to  nearly  all  the  members  of 
the  organization.  Mr.  Fitzwilliam  continued 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  First  Lieutenant  of 
his  company  until  honorably  discharged,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1864,  after  serving  the  full  period  of  his 
enlistment  of  three  years.  On  March  15,  1864, 
he  was  tendered  promotion  to  a  captaincy,  but 
declined  to  be  mustered  in  under  commission 
as  such,  for  the  reason  that  it  would  have 
bound  him  to  the  service  for  another  "three 
years  or  during  the  war." 

Early  in  1862  the  Thirty-third  Ohio  crossed 
the  Ohio  River  at  Maysville,  Ky.,  and  uniting 
with  the  Forty-second  Ohio,  then  under  com- 
mand of  Col.  James  A.  Garfield,  joined  in  the 
memorable  campaign  under  General  Nelson 
against  Humphrey  Marshall,  who,  at  the  head 
of  a  rebel  force,  had  entered  Eastern  Ken- 
tucky through  the  Cumberland  Mountains  and 
was  devastating  that  portion  of  the  State. 
Marching  by  way  of  Flemingsburg,  the  Thirty- 
third  met  the  main  command  at  Prestonburg. 
Marshall  was  defeated  and  driven  out  of  Ken- 
tucky, soon  after  which  the  Thirty-third  Ohio 
descended  the  Big  Sandy  and,  at  its  mouth, 
took  transports  down  the  Ohio  to  Louisville, 
where  it  became  a  part  of  the  division  under 
command  of  Gen.  O.  M.  Mitchell  of  the  Army  of 
the  Ohio.  On  the  reorganization  of  the  army, 
the  Thirty-third  Ohio  was  attached  to  the  First 
Brigade,  First  Division  of  the  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps,  so  remaining,  it  is  believed,  during  the 
entire  period  of  Lieutenant  Fitzwilliam's  serv- 
ice. Among  the  various  battles,  sieges  and  cam- 
paigns in  which  he  and  his  command  partici- 
pated may  be  mentioned  the  following:  Bridge- 
port and  Fort  McCook,  Ala.;  Perryville,  Stone 
River  and  Hoover's  Gap,  Chickamauga,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge, 
Buzzard's  Roost,  Dug  Gap,  Resaca,  Cassville, 
New  Hope  Church,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Siege  of  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro.  In 
all  of  these  he  not  only  took  part  in  obedience 
to  orders,  but  won  the  commendation  of  his 
superiors  and  the  love  and  esteem  of  his  com- 
panions in  arms. 

Captain  Fitzwilliam  was  a  charming  narrator 
of  interesting  events  and  scenes  connected  with 
his  army  life,  drawing  pictures  so  vivid  and 
inspiring,  that  even  those  without  actual  ex- 
perience in  war  were  wont  to  feel  as  if  they 
were  in  the  field  with  him.  It  was  one  of  his 
greatest  pleasures  to  turn  aside  from  the  duties 
and  responsibilities  of  business  and  join  his 
former  comrades  in  recalling  reminiscences  of 
the  war  period  and  commemorating,  in  the 
State  and  National  Encampments,  the  deeds 


and  patriotism  of  their  associates  in  arms.  In 
a  memorandum,  filed  with  the  George  H. 
Thomas  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  after  coming  to  Chi- 
cago, Captain  Fitzwilliam  makes  mention  of  a 
number  of  events  connected  with  his  army 
life,  including  the  pursuit  under  General  Nel- 
son of  Humphrey  Marshall  through  the  Moun- 
tains of  Eastern  Kentucky;  of  the  union,  as  a 
part  of  Gen  0.  M.  Mitchell's  Division,  with  the 
Army  of  the  Ohio  under  command  of  General 
Buell;  of  the  capture  of  Huntsville,  Ala.,  in 
April,  1862,  which  resulted  in  securing  control 
of  the  Memphis  &  Charleston  Railroad,  thereby 
cutting  off  recruits  from  reaching  Beauregard's 
army  at  Shiloh;  of  the  lively  experience  of  his 
command  in  defense  of  Fort  McCook,  overlook- 
ing the  Sequatchie  Valley,  and  the  race  with 
General  Bragg  into  Kentucky.  After  the  reor- 
ganization of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  at  Louis- 
ville, Captain  Fitzwilliam  served  for  a  time  as 
Aid-de-Camp  and  Assistant  Adjutant-General  on 
the  staff  of  Col.  L.  A.  Harris,  of  the  Second 
Ohio,  as  Acting  Brigadier-General,  and  held  this 
position  during  the  battles  of  Perryville  and 
Stone  River;  and  also  had  the  unique  experi- 
ence of  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Lookout 
Mountain  and  the  assault  on  Missionary  Ridge. 

After  retiring  from  military  service,  Captain 
Fitzwilliam  decided  to  re-enter  mercantile  life, 
locating  at  Bloomington,  111.,  in  1866,  where  he 
established  what  was  then  the  largest  dry-goods 
house  in  Central  Illinois,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Fitzwilliam  &  Sons.  In  1892,  having  sold  out 
this  establishment,  he  organized  the  National 
Home  Building  &  Loan  Association  of  Bloom- 
ington, of  which  he  became  President  and 
which,  under  his  administration,  became  the 
largest  financial  association  of  its  kind  in  the 
State.  In  January,  1896,  he  resigned  the  Presi- 
dency of  this  association  with  a  view  to  enter- 
ing upon  the  quiet  of  a  'retired  life,  which  he 
had  so  richly  earned. 

In  1866  Captain  Fitzwilliam  married  Miss 
Lucretia  Mott  Read,  of  New  London,  Ohio,  a 
most  estimable  woman,  who  died  April  23,  1893. 
Of  this  union  were  born  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  On  June  23,  1896,  he  married  Miss 
Sarah  E.  Raymond,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  who  had 
previously  been  Superintendent  of  Schools  for 
the  City  of  Bloomington, — a  position  which  she 
'held  for  eighteen  consecutive  years,  and,  being 
the  first  City  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  the 
United  States. 

During  his  residence  in  Bloomington,  Cap- 
tain Fitzwilliam  was  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  for  nearly  twenty  years, 
was  Superintendent  of  its  Sabbath  school  for 
fourteen  years,  and  contributed  liberally,  but 
never  ostentatiously,  to  the  support  of  the 
church  and  charitable  objects.  He  founded  a 
mission  church  in  honor  of  his  deceased  wife, 
which  was  named  the  "Lucretia  Chapel,"  which 
still  stands  as  a  worthy  monument,  not  only 
to  the  revered  woman  in  whose  memory  it  was 
erected,  but  of  the  practical  Christian  life 
of  its  founder.  A  brave  soldier,  a  successful 


882 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


business  man,  a  loving  father  and  a  good  citi- 
zen, in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word,  he  lived 
the  life  which  he  professed.  Always  courte- 
ous and  genial,  he  made  all  who  came  within 
his  magnetic  influence  feel  that  he  was  a  man 
to  be  implicitly  trusted  and  respected. 

In  April,  1897,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fitzwilliam  re- 
moved to  the  City  of  Chicago,  taking  up  their 
residence  on  Vincennes  Avenue,  where  they 
identified  themselves  with  the  social,  religious 
and  intellectual  interests  surrounding  them, 
and  established  a  home  which  became  an  at- 
tractive center  for  lovers  of  art  and  the  culti- 
vated and  refined  of  the  community.  In  Chi- 
cago Captain  Fitzwilliam  became  a  member  of 
the  George  H.  Thomas  Post,  G.  A.  R.;  the 
Loyal  Legion,  composed  of  commissioned  of- 
ficers of  the  Civil  War;  Kenwood  Social  Club, 
the  Ellessly  Golf  Club  and  the  Hyde  Park  Bap- 
aist  Church.  Here  they  had  looked  forward  to 
a  period  of  quiet  leisure  and  happy  content- 
ment in  each  other's  society  before  age  should 
bring  on  its  added  burdens.  These  bright  an- 
ticipations were  doomed  to  disappointment, 
however,  for  on  December  23,  1899,  Captain 
Fitzwilliam  passed  away,  leaving  behind  him 
the  memory  of  a  devoted  father,  a  faithful  hus- 
band and  a  true  patriot.  Peacefully,  honorably, 
he  met  and  discharged  all  life's  duties;  hon- 
ored and  beloved  he  passed  away  sincerely 
mourned  by  all  who  knew  him. 

HENRY    FLENTGE. 

Henry  Flentge,  section  railway  foreman,  Des 
Plaines,  111.,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1842,  but 
came  to  America  in  boyhood  and  was  educated 
in  DesPlaines,  Cook  County,  111.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  years  he  entered  into  the  employ- 
ment of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad 
Company,  and  has  been  foreman  of  the  Des- 
Plaines section  for  a  period  of  thirty-seven 
years,  being  one  of  the  oldest  employes  in  the 
service  of  that  company.  His  long  service  is  an 
evidence  of  the  estimation  in  which  he  is  held 
as  an  employe  and  a  man,  by  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  important  railway  companies  in  the 
West.  By  dint  of  industry  and  economy  he 
has  built  and  paid  for  a  handsome  home  on 
the  corner  of  DesPlaines  Avenue  and  Miner 
Street,  DesPlaines.  In  1869  Mr.  Flentge  was 
married  to  Augusta  Hilderbrandt  of  Elk  Grove,' 
111.,  and  has  seven  children:  Hattie,  Gertie. 
Clara,  Mamie,  Elsie,  Katie  and  Artie.  He  is  a 
Lutheran  in  religious  belief  and  a  Republican 
in  politics. 

FRANK  B.  FLYNN. 

Frank  B.  Flynn,  Chief  Engineer,  Department 
of  Electricity,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Maiden, 
Mass.,  December  25,  1853,  and  came  to  Chicago, 
April  15,  1865,  which  was  the  day  after  Abra- 
ham Lincoln's  death  by  assassination.  Here 
he  attended  the  Kinzie  public  school  for  two 
years,  then  learned  his  trade  with  Crane  Broth- 
ers, after  which  he  was  employed  by  them, 
remaining  in  all  seven  years.  From  January, 


1872,  he  worked  for  Owens  Brothers  for  one  and 
a  half  years,  until  he  joined  the  Chicago  Fire 
Department,  in  March,  1874,  on  Engine  No.  13; 
in  August,  1874,  was  promoted  to  Assistant  En- 
gineer, remaining  five  years,  when  he  was  pro- 
moted to  Engineer  and  assigned  to  Engine  30; 
in  1880  was  transferred  to  Engine  4,  remaining 
four  years;  was  then  transferred  to  Engine  27, 
remaining  two  years,  when  he  resigned  and 
went  into  the  employ  of  Prof.  John  B.  Barrett, 
starting  the  first  electric  street  lighting  sys- 
tem ever  owned  by  the  City  of  Chicago.  Until 
July,  1897,  each  system  had  a  Chief  Engineer 
and,  at  that  time,  Mr.  Flynn  was  appointed 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  Department  of  Electricity 
— those  in  charge  of  the  stations  being  called 
Engineers.  Mr.  Flynn  still  retains  this  im- 
portant position,  and  has  the  confidence  of  his 
employers  and  associates.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Robert  Fulton  Association,  No. 
28,  National  Association  of  Engineers,  of  which 
he  was  President  for  two  years.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Chicago,  June  19,  1878,  to  Miss  Margaret 
A.  Gorman. 

JOHN  FORTUNE. 

To  the  patient  toil,  dauntless  courage  and  un- 
wavering faith  of  her  early  pioneers,  Chicago 
owes  a  debt  which  only  the  historian  of  the 
future  can  rightly  gauge.  For  decade  after  de- 
cade these  brave  men  worked  on  and  on,  stand- 
ing shoulder  to  shoulder,  to  face  and  over- 
come unforeseen  obstacles,  sublimely  confident 
that  the  city  which  they  were  building  with  so 
much  love  and  care  would  some  day  become  the 
metropolis  of  which  they  but  imperfectly 
dreamed.  To  quote  from  Dr.  Hale:  "They 
looked  forward,  and  not  back;  up,  and  not 
down;  and  lent  a  hand."  To  this  class,  now 
rapidly  passing  away,  belonged  Mr.  John  For- 
tune (now  deceased),  the  wealthy  brewer  who 
came  to  the  young  straggling,  struggling 
municipality  in  1849.  His  confidence  in  the 
future  never  faltered,  and,  after  half  a  cen- 
tury, he  had  the  joy  of  realizing  that  his  faith 
in  Chicago's  future  was  not  misplaced.  Always 
generous  and  public-spirited  in  his  younger 
days,  he  bore  his  full  share  of  the  public  bur- 
den and  contributed  his  full  quota  toward  the 
civic  needs. 

Mr.  Fortune  was  born  in  County  Wexford, 
Ireland,  in  1828,  a  year  made  memorable  by  the 
election  of  Daniel  O'Connell  to  the  British  Par- 
liament, being  the  first  Roman  Catholic  to  sit 
in  that  body  since  the  days  of  James  II.,  and 
his  election  paving  the  way  for  Catholic  eman- 
cipation. This  was  an  issue  in  which  Mr.  For- 
tune took  a  deep  interest;  and  it  was  not  with- 
out some  lingering  regret  that,  in  1845,  as  an 
American  emigrant,  he  saw  the  shores  of  his 
native  land  fade  away  in  the  distance.  After 
four  years  spent  in  Alexandria,  Va.,  he  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  succeeded  well  at  his  trade 
as  a  house  carpenter.  In  1866  he  joined  his 
younger  brother,  Peter,  in  opening  a  brewery, 
and  the  story  of  their  business  success  is  told 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


883 


in  the  biography  of  his  brother,  on  another 
page.  For  years  he  held  the  position  of  Vice- 
President  of  the  company. 

Mr.  Fortune's  wife's  maiden  name  was  Anas- 
tasia  Dwyer,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1871, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  two  sons:  Wil- 
liam J.  and  Thomas  F.  Both  are  connected  with 
the  Fortune  Brothers'  Brewing  Company,  the 
latter  as  Vice-President  and  the  former  holding 
the  position  of  Secretary  of  the  company. 

Mr.  John  Fortune  entered  into  rest  June  15, 
1900,  and  sleeps  in  Calvary  Cemetery.  Some 
idea  of  the  genuine  and  general  appreciation 
felt  by  his  fellow  citizens  for  his  worth  as  a 
friend,  a  citizen  and  a  man,  may  be  gathered 
from  the  fact  that  his  funeral  cortege  was  the 
largest  ever  seen  in  the  West  Division  of  the 
city,  with  the  exception  of  that  of  the  Hon. 
Carter  H.  Harrison,  Sr. 

PETER  FORTUNE. 

Among  the  great  commercial  and  industrial 
enterprises  of  Chicago  which  have  materially 
aided  in  her  up-building,  the  vast  brewing  inter- 
ests of  the  city  should  not  be  overlooked.  The 
great  Central  West  and  Northwest  count  among 
their  citizens  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  the  Rhineland  and  of 
far-off  Scandinavia,  who  esteem  the  foaming 
mug  of  King  Gambrinus  as  one  of  the  neces- 
sities, rather  than  one  of  the  luxuries,  of  life. 
The  enormous  output  of  the  Chicago  breweries 
finds  a  ready  outlet,  while  its  quality  is  second 
to  none.  Among  the  best  known  of  these  is 
that  of  the  Fortune  Brothers'  Brewing  Com- 
pany, at  the  head  of  which  stands  its  President, 
Mr.  Peter  Fortune. 

Born  in  Ferns,  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  in 
1834,  the  son  of  John  Fortune  and  Dora  Gea- 
han,  his  wife,  he  came  to  America  in  1854. 
Going  south  from  New  York,  he  visited  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore  and  Washington,  and  after 
spending  a  short  time  in  Virginia,  finally  set- 
tled in  Chicago  in  1855.  For  a  year  he  worked 
in  the  freight  department  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railway  Company,  and  then 
opened  a  grocery  and  liquor  store  at  the  corner 
of  Polk  and  Desplaines  Streets,  subsequently 
moving  to  Desplaines  and  Harrison.  In  1866, 
in  connection  with  his  brother  John,  he  estab- 
lished a  small  brewery,  where  at  first  ale  and 
porter  were  brewed.  Later  lager  beer  was  sub- 
stituted for  ale,  to  the  great  benefit  of  the  busi- 
ness. In  1876  incorporation  was  secured,  Mr. 
Fortune  becoming  President  and  his  brother 
John,  Vice-President.  The  business  has  steadily 
grown  until  the  present  annual  sales  exceed 
90,000  barrels.  To  the  management  of  this 
great  business  he  devotes  all  his  time  and  en- 
ergies, no  detail  escaping  his  watchful  eye. 

With  one  exception,  Mr.  Fortune  has  per- 
sistently refused  all  overtures  looking  to  his 
acceptance  of  public  office,  the  management  of 
his  large  personal  interests  forbidding.  In 
1886-88,  however,  he  served  one  term  as  a  Com- 
missioner of  Cook  County. 


His  three-score  years  and  ten  sit  but  lightly 
upon  his  shoulders.  Alert  and  vigorous  in  both 
physical  and  mental  constitution,  he  seems  to 
be  promised  yet  many  years  in  which  to  enjoy 
the  fruits  of  a  long  life  of  industry  and  integ- 
rity. He  was  married  at  Rockford,  111.,  in  Au- 
gust, 1874,  to  Mary  Agatha  Lacey,  the  issue  of 
the  marriage  having  been  Joanna  Fortune  and 
John  Leo  Fortune. 

GEORGE  MARSHALL  FOX,  M.  D. 

Dr.  George  Marshall  Fox,  La  Grange,  111., 
was  born  in  Wallingford,  Rutland  County,  Vt., 
of  early  English  and  Revolutionary  ancestry, 
the  founder  of  the  American  branch  of  his  fam- 
ily being  Thomas  Fox,  who  came  to  America 
from  England  about  1835,  and  settled  at  Cam- 
bridgeport,  Mass.  Until  his  sixteenth  year  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  worked  on  his  father's 
farm,  attending  school  during  the  winter 
months,  when  he  spent  some  two  years  in  Burr 
Seminary.  In  his  eighteenth  year  he  began 
the  study  of  medicine  with  his  uncle,  Dr.  John 
Fox,  of  Wallingford,  completing  a  regular 
course  at  the  Medical  College  at  Castleton,  Vt., 
in  1851.  This  institution  was  later  merged  with 
the  Vermont  University  at  Burlington,  Vt., 
of  which  it  now  constitutes  a  part. 

Having  received  his  degree  in  medicine  in 
1851,  in  September  of  that  year  Dr.  Fox  came 
to  Illinois  and  located  at  what  was  then  known 
as  Brush  Hill,  now  Fullersburg,  Dupage  County, 
whither  he  was  followed  by  his  father's  family 
the  next  spring,  and  where  he  at  once  engaged 
in  active  practice.  The  only  other  resident 
physician  of  this  locality  dying  soon  after 
Dr.  Fox's  arrival,  left  the  latter  a  large  field 
for  professional  work.  The  country  being  but 
sparsely  settled,  compelled  the  physician  of  that 
day  to  take  long  rides,  and  the  territory  cov- 
ered was  a  large  one.  This  imposed  upon  Dr. 
Fox  a  severe  burden  at  times,  but  was  a  part 
of  the  training  to  which  the  physicians  of  that 
period  were  accustomed,  and  which  assisted  in 
the  development  of  that  sturdy  character  for 
which  many  of  them  were  noted. 

In  1864  Dr.  Fox  was  appointed  Physician  in 
charge  of  the  Cook  County  Aims-House  and 
Insane  Asylum,  which  then  contained  about 
700  patients,  and  where,  for  the  next  two  years, 
he  had  sole  charge,  besides  attending  to  a  large 
private  practice.  Soon  after  the  Civil  War,  in 
connection  with  his  brother  Jarvis,  he  erected 
the  Riverside  flour  mills  at  Lyons,  Cook  County, 
which  they  operated  for  about  five  years,  when 
his  brother  having  removed  to  Colorado,  Dr. 
Fox  gave  his  attention  exclusively  to  his  pro- 
fession. In  1875  he  removed  to  La  Grange,  his 
present  place  of  residence,  where  he  continued 
in  active  practice  until  1894,  since  when  he  has 
been  partially  retired,  though  devoting  a  part 
of  his  time  to  professional  work.  Since  the 
death  of  the  late  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis,  Dr.  Fox  ranks 
as  the  physician  having  had  the  longest  prac- 
tice in  Cook  County. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Dr.  Fox  was  married  in  1857  to  Miss  Harriet 
Frances  White,  and  two  years  later  removed  to 
Lyons,  where  his  wife  died,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren: Harriet  Elizabeth  and  Mary  Frances. 
In  1863  he  married  as  his  second  wife  Jane 
Michie,  whose  parents  were  among  the  first 
settlers  in  Lyons  Township.  The  second  Mrs. 
Fox  died  in  La  Grange  in  1894,  leaving  a 
family  of  six  children:  George  Marshall,  Mar- 
garet Amy,  Jane,  Laura,  Jessie  and  Charles 
Marvin.  Dr.  Fox  has  a  delightful  home  in  La 
Grange,  where  he  is  spending  the  evening  of 
his  days  in  deserved  quiet  and  in  the  enjoyment 
of  the  society  of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

WILLIAM  H.  FRIES. 

Wiliam  H.  Fries,  "Pioneer"  Fireman  and 
Pipeman,  Engine  56,  Chicago  Fire  Department, 
was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  April  1,  1843, 
and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  February 
24,  1844.  It  took  ninety-five  days  to  make  the 
voyage  to  New  York.  After  landing  there  they 
came  direct  to  Chicago.  Here  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  attended  the  Jones  and  Dearborn 
public  schools,  and  after  leaving  school  engaged 
in  the  painting  business  and  later  became  a 
train  boy  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Cairo.  He  enlisted  in  the 
Fifty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1862,  and  was  discharged  at  the  ex- 
piration of  service,  February  12,  1865.  During 
the  period  of  his  service  he  took  part  in  various 
battles  from  that  at  Fort  Donelson  all  along 
the  line  to  Nashville,  Tenn.  Returning  to  Chi- 
cago he  turned  the  Erie  Street  float  from  April, 
1865,  until  he  joined  the  Fire  Department,  April 
1,  1866,  on  the  "Island  Queen"  (Engine  No.  4); 
as  pipeman,  was  transferred  to  Engine  No.  11, 
December  31,  1866;  to  Engine  4,  July  1867;  to 
Truck  1,  January  1,  1868;  and  promoted  to 
Assistant  Foreman  July  1,  1869,  after  which  he 
was  assigned  to  Truck  3. 

At  the  fire  of  October  7,  1871,  Mr.  Fries  went 
to  Kaempfer's  bird  store,  and  from  there  to 
Bateham's  mill,  working  all  night  and  until  the 
afternoon  of  October  8.  He  was  called  out 
about  8  o'clock  in  the  evening  to  the  corner 
of  DeKoven  and  Desplaines  Streets,  and  was 
driven  back  little  by  little,  until  Lincoln  Park 
was  reached  on  Wednesday.  He  went  from 
there  to  engine  house  No.  3,  later  went  to  Mich- 
igan Avenue  near  Harrison  Street  to  stop  the 
fire  from  spreading.  He  was  transferred  to 
Engine  22  as  assistant  fireman  in  1884;  to  En- 
gine 20  in  1886;  to  Truck  3,  remaining  until 
1887;  was  next  transferred  to  Engine  30,  re- 
maining until  1891,  and  later  to  Truck  21,  until 
his  transfer  to  Engine  56  in  1893,  where  he  still 
remains  ready  for  any  call. 

Mr.  Fries  was  married  in  Chicago,  August  28, 
1871,  to  Rqsy  Schermer,  and  nine  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  six  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

IRA    W.    FRYE. 
Ira   W.    Frye,   Town    Clerk,    Palatine,    Cook 


County,  111.,  was  born  in  the  Town  of  Bombay, 
Franklin  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1840,  the  son  of 
Abiel  and  Sarah  Frye,  and  came  to  Palatine  in 
1869,  where  he  is  now  conducting  a  livery  busi- 
ness. On  July  3,  1866,  he  was  married  in  the 
city  of  Chicago,  to  Mary  Lewis,  and  has  a 
family  of  three  children,  named  Fred  H.,  Alma 
R.  and  Charles  L.  Mr.  Frye  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  was  elected  Town  Clerk  of  Pal- 
atine Township  in  1883,  a  position  which  he 
continued  to  hold  until  1892,  when  he  was 
elected  Collector  of  Palatine  Township,  which 
position  he  still  retains. 

JOHN  J.  FUREY. 

John  J.  Furey,  Engineer  of  Engine  10,  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Janesville, 
Wis.,  May  1,  1861,  and  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic and  Catholic  schools.  After  leaving  school 
he  came  to  Chicago  and  commenced  work  for 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company 
as  fireman  and,  after  five  years,  was  promoted 
to  engineer,  serving  in  that  capacity  for  eight 
years.  He  joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department 
December  31,  1895,  on  Engine  No.  1,  was  trans- 
ferred to  Engine  32,  and  went  as  candidate  on 
Engine  19,  in  March  1896;  was  promoted  to 
Engineer  and  assigned  to  Engine  74,  October  9, 
1897;  transferred  to  Engine  62,  March,  1899; 
and  to  Engine  10,  July,  1899.  He  has  never 
been  seriously  injured,  but  is  always  prompt  to 
respond  to  any  call  to  duty. 

GEORGE  H.  FURNALD. 
George  H.  Furnald,  Captain  of  Fire  Insurance 
Patrol  No.  6,  was  born  October  27,  1850,  at 
Lowell,  Mass;  came  to  Chicago  in  May,  1855, 
and  was  educated  in  the  Scammon  and  Skinner 
schools.  After  leaving  school  he  learned  the 
mason's  trade.  May  1,  1878,  he  joined  the  Fire 
Patrol,  and  was  assigned  to  Patrol  No.  1.  He 
resigned  in  June,  1880,  and  went  to  Colorado, 
but  returning  in  November,  1880,  again  joined 
Fire  Patrol  No.  1.  This  post  he  resigned  ,in 
June,  1881,  and  went  into  business  for  himself. 
November,  1885,  he  joined  Fire  Patrol  No.  2, 
where  he  remained  until  January  1,  1887,  when 
he  was  transferred  to  Patrol  No.  1;  was  pro- 
moted to  Lieutenant  and  then  to  Captain,  serv- 
ing until  December  1,  1896,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Patrol  No.  6.  He  never  has  suffered 
any  very  serious  accidents,  but  has  had  many 
narrow  escapes,  among  them  one  at  a  fire  in  the 
basement  at  Knight  &  Leonard's  on  Madison 
Street,  when  the  debris  fell  through  from  the 
upper  stories,  and  several  firemen  were  se- 
verely injured,  among  them  J.  A.  Hume  and 
Augustus  Borgmenki.  Furnald,  however, 
escaped  without  injury.  Other  perils  encoun- 
tered by  him  were  at  the  time  that  A.  Papineau, 
of  Patrol  No.  1,  was  killed,  and  when  P.  Mul- 
lens, Captain  of  Patrol  No.  1,  died  from  inhal- 
ing gas  at  the  printing  office  in  rear  of  Patrol 
Building  No.  1.  At  the  latter  all  of  the  com- 
pany were  partially  overcome,  but  recovered. 
Mr.  Furnald  was  married  in  Chicago  in  1888. 


DANIEL    WARREN   GALE 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


885 


to  Miss  Kate  Daley.  It  takes  a  good  Eastern 
man  to  make  a  good  Western  one,  both  for 
pluck,  bravery  and  nerve,  and  when,  in  addition 
to  the  above  good  qualities,  we  add  those  of  a 
pleasant  good-hearted  fellow,  we  find  such  a  one 
in  Captain  George  H.  Purnald. 

FREDERICK    J.    GABRIEL. 

Frederick  J.  Gabriel,  Chief  Thirteenth  Bat- 
talion, Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in 
Hamburg,  Germany,  June  30,  1846,  emigrated 
to  this  country  with  his  parents  and  came  to 
Chicago  in  1851.  Here  he  was  educated  in  the 
public  and  in  private  schools,  remaining  there 
until  fourteen  years  old,  when  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Rigby  &  Company  (wall  paper  deal- 
ers), 69  Randolph  Street.  Later  he  became  clerk 
in  a  grocery  store,  and,  when  eighteen  years 
old,  was  apprenticed  to  the  cooper  trade  with 
Nicholas  Michel,  on  Vedder  Street,  remaining 
there  until  1865,  when  he  went  to  Racine,  Wis., 
where  he  was  employed  by  George  Bliss  & 
Company,  wholesale  and  retail  bakers  and  con- 
fectioners. 

Returning  to  Chicago,  on  April  17,  1869,  he 
joined  the  Fire  Department,  being  assigned  to 
Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  1,  located  on 
LaSalle  near  Washington  Streets.  The  Fire  De- 
partment then  consisted  of  fourteen  engines 
and  two  hook  and  ladder  trucks.  He  resigned 
this  position  September  30,  1871,  to  become  one 
of  the  original  members  (as  driver)  of  the 
Chicago  Fire  Insurance  Patrol,  which  was  or- 
ganized October  2,  1871,  B.  B.  Bullwinkle  being 
Captain.  Resigning  his  position  in  the  Fire 
Department  in  April,  1872,  he  worked  for  a 
time  for  his  brother,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Letz,  Gabriel  &  Company,  Desplaines 
and  Carroll  Streets,  and  assisted  in  putting  up 
the  iron  fronts  of  all  the  prominent  buildings 
erected  about  that  time,  viz.:  McVicker's  Thea- 
ter; Pike's  building,  corner  of  State  and  Mon- 
roe Streets;  the  buildings  of  Hale,  Ayer  &  Com- 
pany, Hall  &  Kimbark,  Philip  Conley,  the  old 
Board  of  Trade,  and  many  others. 

November  3,  1873,  he  rejoined  the  Fire  De- 
partment as  driver  on  Engine  11,  with  four 
horses  attached;  was  transferred  May,  1874,  to 
Truck  6  (known  as  the  "Skinner")  and  pro- 
moted to  assistant  foreman,  and,  in  1876,  was 
promoted  to  Captain  of  the  same  company. 
Other  transfers  included  to  Engine  No.  1,  in 
1877;  to  Truck  6,  in  1878;  to  Engine  27,  Jan- 
uary 10,  1879;  to  Engine  22,  1880,  and  to  En- 
gine 27,  September  5,  1885;  he  was  promoted 
to  Assistant  Fire  Marshal,  with  headquarters 
with  Engine  No.  4,  remaining  there  until  the 
annexation  of  Lake  View  to  Chicago  (Septem- 
ber 7,  1889),  when  he  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  that  district,  known  as  the  Thirteenth 
Battalion,  comprising  an  area  of  six  miles  long 
and  from  the  river  to  the  lake,  having  seven 
engines,  three  trucks  and  three  chemicals  in 
his  control.  While  the  district  is  not  as  closely 
built  up  as  some  others,  this  condition  is  coun- 
terbalanced by  its  extent  territorially;  and, 


this  requires  a  degree  of  watchfulness  which 
is  evidenced  by  the  freedom  from  disastrous 
fires.  As  a  consequence  the  losses  are  smaller 
than  in  almost  any  other  district  in  Chicago, 
which  is  in  keeping  with  the  Marshal's  excel- 
lent record. 

At  the  fire  of  October  8,  1871,  Chief  Gabriel 
was  driver  for  the  patrol  wagon  that  carried 
a  load  of  powder  to  Madison  Street  bridge.  He 
told  Captain  Bullwinkle  that  it  was  getting  too 
hot,  and  therefore  had  to  retreat  to  the  Court 
House,  where  the  powder  was  stored  in  the 
vault,  and  found  "O.  K."  when  the  vault  was 
opened  after  the  fire.  The  most  important  fire 
in  his  district  was  when  the  power  house  on 
Evanston  Avenue  was  burned.  He  handled  it 
skilfully.  He  has  had  one  of  his  legs  broken 
twice,  first  at  Vedder  and  Halsted  Street;  when, 
in  consequence  of  a  collision  with  Hook  and 
Ladder  wagon  No.  10,  he  was  thrown  from  his 
seat,  his  truck  passing  over  him,  and  the  sec- 
ond time  in  a  runaway  accident.  His  promo- 
tions have  been  made  on  the  merits  of  his 
work,  and  his  record  stands  as  that  of  a  plucky, 
skilful  and  courageous  fire  fighter. 

Chief  Gabriel  was  married  in  St.  Paul's 
Church,  Chicago,  October  19,  1874,  to  Catharine 
Pauly,  and  three  children  have  blessed  their 
union,  viz.:  Frederick,  Amanda  and  Harold — 
one  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  one  year  and 
nine  months. 

DANIEL  WARREN  GALE. 

Daniel  W.  Gale  (deceased),  born  in  Ply- 
mouth, Mass.,  in  1826,  was  a  direct  descendant 
of  William  Bradford,  who  was  a  passenger  on 
the  Mayflower  to  Plymouth  Rock  in  1620  and 
became  the  second  Colonial  Governor  of  the 
Pilgrim  Colony.  Mr.  Gale's  father  was  a  ship- 
owner and  house-builder,  and  his  mother  was 
a  relative  of  Governor  Winslow.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  at  Plymouth  until  fourteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  decided  to  start  on  an 
independent  career  and,  much  against  the 
wishes  of  his  parents,  went  to  Boston,  where  he 
secured  employment  as  a  clerk.  Subsequently 
he  decided  to  seek  new  fields  in  the  West.  In 
1840,  accompanied  by  his  parents,  he  came  to 
Illinois,  where  they  purchased  a  farm  near 
Warrenville,  Du  Page  County,  remaining  there 
until  the  land  was  brought  under  cultivation. 

In  1844  Mr.  Gale  took  up  his  permanent  resi- 
dence in  Chicago,  finding  his  first  employment 
as  a  clerk  with  the  firm  of  Siles  &  Duvand,  a 
year  later  becoming  a  traveling  salesman  for 
the  firm  of  McGee  &  High.  As  facilities  for 
travel  were  exceedingly  primitive  in  those 
days,  Mr.  Gale  was  obliged  to  make  periodical 
trips  through  the  Desplaines  Valley  in  a  big 
covered  wagon  pulled  by  six  horses.  Finally 
becoming  tired  of  this  kind  of  employment, 
he  engaged  in  the  warehouse  business  with 
Van  O'Linda,  which  proved  very  lucrative.  Un- 
fortunately, however,  a  great  portion  of  his 
profits  were  consumed  in  the  fire  of  1855.  Later 
Mr.  Gale  became  associated  with  the  dry  goods 


886 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


firm  of  Peck,  Keep  &  Company,  which  eventu- 
ally became  Harmon,  Ayer  &  Gale.  When 
Mr.  Ayer  withdrew  from  the  firm  the  name  was 
changed  to  Harmon,  Gale  &  Company,  and,  a 
short  time  after,  Mr.  Gale  became  the  head  of 
the  concern,  with  Mr.  Van  Wyke  as  a  partner. 
This  association  proving  unsuccessful,  in  1870 
the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  the  great 
fire  of  the  following  year  entirely  destroyed 
the  dry  goods  establishment. 

Becoming  interested  in  California  lands  Mr. 
Gale  made  several  trips  to  that  State,  but  did 
not  take  an  active  part  in  business,  as,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  he  had  twice  suf- 
fered financial  loss  by  fire,  he  had  been  able 
to  save  enough  money  to  make  him  independent. 
During  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  spent  con- 
siderable time  in  Plymouth  investigating  his 
family  history  and  gathering  relics  for  preser- 
vation, and  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  has 
received  many  valuable  articles  from  the  Ply- 
mouth Colony  through  his  efforts. 

Mr.  Gale  at  one  time  was  a  member  of  the 
Unity  Church,  but  upon  removing  to  the  South 
Side  he  joined  the  All  Souls'  Church,  which 
he  attended  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Society  and  was  prominent  in  all  patriotic 
events.  Politically  he  was  a  Republican  and 
voted  that  party's  ticket  at  every  election.  He 
supported  only  candidates  who  were  in  his 
opinion  worthy  of  election.  In  1857  Mr.  Gale 
was  married  to  Eliza  Bowers,  daughter  of 
Charles  Bowers  of  California,  and  she,  together 
with  three  sons  and  two  daughters  survive 
him.  Mr.  Gale  died  April  13,  1896. 

STEPHEN  F.  GALE. 

Of  the  public-spirited  citizens  and  early  set- 
tlers who  have  contributed  to  the  present  great- 
ness of  Chicago,  none  has  been  more  closely 
identified  with  the  Western  Metropolis  than 
Stephen  F.  Gale.  Born  in  Exeter,  Rockingham 
County,  N.  H.,  March  8,  1812,  he  comes  of  an  old 
New  England  family,  an  unusual  number  of 
whom  were  men  of  liberal  education  and  con- 
spicuous in  public  life  in  many  ways.  On  the 
maternal  side  he  was  connected  with  the  East- 
hams,  of  New  Hampshire,  who  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  When  about 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  live  with  an 
uncle  who  was  associated  with  the  well  known 
firm  of  Hillard,  Grey  &  Co.,  of  Boston,  where 
he  was  employed  for  the  next  half  dozen  years 
or  more,  and  during  that  period,  by  practical 
devotion  to  his  numerous  duties,  he  learned 
the  book  and  stationer's  business.  While  lack- 
Ing  the  advantage  of  a  thorough  school  educa- 
tion, he  possessed  a  quick  intellect,  an  inquir- 
ing mind,  a  retentive  memory,  and  patient  and 
studious  habits. 

After  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Gale  de- 
cided to  seek  other  fields  of  indeavor,  and 
started  West.  In  September,  1835,  he  located 
at  Chicago,  which  at  that  time,  had  a  name,  a 
military  post  and  a  geographical  position. 


Here  he  occupied  a  small  tenement  on  the  south 
side  of  South  Water  street,  between  Clark  and 
La  Salle  streets,  installing  therein  a  stock  of 
law,  medical,  school  and  miscellaneous  books, 
together  with  a  stock  of  blank-books  and  sta- 
tionery. To  this  he  added  cutlery,  wall  paper, 
musical  instruments  and  an  assortment  of 
notions.  The  starting  of  country  schools 
throughout  the  State  brought  a  large  and  in- 
creasing demand  for  educational  books,  while 
the  trinkets  and  notions  were  in  no  diminished 
request.  In  1839  Mr.  Gale  published  a  com- 
pilation of  the  statutes  of  Illinois,  which  was 
the  first  law  book  ever  published  in  the  State, 
and  was  known  as  "Gale's  Statutes."  In  1842 
Mr.  A.  H.  Burley  became  associated  with  Mr. 
Gale,  the  firm  name  being  S.  F.  Gale  &  Co. 
In  1845  Mr.  Charles  Burley  purchased  the  in- 
terest of  Mr.  Gale,  when  the  latter  retired  from 
active  business  life.  For  five  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department,  of 
which  he  was  made  chief  engineer.  When  the 
work  of  construction  on  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan Canal  was  suspended  on  account  of  lack  of 
funds,  he  assisted  in  promoting  its  resumption. 
He  was  one  of  those  who  took  part  in  the  prac- 
tical measures  which  gave  the  first  railroad 
connection  with  the  Mississippi  River.  On 
February  12,  1849,  the  Aurora  Branch  Railroad 
Company  (now  a  part  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy)  was  incorporated,  Mr.  Gale  being 
one  of  the  original  incorporators  and  for  a  time 
its  President.  In  November,  1850,  the  line  was 
completed,  and  Mr.  Gale  turned  his  attention 
to  the  extension  of  the  road,  which  was  built 
from  Aurora  to  Mendota. 

Mr.  Gale  was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Theophilus  W.  Smith,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois.  They  had  two  chil- 
dren, Medora,  who  became  the  wife  of  Colonel 
William  Hale  Thompson,  formerly'of  the  United 
States  Navy,  and  Edward  F.,  who  is  a  resident 
of  Massachusetts.  In  his  religious  affiliation  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church.  Polit- 
ically he  was  a  Whig  until  the  Republican 
party  was  organized,  when  he  joined  its  ranks, 
seeking  to  promote  good  government  without 
personal  gain.  In  the  early  '50s  he  received 
the  nomination  for  the  Chicago  mayoralty,  but 
was  obliged  to  decline  the  honor  in  consequence 
of  other  and  pressing  duties.  He  was  an  ardent 
patriot  during  the  war  and  did  good  service  at 
the  outset  in  bringing  a  supply  of  arms  to  the 
State  Capital. 

HOMER  B.  GALPIN. 

Homer  B.  Galpin  (deceased)  was  born  at 
Williamstown,  Mass.,  February  2,  1831,  the  son 
of  Abel  and  Susan  (Mattison)  Galpin.  Abel 
Galpin  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  hardy  New 
Englander  and  a  well-known  old-time  stage- 
driver,  his  route  extending  over  the  Green 
Mountains  from  Wardsboro,  to  Arlington,  Vt, 
and  it  is  said  that  during  the  twenty-two  years 
spent  in  this  occupation,  he  missed  but  two 
trips.  The  last  sixteen  years  of  his  life  were 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


887 


spent  in  Chicago,  where  he  died  at  the  home 
of  his  son,  Homer  B.,  when  eighty-two  years  of 
age. 

Homer  B.  Galpin  received  a  common-school 
education,  and  his  first  work  was  in  a  woolen 
factory  at  North  Hoosick,  N.  Y.  At  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  entered  the  afterwards  famous 
reaper  factory  of  Walter  A.  Woods,  at  Hoosick 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  where  he  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade.  In  1848  he  came  West,  first  seeing  Chi- 
cago when  it  was  a  village  of  7,000  people,  but 
shortly  after  reaching  Illinois,  located  in  Lake 
County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
1852.  During  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago, residing  in  the  city  for  a  time  and  then 
entering  the  employment  of  Squire  Thomas 
Bradwell,  the  father  of  Judge  James  B.  Brad- 
well,  who  lived  at  Palatine,  111. 

While  living  in  Palatine  Mr.  Galpin  filled  a 
minor  official  position,  but  through  the  influence 
of  Judge  Bradwell,  then  County  Judge  of  Cook 
County,  he  was  induced  to  come  to  Chicago  and 
was  immediately  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff  un- 
der Antony  C.  Hesing,  at  the  same  time  being 
made  bailiff  of  the  County  Court.  He  continued 
to  fill  the  office  of  Deputy  Sheriff  for  eighteen 
years  and  in  1878,  in  partnership  with  Henry 
McGurren,  established  a  collection  and  detec- 
tive agency  in  Chicago  which  he  conducted 
until  1880,  when  he  entered  the  United  States 
Revenue  service  as  Government  store-keeper,  a 
position  which  he  filled  for  two  years.  In  1882, 
by  appointment  of  Sheriff  Hanchett,  he  re- 
turned to  the  county  service  as  Deputy  Sheriff 
in  connection  with  the  Probate  Court,  filling 
this  position  until  1891,  when  he  received 
an  appointment  from  Mayor  Washburne  as 
City  Gas  Inspector.  Retiring  from  the  last 
named  position  when  John  P.  Hopkins  became 
Mayor,  he  again  became  Deputy  under  Sheriff 
Gilbert,  filling  this  position  until  the  time  of 
his  death  which  occurred  July  4,  1900,  being 
known  to  the  courts,  the  bar,  and  the  public 
generally  as  the  Deputy  Sheriff  having  had  the 
longest  experience  in  Cook  County.  Altogether 
his  service  as  Deputy  Sheriff  covered  a  period 
of  more  than  thirty  years,  and  his  acquaintance 
throughout  the  county,  and  his  knowledge  of 
county  affairs,  were  probably  more  extensive 
than  that  of  any  other  county  official. 

In  August,  1858,  Mr.  Galpin  was  married  to 
Mary  J.  Cady,  of  Palatine,  111.,  who  died  in 
1863,  leaving  one  daughter,  Nellie,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Gager.  At  Wardsboro,  Vt.,  July  24,  1865, 
he  married  Miss  Wealthea  J.  Plimpton,  whose 
father  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Vermont  and 
a  well-known  Democratic  politician.  Two  sons 
were  born  of  this  union,  viz.:  E.  Frank  and 
Homer  K.,  who  is  prominent  in  Chicago  Re- 
publican circles.  Mr.  Galpin  was  for  many 
years  a  leading  Republican  in  Chicago,  being 
especially  influential  in  the  Twelfth  Ward  in 
which  he  lived. 

The  Twelfth  Ward  Republican  Club  adopted 
the  following  resolutions  at  its  annual  meeting 
November  27,  1900: 


"Whereas,  Homer  B.  Galpin,  long  a  member 
of  this  club,  died  at  his  home  on  the  4th  day 
of  July,  1900;  and  remembering  his  active  and 
loyal  citizenship  through  the  many  years  of  his 
residence  in  this  ward  and  city,  his  neighborly 
kindness,  his  frank  and  upright  nature,  and 
those  attributes  of  heart  and  mind  which  made 
him  dear  to  those  who  knew  him. 

"Therefore,  be  it  resolved,  by  the  Twelfth 
Ward  Republican  Club  in  its  annual  meeting  as- 
sembled, that  we  record  this  testimonial  in  ap- 
preciation of  our  deceased  friend  and  neighbor 
and  sympathy  for  his  sons  and  family." 

.Judge  Kohlsaat  said  of  him  that  he  had 
known  him  for  many  years  and  held  him  in 
great  esteem.  His  neighbors  spoke  of  him  as 
"one  of  God's  noblemen,"  a  true  friend  and  a 
good  neighbor.  He  was  conservator  of  many 
estates,  and  held  other  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility. 

JAMES  GARVEY. 

James  Garvey,  Superintendent  of  the  Water- 
works Repair  Shop,  Chicago,  was  born  in 
Neenah,  Wis.,  July  28,  1864,  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  in  that  place  and  the  High  School 
in  Menasha,  Wis.,  and,  after  leaving  school, 
went  to  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  where  he  served  four 
years  learning  the  trade  of  machinist,  during 
the  last  year  erecting  one  of  the  largest  en- 
gines in  the  State  at  the  State  Hospital  near 
Oshkosh.  Coming  to  Chicago  in  January,  1886, 
he  went  to  work  in  the  Rolling  Mills  at  Bridge- 
port, remaining  one  year,  then  built  ice-ma- 
chines for  six  months,  later  worked  for  George 
M.  Clark  &  Co.  for  two  years,  making  tools  and 
dies,  and  then  for  the  Adams  &  Westlake 
Manufacturing  Company  for  four  years.  In 
May,  1892,  he  commenced  work  for  the  city  of 
Chicago  at  the  North  Side  Repair  Shop  on  Ash- 
land Avenue,  where  he  still  remains,  and  has. 
shown  to  his  employers  by  his  strict  attention 
to  business,  that  he  is  the  "right  man  in  the 
right  place."  These  works,  erected  in  1896, 
have  an  engine  capacity  of  125-horse  power, 
getting  steam  from  the  West  Pumping  Station. 
All  the  repairs  for  the  Water  Works,  bridges, 
hydrants  and  valves,  and  also  new  work,  are 
done  here,  besides  the  testing  of  all  the  meters 
used  by  the  city,  as  they  have  here  the  best 
facilities  for  this  class  of  work  west  of  New 
York. 

MATTHEW  GEIS. 

Matthew  Geis,  Lieutenant  Engine  No.  27, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
June  14th,  1861.  His  father  Ignatius  Geis, 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  and  his 
mother,  Anna  (Schulz)  Geis,  in  Chicago.  The 
son  was  educated  in  St.  Michael's  and  Newberry 
schools,  and  later  was  fireman  on  tugboats 
"Annie  L.  Smith,"  "Frank  S.  Butler,"  "William 
L.  Ewing"  and  "Protection." 

Mr.  Geis  joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment May  13,  1882,  as  assistant  engineer  on 
Engine  No.  27;  was  transferred  August  7,  1886, 


888 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


to  Engine  4;  transferred  as  pipeman  on  Engine 
11,  December  31,  1886;  promoted  to  Lieutenant, 
December  31,  1889,  and  assigned  to  Engine 
27;  transferred,  June  1,  1890,  to  Engine  55,  and 
on  July  5,  1899,  to  Engine  No.  27,  where  (1904) 
he  is  still  on  duty. 

Lieutenant  Geis'  father  was  pipeman  on  En- 
gine "Frank  Sherman,"  located  on  Dearborn 
near  Washington  Street,  and  was  killed  June 
7,  1865,  with  J.  Strening,  while  on  duty  at  a 
fire  on  South  Water  Street  between  Clark  and 
La  Salle  Streets.  First  Assistant  Marshal 
Musham  was  hurt  and  John  Agnew,  Fire  War- 
den, was  badly  crippled  at  the  same  fire.  His 
father's  brother,  John  Geis,  was  killed  while  on 
duty  with  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  1, 
on  South  Water  Street,  on  May  2,  1867,  at  a 
fire  in  a  building  occupied  as  a  cheese  store 
by  Bogardus  Bros. 

At  a  fire  on  April  1,  1888,  at  Gibson,  Parish 
&  Co.'s  on  Randolph  Street  near  State,  Lieuten- 
ant Geis  and  John  Gillespie  (now  Captain  on 
Engine  Company  No.  3)  were  comrades  on  En- 
gine No.  11,  and  while  on  duty  on  the  fourth 
floor  of  the  building  the  fire  broke  out  from 
below.  Lieutenant  Geis  and  O'Connell  slid 
down  the  ladder,  but  Captain  Gillespie,  being 
partly  overcome  by  heat  and  smoke  threw  him- 
self from  the  window  and  was  caught  by  Lieu- 
tenant Geis  and  his  life  saved,  although  he  was 
badly  burned.  Lieutenant  Geis  was  severely 
burned  on  July  3,  1893,  at  a  fire  on  Sheffield 
Avenue,  and  was  partially  blind  for  several 
days,  but  after  recovered.  Like  other  brave 
firemen  of  Chicago,  he  is  always  ready  for  any 
emergency  where  duty  calls  him. 

JOHN  B.  GEORGE. 

John  B.  George,  for  nearly  fifty  years  foreman 
of  one  of  the  most  important  mechanical  depart- 
ments of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company, 
was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  July  12,  1836,  the 
son  of  George  and  Martha  (Bronger)  George. 
His  father  was  a  foundryman  by  occupation,  but 
later  in  life,  after  moving  west,  became  a 
farmer.  The  ancestors  of  the  family  came 
from  Kent,  England,  some  time  during  the  first 
quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century,  settling  in 
New  York  State. 

When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  about 
four  years  of  age,  he  came  with  his  father  to 
Chicago,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools 
and  later  became  an  apprentice  of  an  elder 
brother  in  the  tin  and  copper  manufacturing 
business.  He  remained  continuously  with  this 
firm  for  a  number  of  years,  finally,  before  reacii- 
ing  his  majority,  being  entrusted  with  the  fore- 
manship  of  the  shop.  Early  in  1856  this  firm 
dissolved.  Prior  to  this  date  it  had  done  much 
work  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  which 
had  been  in  course  of  construction  for  some 
years,  being  completed  from  Chicago  to  Cairo 
during  the  year  previous.  In  this  way  Mr. 
George  had  become  personally  acquainted  with 
the  Master  Mechanic  of  the  road  and,  on  April 


1,  1856,  he  obtained  employment  in  the  Illinois 
Central  shops.  Two  years  later  he  became 
Foreman  of  the  tin,  copper,  sheet-iron  and 
steam-fitting  department  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Company,  a  position  which  he  has  held  con- 
tinuously to  the  present  time. 

From  1857  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War,  Mr.  George  had  as  superior  officers  Gen. 
George  B.  McClellan  as  Chief  Engineer  and 
Vice-President  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad; 
Gen.  N.  P.  Banks,  as  a  Director,  and  Gen.  Am- 
brose E.  Burnside  as  Treasurer.  General  Burn- 
side  was  Treasurer  of  the  road  at  the  time  the 
farmers  bought  land  from  the  Illinois  Central 
Company  and  received  corn  from  them  in  pay- 
ment for  the  land  which  they  bought.  He  es- 
tablished a  shelling  station  at  Burnside  Cross- 
ing, in  Cook  County,  thus  giving  name  to  that 
place.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  other  employe 
of  this  great  corporation  has  remained  in  its 
service  for  a  longer  period — a  fact  which  at- 
tests his  efficiency  and  the  trust  reposed  in  his 
management  of  a  department  which,  in  the  half- 
century  of  the  life  of  the  company,  has  grown 
to  such  vast  proportions. 

During  this  long  period  Mr.  George  has  been 
the  originator  or  inventor  of  numerous  devices 
and  appliances  of  a  labor  and  money-saving 
character,  which  are  now  in  common  use  and 
have  saved  the  company  many  thousands  of  dol- 
lars, besides  contributing  to  the  efficiency  of  the 
service  and  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the 
traveling  public.  Among  these  may  be  men- 
tioned a  galvanized  iron  water-bucket,  which 
has  taken  the  place  of  a  very  expensive  leather 
bucket  formerly  in  use.  The  manufacture  and 
use  of  this  new  device  alone  has  resulted  in  a 
vast  saving  to  the  company.  Mr.  George  has 
also  devised  a  process  for  the  manufacture  of  an 
amalgamated  babbitt-metal,  which  can  be  pro- 
duced at  a  cost  of  about  ten  cents  per  pound, 
taking  the  place  of  an  article  for  which  the 
company  had  been  paying  as  high  as  sixty  cents 
per  pound,  and  now  thousands  of  tons  of  the 
new  material  is  in  use  on  the  Illinois  Central 
system.  These  are  examples  which  illustrate 
the  practical  and  pecuniary  value  of  Mr. 
George's  service  more  than  any  words  of  mere 
personal  eulogy  could  do. 

Fraternally  Mr.  George  is  affiliated  with  the 
Order  of  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
being  a  life  member  of  Cleveland  Lodge,  of 
Apollo  Commandery  Knights  Templar  and  the 
La  Fayette  Chapter.  Politically  he  has  been 
a  life-long  member  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  in  his  religious  associations  an  attendant 
upon  the  Trinity  Episcopal  Church. 

On  November  25,  1857,  Mr.  George  was  united 
in  marriage  in  the  city  of  Chicago  to  Catherine 
Griffith,  daughter  of  Owen  and  Elizabeth  Grif- 
fith, and  they  have  had  three  children:  Louis 
Francis,  born  December  10,  1859,  died  Decem- 
ber 8,  1903;  Mattie  E.,  born  October  21,  1866, 
and  John  G.,  born  July  12,  1872.  John  G.  mar- 
ried Jennie  G.  Graham,  August  18,  1900,  and 
he  and  his  wife  reside  in  Chicago.  Mrs.  George's 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


parents    were    of   Welsh    origin    and    came    to 
Chicago  during  her  early  childhood. 

Mr.  George's  long  and  faithful  service  with 
the  most  extensive  corporation  associated  with 
the  history  of  Chicago  and  the  State  of  Illinois 
has  rendered  him  a  conspicuous  figure  among 
the  veterans  in  the  railway  service,  and  no 
higher  tribute  could  be  paid  to  his  trustworthi- 
ness, efficiency  and  sterling  integrity  of  char- 
acter, than  the  confidence  which  he  so  deserv- 
edly enjoys  among  Chicago's  most  prominent 
business  men  and  the  members  of  the  corpora- 
tion with  which  he  has  been  so  long  identified. 

MAX    GESE. 

Max  Gese,  Alderman  Fifth  Ward,  Blue  Island, 
was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  in  1873,  the 
son  of  Christian  and  Minnie  (Ames)  Gese,  both 
natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  Blue  Island, 
111.,  with  their  family  in  1884,  and  have  con- 
tinued to  reside  there.  Since  coming  to  Blue 
Island,  Mr.  Gese  has  been  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cigars,  and  has  also  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  the  life  insurance  business,  repre- 
senting the  New  York  Life  Company.  June  4, 
1901,  on  the  organization  of  the  city  govern- 
ment, he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  first  City 
Council  of  Blue  Island  and  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  Judiciary  Committee  and  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Railroads.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church;  of  the 
Liederkranz  Society,  which  consists  of  about 
100  members  and  of  which  he  is  Vice-President; 
member  and  Commander  of  the  local  lodge 
Knights  of  Pythias;  member  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican Union,  and  for  five  or  six  years  has  been 
Secretary  of  the  Cigar  Makers'  Union.  Mr. 
Gese  is  one  of  the  active  and  influential  citi- 
zens of  Blue  Island. 

HARRY  W.   GETZ. 

Harry  W.  Getz,  formerly  live-stock  agent 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  was  born  in  Me- 
chanicsburg,  Pa.,  October  12,  1850,  and  was 
educated  in  his  native  State.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  for 
eighteen  months  was  employed  in  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Bureau  County,  after  which  he  was 
for  two  years  Deputy  Sheriff  of  that  County. 
He  located  in  Chicago,  November,  1870,  entering 
into  the  employment  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  for  a  year  being  clerk  in  the 
local  freight  department,  then  assistant  agent 
and  train-master  of  the  St.  Charles  Air-Line  for 
fifteen  months,  after  which  he  was  lumber 
agent  for  the  Road  up  to  November,  1874,  when 
he  became  associated  with  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Railway  Company.  With  the  latter  road 
he  was  at  first  employed  in  the  City  Transfer 
Department  and,  in  February,  1875,  was  ap- 
pointed general  Live-Stock  Agent  for  the  com- 
pany at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  where  he 
remained  until  July  1,  1890;  was  next  trans- 
ferred to  the  city  office  as  local  Freight 
Agent,  and  on  November  2,  1892,  promoted 
to  Superintendent  of  Terminals,  remaining 


until  December  31,  1897,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  coal  business  with  his  brother, 
George  F.  Getz.  Mr.  Getz  has  a  large 
acquaintance  and  many  friends  who  appreciate 
his  manly  and  kind  ways.  He  has  done  his 
part  well  to  assist  in  making  Chicago  the  sec- 
ond city  in  the  United  States.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  January  7,  1883,  in  the  City  of  Chicago, 
to  Miss  Nellie  Ives,  and  one  son  has  been  born 
to  them. 

CHARLES  BROCKWAY  GIBSON,  B.  Sc.,  M.D. 

The  ever-growing  tendency  of  the  age  toward 
scientific  study  and  research  has  brought  to  the 
front  a  host  of  self-styled  "scientists,"  men  with 
no  pretension  to  real  learning,  whose  reverb- 
erating sciolism  is  as  empty  as  their  heads. 
But  to  the  true  man  of  science,  the  patient  stu- 
dent, the  tireless,  conscientious  investigator, 
whose  ripe  learning  has  not  been  "hid  under  a 
bushel"  but  freely  given  to  the  world  for  its 
enlightment  and  betterment,  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury owes  a  debt  which  it  is  not  easy  to  esti- 
mate. It  is  in  this  class  of  teachers,  men  who 
follow  science  into  her  hidden,  unexplored 
chambers  from  no  self-seeking  but  in  an  earnest 
quest  for  light  and  truth,  that  the  future  his- 
torian will  place  the  eminent  chemist  and  min- 
ing engineer  above  named. 

Dr.  Gibson  was  born  at  Massena,  N.  Y.,  on 
August  6,  1854.  He  comes  of  Green  Mountain 
lineage,  his  grandfather,  John  Gibson,  having 
been  born  at  Grafton,  Vt,  and  his  father,  Otis, 
at  Chester,  in  that  State.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Chloe  Brockway,  and  his  parents 
were  married  at  Bangor,  N.  Y.  He  and  a  sis- 
ter, Ida  May,  were  their  only  children. 

Charles  B.  Gibson  received  his  scientific  train- 
ing at  the  University  of  Illinois,  the  Berlin  Uni- 
versity and  the  Royal  Mining  Academy  of  Ger- 
many. For  sixteen  years  he  filled  the  chair  of 
chemistry  in  the  Chicago  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  and  the  Chicago  College  of  Dental 
Surgery,  and  in  1893,  was,  by  special  appoint- 
ment, Special  Commissioner  to  Germany  for  the 
Department  of  Mines  and  Mining  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition.  The  past  twenty-five 
years  of  his  life  have  been  devoted  almost 
wholly  to  chemistry,  mining  and  metallurgy, 
and  his  researches  along  these  lines  have  won 
for  him  an  international  reputation. 

In  1891  he  was  married  to  Eva  K.  Clapp,  of 
Athol,  Mass.  Her  father,  Henry  Clapp,  was 
born  among  the  Berkshire  hills  of  Massachu- 
setts about  1830,  and  her  mother  (maiden 
name  Ann  Ely)  in  Litchfield,  Conn.  Both  par- 
ents died  in  Illinois.  Mrs.  Gibson's  excellent 
literary  work  has  brought  her  into  prominence 
among  Chicago's  cultured  people,  her  efforts 
entering  the  fields  of  fiction,  poetry  and  his- 
torical romance. 

DECATUR  W.  GILLEN. 

Decatur  W.  Gillen,  Official  Reporter  Chicago 
Fire  Insurance  Patrol,  was  born  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  November  9,  1850;  had  been  connected 


8go 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


for  three  years  with  the  Brooklyn  volunteer 
fire  department  when  it  was  disbanded  in  1869; 
then  joined  the  Navy  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
same  year,  entering  upon  duty  on  board  the 
Sabine,  from  which  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Guerriere,  a  first-class,  full-rigged  man-of-war 
ship  of 'the  type  of  that  day.  In  the  early  part 
of  1870,  upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Franco-Prus- 
sian war,  the  fleet  was  ordered  to  cruise  in  the 
Mediterranean  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the 
American  merchant  marine.  One  01!  the  ves- 
sels of  that  fleet  was  the  Delaware,  on  which 
was  Lieutenant  George  Dewey,  who  at  that  time 
was  famous  for  his  bravery,  his  skill  as  a  sailor, 
his  sound  judgment  and  his  modest  behavior, 
Mr.  Gillen  is  proud  to  be  able  to  say  that  he 
was  once  a  fellow  jack-tar  with  the  immortal 
Dewey. 

Thus,  for  several  years  the  ex-Brooklyn  fire- 
man roamed  the  world  over,  filling  out  his  life 
with  scenes  of  wonder  and  experiences  varied, 
interesting  and  exciting.  While  serving  on  the 
Mediterranean  fleet  it  was  Mr.  Gillen's  privilege 
to  travel  through  Palestine  over  ground  famil- 
iar to  our  Savior,  from  Bethlehem  south  to 
Damascus,  by  way  of  the  River  Jordan  and  Sea 
of  Galilee,  and  from  Jaffa  on  the  west  to  the 
Mountains  of  Moab  on  the  east,  which  no  other 
returned  to  Brooklyn,  and  in  1875  came  west, 
living  for  some  time  at  Coldwater,  Mich.,  Elk- 
hart  and  South  Bend,  Ind.,  from  the  latter  city 
coming  to  Chicago  in  1886,  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  Here  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Fire  Insurance  Patrol,  where  he  has  occupied 
the  most  important  position  in  the  department 
next  to  that  of  Superintendent.  When  its  du- 
ties are  performed  faithfully — as  in  the  case  of 
Reporter  Gillen — it  becomes  a  necessary  and 
important  office,  as  it  includes  the  compilation, 
for  use  of  the  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters,  of 
all  information  relating  to  the  amount  of  prop- 
erty loss  by  each  fire,  amount  of  insurance  loss 
to  insurance  companies,  amount  and  value  of 
property  saved,  whether  any  suspicious  circum- 
stances were  connected  with  the  fire  or  with 
the  owners  of  the  property,  and  a  hundred  or 
more  items  of  importance.  Dick  Gillen,  as  he 
is  popularly  known,  furnishes  absolutely  correct 
and  valuable  daily  reports,  which  are  sent  out 
by  the  Board  of  Underwriters  to  the  insurance 
companies,  and  he  has  a  most  elaborate  system 
of  reports,  running  through  dozens  of  huge  vol- 
umes, giving  the  complete  history  of  every  fire 
from  its  inception  to  the  amount  of  loss;  and, 
what  is  more  important,  the  moral  hazard  in 
the  history  of  the  owners  and  tenants  of  the 
buildings,  thereby  furnishing  a  reliable  guide 
for  information  in  issuing  fire  insurance.  Very 
few  men  have  had  as  much,  or  as  varied  a 
career,  or  seen  as  much  of  life  as  Dick  Gillen, 
or  had  as  many  narrow  escapes  from  death, 
once  being  caught  under  a  wagon  which  upset 
on  the  way  to  a  fire,  breaking  his  leg.  He  is 
also  the  hero  of  many  rescues,  and  is  well 
known  for  his  devotion  to  his  comrades  and 
those  with  whom  he  is  connected,  and  will 


always  be  found  at  his  post  of  duty  regardless 
of  the  danger  involved.  Mr.  Gillen  was  married 
to  Miss  Minnie  Swinart,  December  25,  1885. 

EGBERT   W.    GILLETT. 

The  successful  man  is  he  who  chooses  his 
vocation  with  reference  to  his  natural  abilities 
and  inclinations,  and  adheres  strictly  to  the 
business  of  his  choice.  Among  the  successful 
and  representative  business  men  of  Chicago 
must  be  numbered  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Egbert  W.  Gillett,  born  in  Dexter,  Jefferson 
County,  N.  Y.,  the  son  of  Paul  W.  and  Caroline 
H.  Gillett,  both  natives  of  the  Empire  State. 
His  father  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three'  and 
his  mother  in  her  fifty-eighth  year,  the  decease 
of  both  occurring  in  Chicago,  to  which  place 
they  had  removed  in  1852  from  New  York  State. 
Much  interested  in  the  cause  of  temperance, 
his  father  often  lectured  on  the  subject.  The 
business  in  Chicago,  of  which  Mr.  Gillett  is  the 
owner  (manufacturing  and  importing  of  gro- 
cers' specialties),  was  established  by  his  father 
many  years  ago.  , 

Arriving  in  this  city  with  his  parents  when 
but  three  years  of  age,  young  Gillett  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Chi- 
cago and  finished  at  Wheaton  College.  Having 
completed  his  education,  he  entered  business 
with  his  father  at  257  South  Clark  Street.  They 
were  located  at  61  Michigan  Avenue  at  the  time 
of  the  great  fire  (October  8,  1871),  and  their 
entire  plant  was  swept  away.  On  October  9 
they  resumed  business  at  51  West  Lake  Street, 
remaining  there  until  the  South  Side  was  par- 
tially rebuilt,  when  they  removed  to  Nos.  38 
to  44  Michigan  Avenue,  where  they  remained 
eleven  years.  During  that  time,  in  the  year 
1882,  E.  W.  Gillett  became  sole  proprietor  of  the 
business,  and  in  1887,  requiring  more  room  and 
enlarged  facilities,  he  erected  his  present  store 
at  Nos.  9,  11,  13  and  15  River  Street,  67x100 
feet,  six  stories  and  basement,  which  he  now 
occupies,  thus  making  one  of  the  finest  whole- 
sale buildings  in  that  vicinity.  He  employs  in 
this  business  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
hands,  and  his  trade  extends  all  over  the 
United  States.  In  1887  Mr.  Gillett  established 
a  factory  in  Toronto,  Ont,  located  at  32  and  34 
West  Front  Street,  to  supply  his  Canadian 
trade,  where  he  employs  a  large  number  of  oper- 
atives. He  also  founded  the  Champion  Chem- 
ical Works  in  1885,  located  at  38  and  40  Michi- 
gan Avenue,  Chicago,  and  is  president  of  the 
company,  which  does  a  large  and  prosperous 
chemical  business. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Lincoln 
National  Bank  and,  for  several  years,  a  director. 
He  has  been  a  director  of  the  American 
Exchange  National  Bank  and  the  Chicago  Opera 
House  Company;  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club,  Illinois  Club,  Washington  Park 
Club,  and  other  prominent  clubs,  corporations 
and  associations.  He  has  large  real  estate  inter- 
ests in  Chicago,  and  subdivisions  in  Ohio  to 
which  he  gives  some  attention.  His  handsome, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


891 


large  brownstone  residence  at  3334  Michigan 
Avenue,  Chicago,  is  in  the  finest  part  of  the 
city.  In  his  stables  are  complete  turnouts. 

Mr.  Gillett  is  an  attendant  and  trustee  of 
Plymouth  Congregational  Church;  a  Trustee  of 
Illinois  College,  at  Jacksonville,  111.  He  was 
married  July  25,  1868,  and  the  children  of  him- 
self and  wife  are  Lillian  May  and  Charley  W. 
Gillett. 

FREDERICK  GOETZ. 

Frederick  Goetz,  Captain  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company,  No.  16,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  September  18,  1851, 
and  attended  the  schools  in  his  native  country 
until  coming  to  America  in  1863.  After  attend- 
ing the  public  schools  in  the  United  States,  he 
traveled  through  different  States  of  the  Union 
and  engaged  in  herding  cattle  and  in  logging 
in  the  State  of  Michigan,  but  later  was  em- 
ployed in  driving  team  for  his  father  in  Chicago 
until  he  joined  the  Fire  Department  in  May, 
1877.  Here  he  served  successively  on  Engines 
No.  10,  13,  36,  Chemical  No.  1  and  Trucks  2,  4 
and  8,  until  1885,  when  the  company  was  organ- 
ized for  the  fire-boat  "Alpha,"  upon  which  he 
was  appointed  pipeman.  While  on  duty  on  the 
"Alpha"  in  the  lumber  district  for  a  period  of 
nine  years,  he  was  engaged  in  fighting  all  the 
large  fires  in  that  district,  including  the  Ash- 
land Avenue  lumber  fire,  when  the  deck  of  the 
fire-boat  was  burned  off  and  streams  of  water 
had  to  be  turned  upon  the  members  of  the  com- 
pany as  they  lay  behind  the  bulwarks  for  pro- 
tection against  the  fire  which  completely  sur- 
rounded them.  This  was  the  first  large  fire 
the  "Alpha"  fought.  It  was  while  still  on  the 
"Alpha"  in  the  lumber  district  in  the  spring  of 
1886,  that  he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant  of 
the  Company.  During  the  year  just  named 
occurred  the  Kimball  Organ  Factory  fire,  in 
which  he  had  his  right  leg  broken.  About  the 
time  of  the  dedication  of  the  World's  Fair 
grounds  in  October,  1891,  he  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  Captain  and  transferred  to  the  com- 
mand of  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  16, 
with  headquarters  in  Woodlawn,  where  he  has 
since  remained  and  where  he  is  still  in  com- 
mand. In  1893  Engine  No.  73  was  located  in 
the  quarters  of  Truck  16,  and  both  companies 
saw  service  in  all  the  fires  occurring  on  the  Fair 
Grounds,  as  well  as  in  the  outside  adjacent 
district. 

At  the  time  of  the  memorable  Cold  Storage 
fire  on  the  Fair  Grounds  of  July  10,  1893,  Cap- 
tain Goetz  was  on  duty  in  command  of  Truck 
16  and  Engine  73.  When  the  first  alarm 
sounded  he  was  engaged  at  a  fire  elsewhere  in 
the  vicinity,  but  being  notified  by  Chief  Kenyon 
of  the  location  of  the  Fair  Grounds  conflagra- 
tion, immediately  responded,  and  leading  his 
men  to  the  roof  of  the  burning  building,  found 
the  firemen  jumping  from  the  tower.  With  the 
members  of  his  Engine  Company  he  assisted  in 
removing  the  men  away  from  the  tower  to  the 
edge  of  the  roof  to  be  lowered  to  the  ground. 


They  had  rescued  five  from  their  perilous  posi- 
tion, when  the  rescuing  party  were  compelled 
to  flee,  sliding  down  their  own  hose  and  thus 
saving  their  lives.  The  members  of  Truck 
Company  16  raised  the  ladder  to  the  roof  of 
the  burning  building  on  the  east  side,  and 
Lieutenant;?  Miller  and  Parker,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  the  members  of  the  company,  succeeded 
in  rescuing  Capt.  John  Fitzpatrick  with  the  aid 
of  a  rope,  but  he  subsequently  died  in  hospital 
from  wounds  which  he  had  received  in  jumping 
from  the  tower  to  the  roof. 

Captain  Goetz  has  been  in  numerous  great 
fires,  and  has  experienced  many  narrow  escapes 
and  participated  in  many  heroic  rescues. 
Among  the  more  important  of  his  experiences 
were  the  fires  in  the  Coliseum  and  the  World's 
Fair  Hotels  and  Department  Buildings,  and 
the  Manufacturers'  Building  fire  in  1894,  when 
he  walked  through  a  hole  in  the  roof  and  falling 
a  distance  of  twenty  feet  upon  an  iron  brace, 
sustained  a  broken  leg.  Captain  Goetz  was 
married  in  Chicago  and  has  had  a  family  of  six 
children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living. 

HARVEY   L.   GOODALL. 

Mr.  Goodall  was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Vt., 
in  1836,  and  died  at  his  home  on  Hibbard  Ave- 
nue, Chicago,  March  28,  1900.  He  came  of 
heroic  Vermont  stock,  being  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  that  Mrs.  Dustin,  whose  capture  by  the 
Indians  and  subsequent  escape  in  a  birch  bark 
canoe  after  she  had  slaughtered  her  captors, 
forms  one  of  the  most  thrilling  chapters  of  the 
history  of  pioneer  days. 

Mr.  Goodall  left  his  Vermont  home  while  a 
lad  of  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  making 
his  way  to  the  Maine  seacoast,  secured  employ- 
ment on  a  vessel  about  to  sail  for  Liverpool. 
From  Liverpool  he  made  a  tramp  journey  of 
some  two  years  over  England  and  the  conti- 
nent, when,  returning  to  Liverpool,  he  shipped 
on  the  'Boston  Belle,"  and  after  many  cruises 
that  were  full  of  adventure,  came  back  to  his 
native  land  wiser  because  of  his  experiences  in 
foreign  lands,  but  none  the  wealthier. 

About  this  time  the  cotton-mills  were  becom- 
ing prosperous  and  offering  inducements  to 
skillful  men.  'Having  secured  a  place  in  one, 
Mr.  Goodall  mastered  the  intricacies  of  its  oper- 
ation and  rose  to  be  overseer.  He  invented  a 
"stop  motion"  that  is  in  use  to  this  day;  but 
concluding  that  such  employment  was  not 
suited  to  his  bent,  he  turned  to  journalism  and 
became  a  reporter  on  the  Harrisburg  "Daily 
Telegraph."  His  abilities  soon  won  recogni- 
tion and  he  was  made  editor  of  the  Lancaster 
"Inland  Daily,"  then  owned  by  the  celebrated 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  Edward  McPherson  and 
Theophilus  Fenn. 

Mr.  Goodall  had  now  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  and,  confident  and  self-reliant  as 
he  always  was,  established  the  Lancaster  "Con- 
estoga  Chief,"  which  soon  became  the  organ  of 
the  "Red  Men,"  one  of  the  most  powerful  or- 
ganizations of  the  State.  Receiving  a  flatter- 
ing offer  from  Philadelphia,  his  outfit  was 


892 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


moved  to  that  city,  where  he  established  the 
"Sunday  Mirror."  Building  up  a  good  name 
and  business  for  the  "Mirror,"  he  sold  it  and 
established  the  "Daily  Transcript"  in  New 
York.  This  became  so  successful  that  he  sold 
it  at  the' end  of  a  year  to  a  company  that  after- 
ward debased  it  to  the  service  of  the  "Tweed 
Ring"  of  odious  memory. 

Leaving  New  York  in  1858,  Mr.  Goodall  de- 
voted the  ensuing  three  years  to  travel  and 
business  in  Europe,  returning  to  New  Orleans 
on  the  very  day  that  Louisiana  voted  to  secede 
from  the  Union.  Being  a  pronounced  Union 
man,  his  life  was  in  danger  every  moment  while 
in  that  city.  Michael  Hahn,  a  man  of  promi- 
nence and  subsequent  Governor  of  the  State, 
saw  him  safely  out  of  the  city.  Reaching  Alton, 
111.,  Mr.  Goodall  immediately  enlisted  in  the 
Second  Illinois  Volunteer  Cavalry,  in  which  he 
rendered  services  of  great  tact  and  bravery,  and 
which  secured  for  him  the  frequent  commenda- 
tion of  his  superior  officers-. 

While  yet  the  debris  of  the  evacuated  rebel 
barracks  at  Columbus,  Ky.,  was  ablaze,  Mr. 
Goodall  entered  the  city  with  his  regiment,  and 
being  assigned  to  special  duty,  established  the 
first  Union  newspaper  on  recovered  rebel  soil. 
When  Memphis  had  fallen  and  the  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi  was  uninterrupted  to  that 
point,  Mr.  Goodall  moved  his  paper  to  Cairo, 
111.,  where  it  became  an  influential  and  widely 
circulated  daily. 

Mr.  Goodall  came  to  Chicago  in  1868,  and  es- 
tablished the  "Daily  Sun"  in  November,  1869; 
the  "Weekly  Drovers'  Journal"  January  11, 
1873;  the  "Daily  Drovers'  Journal,"  January  19, 
1877,  and  the  semi-weekly  edition  soon  after. 
Feeling  that  this  would  be  the  last  enterprise 
of  his  life,  Mr.  Goodall  strove  to  make  it  the 
greatest,  and  the  spacious,  well-appointed  and 
completely  equipped  printing  house  near  the 
main  entrance  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  tells 
the  story  of  his  success  more  eloquently  than 
could  any  words.  He  lived  to  see  the  ambition 
of  his  life  gratified,  and  to  be  known  as  the 
founder  of  the  first  and  most  widely  read  daily 
stock  journal  of  all  the  world. 

Other  enterprises  enlisted  his  attention,  in- 
cluding a  weekly  edition  of  the  "Drovers'  Jour- 
nal" issued  in  the  city  of  Liverpool,  Eng.,  to 
promote  and  foster  the  export  live-stock  trade; 
a  belt  line  of  newspapers  around  Chicago — but 
at  no  time  did  he  neglect  his  central  enterprise 
at  the  Stock  Yards.  That  was  the  cap-sheaf  of 
his  endeavor,  and  as  long  as  it  is  known  or 
remembered  among  men,  the  name  of  Harvey 
L.  Goodall,  its  founder,  editor,  publisher  and 
proprietor,  will  not  be  forgotten. 

As  an  employer  of  labor,  both  skilled  and 
unskilled,  Mr.  Goodall  was  conspicuously  for- 
bearing and  sympathetic,  and  during  all  his  ex- 
perience never  was  called  upon  to  face  a  strike. 
But  while  he  was  generous,  almost  to  a  fault, 
he  was  firm  and  unflinching  in  what  he  con- 
sidered his  duty,  and  left  his  family  the  price- 
less legacy  of  an  exalted  name. 

The    widow,    Mrs.   Ellen    F.    Goodall,    in   her 


own  right,  and  as  guardian  of  her  young  son, 
Harvey  L.  Goodall,  Jr.,  succeeds  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  business  and  estate.  In  anticipa- 
tion of  such  a  change  her  husband,  as  far  as 
practicable,  familiarized  her  with  the  routine 
and  details  of  the  business.  As  a  result  of  this 
care  and  forethought  the  "Drovers'  Journal" 
and  the  "Daily  Sun,"  together  with  their  auxil- 
iary publications,  are  still  carried  on  in  accord- 
ance with  the  most  modern  and  improved 
methods;  in  all  departments  keeping  fully 
abreast  of  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
live-stock  interests  of  the  country.  The  great 
improvement  in  the  "Chicago  Daily  Drovers' 
Journal"  since  Mrs.  Goodall  assumed  manage- 
ment of  the  business,  has  been  noticed  and 
highly  commended  by  all  connected  with  the 
live-stock  industry  and  more  firmly  than  ever 
establishes  its  universal  standing  as  "the  lead- 
ing Live  Stock  Daily  and  the  most  reliable 
Live  Stock  Report  in  the  world." 

CLARENCE  FISHER  GOODING. 

Clarence  Fisher  Gooding,  lawyer,  is  a  native 
of  Belvidere,  111.,  where  he  was  born  February 
14,  1847,  being  the  tenth  in  descent  from  Gov. 
Edward  Winslow  (the  third  Governor  of  Ply- 
mouth Colony)  and  Susanna  White,  who  were 
the  first  white  couple  married  in  New  England, 
and  from  John  Alden  and  Priscilla  Mullins,  his 
wife,  and  from  Thomas  Rogers — all  of  whom 
came  to  America  on  the  ship  Mayflower  in  1620. 
William  Gooding,  his  great-grandfather  on  the 
paternal  side,  was  born  in  Dighton,  Mass.,  and 
married  Lydia  Andrews,  a  Dative  of  Taunton, 
in  that  State.  Their  son,  Charles  Gooding,  born 
also  at  Dighton,  became  the  husband  of  Ruth 
Fisher,  a  native^  of  the  same  place,  and  they, 
the  parents  of  Myron  A.  Gooding,  born  in  Bris- 
tol, N.  Y.,  and  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  On  the  maternal  side,  Mr.  Gooding 
traces  his  ancestry  to  Col.  Isaac  Preston,  his 
great-great-grandfather,  born  at  Fairfield,  N. 
J.,  and  his  wife,  Lovice  Daniels;  the  next  in 
descent  being  Isaac  Preston,  also  born  at  Fair- 
field,  whose  son  Isaac  Preston  became  the  hus- 
band of  Lovina  Betsy  Walker,  a  native  of  Gran- 
ville,  N.  Y.  Their  daughter,  Hannah  Maria 
Preston,  born  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  became  the 
wife  of  Myron  A.  Gooding,  and  the  mother  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Clarence  Fisher  Gooding  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  State  and  Evans- 
ville  Seminary,  Evansville,  Wis.  In  the  spring 
of  1863,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he  ran 
away  from  home  and  joined  the  troops  in  the 
rear  of  Vicksburg,  at  first  being  employed  as  a 
teamster,  but  a  few  months  later  (September 
16,  1863),  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
Navy,  and  served  for  a  year  on  the  United 
States  Ship  Louisville  belonging  to  the  Missis- 
sippi Squadron.  He  then  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Company  F,  Fiftieth  Illinois  Infantry,  re- 
maining in  the  service  until  July  25,  1865,  when 
he  was  mustered  out.  The  year  after  the  close 
of  the  war  he  became  a  telegraph  operator  and 
Deputy  Collector  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


893 


Canal  at  Chicago.  The  next  two  years  (1867- 
68)  were  spent  as  operator  in  connection  with 
the  construction  department  of  the  Union  Pa- 
cific Railroad,  his  duty  keeping  him  at  the 
western  terminus  of  the  line  as  the  track  was 
advanced  westward.  When  the  two  roads  (the 
Union  Pacific  and  the  Central  Pacific)  were 
completed  in  March,  1869,  he  became  telegraph 
operator  on  the  Central  Pacific  at  Winnemucca, 
Nev.,  and  the  following  year  at  Summit,  Cal. 
The  latter  year  he  returned  to  Chicago  and 
commenced  the  study  of  law,  continuing  until 
1873.  While  a  student  came  the  great  fire  of 
1871,  in  which  he  lost  his  all. 

In  1873  Mr.  Gooding  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois;  two  years 
later  removed  to  Wyoming,  and,  in  1876,  to  the 
Black  Hills,  the  year  following  becoming  the 
first  magistrate  in  this  new  mining  district. 
Between  1881  and  1883  he  was  connected  with 
the  construction  department  of  the  Mexican 
Central  Railroad,  but  the  latter  year  returned 
to  Chicago  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  For  five  years  (1889-94)  he  was 
Police  Magistrate  for  the  Jefferson  District, 
Chicago.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a 
charter  member  of  the  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  But- 
ler Post,  No.  754  (Department  of  Illinois)  G.  A. 
R.,  organized  in  1893,  and  was  its  Commander 
in  1896. 

On  March  19,  1884,  Mr.  Gooding  was  married, 
in  the  city  of  Chicago,  to  Miss  Lizzie  May  Dem- 
ing,  and  they  have  two  children:  Clarence 
Arthur,  born  February  17,  1885,  and  Winifred, 
born  November  11,  1886.  Mrs.  Gooding  is  a 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Ann  Augusta  (Bedel) 
Deming,  of  Bath,  N.  H.,  and  granddaughter  of 
Gen.  Moody  Bedel,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  and  the  War  of  1812.  Mr.  Gooding 
ranks  as  one  of  the  progressive  and  popular 
lawyers  of  Chicago. 

ADAMS  A.  GOODRICH. 

Among  the  members  of  the  Chicago  Bar  the 
gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  has, 
for  years,  occupied  a  conspicuous  position.  By 
his  abilities,  his  natural  tact  and  professional 
training,  he  has  won  a  position  which  is  widely 
recognized  and  has  placed  him  in  the  front  rank 
of  his  chosen  profession.  In  achieving  this  re- 
sult he  has  undoubtedly  been  aided  by  his  life- 
long identification  with  Illinois  history  and  an 
intimate  acquaintance  and  relationship  with 
some  of  its  most  noted  characters. 

Mr.  Goodrich  was  born  in  Jerseyville,  Jersey 
County,  111.,  January  8,  1849,  the  son  of  Henry 
O.  and  Jane  A.  (Knapp)  Goodrich.  His  father 
came  to  Jersey  County  in  1839,  where  he  after- 
wards married  Miss  Jane  A.  Knapp,  who  was  a 
sister  of  Anthony  L.  and  Robert  M.  Knapp, 
each  of  whom  served  at  different  times  as  mem- 
bers of  Congress  and  in  the  State  Legislature. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  place  until  six- 
teen years  of  age  when,  through  the  influence 
of  his  uncle,  Congressman  Anthony  L.  Knapp, 
he  received  an  appointment  as  a  cadet  in  the 


United  States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point, 
where  he  remained  three  and  a  half  years. 
Then,  being  compelled  to  leave  the  Academy 
on  account  of  ill  health,  he  spent  two  years  in 
travel,  after  which,  returning  to  his  home,  he 
engaged  in  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
his  uncle,  Robert  M.  Knapp.  Later,  removing 
to  Springfield,  he  continued  his  studies  with  his 
uncle,  Hon.  A.  L.  Knapp,  who  had  at  this  time 
become  a  resident  of  the  Capital  City.  Here 
he  continued  his  studies  until  1873,  when,  after 
taking  his  examination,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  by  the  Supreme  Court,  and  immediately 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
his  native  city  of  Jerseyville. 

After  continuing  the  practice  some  five  years, 
in  1878  Mr.  Goodrich  was  elected  State's  Attor- 
ney for  Jersey  County,  being  reelected  to  the 
same  position  in  1880,  and  again  in  1884.  In 
1887  he  resigned  the  prosecuting  attorneyship 
to  accept  the  nomination  for  the  office  of 
County  Judge,  to  which  he  was  elected.  While 
occupying  the  latter  position  he  opened  a  law 
office  in  the  city  of  Chicago  to  which  place  he 
removed  in  1889,  and  where  he  has  been  con- 
tinuously engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession ever  since.  For  several  years  he  has 
been  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Good- 
rich, Vincent  &  Bradley,  with  offices  in  the 
Rookery  Building,  one*of  the  best  known  law 
firms  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 

While  devoting  his  attention  closely  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession  after  coming  to  Chi- 
cago, Judge  Goodrich  for  a  time  discharged  the 
duties  of  County  Judge  during  the  incumbency 
of  the  late  Judge  Richard  Prendergast,  and 
also  served  for  one  year  as  Attorney  for  the 
Chicago  Drainage  Board.  Other  positions  held 
by  him  have  included  those  of  Trustee  of  the 
Northern  Illinois  State  Normal  School  at  De 
Kalb,  having  been  President  of  the  Board  from 
1897  to  the  present  time  (1905)  and  as  one  of 
the  Inspectors  of  the  Chicago  Bridewell.  In  the 
latter  position  he  has  manifested  a  deep  interest 
in  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  a  class 
who,  although  paying  the  penalty  for  the  vio- 
lation of  the  law,  are  not  always  abandoned 
criminals. 

Fraternally  Judge  Goodrich  is  associated 
with  the  Masonic  Order,  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  Odd-Fellows — with  the  first  named  order 
having  attained  the  degree  of  Knight  Templar, 
and  in  the  last  named  the  Etacampment  degree. 

ALBERT  T.  GOODWILLIE. 
Engineer  for  Engine  74,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Chicago,  July  20,  1865,  and 
was  educated  at  Lake  View  public  school,  Eng- 
lewood  High  and  Cook  County  Normal  Schools. 
After  leaving  school  he  worked  in  his  father's 
planing-mill,  Ashland  Avenue  and  Forty-sev- 
enth Street  for  three  years,  and  then  at  his 
father's  supply  office,  153  Monroe  Street,  for 
two  years,  and  sundry  other  places  until  he 
joined  Hyde  Park  Fire  Department  July  1, 
1885,  on  Truck  No.  2.  Later  he  was  trans- 
ferred as  pipeman  to  Engine  No.  2,  and  then 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


as  assistant  engineer  of  the  same  Company,  re- 
maining there  until  Hyde  Park  was  annexed  to 
Chicago  in  1889.  He  was  promoted  to  Engineer 
in  June,  1891,  and  transferred  to  Engine  62,  but 
resigned  soon  after  and  assumed  the  position  of 
foreman  in  D.  M.  Goodwillie's  Planing  Mill. 
Here  he  was  employed  two  years,  when  he 
joined  the  World's  Fair  Fire  Department  as 
assistant  engineer  on  Engine  No.  6,  July  20, 
1893,  where  he  remained  until  that  company 
was  disbanded,  when  he  was  transferred  as  sub- 
stitute pipeman  on  Hose  Company  No.  1,  Iron- 
dale,  and  on  July  5,  1894,  to  Engine  74  as  as- 
sistant engineer.  His  subsequent  changes  in- 
cluded transfer  to  Engine  46,  December  31, 
1894;  promotion  to  Engineer  and  transfer  to 
Engine  73,  April,  1897;  and  transfer  to  Engine 
74,  December  19,  1898.  Engineer  Goodwillie  still 
remains  on  duty  ready  for  any  service  required 
of  the  brave  Chicago  firemen.  He  has  had 
numerous  narrow  escapes,  the  closest  one  being 
when  the  back  porch  of  a  two-story  building 
was  blown  off  and  landed  within  two  feet  of 
where  he  was  standing. 

Mr.  Goodwillie  was  married  at  Walkerton, 
Ind.,  November  10,  1888,  to  Miss  Maud  Curtis, 
and  two  children  have  been  born  to  them,  one 
of  whom  is  still  living. 

MATTHEW  GOTTFRIED. 
For  tenacity  of  purpose,  inflexibility  of  will 
and  heroic  capacity  for  endurance  the  sons  of 
the  Rhineland  are  proverbial  throughout  the 
world.  Of  this  class  was  Matthew  Gottfried  (de- 
ceased), for  many  years  the  executive  head  of 
the  Gottfried  Brewing  Company.  A  native  of 
Hofhein,  Prussia,  where  he  was  born  Decem- 
ber 11,  1822,  he  attended  school  in  his  native 
place  and  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main.  At  Frank- 
fort, in  1842,  he  was  appointed  a  brewer  and, 
after  learning  his  trade,  worked  at  various 
points  in  Southern  Germany  and  Switzerland, 
finally  settling  in  Ansfeld,  Germany,  where  he 
married  Maria  Gundrum,  on  April  7,  1857.  Of 
their  seven  children,  six  are  yet  living.  Dur- 
ing the  same  year  he  crossed  the  water  and 
became  a  resident  of  Chicago,  where  for  sev- 
eral months  he  worked  as  brew-master  for  Con- 
rad Seipp,  and  in  1858,  in  partnership  with 
Peter  Schoenhofen,  erected  a  small  plant  at  the 
corner  of  Twelfth  and  Jefferson  Streets,  the 
style  of  the  firm  being  Gottfried  &  Schoen- 
hofen. This  business  prospered,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  a  larger  brewery  was  built  on 
Seward  Street  near  Sixteenth.  In  1868  Mr. 
Gottfried  withdrew  from  the  concern,  to  spend 
a  year  in  foreign  travel.  In  1870  he  erected  the 
present  extensive  and  thoroughly  equipped 
plant  of  the  Gottfried  Brewing  Company  in 
Archer  Avenue.  This  he  conducted  under  his 
own  name  until  the  formation  of  the  Gottfried 
Brewing  Company,  with  himself  as  president. 
The  capacity  of  the  establishment  is  500,000 
barrels  annually.  Mr.  Gottfried's  successful 
career  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the  possibili- 
ties open  to  pluck  and  perseverance,  integrity 


and   industry.     Mr.   Gottfried   died   at  Elkhart 
Lake,  Wis.,  November  3,  1902. 

RICHARD  S.  GOUGH. 

Richard  S.  Gough,  Manager  of  Postal  Tele- 
graph Company  Station,  at  the  Union  Stock- 
yards, Chicago,  was  born  in  Buckingham, 
England,  February  6,  1844,  the  son  of  James 
and  Ann  (Scott)  Gough.  Richard  S.  Gough 
came  to  America  in  1859,  and  located  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  where  he  spent  one  winter.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  1861,  and  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army,  in  the  telegraph  service,  and 
served  two  and  a  half  years,  when  he  was  dis- 
charged on  account  of  sickness.  Later  he  went 
to  Dixon,  111.,  where  he  spent  one  year  as  a 
telegraph  operator,  after  which  he  went  to 
Bureau  Junction,  where  he  served  in  the  capa- 
city of  telegraph  operator  for  two  years. 

His  next  location  was  in  Muscatine,  Iowa, 
and  later  we  find  him  at  Wilton  Junction,  Iowa, 
where  he  was  employed  as  agent  for  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
remaining  in  that  place  until  1867.  Coming  to 
Chicago  during  this  year,  he  was  appointed 
chief  operator  in  the  office  of  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company  at  the  Union  Stock- 
yards. In  May,  1872,  he  was  appointed  man- 
ager of  the  office,  which  position  he  acceptably 
filled  until  1881,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the 
position  of  manager  for  the  Mutual  Union  Tele- 
graph Company  at  the  Stockyards.  In  1883, 
when  the  two  companies  consolidated,  Mr. 
Gough  accepted  the  position  of  manager  of  the 
Postal  Telegraph  Company,  which  he  still  holds. 
The  business  has  increased  from  $3,600  to  over 
$200,000  per  year. 

Mr.  Gough  was  married  in  June,  1864,  to  Miss 
Sarah  EL,  daughter  of  E.  H.  and  James  (Sher- 
man) Ketcham.  Seven  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  two  sons  and  five  daughters.  Of 
these  one  son  and  four  daughters  are  now  liv- 
ing. Raymond  S.  Gough,  his  son,  is  connected 
with  the  American  Tin  Plate  Company,  has 
received  honorable  mention  from  his  employers 
and  has  been  transferred  to  their  new  office  at 
Pittsburg. 

He  is  a  man  of  good  business  ability,  and  now 
occupies  a  very  responsible  position,  and  that 
he  discharges  his  duties  faithfully  and  well, 
is  manifest  by  his  long  continuance  in  the  ser- 
vice. 

WILLIAM  CHARLES  DUSTIN  GRANNIS. 

William  Charles  Dustin  Grannis  (deceased) 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Stanstead,  Province 
of  Quebec,  Canada,  March  30,  1826,  the  son  of 
William  and  Nancy  Melinda  (Dustin)  Grannis, 
both  born  in  Claremont,  N.  H.,  the  former  in 
1781,  and  the  latter  in  1789.  The  father,  Wil- 
liam Grannis,  who  was  a  merchant  by  voca- 
tion, after  his  marriage  in  1806  at  their  native 
place,  to  Nancy  Melinda  Dustin,  removed  to 
Hatley,  Canada,  and  later  to  Stanstead,  where 
he  died  May  16,  1833,  his  wife  dying  at  the 
same  place  in  1879.  They  were  devoted  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  William 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


895 


Grannis  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Stan- 
stead  Academy,  at  Stanstead,  Canada,  donat- 
ing half  of  the  land  on  which  the  institution 
was  located. 

On  the  paternal  side  Mr.  William  C.  D.  Gran- 
nis was  a  direct  descendant  of  Edward  Grannis, 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Hartford,  Conn., 
where  he  located  in  1655,  later  settling  at  Had- 
ley,  Mass.,  moving  thence  to  New  Haven,  Conn., 
where  he  died.  On  the  maternal  side  Mr.  Gran- 
nis was  descended  from  Hannah  Dustin,  of 
Haverhill,  Mass.,  the  heroine  of  the  Indian  up- 
rising of  1697,  to  whose  memory  and  in  honor 
of  whose  bravery  monuments  have  been  erected 
at  Concord,  N.  H.,  on  Dustin  Island  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Contocook  River  with  the  Merri- 
mack,  and  at  Haverhill,  Mass.  Moody  Dustin 
Grannis,  the  grandfather,  was  a  captain  in  the 
First  New  Hampshire  Regiment  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
the  first  man  to  enlist  in  New  Hampshire  in  the 
war  for  American  Independence,  serving  during 
the  entire  struggle  from  1776  to  1781.  His  com- 
mission bore  the  signature  of  John  Hancock, 
President  of  the  Colonial  Congress,  and  is  pre- 
served as  a  valued  heirloom  by  his  descendants. 

In  his  youth  Mr.  Grannis  enjoyed  the  educa- 
tional advantages  afforded  by  the  country 
school  and  the  academy  of  his  native  place, 
early  acquiring  a  fondness  for  literature,  study 
and  travel.  His  first  business  experience  was 
obtained  as  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store  at  Mont- 
pelier,  Vt.,  whence  he  moved  later  to  Wood- 
stock, Vt.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  same 
business.  In  1852  he  came  to  Chicago  and  there 
found  employment  as  clerk  in  the  wholesale 
grocery  establishment  of  M.  D.  Gilman  &  Co., 
in  which  four  years  later  he  became  a  partner 
under  the  firm  name  of  Gilman,  Grannis  &  Far- 
well,  which,  by  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Gilman, 
later  became  Grannis  &  Farwell,  in  its  time 
one  of  the  most  extensive  concerns  of  its  kind 
in  the  West.  From  this  concern  Mr.  Grannis 
retired  in  1879,  becoming  the  First  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  Union  National  Bank  of  Chicago 
during  the  same  year,  and  its  President  in  1882. 
In  1885  he  organized  the  Atlas  National  Bank, 
of  which  he  became  the  'President,  retaining 
this  position  until  his  permanent  retirement 
from  business  in  1896.  During  his  business 
career  Mr.  Grannis  occupied  official  positions  in 
connection  with  a  number  of  prominent  busi- 
ness corporations,  including  Libby,  McNeil  & 
Co.,  in  which  he  was  a  Director;  as  President 
and  Director  of  the  Union  Rendering  Company; 
President  of  the  Dime  Savings  Bank;  Director 
of  the  Chicago  Building  Company,  and  Director 
and  Treasurer  of  Oakwood  Cemetery  Associa- 
tion. 

Mr.  Grannis'  military  experience  consisted 
in  playing  the  part  of  a  messenger  during  the 
Canadian  Rebellion  of  1839-40,  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years.  He  was  identified  with  the 
following  named  clubs  during  his  residence  in 
Chicago:  The  Commercial  Club;  the  Chicago, 
the  Calumet,  the  Union  League,  Washington 
Park  and  Iroquois  Clubs;  also  held  a  member- 
ship in  the  Chicago  Stock  Exchange.  He 


traveled  quite  extensively,  visiting  different 
portions  or  the  United  States  and  twice  mak- 
ing a  tour  to  Europe. 

in  religious  affiliation  Mr.  Grannis  was  an 
Episcopalian,  for  nearly  thirty  years  serving 
as  Senior  Warden  of  Trinity  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  Chicago.  Politically  he  was  a 
Democrat  during  most  of  his  life,  but  on  the 
adoption  of  the  16-to-l  silver  standard  in  1896, 
being  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  gold  standard, 
espoused  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party. 

Mr.  Grannis  was  first  married  at  Montpelier, 
Vt.,  to  Lucia  Louisa  Baldwin,  a  native  of  that 
city.  On  February  19,  1868,  he  was  married  in 
Chicago  to  Clara  Jane  Brown,  who  was  born 
in  Cohocton,  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  and  of 
this  union  were  born  the  following  named 
children:  Jane  Dustin,  born  January  13,  1869, 
and  marrieu,  November  8,  1892,  Henry  H.  Hol- 
lis  of  Chicago;  Maud  Mary,  born  May  30,  1870, 
married  June  1,  1892,  Daniel  W.  Howland  of 
Boston;  Clara  Balcom,  born  April,  1873,  died 
July,  1874;  and  Uri  Balcom,  born  May  11, 
1880. 

Mr.  Grannis  died  at  his  residence,  No.  2029 
Michigan  Avenue,  Chicago,  August  3,  1898,  and 
Mrs.  Grannis  June  10,  1902.  Mr.  Grannis  was 
a  man  of  strong  character,  of  sound  judgment 
and  marked  ability,  representing  a  high  type 
of  citizenship.  Public-spirited,  benevolent  and 
courteous,  he  enjoyed  the  respect  of  a  large 
circle  of  friends.  In  his  domestic  and  social 
life  he  was  devoted  to  his  family  and  his 
home,  and  was  a  stanch  churchman.  For  near- 
ly half  a  century  he  was  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  leading  commercial  and  financial 
interests  of  Chicago  and  could  well  claim  the 
credit  for  a  large  share  of  its  growth  and 
prosperity. 

THE   GREENLEE  BROTHERS. 

RALPH  STEBBINS  and  ROBERT  LEMUEL 
GREENLEE,  twin  brothers,  well  known 
throughout  the  West  as  foundrymen  and  manu- 
facturers of  machinery  and  stove-repairs,  have 
been  identified  with  the  industrial  and  mer- 
cantile history  of  Chicago  for  nearly  forty 
years.  The  family  to  which  they  belong  is  of 
Scotch-Irish  lineage  ,and  their  paternal  an- 
cestors were  driven  from  Scotland  by  reli- 
gious persecution.  Their  American  progenitors, 
on  emigrating  to  this  country,  first  settled  in 
Delaware.  Later  the  family  removed  to  Craw- 
ford County,  Pa.,  where,  in  Summerhill  Town- 
ship, the  twins  were  born,  April  13,  1848. 

Their  father,  Edmund  Greenlee,  was  born  on 
the  old  family  homestead,  in  Meadville,  Pa., 
March  31,  1811.  He  was  a  man  of  keen  intel- 
lect, remarkable  inventive  genius,  robust  con- 
stitution and  great  physical  strength.  He 
lived  to  attain  the  extraordinary  age  of  four- 
score and  seven  years,  dying  September  4, 
1898.  His  wife,  Mary  Wright  Stebbins,  was  a 
descendant  of  English  ancestors,  who  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1633,  and  settled  at 
Springfield,  Mass.,  where  she  was  born  Sep- 
tember 13,  1808.  Her  father,  Thomas  Stebbins, 
removed  to  Crawford  County,  Pa.,  and  it  was 


8g6 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OP  ILLINOIS. 


there  that  she  met  and  married  Mr.  Greenlee 
in  1833;  there,  too,  she  passed  away,  July  19, 
1877.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  was  three 
daughters  and  three  sons:  Emeline,  Ralph  S. 
and  Robert  L.,  Michael,  Rachel  and  Mary. 

The  twin  brothers,  Ralph  and  Robert,  from 
earliest  infancy  so  closely  resembled  each 
other  in  appearance,  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
they  could  be  distinguished;  and,  even  at  the 
present  time,  they  are  of  the  same  weight  and 
height.  Their  educational  advantages  were  the 
best  afforded  by  their  native  place,  and  after 
having  passed  through  the  district  and  graded 
schools  of  Summerhill,  they  began  work  for 
their  father,  who  was  then  conducting  an  ex- 
tensive dairy  business.  His  mechanical  ingenu- 
ity devised  and  perfected  machinery  which 
he  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  butter  kegs 
and  cheese  boxes.  The  young  men  were  then 
nineteen  years  of  age,  and  for  six  years  after 
leaving  school  they  remained  upon  the  pater- 
nal farm.  The  year  1863  marked  the  beginning 
of  a  new  era  in  their  life  history,  as  it  was 
then  that  they  came  to  Chicago  where  their 
first  business  venture  was  the  opening  of  a 
cooper's  shop.  Bringing  into  use  the  mechani- 
cal knowledge  obtained  from  their  father,  they 
installed  machinery.  This  step  aroused  violent 
opposition  on  the  part  of  competitors,  but  the 
opposition  was  firmly  met  and  the  young  firm 
steadily  prospered.  Endowed  with  inventive 
genius  and  constructive  ability  of  a  high  order, 
it  was  not  many  years  before  they  embarked 
in  the  manufacture  of  wood-working  machin- 
ery. New  methods  were  adopted,  and  new  in- 
ventions patented  from  time  to  time,  until 
the  Greenlee  machines  have  achieved  a  world- 
wide notoriety.  Immediately  after  the  fire  of 
1871,  the  brothers  removed  to  their  present 
works  on  West  Twelfth  Street.  In  1898  a  con- 
flagration swept  away  the  greater  portion  of 
their  plant,  entailing  a  loss  of  a  quarter  mil- 
lion dollars;  but  they  lost  no  time  in  rebuild- 
ing and,  within  a  year,  were  able  to  fill  orders 
even  on  a  larger  scale  than  before.  The  cor- 
porate name  of  the  concern  is  Greenlee  Broth- 
ers &  Company,  Ralph  S.  being  President, 
Robert  L.,  Vice-President,  and  William  B.  (son 
of  the  latter),  Secretary.  Other  manufacturing 
enterprises  in  which  the  firm  has  been  engaged 
include  the  Northwestern  Stove-Repair  Com- 
pany (the  largest  concern  of  the  kind  in  the 
world),  and  the  Greenlee  Foundry  Company, 
both  established  in  1883. 

On  February  15,  1865,  Mr.  Ralph  S.  Greenlee 
was  married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William 
Brooks,  Esq.,  of  East  Canada,  long  prominent 
in  the  ministerial  councils  of  the  conservative 
party  in  the  Dominion.  A  little  more  than  two 
years  afterward  (April  11,  1867),  Robert  L. 
married  Emily,  another  daughter  of  Mr.  Brooks. 
To  Mr  and  Mrs.  Ralph  S.  Greenlee  has  been 
born  a  daughter,  Gertrude,  now  wife  of  James 
A.  Lounsburg,  while  Robert  L.  and  his  wife 
are  the  parents  of  one  son  and  two  daughters. 
The  son,  William  Brooks  Greenlee,  named  for 
his  maternal  grandfather,  is  a  graduate  of 
Cornell  University,  and  is  associated  with  his 


father  and  uncle  in  business.  The  two  daugh- 
ters, Grace  and  Isabel,  are  both  graduates  from 
Ogontz  Seminary,  Philadelphia,  the  former  of 
the  class  of  1891  and  the  latter  the  class  of 
1895. 

In  physique  the  brothers  Greenlee  are  essen- 
tially "manly  men" — five  feet,  ten  inches  in 
height,  and  each  weighing  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  pounds.  Their  kindly  expression  of 
countenance  does  not  belie  their  inbred  court- 
esy or  their  gentle  consideration  for  others. 
Famed  equally  for  scrupulous  integrity  and 
broad  charity,  they  have  won  success  through 
indomitable  will  power  and  untiring  energy. 
Worthy  charities  and  the  cause  of  education 
for  the  masses  have  always  successfully  ap- 
pealed to  their  support.  They  have  been  ex- 
tensive travelers,  both  in  their  own  country 
and  abroad,  thus  adding  to  their  fund  of  gen- 
eral knowledge  and  broadening  their  views  of 
men  and  things.  Their  justly  acquired  fortunes 
are  monuments  to  their  honesty  and  good  judg- 
ment, yet  their  more  lasting  memorial  will 
exist  in  the  good  which  they  have  silently  and 
unostentatiously  accomplished. 

GREENVILLE  M.  GROSS. 
Greenville  M.  Gross,  dry-goods  commission, 
was  born  in  New  Gloucester,  Maine,  May  24, 
1846,  a  son  of  Sewall  and  Caroline  E.  (Par- 
sons) Gross,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
Gloucester,  and  the  latter  of  North  Yarmouth, 
Maine.  The  paternal  great-grandparents  were 

Thomas  and  J (Woodman)  Gross,  both  of 

whom  were  born  in  Massachusetts.  The  grand- 
parents, Isaac  and  Sally  (Woodman)  Gross, 
were  natives  respectively  of  Massachusetts  and 
Maine.  On  the  maternal  side  of  the  family  the 
great-grandparents  were  Samuel  and  Lucy 
(Lufkin)  Bacon,  the  grandparents  being  David 
and  Mary  (Bacon)  Parsons,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  born  in  Maine.  The  ancestors  of  Mr. 
Gross,  on  both  the  father's  and  mother's  side, 
emigrated  from  Massachusetts,  where,  as  the 
records  show,  they  lived  in  1641.  In  his  politi- 
cal views  Mr.  Gross  is  a  Republican,  and  in 
religion  adheres  to  the  Protestant  faith.  In 
June,  1869,  he  was  married  at  Portland,  Maine, 
to  Ella  G.  Ross,  and  of  this  union  one  child, 
Philip,  was  born.  After  the  death  of  his  wife, 
Mr.  Gross  married,  in  April,  1882,  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  Eugenia  Schofield,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  child,  Schofield. 

JACOB  GROSS. 

This  gentleman,  whose  name  is  familiar  to 
the  people  of  Illinois  as  a  former  State  Treas- 
urer, and  to  his  friends  as  a  kind-hearted, 
generous  man  with  an  open,  candid  disposition 
and  strong  hand  for  those  whom  he  esteems 
his  friends,  was  born  in  Jacobsweiler,  Rhen- 
ish Bavaria,  Germany,  February  11,  1840,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  parish  schools  of 
his  native  place  and  in  the  Brown  School  of 
Chicago.  His  father,  Henry  Gross,  died  when 
the  son  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  in 
1855,  his  mother,  Barbara  (Lotz)  Gross,  with 
her  four  children,  sailed  from  Havre  in  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


897 


ship  "Elizabeth,"  and  landed  in  New  York 
after  twenty-eight  ciays  on  the  ocean,  reaching 
Chicago,  July  1st  of  the  same  year.  She 
brought  some  means  with  her,  and  was  able 
to  give  her  children  a  very  fair  start  in  the 
world.  Jacob  Gross,  after  completing  a  course 
at  the  Brown  School  with  credit,  took  up  the 
tinsmith  trade,  at  which  he  served  a  regular 
apprenticeship  that  he  might  become  a  master 
workman.  For  some  six  months  he  worked 
as  a  journeyman,  and  then  going  to  Richton 
became  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  his  brother-in- 
law.  He  was  thus  employed  when  the  Civil 
War  broke  out,  and  he  soon  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany B,  Eighty-second  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  made  a  most  creditable  record  as 
a  soldier.  During  his  service  he  participated 
in  many  of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of  the 
war,  until  May  25,  1864,  when  in  the  battle  of 
New  Hope,  Ga.,  he  was  wounded  by  a  rifle  ball, 
which  so  shattered  the  bones  of  his  right  leg 
that  amputation  became  necessary.  For  many 
months  he  was  under  treatment  in  a  hospital 
at  Chattanooga,  finally  being  honorably  dis- 
charged on  February  14,  1865. 

In  1866  Mr.  Gross  received  an  appointment 
as  a  Deputy  Police  Clerk  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago, serving  two  years,  after  which  he  was 
elected  West  Town  Collector,  a  position  which 
he  filled  for  three  terms.  In  1872  he  was  elect- 
ed Clerk  of  the  Cook  County  Circuit  Court, 
and  was  twice  re-elected,  serving  until  1884, 
when  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  State 
Treasurer  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  was 
triumphantly  elected.  He  served  two  years 
with  distinction,  and  then  retired  to  private 
life,  to  devote  himself  to  his  banking  interest, 
having  become  a  member  of  the  banking  firm 
of  Felsenthal,  Gross  &  Miller.  This  organiza- 
tion was  made  a  State  Bank  in  1891,  and  Mr. 
Gross  became  its  Vice-President,  but  resigned 
in  1896  on  account  of  failing  health.  Since 
that  time  he  has  lived  in  retirement.  Mr. 
Gross  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  for 
many  years  took  an  active  part  in  political 
affairs.  Of  late  years,  however,  his  interest  has 
been  limited  to  voting  and  friendly  discus- 
sion. He  belongs  to  Lodge  No.  557,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  U.  S.  Grant  Post  No.  28,  G.  A.  R. 

Mr.  Gross  was  married  to  Emma  Schade  in 
Chicago,  October  20,  1870,  and  they  now  have 
three  children:  Mamie,  who  is  the  wife  of 
William  Falk;  William  H.,  and  Flora,  married 
to  J.  L.  Seyl.  Mr.  Gross  has  made  an  envi- 
able record  as  a  brave  soldier,  a  capable  and 
efficient  public  official  and  an  honorable  and 
upright  business  man.  He  is  widely  known 
and  thoroughly  esteemed. 

GEORGE  H.  GUENTHER. 
Attorney  and  counsellor  at  law,  Blue  Island 
and  Chicago,  was  born  at  Blue  Island,  Cook 
County,  111.,  March  31,  1877,  the  son  of  Theo- 
dore and  Catharine  (Rech)  Guenther,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  The  father 
and  mother  were  early  settlers  of  Blue  Island, 
and  the  father  was  prominent  in  local  and 
County  politics,  and  held  a  number  of  local 


offices,  including  that  of  County  Commissioner 
of  Cook  County  for  three  years.  He  died  Feb. 

26,  1894.     The  son,  George  H.,  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Blue  Island,  the  Chicago 
Manual   Training   School  and   Cornell   Univer- 
sity, graduating  from   the  latter  in  1898.     He 
was   admitted    to    the    bar    in    1899,    and    has 
since  been   a   practicing   attorney   with   offices 
at  No.  84  Washington   Street,  Chicago.     He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics  and  takes  a  deep  in- 
terest  in    local    municipal    and    public    affairs, 
having  been  elected  to  the  office  of  City  At- 
torney   for   the    flourishing    suburban    city    of 
Blue  Island,   to  which   he   was   chosen   at  the 
election  of  1901,  and   in  1903  without  opposi- 
tion;  and  in  1904  he  became  Assistant  State's 
Attorney,  which  office  he  held  under  the  Hon. 
Charles    S.   Deneen,   until   the   election   of  the 
latter  as  Governor.     A  young  man  of  vigorous 
character    and     commendable     ambition,     Mr. 
Guenther  has  a  promising  future  before  him, 
and  it  is  safe  to  say  will  iuake  his  mark  in  the 
affairs  of  his  city  and  county  and  state. 

HERMON   C.   HAAS. 

Lieutenant  Engine  No.  24,  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, was  born  in  Chicago,  November  25, 
1859,  and  educated  at  the  Dearborn  and  Skin- 
ner schools,  later  worked  for  the  Grain  In- 
spector until  December  17,  1884,  when  he 
joined  the  Fire  Department,  being  then  as- 
signed to  Engine  No.  1.  He  was  subsequently 
transferred  to  Engine  17,  still  later  to  Truck 
12,  and  then  to  Engine  31,  23,  10  and  18;  was 
promoted  to  Lieutenant,  August  3,  1898,  and 
assigned  to  Engine  44;  transferred  to  Engine 
23,  August  3,  1899,  and  later  to  Engine  24, 
where  (1904)  he  is  still  on  duty.  He  has  al- 
ways been  fortunate  as  regards  serious  acci- 
dent, but  has  had  many  narrow  escapes.  His 
father,  Louis  Haas,  came  to  Chicago  in  1837, 
and  was  a  volunteer  fireman  on  Waubansia 
Erigine  No.  2,  located  at  the  corner  of  Franklin 
and  Washington  Streets.  Lieutenant  Haas  was 
married,  in  Chicago,  October  3,  1885,  to  Polly 
O'Conner,  and  two  children  have  been  born 
to  them.  He  has  always  shown  himself  ready 
to  respond  to  every  call  of  duty  whether  of 
rescue  for  others  or  facing  danger. 

WILLIAM   HAAS. 

William  Haas,  Blue  Island,  Cook  County,  111., 
was  born  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  March 

27,  1845,   the   son    of   Jacob   J.   and    Catharine 
(Naas)    Haas,   both   his   parents   being  natives 
of  France,   the   father   born   in   Paris   and   the 
mother  in  Lorraine.    Mr.  Haas'  paternal  grand- 
parents,  Jacob  and   Mary    (Atzel)    Haas,   were 
natives  of  Germany,  the  former  of  Alsace  and 
the  latter   of   Strasburg.     His   grandfather  on 
the  maternal   side,   Jacob   Naas,   was   born   in 
Lorraine,   then   a   Department  of   France,    but 
now  a  part  of  Germany.     Mr.   Haas  was  edu- 
cated in   his   native  city   of   St.   Louis,   was  a 
soldier  of  the  Civil  war,  and  by  occupation  is 
a  clerk.      On    July    22,    1869,    he    was    married 
to  Lena   Peglow,    who   was   born   in   Germany 
and  educated  at  La  Porte,  Ind.,  and  who  died 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


January  4,  1901.  On  November  2,  1904,  Mr. 
Haas  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  D.  Volp,  of 
Blue  Island,  111.  Mr.  jtiaas'  political  affilia- 
tions are  with  the  Republican  party,  and  in 
religious  belief  he  is  a  Methodist.  Fraternally 
he  is  associated  with  the  Masonic  Order,  being 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum;  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  in  which  he  has 
held  the  office  of  Post  Commander  in  Blue 
Island  Post,  No.  473,  for  two  full  terms. 

SIMEON    FRANK    HALL. 

Simeon  Frank  Hall,  live-stock  commission 
merchant,  was  born  in  Senecaville,  Guernsey 
County,  Ohio,  January  28,  1840,  and  educated 
in  the  public  schools.  After  leaving  school  he 
bought  and  shipped  live  stock  from  Ohio  to 
New  York  and  Baltimore.  In  1864  he  went 
to  Richland  Centre,  Wis.,  where  he  bought 
and  shipped  live  stock  to  Chicago  until  1872. 
Then  coming  to  Chicago  on  December  3,  1872, 
he  went  into  partnership  with  Frank  D.  Pat- 
terson, under  the  firm  name  of  Hall,  Patterson 
&  Co.,  which  style  continued  until  1880,  when 
Mr.  Hall  withdrew  and,  with  J.  E,  Greer  and 
William  Hall  organized  the  firm  of  Hall, 
Greer  &  Co.  In  1885  Mr.  Greer  retired  from 
this  firm,  and  Simeon  x\  and  William  Hall 
formed  the  firm  of  Hall  Brothers,  which  style 
was  changed  in  1890  to  Frank  Hall  &  Co.,  and 
so  remained  until  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  injured  in  1898.  In  August,  1899,  he  con- 
nected himself  with  the  firm  of  G.  B.  Van 
Orman,  Shattuck,  Paxson  &  Co.,  where  he  can 
now  be  found  ready  to  attend  to  the  wants  of 
his  many  customers  and  friends,  with  his  usual 
promptness  and  dispatch. 

Mr.  Hall  married  Miss  Alice  Archer,  in  Sen- 
ecaville, Ohio,  September  10,  1859,  and  seven 
children  have  blessed  this  union,  five  of  whom 
are  now  living.  Mrs.  Hall  passed  away  March 
28,  1873.  On  July  12,  1890,  Mr.  Hall  married 
Miss  Mary  Howard  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  and 
two  children  have  been  born  to  them. 

JOHN  HALLBERG, 

Driver,  Hook  &  Ladder  Co.  No.  20,  was  born 
in  Sweden,  June  6,  1844,  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  an  agricultural  institute  of 
his  native  country.  He  came  to  America  June 
6,  1865,  and  commenced  work  on  a  farm  near 
Paxton,  Ford  County,  111.,  and  was  foreman 
on  the  farm  (containing  44,000  acres),  remain- 
ing there  eight  years;  moved  to  Chicago  in 
1873,  and  on  April  1,  1876,  joined  the  Town  of 
Lake  Fire  Department,  as  driver  on  Truck  .No. 
3,  remained  there  for  eight  years  when  he  re- 
signed. May  1,  1886,  he  was  appointed  driver 
on  Truck  4,  Town  of  Lake,  and  remained  there 
until  the  annexation  to  the  city  of  Chicago 
when  he  was  appointed  on  Truck  20,  and  has 
remained  in  the  same  position  ever  since.  He 
has  had  many  narrow  escapes,  but  is  still  on 
duty,  ready  for  any  emergency.  Mr.  Hallberg 
was  married  to  Mary  G.  Delomot  in  Chicago 
on  April  8,  1872,  and  six  children,  two  daugh- 
ters and  four  sons,  have  blessed  their  union, 


five  of  whom  are  living:  Lida,  Jennie  (de- 
ceased), Varna,  Ernest,  Tagge  and  John.  The 
oldest  son,  v  arna,  volunteered  in  the  United 
btates  Navy  and  served  during  the  Spanish- 
American  War. 

ASHLEIGH  C.   HALLIWELL. 

Ashleigh  C.  Halliwell,  President  Halliwell  & 
Baum  Company,  proprietors  of  "Chicago 
Live  Stock  World"  (daily  paper),  was  born  in 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  .November  11,  lb6M  and  after 
receiving  a  brief  schooling,  at  an  early  age 
began  to  "paddle  his  own  canoe."  From  St. 
Louis  he  went  with  his  parents  to  Mississippi, 
Kentucky  and  Ohio,  for  some  years  being  em- 
ployed in  the  "Cincinnati  Times"  job  printing 
rooms.  On  October  2,  1877,  ne  entered  into 
the  employ  of  Mr.  H.  L.  Goodall,  founding  the 
"Drovers'  Journal,"  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards, 
Chicago,  remaining  there  until  November  19, 
1900.  He  started  with  Mr.  Goodall  as  a  com- 
bination market  reporter  and  "printer's  devil," 
and  advanced  to  the  position  of  "editor,"  re- 
maining in  that  capacity  until  he  resigned  and 
organized  the  Hahiwell  &  Baum  Company,  as 
proprietors  of  the  new  market  paper,  "Live 
Stock  World,"  which  does  a  large  printing  busi- 
ness. The  subscription  list  of  the  paper  is 
rapidly  increasing  under  the  new  organiza- 
tion. The  "Breeder's  Gazette"  gave  the  fol- 
lowing flattering  and  deserved  tribute: 

"A  NEW  MARKET  PAPER. — A.  C.  Halliwell, 
who  was  for  twenty-three  years  in  cnarge  of 
the  market  department  of  the  'Drovers'  Jour- 
nal,' Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago,  and  who 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  writers  on  the 
trade  in  market  stock,  has  recently  severed 
his  connection  with  the  'Journal,'  and  has  as- 
sociated himself  with  Will  F.  Baum,  in  the 
publication  of  the  'Chicago  Live  Stock  World,' 
a  market  paper  published  daily  at  the  Chicago 
Yards.  Its  market  reports  are  made  by  Mr. 
Halliwell,  and  therefore  carry  with  them  the 
authority  of  one  of  the  most  experienced  and 
best  informed  men  in  that  department  that  the 
trade  has  yet  developed.  The  'Live  Stock 
World'  is  covering  its  field  thoroughly  and 
reliably  and  presents  a  bright  and  newsy  ap- 
pearance. The  field  afforded  by  the  daily  trans- 
actions at  the  Union  Stock  Yards  is  a  very 
large  one,  and  requires  in  its  journalistic 
treatment  a.  broad  and  thorough  acquaintance 
with  market  conditions  and  the  men  who 
make  the  market;  and  these  qualifications  Mr. 
Halliwell  possesses  in  an  unexcelled  degree. 
His  years  of  work  in  that  line  have  earned 
for  him  an  enviable  reputation  as  an  author- 
ity, and  his  uniformly  courteous  bearing  has 
won  for  him  hosts  of  friends,  all  of  whom  will 
wish  him  the  fullest  measure  of  success  in  his 
new  enterprise.  In  this  the  Gazette  joins." 

Mr.  Halliwell  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  M. 
Drake,  in  Chicago,  July  3,  1888.  Four  children 
have  blessed  this  union. 

HENRY  S.  HALSTED. 

Henry  S.  Halsted  was  born  at  Colne,  Lan- 
cashire, England,  September  18,  1826,  the  son 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


899 


of  Joseph  and  Harriet  (Smith)  Halsted.  The 
father  was  a  well-known  cotton  manutacturer, 
and  gave  his  son  a  liberal  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town.  In  his  youth, 
young  Halsted  began  the  study  of  medicine, 
and,  as  a  preliminary,  served  an  apprentice- 
ship with  an  apothecary,  the  customary  course 
at  that  time,  but  failing  health  caused  him  to 
change  his  plans  and  give  up  his  chosen  pro- 
fession. 

In  1855  Mr.  Halsted  decided  to  come  to 
America,  and  located  temporarily  in  Canada, 
removing  a  little  later  to  Chicago,  In.  In  185s 
he  purchased  tne  schooner  "Minnesota/  and 
this  departure  was  the  foundation  of  a  thriv- 
ing business  which  he  soon  established,  first 
becoming  agent,  then  owner  of  a  large  fleet  of 
vessels  trading  principally  between  Chicago 
and  Buffalo.  January  10,  1860,  he  married  Miss 
Ann  Pineger  of  Boone  County,  111.,  daughter 
of  William  Pineger,  a  prosperous  land  owner 
and  farmer.  In  the  early  '60s  Mr.  Halsted  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade, 
carrying  on  a  large  business  in  the  shipping 
of  grain  and  in  marine  insurance.  The  prin- 
ciples of  honesty,  fair  dealing  and  tenacity  of 
purpose,  which  had  always  been  conspicuous 
traits,  characterized  his  labors  in  this  new 
field  and  won  for  him  many  additional  friends 
and  patrons  who  were  glad  to  acknowledge  his 
sterling  worth  and  business  ability. 

Politically  Mr.  Halsted  was  a  Republican, 
and  though  he  was  never  eager  for  office  or 
self-aggrandizement,  he  ever  held  the  interest 
of  his  party  at  heart.  Without  professions 
or  ostentation,  or  affiliating  with  any  sect,  Mr. 
Halsted  was  a  conscientious  Christian  gentle- 
man. He  was  a  man  of  kindly,  genial  disposi- 
tion and  temperament,  who  was  charitably  in- 
clined, and  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand 
whenever  deserving  opportunity  offered.  As  a 
husband  and  father  he  was  ideal,  being  de- 
voted to  the  home  circle  and  caring  most  for 
the  quiet  of  a  domestic  life.  He  passed  away 
April  23,  1882. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Halsted  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  survive  the 
father.  Of  these  four,  Joseph  is  in  the  Archi- 
tectural Iron  Business,  Henry  P.  is  interested 
in  Insurance,  Lucy  Dale  is  the  wife  of  George 
M.  Harvey,  and  Annie  W.  remains  with  the 
mother  at  the  homestead. 

D.   HARRY  HAMMER. 

The  name  of  D.  Harry  Hammer  was  writ 
large  in  the  professional  and  political  progress 
of  Chicago  for  more  than  three  decades.  He 
was  a  native  of  the  State  in  which  he  main- 
tained a  lifelong  citizenship,  having  been  born 
at  Springfield,  111.,  on  the  twenty-third  day 
of  December,  eighteen  hundred  and  forty. 

His  parents,  John  and  Eliza  (Witmer)  Ham- 
mer, were  descendants  of  good  old  revolution- 
ary stock,  and  his  maternal  grandfather  (Wit- 
mer) was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  They 
removed  to  the  then  far  west  in  eighteen 
hundred  and  thirty-seven,  young  home-seekers 
from  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  They  located 


first  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  several  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them.  A  stanch  friend  of 
the  family  at  that  time  was  the  Honorable 
David  Harry,  M.  C.,  and  in  recognition  of  that 
friendship  this  son  was  christened  David 
Harry.  While  he  was  still  a  lad,  the  family 
removed  to  Ogle  County,  Illinois,  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  old  town  of  Oregon,  and  here  he 
grew  to  manhood.  His  education  was  begun 
in  the  public  schools,  and  continued  at  Rock 
River  Seminary  at  Mount  Morris,  one  of  the 
oldest  institutions  of  learning  in  the  State. 
Thence  he  went,  with  other  youths,  to  Free- 
port,  to  hear  the  now  historic  debate  between 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas. 
This  event  marked  a  turning  point  in  his  ca- 
reer, and  he  determined  to  adopt  the  profes- 
sion of  the  law.  He  soon  after  entered  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  the  class  of  eighteen 
hundred  and  sixty-five.  From  the  date  of  his 
admission  to  the  bar  his  progress  was  stead- 
ily onward  and  upward,  and  he  soon  counted 
among  his  clients  numerous  corporations  and 
individuals  from  distant  cities  in  addition  to  a 
flourishing  local  practice.  In  1879  he  was  ap- 
pointed Justice  of  the  Peace  by  Governor  Cul- 
lom  for  a  period  of  four  years,  and  at  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time  Governor  Hamilton  re- 
appointed  him  for  another  term.  In  testimony 
of  his  popularity  while  in  this  office,  the  fact 
may  be  cited  that  he  disposed  of  an  average 
of  more  than  four  thousand  cases  each  year 
during  his  long  term  of  service.  Later  he  be- 
came Master  in  Chancery  for  the  Superior 
Court  of  Cook  County,  and  also  served  several 
years  as  Alderman  in  the  Common  Council, 
from  the  Fourth  Ward,  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  his  constituents.  In  politics  he  was 
throughout  his  life  an  unswerving  and  con- 
sistent Republican,  and  for  many  years  was 
practically  a  dictator  in  the  ward  in  which  he 
lived. 

He  was,  at  different  periods  of  his  career, 
bank  director,  president  of  various  clubs  and 
societies  both  civic  and  political,  and  always  a 
gentleman  and  a  scholar.  His  private  library 
comprised  several  thousand  volumes  and  was 
said  to  be  one  of  the  choicest  in  Chicago,  rich 
in  first  editions,  rare  "out-of-print"  folios  and 
autograph  copies. 

Mr.  Hammer  was  a  member  of  Chevalier 
Bayard  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  Ori- 
ental Consistory,  Royal  Arcanum,  the  city  and 
State  Bar  Associations,  and  many  smaller  soci- 
eties, and  claimed  membership  in  the  Union 
League,  Calumet,  Hamilton,  Washington  Park 
and  Twentieth  Century  Clubs.  He  had  traveled 
extensively,  not  only  abroad,  but  in  his  own 
country,  and  kept  always  abreast  of  the  times. 

Mr.  Hammer  married,  in  1874,  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Carpenter  (born  Bower)  who  survives  him. 
They  have  two  living  children,  Hazel  H.,  wife 
of  Carl  H.  Paddock  of  Denver,  and  D.  Harry 
Hammer,  junior.  Mr.  Hammer  adopted  Maud 
Carpenter  when  he  married  her  mother,  and 
she  now  resides  in  Boston,  the  wife  of  Ernest 
R.  Sharpe,  of  that  city. 


goo 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


The  most  beautiful  side  of  the  blameless 
life  of  D.  Harry  Hammer  was  turned  ever 
toward  his  home,  and  one  who  knew  him 
best  has  said:  "as  husband  and  father  he  was 
ideal."  A  high  sense  of  honor  characterized 
him  throughout  his  career,  the  keystone  of  his 
life  being  that  divine  command,  "Whatsoever 
ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye 
even  so  to  them."  This  was  to  him  not  only 
a  law  but  a  religion;  the  handwriting  on  the 
wall  that  guided  his  life,  the  key  to  success, 
the  open  sesame  to  justice,  the  essential  ele- 
ment that  made  for  right  living  in  this  world 
and  in  the  life  to  come,  which  began  for  him 
on  the  twenty-ninth  day  of  March,  nineteen 
hundred  and  four. 

M.  W.  HANLBY. 

M.  W.  Hanley,  Superintendent  Armour's 
Grain  Elevators,  who  was  born  in  Menasha, 
Wis.,  November  10,  1850,  and  was  educated  in 
the  Menasha  High  School  and  Lawrence  Uni- 
versity (Appleton),  Wis.,  is  the  youngest  of 
six  sons,  who,  with  two  younger  sisters,  con- 
stituted the  family.  He  worked  at  various  in- 
dustries during  his  boyhood,  and  coming  to 
Chicago  at  an  early  age  finally  entered  the 
employ  of  Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co.,  proprietors 
of  grain  elevators.  Later  he  was  superintend- 
ent of  the  Indiana  Elevator,  then  of  the  Wa- 
bash,  and  in  1888  entered  the  employ  of  Ar- 
mour &  Company,  as  superintendent  of  their 
A  &  B  Elevators,  and  was  largely  instrumental 
in  increasing  the  elevator  and  grain  business 
of  the  company  until  it  has  assumed  its  present 
mammoth  proportions.  He  is  well  known  to 
the  railroad  and  vessel  interests  of  Chicago. 
By  strict  attention  to  the  business  of  Armour 
&  Company,  he  has  proved  himself  a  valuable 
employe,  and  especially  in  the  line  of  building 
and  rebuilding  their  elevators,  the  last  one 
being  in  place  of  the  one  destroyed  by  fire, 
and  called  Armour  Elevator  D,  which  is  the 
largest  modern  elevator  in  use,  being  equipped 
with  the  most  modern  machinery.  This  ele- 
vator is  capable  of  unloading  300  cars  of  grain 
per  day,  and  cleaning  the  same  with  improved 
machinery,  as  well  as  shipping  the  same 
amount  per  day  by  cars  and  boats.  It  was 
built  in  1898,  commenced  operating  May,  1899, 
can  handle  110,000  bushels  per  hour,  and  has 
a  capacity  of  1,800,000  bushels  of  grain,  with 
the  largest  cleaning  house  in  the  world.  It  has 
nine  oat  clippers,  with  a  capacity  of  1,500 
bushels  per  hour  for  each  clipper,  and  ten 
cleaners  of  wheat,  corn  anfl  barley.  It  has  a 
cross-compound  Corliss  Engine,  of  1,800-horse 
power  and  eight  250-horse  power  vertical  water 
tube  boilers;  one  30-kilowat  generator,  produc- 
ing 500  to  600  incandescent  electric  lights  per 
hour;  two  1,000  gallon  fire-pots  for  fire  pur- 
poses; one  pair  duplex  feed  pumps;  and  one 
2,000-horse  power  open  heater,  with  rope  drive 
2,000-horse  power;  has  also  a  20-feet  bard 
wheel,  which,  with  the  shaft,  weighs  ninety- 
two  tons.  This  elevator  is  quite  in  contrast 
with  the  old  original  elevator  on  South  Water 
and  Dearborn  Streets,  which  was  operated  in 


1850  by  the  Walker  interest.  One  mule  fur- 
nished the  power  used  to  elevate  the  grain  re- 
ceived largely  in  bags. 

CHARLES  A.  HANSEN. 
Charles  A.  Hansen,  Pilot,  Engine  No.  58 
(Fire- Boat  "Chicago"),  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Dramen,  Norway,  May  16, 
1859,  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  country,  and  came  to  Quebec  in  May, 
1879,  then  went  to  Buffalo,  and  to  Chicago  in 
September  following.  He  was  employed  on 
the  lakes  until  September  20,  1891,  when  he 
joined  the  Fire  Department,  being  assigned  on 
Truck  4;  was  transferred  to  "Fire  Queen"  (No. 
71)  and  assigned  as  Pilot,  December  29,  1892; 
was  transferred,  February  8,  1894,  to  Fire-Boat 
"Chicago,"  remaining  there  three  and  a  half 
years.  He  was  then  transferred  again  to  the 
"Fire  Queen,"  July  15,  1897,  and  to  Fire-Boat 
"Yosemite,"  August  17,  1899;  and  again  to  Fire- 
Boat  "Chicago,"  Nov.  2,  1900,  where  he  still 
remains  ready  for  any  call.  Has  had  many 
narrow  escapes.  He  was  married  in  Chicago, 
Sept.  1,  1887,  to  Miss  Martha  Anderson. 

THOMAS  H.  HARLESS. 

Thomas  H.  Harless  (deceased)  was  born  in 
the  State  of  Ohio,  July  15,  1811,  the  son  of 
Henry  Harless,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  War 
of  1812  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Germany  and  both  died 
in  Ohio  in  1819.  Ihus  left  an  orphan  at  eight 
years  of  age,  the  son  was  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  in  early  life,  becoming  in  the  fullest 
sense  of  the  word,  a  "self-made  man."  In 
1850  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Henry,  111.,  but  in  1853  came  to  Chicago,  where 
he  became  an  important  factor  in  business 
affairs.  He  first  built  a  house  on  Monroe 
Street  near  Clark  (LaSalle),  where  he  lived 
until  1858.  After  his  death  this  ground  was 
sold  by  his  widow,  and  is  now  the  site  of  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  Building.  In  1858 
he  built  four  houses  on  Wabash  Avenue  be- 
tween Sixteenth  and  Eighteenth  Streets,  and 
during  his  stay  in  'Chicago,  resided  in  one  of 
these  at  1705  Wabash  Avenue,  the  site  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  Kohlsaat  Bakery.  On  coming 
to  Chicago  he  first  engaged  in  the  lumber 
trade  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Harless  & 
Lancaster,  but  in  1854  their  property  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  From  1854  to  1864  he  was 
interested  in  the  commission  business  with 
Thomas  Parker,  on  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trade,  under  the  firm  name  of  Harless  & 
Parker.  In  1864  he  again  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business,  the  firm  being  Harless,  Lancaster 
&  Bishop.  While  connected  with  the  Board  of 
Trade  he  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  Building  on  Lake  Street,  and  was  Vice 
President  of  the  Board  for  a  time.  In  1863  he 
took  a  prominent  part  in  securing  the  passage 
by  the  Legislature  of  an  act  incorporating  a 
street  railroad  system  under  the  name  of  the 
"Wabash  Railroad  Company,"  of  which  he  was 
named  in  the  act  as  one  of  the  incorporators 
and  of  the  first  Board  of  Directors,  the  other 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


901 


two  being  Horace  A.  Hurlbut  and  Charles 
Hitchcock.  This  enterprise  was  one  of  the 
most  comprehensive  of  its  kind  ever  projected 
in  Chicago,  as  it  provided  for  a  line  on  Wabash 
Avenue  from.  Lake  Street  to  Twelfth,  with 
branch  lines  on  Twelfth  Street  to  Michigan 
Avenue  and  south  to  me  city  limits;  on  the 
Archer  Road;  on  Monroe,  Wells  and  Lake 
Streets;  on  Des  Plaines  and  Milwaukee  Ave- 
nue northwest  to  the  city  limits;  on  Van  Buren 
Street  and  Blue  island  Avenue;  on  Rush  Street 
and  North  Clark — in  fact,  covering  the  most 
important  portions  of  the  Street  railroad  sys- 
tem as  it  exists  in  the  central  part  of  the  city 
of  Chicago  today.  In  1868  Mr.  Harless  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Merom,  Ind.,  where 
he  continued  to  reside  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life. 

October  5,  1849,  Mr.  Harless  was  married  to 
Miss  Barbara  Ann  King,  who  was  born  in  In- 
diana, July  12,  1831,  her  father  being  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  her  mother  of  Pennsylvania. 
Two  brothers  of  Mrs.  Harless  served  in  the 
Civil  War,  one  of  them  being  Killed  in  the 
service.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harless  had  eight  chil- 
dren— seven  sons,  and  one  daughter.  Of  these 
four  are  still  living:  T.  H.,  Charles  D.,  W.  W. 
and  E.  Nora — the  latter  now  Mrs.  Brown.  W. 
W.  Harless  served  as  a  Captain  and  Regi- 
mental Quarter-master  in  the  Seventh  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry  during  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can War. 

Mr.  Harless  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  a  Democrat  in  politics.  During 
his  residence  in  Chicago  he  traveled  extensive- 
ly, making  frequent  business  trips  to  New  York. 
He  founded  a  life  scholarship  in  the  Union 
Christian  College  at  Merom,  Ind.,  and  besides 
made  many  liberal  donations  to  charitable  and 
other  institutions.  His  death  occurred  at  his 
home  at  Merom,  February  4,  1870.  He  was  of  a 
genial  and  social  temperament  and  correct 
habits,  being  a  total  abstainer  from  the  use  of 
both  liquors  and  tobacco. 

WILLIAM  HARPOLE. 

William  Harpole  is  a  man  who  has  risen 
from  humble  conditions  in  early  life  to  afflu- 
ence in  his  last  years,  and  who  throughout  a 
long  and  active  career  has  never  forfeited  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he 
has  been  associated  by  dishonest  or  under- 
handed means.  He  belongs  to  that  old-fashioned 
school  of  business  men,  whose  word  needs  no 
bond  to  make  it  good  as  gold,  and  his  simple 
and  straightforward  character  is  clear  as  the 
daylight.  Such  men  abounded  in  a  former 
generation;  men  were  just  as  eager  to  get  on, 
just  as  enterprising,  just  as  ambitious;  but 
the  individual  character  was  not  then  swal- 
lowed up  in  the  great  impersonal  "Company." 
The  historian  lingers  lovingly  over  such  a 
character,  and  would  trace  it  gladly  beyond 
the  limits  of  a  sketch  like  this. 

Mr.  Harpole  was  born  near  South  Charles- 
ton, Ohio,  January  28,  1828,  where  he  was 
reared  and  received  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  When  he  became  a  young  man 


he  early  went  into  the  cattle  business,  and 
drove  several  herds  from  Ohio  to  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  meeting  w..~  good  success,  and  gaining 
much  experience  in  the  art  of  buying  and  sell- 
ing cattle  successfully.  In  1845  he  came  to 
Illinois,  though  still  very  young  for  engaging 
in  business,  bought  cattle  in  the  central  part 
of  the  State,  feeding  them  in  Sangamon,  Mor- 
gan 'and  Macon  Counties,  and  then  driving 
them  east,  sold  his  stock  in  Pennsylvania  or 
New  York. 

His  eyes  had  long  been  turned  to  Chicago 
as  a  suitable  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  busi- 
ness talents,  and  in  1874  he  established  the 
live-stock  firm  of  Harpole  &  Lott,  James  P. 
Lott  being  his  associate.  They  located  at  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  and  very  soon  built  up  a 
trade  of  large  proportions,  which  carried  their 
name  into  every  part  of  the  West  as  thorough- 
ly honorable  and  reliable  cattle  men.  Eight 
years  later  William  T.  Dickson  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm,  which  then  became  Dickson, 
Harpole  &  Lott.  For  four  years  the  firm  re- 
mained under  this  name,  then  was  dissolved  to 
give  way  to  the  firm  of  Harpole,  Andrews  & 
Perry,  George  Andrews  and  Alva  Perry  being 
the  associated  partners.  In  1886  this  firm  was 
dissolved,  being  replaced  by  that  of  William 
Harpole  &  Company,  the  associate  partner  be- 
ing Mr.  J.  Shinn.  Mr.  Andrews  and  Mr.  Perry 
are  both  deceased.  In  1904  W.  Harpole  is  still 
in  business  at  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Harpole, 
Shinn  &  Fry,  No.  19,  Exchange  Building,  Union 
Stock  Yards,  and,  after  a  most  honorable  his- 
tory, is  prepared  to  serve  customers  with  the 
same  promptness  and  satisfaction  that  ruled 
in  opening  his  business  years  in  the  great  city. 

Mr.  Harpole  was  married  in  Charleston,  Ohio, 
May  27,  1849,  to  Miss  Ann  Amelia  Jones,  and 
they  have  had  five  children,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living,  viz.:  Enoch,  Winfield  Scott  and 
Mrs.  Augusta  (Harpole)  Taylor.  His  domestic 
relations  have  been  especially  fortunate  and 
happy,  and  Mr.  Harpole  takes  much  pride  in 
his  family.  He  is  one  of  the  genial,  plucky 
pioneers  of  an  early  day,  and  well  deserves 
whatever  measure  of  good  fortune  has  come  to 
him. 

JOSEPH   HARRIS, 

Chief  Clerk,  North  Pumping  Station,  Chicago, 
was  born  in  Poughkeepsie,  Dutchess  County, 
N.  Y.,  February  5,  1834;  attended  the  Dutchess 
County  Academy  and  Fishkill  Academy,  grad- 
uating at  the  latter.  After  leaving  this  insti- 
tution, he  went  to  learn  the  watchmaker's  trade 
in  New  York  City.  In  1854  he  entered  the  em- 
ployment of  Brown  and  Kirby,  jewelers;  in 
1855  went  to  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and,  in  1856, 
to  Green  Bay,  Wis.,  where  he  purchased  a 
jewelry  store  and  remained  until  his  establish- 
ment was  burned  out,  after  which  he  enlisted 
in  Company  H,  Twelfth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  in 
Green  Bay,  and  later  was  appointed  Paymaster 
for  the  General  Staff  in  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland, remaining  until  near  the  close  of  the 
war,  when  he  was  discharged,  in  February, 
1865.  Returning  to  Green  Bay  he  there  estab- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


lished  a  "Department  Store,"  remaining  until 
his  concern  was  again  burned  out  in  1869.  He 
then  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  associated 
with  Col.  E.  R.  P.  Shurley  in  the  jewelry  busi- 
ness until  1871,  when  the  large  fire  of  that  year 
destroyed  their  establishment.  Returning  to 
Green  Bay  he  there  engaged  as  bookkeeper  for 
J.  D.  Gardiner  &  Company,  remaining  with  the 
firm  seven  years.  In  1878,  he  again  came  to 
Chicago  and  engaged  with  Giles,  Bros.  &  Co., 
continuing  with  them  until  January,  1894,  when 
he  went  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  Again  returning 
to  Chicago  (May,  1894),  he  became  connected 
with  the  National  Lithographing  Company; 
in  1895  entered  the  employ  of  Geo.  H.  Taylor 
&  Co.,  paper  dealers,  and  later  worked  for  A. 
M.  Church,  jeweler,  for  one  year.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1897,  having  passed  the  civil  service  exami- 
nation, he  became  chief  clerk  of  the  North 
Side  Pumping  Works,  where  he  has  always 
been  a  lively  worker.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  Washington  Lodge,  No.  91,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
since  1857,  also  of  Green  Bay  Lodge  No.  19, 
I.  0.  O.  F. 

He  was  married  in  Naugatuck,  Conn.,  in  1854, 
to  Miss  Mary  F.  Bradley,  and  one  child  was 
born  to  them,  which  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
Harris  passed  away  December  29,  1857.  Mr. 
Harris'  second  marriage  was  with  Miss  Mary 
E.  Moore  in  July,  1859.  Six  children  have 
blessed  this  union,  three  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

JAMES  H.  HARRIS. 

James  H.  Harris  (deceased),  for  twenty-six 
years  a  prominent  manufacturer  of  Arlington 
Heights,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  July  23, 
1853.  In  1856  the  family  removed  to  Milwau- 
kee, Wis.,  to  Bloomington,  111.,  in  1857,  and  to 
Chicago  in  1859.  In  1875  Mr.  Harris  took  up 
his  residence  at  Arlington  Heights,  where  he 
worked  for  his  father  and  became  a  practical 
molder.  The  business,  which  was  established 
during  that  same  year  was  known  as  the  Dia- 
mond Sewing  Machine  Company,  and  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  July  14,  1895.  September  5th, 
following,  Mr.  Harris,  having  purchased  the  in- 
terests of  the  other  partners,  erected  new  build- 
ings which  have,  from  time  to  time,  been  en- 
larged under  the  management  of  Mr.  Harris  as 
sole  proprietor  of  the  foundry  and  machine 
works  which  bear  his  name.  The  establish- 
ment is  equipped  with  the  latest  improved 
machinery  in  all  its  branches,  including  auto- 
matic screw-cutting  machines  with  fourteen 
lathes,  fourteen  drill  presses,  etc.  The  foundry 
turns  out  sewing-machine  stands  and  other 
castings,  having  sale  from  New  York  to  San 
Francisco. 

July  14,  1883,  Mr.  Harris  was  married  to 
Miss  Margaret  L.  Peter,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  five  children,  three  of  whom  are 
living:  Royal  P.,  Sarah  L.  and  George  C. 

Mr.  Harris  died  at  his  home  July  3,  1901. 
His  life-work  was  wrought  at  Arlington 
Heights,  and  the  memory  of  his  kindly  deeds 
will  be  fondly  cherished  by  his  associates. 


CHARLES  HART, 

Lieutenant,  Engine  No.  2,  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, was  born  in  Chicago,  January  21, 
1866,  was  educated  in  the  McClellan  public 
school,  and  alter  leaving  school,  was  engaged 
in  different  kinds  of  business  until  he  joined 
the  Fire  Department,  July  15,  1889,  being  as- 
signed to  Engine  No.  63,  and  during  the 
World's  Fair  serving  as  acting  Lieutenant. 
Later  he  was  transferred  to  Etigine  1,  was  pro- 
moted to  Lieutenant  in  1894;  transferred  to 
Engine  17,  in  1895;  to  Engine  73  in  1897;  to 
Truck  4,  in  1897,  and  to  Engine  82,  April  15, 
1897.  Lieutenant  Hart  was  present  at  the  Cold 
Storage  fire,  July  10,  1893,  and  assisted  in  the 
rescue  of  others,  but  escaped  injury.  He  has 
had  many  narrow  escapes  but  has  suffered  no 
serious  injury. 

PHILIP  HARTH. 

Philip  Harth,  Wheeling  Township,  Cook 
County,  111.,  is  a  native  of  Germany.  April  1, 
1854,  at  Wheeling,  Cook  County,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  W.  Neinstackler,  who  died  De- 
cember 7,  1873,  leaving  six  children:  Jacob, 
Philip,  William,  Lydia,  Emma  and  Mary.  Mr. 
Harth  was  married  to  Catherine  Weber,  his 
second  wife,  in  1877.  In  1871,  he  was  elected 
Commissioner  of  Highways,  re-elected  in  1874, 
in  1877  and  1880;  also  held  the  office  of  School 
Director  nine  years. 

GEORGE   R.    HASTINGS. 

This  name  will  recall  to  the  minds  of  those 
familiar  with  the  live-stock  trade  of  Chicago 
at  an  early  day,  memories  of  a  man  of  much 
force  of  character  and  native  nobility  of  soul, 
but  who  has  now  joined  the  procession  to  the 
"Great  Beyond."  Mr.  Hastings  was  born  in 
Circleville,  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  September 
22,  1829,  and  received  his  education  where  so 
many  of  the  most  successful  men  of  the  coun- 
try have  been  educated,  at  the  district  school. 
He  remained  at  home  until  1859,  when  he 
joined  the  tide  of  western  emigrants,  bringing 
up  at  Chicago,  where  he  soon  after  united  with 
his  brother,  L.  R.  Hastings,  and  Allan  Gre- 
gory, in  the  formation  of  the  Gregory  &  Hast- 
ings cattle  and  live-stock  firm  at  the  Myrick 
Stock  Yards.  After  a  career  of  marked  success, 
H.  H.  Cooley  and  Jacob  Strader  became  mem- 
bers of  the  firm,  which  was  then  known  as 
Gregory,  Strader  &  Company.  When  Mr.  Stra- 
der retired,  the  firm  became  Gregory,  Cooley 
&  Company,  remaining  under  this  title  until 
the  death  of  Mr.  Hastings  on  May  27,  1894. 

Mr.  Hastings  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  in  whose  welfare  he  took  much  in- 
terest, and  where  he  was  highly  honored.  He 
was  a  man  much  respected  for  his  kind  and 
genial  ways,  his  friendly  spirit  and  his  close 
attention  to  business.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Martha  Rice,  in  Goodnow,  111.,  May  16,  1870. 
No  children  survive  this  union,  but  they 
adopted  one  daughter,  Clara,  now  the  wife  of 
Paullin  Schinn,  who  is  still  living.  In  Mr. 
Hastings  career  we  have  a  striking  illustration 
of  the  manly  qualities  which  the  men  of  a  by- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


903 


gone  generation  possessed  in  such  profusion, 
and  which  they  so  freely  used  in  the  making  of 
Chicago  the  wonderful  success  it  has  become. 

LEWIS  R.  HASTINGS. 

Among  the  cattlemen  and  live-stock  dealers 
of  the  West,  few  names  are  more  widely  known 
or  more  generally  respected  than  that  of  Mr. 
L.  R,  Hastings,  the  veteran  Chicago  operator, 
who  has  passed  his  life  in  the  breeding,  pur- 
chase and  sale  of  live-stock.  Mr.  Hastings  has 
spent  forty-three  of  his  seventy  years  in  Chi- 
cago, and  by  his  pluck,  perseverance,  hard  work 
and  probity,  has  not  only  accumulated  a  hand- 
some fortune  but  has  also  materially  contrib- 
uted to  the  city's  commercial  growth  and  pros- 
perity. He  was  born  in  Mount  Sterling,  Madi- 
son County,  .Ohio,  January  8,  1831,  the  son  of 
James  Hastings,  who  was  a  local  preacher  in 
the  Campbellite  Church. 

Mr.  Hastings  was  one  of  fourteen  children, 
and  left  home  at  an  early  age  to  begin  his  busi- 
ness career.  His  first  experience  was  in  taking 
a  drove  of  cattle  from  Ohio  to  New  York,  walk- 
ing in  advance  of  his  charge  leading  an  ox, 
and  traveling  at  the  rate  of  ten  miles  a  day. 
Fifty  days  were  consumed  in  the  journey,  and 
the  young  cattleman  walked  home,  covering 
33 1-3  miles  a  day,  being  allowed  62%'  cents 
each  day  for  expenses.  In  1852  he  removed 
from  Ohio  to  Illinois,  and  not  long  afterwards 
made  another  tedious  trip,  this  time  to  Penn- 
sylvania, the  journey  requiring  seventy  days' 
time.  He  returned  on  foot  as  far  as  the  Illi- 
nois State  Line,  and  completed  his  journey  on 
horseback,  the  luxury  of  riding  increasing  his 
daily  expenses  from  sixty  cents  to  one  dollar. 

In  1858  he  engaged  in  business  in  Chicago 
with  Allan  Gregory,  the  firm  name  being  Gre- 
gory &  Hastings.  Their  location  was  at  the 
old  Myrick  Stock  Yards,  on  Cottage  Grove  Ave- 
nue, between  Twenty-ninth  and  Thirty-fifth 
Streets,  until  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  Tran- 
sit Company  erected  the  Exchange  Building  in 
1866,  when  they  took  up  quarters  there.  Some 
three  years  later  Messrs.  H.  H.  Cooley  and 
Jacob  Strader  became  members  of  the  firm,  the 
name  being  changed  to  Gregory,  Strader  & 
Company,  and,  upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Stra- 
der, the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Gregory, 
Cooley  &  Company. 

The  business  of  the  concern  steadily  and 
rapidly  grew,  until  its  invested  capital  reached 
$500,000  and  the  annual  sales  (in  1882) 
amounted  to  200,000  head  of  cattle.  Much  of 
the  conduct  of  the  business  devolved  upon  Mr. 
Hastings,  who  has  personally  sold  4,960  ani- 
mals in  a  day  and  155,000  in  the  course  of 
twelve  months.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Cooley 
in  1893,  the  style  of  the  firm  once  more  became 
Gregory  &  Hastings.  Four  years  later  Mr.  Gre- 
gory's death  terminated  a  business  partnership 
of  forty  years,  and  Mr.  Hastings  wound  up  the 
affairs  of  the  concern.  He  also  owns  large  and 
valuable  interests  in  ranches  and  other  prop- 
erty in  Texas. 

Mr.  Hastings  was  married,  in  1857,  to  Miss 
Cynthia  Ann  McMillin,  who  was  born  at  In- 


dianola,  Vermilion  County,  111.,  January  2,  1836, 
and  who  died  in  1899.  Of  their  five  children, 
three  are  yet  living:  D.  Frank,  Eleanor  and 
Carrie.  Frank  married  Luella  Sidell,  and  Elea- 
nor became  the  wife  of  John  J.  McRoberts.  Mr. 
Hastings  died  near  his  ranch  in  Texas,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1900. 

The  careers  of  such  men  are  full  of  interest 
to  the  general  reader,  while  to  those  just  cross- 
ing the  threshold  of  business  life,  their  story 
is  at  once  an  incentive  and  an  encouragement. 
They  go  to  show  that,  without  the  adventitious 
aids  of  birth,  fortune  or  influence,  energetic 
effort  and  an  unsullied  name  are  the  best  step- 
ping-stones to  fortune. 

JOSEPH    F.    HATCH. 

Joseph  F.  Hatch,  attorney-at-law,  Chicago, 
and  ex-Deputy  Secretary  of  State,  was  born  in 
Pike,  Wyoming  County,  N.  Y.,  February  25, 
1837,  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Albany 
Law  School,  and,  after  leaving  the  law  school, 
came  to  Chicago  in  December,  1855,  where  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Willard  &  Hooper, 
remaining  two  years.  He  then  went  to  Mound 
City,  Kan.,  practicing  law  there  until  1860, 
when  he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  in  1861  went 
to  Sacramento,  Cal.,  and  from  there  to  Carson 
City,  Nevada,  in  1862,  where  he  held  the  office 
of  Deputy  Secretary  of  State  for  six  years. 
Again  returning  to  Chicago  in  1868,  he  has 
practiced  his  profession  here  ever  since.  Mr. 
Hatch  married  Gertrude  A.  Hildreth,  in  Car- 
son City,  Nevada,  in  1863,  and  four  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  are  now 
living,  viz.:  Mrs.  Ida  Boyer  and  Fred  J.  Hatch. 

WILLIAM  E.  HATTERMAN. 
William  E.  Hatterman,  mortgage  banker  and 
real-estate  dealer,  Chicago,  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, where  he  was  born  in  1857,  but  received 
his  education  in  the  Chicago  public  schools. 
His  father,  C.  F.  Hatterman,  having  emigrated 
from  Germany,  established  himself  in  the  real- 
estate  business  in  a  6x8  room  on  the  corner  of 
Milwaukee  Avenue  and  Augusta  Street  in  1868. 
The  business  has  increased  in  the  past  thirty 
years  to  such  an  extent  that  Mr.  William  E. 
Hatterman,  into  whose  hands  it  passed  some 
years  since,  is  now  occupying  fine  offices  at 
768  Milwaukee  Avenue,  where  he  is  doing  a 
prosperous  mortgage  banking  business,  or  real 
estate  only,  as  circumstances  may  require.  He 
is  also  President  of  the  Hatterman  Safety  De- 
posit Vault  Company,  whose  vaults  were  con- 
structed in  1894  at  a  cost  of  $35,000,  and  are 
pronounced  the  safest  and  best  arranged  safety 
deposit  vaults  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  city. 
There  are  some  3,000  abstracts  deposited  in 
private  vaults  here,  representing  loans  aggre- 
gating over  $5,000,000. 

JACOB    P.    HAUSAM. 

Jacob  P.  Hausam,  Arlington  Heights,  111., 
was  born  at  the  village  of  Wheeling,  Cook 
County,  111.,  July  17,  1854.  He  is  of  German 
descent,  his  father,  Jacob  Hausam,  being  a 
native  of  Bavaria,  while  his  mother,  Margaret 


904 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


(Babst)  Hausam,  was  a  native  of  Saxony.  He 
was  educated  in  his  native  place,  and  on  August 
10,  1874,  was  married  to  Jane  Wendling  of 
Wheeling,  by  whom  he  has  had  six  children: 
Jesse,  Frank,  Edna,  Celia,  Willie  and  Lydia. 
Mr.  Hausam  began  his  business  life  as  a  farmer, 
and  in  1888  established  a  creamery  near  Wheel- 
ing, which  he  operated  for  ten  years.  He  also 
served  as  Constable  for  eight  years  and  two 
years  as  President  of  the  Board  of  Village  Trus- 
tees. He  became  a  member  of  Vitruvius  Lodge 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  81,  in  1893,  and  for  three 
years  has  been  Master.  Mr.  Hausam  is  a  Meth- 
odist in  religion  and  a  Republican  in  politics. 
In  1898  he  removed  from  Wheeling  to  Arling- 
ton Heights,  about  the  same  time  assuming 
position  of  Guard  in  the  Cook  County  Jail;  is 
now  serving  as  Bailiff  in  the  Sheriff's  office. 

FRANKLIN  HARVEY  HEAD. 

Franklin  H.  Head,  Vice-President  Continen- 
tal Casualty  Insurance  Company,  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Paris,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  January 
24,  1835,  the  son  of  Harvey  and  Calista  (Sim- 
mons) Head,  who  were  natives  of  the  same 
place.  His  grandfather  and  great-grandfather  on 
the  paternal  side — both  named  Jonathan  Head 
— were  natives  of  Little  Compton,  R.  I.,  while 
his  grandmother,  Hepsy  (Livermore)  Head  was 
born  at  German  Flats,  N.  Y.  His  grandparents 
on  the  maternal  side  were  Aaron  and  Abigail 
(Church)  Simmons,  and  his  great-grandparents, 
William  and  Abigail  (Church)  Simmons,  were 
all  natives  of  Little  Compton,  R.  I.,  where  the 
family  lived  for  generations.  Mr.  Head  re- 
ceived his  preparatory  education  at  Cazenovia, 
N.  Y.,  and  later  became  a  student  at  Hamilton 
College,  from  which  he  graduated  with  the  de- 
gree of  A.  B.  in  1856.  He  next  took  a  course 
in  the  law  department  of  the  same  institution, 
graduating  in  1858,  and  has  since  been  hon- 
ored by  his  Alma  Mater  with  the  degrees  of  A. 
M.  and  LL.  D. 

Coming  west  after  graduating  in  law  in  1858, 
Mr.  Head  became  associated  with  an  uncle,  O. 
S.  Head,  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Kenosha, 
Wis.,  where  he  remained  nine  years.  Then  be- 
ing compelled  to  retire  from  practice  on  ac- 
count of  ill-health,  he  spent  some  time  in 
Europe,  later  going  to  Utah  and  California, 
where  he  became  interested  in  a  cattle-ranch 
and  mining  property  to  which  he  devoted  his 
attention  for  three  or  four  years.  His  health 
having  been  restored,  he  then  returned  east, 
and  soon  after  became  associated  in  certain 
lines  of  manufacture  with  Messrs.  Wirt  Dexter 
and  N.  K.  Fairbanks,  becoming  a  resident  of 
Evanston.  In  the  meantime,  becoming  inter- 
ested in  banking  and  manufacturing  interprises 
in  the  city  of  Chicago,  he  became  a  permanent 
resident  of  that  city,  where  he  has  served  as 
President  of  the  Chicago  Malleable  Iron  Com- 
pany and  as  director  of  the  American  Trust  and 
Savings  Bank  and  the  Northwestern  National 
Bank.  At  present  he  is  Vice-President  of  the 
Continental  Casualty  Insurance  Company. 

Possessing  a  cultivated  literary  taste,  Mr. 
Head  has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  high- 


classic  literary  periodicals.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Union  League  Club,  in 
which  he  twice  held  the  office  of  President,  and 
is  also  associated  with  the  various  other  clubs, 
including  the  Chicago,  University,  Commercial, 
Literary  and  Fellowship  Clubs,  is  President  of 
the  Chicago  Historical  Association  and  of  the 
Twentieth  Century  Club.  In  politics  he  is  an 
earnest  Republican.  Mr.  Head  was  married, 
June  14,  1860,  to  Miss  Catherine  P.  Durkee,  who 
was  born  at  Kenosha,  Wis.,  and  educated  in 
her  native  place  and  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  and  they 
have  three  daughters:  Elizabeth,  Katharine 
and  Margaret. 

DANIEL   D.   HEALY. 

To  the  citizens  and  taxpayers  of  Chicago  and 
Cook  County,  the  name  of  Daniel  D.  Healy  sug- 
gests the  recollection  of  years  of  faithful  public 
service  and  of  earnest  devotion  to  the  interests 
of  the  people.  Mr.  Healy  was  born  in  Ireland, 
February  11,  1847,  and  in  1849  his  parents,  John 
and  Ellen  (O'Brien)  Healy,  emigrated  with 
their  family  to  America.  Daniel  D.  was  reared 
in  Chicago  and,  from  a  period  long  antedating 
his  majority,  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  growth  and  development  of  the  city 
of  his  adoption.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War  he  was  but  little  more  than  fourteen  years 
of  age,  yet  his  patriotic  impulses  were  stirred 
within  him,  and  he  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  Navy,  serving  with  distinguished  gal- 
lantry and  fidelity.  With  equal  courage  and 
devotion  for  many  years  he  served  the  City  of 
Chicago  as  Engineer  in  the  Fire  Department, 
and  the  men  connected  with  that  arm  of  the 
public  service  regarded  him  with  a  feeling  akin 
to  veneration.  He  did  yeoman's  service  during 
the  great  conflagration  of  October,  1871,  and 
may  be  justly  reckoned  one  of  the  heroes  who 
passed  through  that  fiery  ordeal  without 
thought  of  themselves,  heeding  only  the  call 
of  duty  and  humanity.  The  members  of  the 
department  have  shown  their  recognition  of  his 
long  and  courageous  service  by  electing  him 
for  nine  years  the  financial  secretary  of  the 
Fireman's  Benevolent  Association,  also  making 
him  their  unanimous  choice  for  treasurer  of 
that  organization  for  a  like  period,  finally  ele- 
vating him  to  its  presidency  which  position  he 
now  holds.  With  such  fidelity  and  ability  has 
he  met  and  discharged  the  duties  attached  to 
these  positions,  that,  with  the  exception  of 
their  honored  Chief,  there  are  few,  if  any,  men 
more  highly  esteemed  by  the  brave  Chicago 
firemen  than  he.  It  was  he  who  inaugurated 
the  movement  which  has  resulted  in  the  paint- 
ing, by  the  celebrated  artist  Van  Ness,  at  a 
cost  of  two  thousand  dollars,  of  the  great  pic- 
ture of  Chief  Swenie  in  action,  to  be  hung  in 
the  galleries  of  the  Art  Institute. 

Mr.  Healy  has  been  engaged  for  many  years 
in  public  life,  first  as  County  Comptroller,  later 
as  President  of  the  Board  of  County  Commis- 
sioners, Warden  of  the  Cook  County  Hospital, 
and  as  Superintendent  of  Public  Service.  The 
discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  public  servant  has 
been  characterized  by  acumen  and  integrity, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


905 


and  no  breath  of  <  suspicion,  either  as  to  his 
motives  or  his  acts,  has  ever  reached  him.  He 
is  a  reformer  of  high  aim  and  earnest  purpose, 
who,  throughout  his  official  life,  has  done  much 
to  improve  the  efficiency  of  the  public  service 
of  Cook  County.  Mr.  Healy  was  the  nominee 
of  the  Republican  party  in  1902,  for  the  office 
of  Sheriff  and  received  the  ardent  support  of 
the  best  citizens  of  Cook  County,  but  as  Ray- 
mond Robins,  the  well  known  lecturer  stated, 
was  defeated  by  a  combination  of  confidence 
men. 

On  July  6,  1876,  Mr.  Healy  was  married  to 
Miss  Kittle  'Clemens,  of  Chicago,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  four  children:  Daniel  M.,  Kath- 
erine  M.,  Ella  Josephine  and  Walter  C. 

JAMES  H.  HEALY, 

Lieutenant  Hook  &  Ladder  Company  No.  25, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  July  29,  1857,  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  After  leaving  school  he  worked 
on  a  farm  and  later  drove  on  the  Erie  Canal 
until  he  came  to  Chicago,  September  25,  1872, 
after  which  he  worked  for  George  B.  Johnston, 
on  the  Board  of  Trade,  for  one  year,  and  later 
for  B.  P.  Hutchinson,  until  he  joined  the  Fire 
Department,  September  3,  1878,  being  assigned 
to  Truck  2;  was  transferred  to  Engine  5  in 
October,  1878;  to  Engine  7,  December  31,  1878; 
to  Engine  10,  March,  1879;  to  Engine  26,  May, 
1879;  to  Engine  23,  September,  1879;  to  Engine 
4,  December  31,  1879;  to  Engine  9,  April,  1880; 
to  Engine  16,  May,  1880;  to  Engine  10,  June, 
1880;  later  to  Truck  2;  to  Chemical  4,  and  suc- 
cessively to  Engines  23,  7,  11,  5,  6,  17,  20,  17, 
22,  and  33.  He  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant, 
July  31,  1893,  and  transferred  to  Truck  25, 
when  the  company  was  organized.  Lieutenant 
Healy  was  married  in  Chicago,  May  4,  1881,  to 
Miss  Lydia  J.  Anderson,  and  two  children — a 
son  and  a  daughter — were  born  to  them.  The 
daughter  is  still  living.  Lieutenant  Healy's 
continuous  service  for  so  many  years  is  proof 
positive  of  his  worth  as  a  plucky,  brave  fire- 
man, always  ready  for  any  duty  that  he  may 
be  called  upon  to  perform. 

JAMES  J.  HEALY. 

Colonel  James  J.  Healy,  distinguished  vete- 
ran of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  and  officer  in 
the  Illinois  National  Guard,  was  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  March  6,  1848.  His  life  since 
early  boyhood — at  least  that  portion  of  it  not 
spent  in  the  active  service  of  his  country — 
has  been  passed  in  Chicago.  His  early  educa- 
tional training  was  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city,  after  completing  a  course 
in  which  he  studied  at  the  University  of  Notre 
Dame,  Indiana,  and  at  St.  Mary's  of  the  Lake, 
Chicago.  EVen  before  he  reached  the  minimum 
age  sanctioned  by  law  for  the  beginning  of 
military  service,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  for  a  term  of  eight  months.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  re-enlisted, 
November  7,  1864,  in  Company  C,  of  the  Thirty- 
second.  This  company  was  afterward  consoli- 


dated with  "C"  of  the  Fourteenth,  and  still 
later  with  "C"  of  the  Twenty-first  United  States 
Intantry,  and  Mr.  Healy  continued  in  the  regu- 
lar army  until  May  12,  1869,  when  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  at  Camp  Verde,  Arizona  Ter- 
ritory, with  the  rank  of  First  Sergeant.  His 
service  during  the  Civil  War  was  chiefly  con- 
fined to  the  States  of  Missouri  and  Kentucky, 
following  Kosecrans  in  the  former  and  Colonel 
Price  and  Colonel  Hicks  in  the  latter,  at  Colum- 
bus, Paducah,  Smithfield  and  Mayneld.  Sub- 
sequent to  the  close  of  the  rebellion  the  Twen- 
ty-first was  ordered  to  the  Far  West,  and  here 
Mr.  Healy  gained  experience  as  an  Indian 
fighter.  He  took  part  in  many  sharp  skir- 
mishes with  the  redskins  and  received  a  severe 
wound  in  the  left  leg  at  Grief  Hill,  while  com- 
manding an  escort  to  a  train  proceeding  from 
Camp  Lowell  to  Camp  Verde. 

Mr.  Healy's  love  for  his  old  comrades  in  arms 
did  not  abate  with  his  discharge  from  active 
service.  In  the  councils  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  he  has  taken  a  conspicuous  and 
active  part.  For  two  years  he  was  Senior  Vice- 
Commander  of  Ransom  Post,  No.  1,  Department 
of  Illinois;  for  a  time  a  member  of  Grant  Post, 
No.  28,  and  in  1891,  commander  of  America 
Post,  No.  708,  of  which  he  is  at  present  Adju- 
tant. He  has  been  a  delegate  to  National  En- 
campments at  Denver,  Minneapolis,  Portland 
(Me.),  San  Francisco,  St.  Louis,  Columbus  (0.), 
Boston,  Milwaukee  and  Detroit.  He  has  also 
served  on  the  Staffs  of  Commanders-in-Chief 
Kountz,  Fairchild,  Rea,  Warner  and  Palmer, 
and  in  1890  and  '91  served  as  Chief  of  Staff  to 
W.  L.  Diston  and  H.  S.  Clark,  Department  Com- 
manders for  the  State  of  Illinois.  He  has  also 
been  a  prominent  member  of  the  Veteran  Union 
League  of  Chicago,  of  which  organization  he 
was  for  four  years  the  President,  and  was  the 
original  promoter  and  manager  of  the  Great 
War  Concert  given  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Veteran  Union  League  in  Convention  Hall,  Au- 
ditorium, Monday  Evening,  June  18,  1888,  the 
night  preceding  the  Republican  National  Con- 
vention and  opening  of  the  Auditorium.  He 
has  also  been  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Political  Action  of  the  same  body,  under  whose 
auspices  the  famous  "sextette"  of  Union  Gen- 
erals issued  their  famed  protest  against  popu- 
lism. Mr.  Healy's  eminent  fitness  for  military 
command  has  been  recognized  by  both  the  city 
of  Chicago  and  the  State  of  Illinois.  In  1869 
he  was  drill-master  of  the  city's  police  force; 
was  inspector  of  the  First  Brigade,  I.  N.  G., 
serving  on  the  staff  of  General  Joseph  T.  Tor- 
rence,  with  the  rank  of  Major;  and  has  been 
for  five  years  Adjutant  of  the  artillery  bat- 
talions of  the  Illinois  National  Guard. 

In  civil  life  Colonel  Healy  has  attained 
marked  distinction.  From  1870  to  1874  he  was 
connected  with  the  Registry  Division  of  the 
Chicago  Postoffice,  resigning  his  position  to 
accept  an  appointment  as  deputy-clerk  of  the 
Superior  Court,  where  for  sixteen  years  he  has 
been  chief  deputy,  and  on  the  election  of  John 
A.  Linn  as  Clerk  was  re-appointed.  He  still 
occupies  the  post  of  Chief  Clerk,  whose  arduous 


906 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


and  responsible  duties  he  has  for  twenty-four 
years  discharged  with  a  courtesy,  fidelity  and 
ability,  which  have  commanded  universal  con- 
fidence and  admiration  of  the  Judiciary  and 
members  of  the  bar. 

In  politics  Colonel  Healy  is  an  ardent  Re- 
publican and  has  been  for  many  years  an  ener- 
getic and  successful  worker  for  the  success  of 
his  party.  During  the  campaign  of  1896,  he  had 
personal  charge  of  the  military  on  a  railway 
train  in  the  interest  of  the  election  of  President 
McKinley  and  Governor  Tanner,  which  was,  to 
say  the  least,  a  novelty  in  the  way  of  election- 
eering methods.  Many  noted  citizens  of  Illi- 
nois were  passengers  on  the  train  and  the  ap- 
proach of  the  distinguished  party  at  different 
stations  was  heralded  by  the  discharge  of  can- 
non, one  car  having  been  fitted  up  as  a  sort  of 
armory  with  a  twelve-pound  brass  Napoleon 
gun  and  several  mortars.  When  halts  were 
made,  the  orators  spoke  to  the  gathered  crowds 
from  the  car  platform,  but  no  stop  was  made 
for  a  period  exceeding  sixty  minutes.  The 
unique  scheme  originated  in  the  fertile  brain 
of  the  State  Central  Committee,  and  was  exe- 
cuted by  Colonel  Healy,  who  also  conducted 
through  the  State,  in  the  same  way,  a  "Patriot 
Heroes'  Battalion,"  his  first  charge  having 
been  popularly  known  as  "The  'Governor's  Fly- 
ing Squadron."  He  had  the  immediate  com- 
mand of  the  artillery  of  this  train,  being  one  of 
the  leading  spirits  and  organizers  in  the  new 
method  of  campaign  work. 

Mr.  Healy  was  commissioned  March  10,  1896, 
Captain  and  Adjutant  of  the  Artillery  Battalion, 
Illinois  National  Guard;  was  commissioned 
July  29,  1899,  Major  in  Colonel  Quinton's  pro- 
visional regiment,  Illinois  Volunteers,  author- 
ized in  compliance  with  joint  resolutions  of  the 
Forty-first  General  Assembly,  providing  troops 
for  war  with  Spain.  Colonel  Healy  was  one 
of  the  chief  factors  in  securing  the  holding  of 
the  Thirty-fourth  National  Encampment  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in  Chicago  in 
1900,  serving  on  the  Committee  of  Invitation 
and,  on  the  reorganization  of  the  committees 
after  acceptance,  was  placed  on  the  General 
and  Executive  Committees,  including  that  on 
Finance,  and  was  also  made  Chairman  of  the 
Badge  Committee.  During  the  parade  on  this 
occasion  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Wisconsin  Division  of  the  Grand  Army.  On 
June  6,  1901,  Colonel  Healy  was  elected  and 
commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Sec- 
ond Regiment,  Illinois  National  Guard,  a 
position  which  he  still  holds. 

FRED    HECKER. 

Fred  Hecker,  furniture  dealer  and  under- 
taker, Arlington  Heights,  Cook  County,  111.,, 
was  born  in  Germany,  November  10,  1847,  and 
came  with  his  parents  (John  and  Sophia 
Hecker)  and  a  younger  brother,  to  America  in 
1865,  settling  in  Du  Page  County,  111.  He  was 
married  at  Addison,  111.,  October  25,  1872,  to 
Dora  Siems.  and  has  two  children:  Annie  and 
Bertha.  While  living  in  Du  Page  County  he 
held  the  office  of  County  Commissioner  for 


several  terms  and  has  also  been  Town  Collec- 
tor and  Village  Trustee.  In  September,  1899, 
he  began  business  as  furniture  dealer  and  un- 
dertaker at  Arlington  Heights,  Cook  County. 
Mr.  Hecker  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  in 
religious  belief  a  Lutheran. 

JOHN  HELFERT. 

John  Helfert,  driver  on  Engine  74,  Chicago 
Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago,  March 
16,  1866,  was  educated  in  the  St.  Bridget  Cath- 
olic and  Holden  public  school,  and,  after  leav- 
ing school,  'commenced  driving  team  until  he 
joined  the  Fire  Department,  August  23,  1887, 
when  he  became  driver  on  Engine  16.  On 
April  1,  1888,  he  was  transferred  to  Truck  11; 
on  December  1,  1896,  to  Engine  74,  where, 
according  to  latest  report,  he  was  still  in  active 
service.  He  has  not  had  any  serious  injuries, 
and  has  always  attended  to  his  duties  faith- 
fully. He  was  married  in  Chicago  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Kind,  April  14,  1891.  Three  children 
have  blessed  this  union. 

FRANK  J.  HELM. 

Frank  J.  Helm,  Superintendent  Lake  Shore 
Elevator,  Sixty-sixth  Street  and  Calumet  Ave- 
nue, Chicago,  was  born  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  in 
1869,  the  son  of  Frederick  and  Catherine  (Keis- 
mannel)  Helm,  the  father  being  a  native  of 
Germany  and  the  mother  of  Ohio,  but  of  Ger- 
man parentage.  The  father,  who  was  a  miller, 
died  in  1896  at  sixty-five  years  of  age,  but  the 
mother  is  still  living.  Their  children  were: 
Charles,  Mary  (the  wife  of  C.  B.  Rogers  of 
Coldwater,  Mich.),  and  Frank  J.  Frank  J.  Helm 
engaged  in  the  grain  business  at  Coldwater, 
Mich.,  in  1887  with  the  Coombs  Milling  Com- 
pany, remaining  three  years,  when  he  came  to 
Chicago  and  for  six  years  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  A.  F.  Walter  Co.,  grain  merchants  and 
elevator  men,  then  entering  upon  his  present 
engagement  with  the  Lake  Shore  Elevator. 
This  elevator  was  erected  in  1896,  has  a  capac- 
ity of  150,000  bushels,  transferring  sixty  to 
eighty  cars  daily,  and  is  operated  by  Churchill 
&  Company,  commission  merchants.  It  em- 
ploys about  twenty  men  and  Mr.  Helm  has  had 
charge  ever  since  its  construction.  On  Decem- 
ber 8,  1897  he  married  Miss  Charlotte  Anslow  of 
Chicago,  and  they  have  one  son,  Harold,  born 
February  27,  1899.  Fraternally  Mr.  Helm  is 
identified  with  the  Knights  of  Maccabees  and 
the  Masonic  Order,  and  politically  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

MARY   E.   HELM. 

Mary  E.  Helm,  Arlington  Heights,  111.,  was 
born  at  Wheeling,  111.,  June  5,  1855,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Allison,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land in  1823,  and  came  with  his  parents 
(Thomas  and  Mary  Allison)  to  Illinois  in  1832. 
The  family  remained  in  Chicago  for  a  few 
months,  but  soon  after  located  on  a  claim  on 
the  North  Branch,  three  miles  from  Chicago. 
Three  years  later  the  senior  Allison  sold  his 
farm  to  A.  N.  Fullerton  and  removed  to  North- 
field,  Cook  County,  where  he  died  in  January, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


907 


1880.  The  junior  Allison  attended  the  first 
school  ever  taught  in  Chicago  in  1832,  which 
was  attended  by  a  number  of  half-breeds.  In 
1852  he  was  married  to  Penthea  H.  Miller,  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  daughter  of  Henry  and  Eliza- 
beth Miller,  natives  of  New  York  State,  who  set- 
tled in  Wheeling  Township  in  1839.  Mrs.  Helm 
was  educated  at  the  Cook  County  Normal  School 
and,  on  March  29,  1870,  was  married  at  Arling- 
ton Heights  to  Lewis  G.  Helm.  She  has  had 
three  children:  Frederick  W.,  Howard  A.  and 
Raymond  B.  Mrs.  Helm  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

JOHN  J.  HENNESSY, 

General  Storekeeper  and  Clerk,  at  Headquar- 
ters Chicago  Fire  Department,  and  Financial 
Secretary  Firemen's  Benevolent  Association, 
Chicago,  was  born  in  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  July  22, 
1849,  came  to  Chicago  with  his  parents  in  1850, 
and  was  educated  at  the  Dearborn  school.  He 
joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  1,  July  6, 
1874,  and  served  there  until  November  7,  1875; 
was  promoted  to  Lieutenant,  July  14,  1877; 
transferred  to  Truck  6,  October  18,  1877;  to  En- 
gine 5,  May  1,  1880,  and  promoted  to  Captain 
December  31,  1883.  Later  he  was  transferred 
to  Engine  6,  and  from  there,  at  different  times, 
to  Engines  13,  42  and  32.  On  January  15,  1880, 
while  going  to  a  fire,  he  was  thrown  from  his 
engine  at  the  corner  of  LaSalle  and  Monroe 
Streets,  receiving  a  fracture  of  his  knee  and 
ankle,  which  incapacitated  him  for  active  duty. 
He  was  detailed  at  Headquarters,  August  10, 
1891,  as  Clerk  and  Storekeeper,  and  still  re- 
tains that  position,  enjoying  the  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  he  is  brought  in  contact  for  his 
kind  and  affable  manner.  He  is  always  ready 
for  any  good  word  and  work.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Anna  Hennessy  in  Chicago,  on  the  llth 
day  of  November,  1891,  and  two  children  have 
blessed  this  union. 

HARVEY  R.  HENRY. 

Harvey  R,  Henry  live-stock  commission  mer- 
chant, Chicago,  was  born  in  Lowville,  Lewis 
County,  N.  Y.,  May  26,  1838,  and  educated  in 
the  public  schools.  After  leaving  school  he 
came  to  Chicago,  arriving  March  20,  1860,  and 
was  yardmaster  at  tue  Michigan  Southern  Stock 
Yards  for  about  two  years.  He  then  bought 
and  shipped  live-stock  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  James  F.  Henry,  for  about  three  years, 
and  was  yardmaster  for  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
&  Transit  Company  when  the  yards  were 
opened  December  25,  1865,  and  until  June,  1866. 
Later  he  bought  live  stock  for  Tilden  &  Curtis, 
of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  then  worked  for  Jesse 
Adams  about  two  years,  for  Adams  &  Eldredge 
one  year,  and  was  connected  with  Sanford 
Green,  shipping  hogs  to  New  York.  In  1870  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Jesse  Adams  and 
H.  E.  Mallory  under  the  style  of  Adams,  Mai- 
lory  &  Henry,  which  continued  for  two  years, 
and  after  its  dissolution,  continued  in  business 
on  his  own  account  until  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship wiin  T.  C.  Hough,  under  the  style  of  Henry 


&  Hough,  which  lasted  for  two  and  a  half  years. 
Mr.  Hough  having  then  retired,  Mr.  Henry 
again  went  into  business  alone,  but  later 
formed  a  partnership  with  E.  H.  Ellett,  under 
the  style  of  Henry  &  Ellett,  which  continued 
for  twenty-six  months.  At  the  expiration  of, 
this  period  Mr.  Henry  resumed  business  on  his 
own  account,  which  he  still  continues  in  the 
Exchange  Building  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards, 
by  his  faithful  attention  to  the  interests  of  his 
customers  winning  his  full  share  of  business. 
Mr.  Henry  was  married  at  Martinsburg,  N.  Y., 
September  14,  1865. 

CHARLES   HERENDEEN. 

Charles  Herendeen,  expert  in  fermentation, 
inventor  and  manufacturer,  was  born  in  Rich- 
mond, Province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  November 
11,  1859.  His  father  was  Hamilton  H.  Heren- 
deen, a  native  of  North  Adams,  Mass.,  of  Eng- 
lish parentage,  a  decorative  painter  and  artist 
of  marked  ability;  his  mother,  Harriet  (John- 
son) Herendeen,  was  a  native  of  Richmond, 
but  also  of  English  extraction. 

Young  Herendeen  enjoyed  but  limited  edu- 
cational advantages,  having  been,  at  the  early 
age  of  thirteen  years,  apprenticed  to  learn  the 
bakery  and  confectionery  trade  in  the  town  of 
Aylmer,  Ontario.  This  was  the  humble  start- 
ing point  of  what  has  proven  to  be  a  most  re- 
markable business  career,  one  which  has  been 
unique  in  many  ways  and  in  one  respect,  with- 
out parallel. 

It  is  surely  a  far  cry  from  an  .uneducated 
apprentice  boy  in  a  bake  shop  at  thirteen,  to 
an  acknowledged  world's  expert  in  a  scientific 
and  practical  branch  of  knowledge  at  forty- 
four.  Yet  such  is  the  record  of  Charles  Heren- 
deen. It  is  a  wonderful  thing  to  be  able  to  say 
of  any  man,  "he  is  probably  the  best  in  the 
world  in  his  line,"  no  difference  what  his  sphere 
of  accomplishment  may  be  or  how  insignificant 
its  importance  in  the  world's  economy.  But 
when  it  chances  to  be  along  lines  affecting 
directly  mankind's  most  necessary  dependence 
— the  food  supply — the  value  of  his  skill  or 
knowledge  to  the  world  is  correspondingly  in- 
creased and  in  like  proportion  the  credit  to  the 
man  himself. 

When  Mr.  Herendeen  began  to  .learn  the  art 
of  making  bread,  he  was  not  content,  boy  as 
he  was,  to  simply  follow  routine  lines  and  per- 
form his  daily  task  in  the  shop.  He  began 
studying  all  the  constituent  parts  and  condi- 
tions that  entered  into  the  composition  of  the 
different  kinds  of  bread  and  cakes.  This  led 
him  to  study  thoroughly  the  distinctive  quali- 
ties of  the  various  flours  used,  and  he  became 
particularly  interested  in  the  yeast  problem. 
He  soon  realized  that  therein  lay  the  life  prin- 
ciple, the  key  to  the  situation.  He  studied, 
marveled  at  and  experimented  with  the  con- 
stantly varying  results  produced  by  combina- 
tions at  different  degrees  of  moisture  and  tem- 
perature. This  was  the  beginning  of  a  line  of 
investigation,  of  experimenting,  of  continual 
delving  and  digging  into  nature's  mine  of 
secrets,  until,  today,  Mr.  Herendeen  is  acknowl- 


go8 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA -OF  ILLINOIS. 


edged,  by  the  most  eminent  chemists,  leading 
baners  and  food  packers  of  the  world,  as  proo- 
abiy  the  most  reliable  authority  and  expert  in 
all  matters  pertaining  to  the  production  or 
prevention  of  fermentation.  He  is  continually 
oeing  called  in  consultation  throughout  Amer- 
ica and  Europe,  by  large  handlers  of  food- 
stuffs, to  remedy  defects  in  their  processes  of 
production,  or  to  save  from  loss  cargoes  or 
great  batches  of  valuable  foods  that  manifest 
evidences  of  fermentation,  where  such  a  condi- 
tion would  result  in  total  loss  unless  promptly 
checked. 

When  he  is  called  to  the  scene  of  action,  he 
begins  his  work  precisely  as  the  intelligent 
physician  would  begin  the  treatment  of  a  seri- 
ous illness;  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  correctly 
diagnose  the  case.  He  begins  at  the  very  be- 
ginning, ascertaining  first,  even  to  the  small- 
est detail,  the  primary  condition  of  every  con- 
stituent part  of  the  food,  whatever  it  may  be; 
then  the  treatment  to  which  it  was  subjected 
in  each  step  or  stage  of  its  manufacture;  the 
conditions  under  which  it  passed  from  the  grain 
in  the  field,  or  the  cattle  in  the  pasture,  as  the 
case  may  be,  to  the  food  product  then  before 
him.  When  the  link  of  error  or  oversight 
is  reached  in  this  chain  of  investigation,  he  is 
able,  by  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subject, 
to  detect  the  defect  at  once  and  apply  the 
proper  remedy.  There  is  one  marked  advan- 
tage Mr.  Herendeen  possesses  over  the  most 
advanced  physician  in  making  his  diagnosis; 
he  can  dissect,  scrutinize  and  analyse  his  sub- 
ject in  a  way  the  physician  cannot,  hence  his 
freedom  from  mistakes. 

Mr.  Herendeen  remained  in  his  apprentice- 
ship at  Aylmer  nine  years;  then  engaged  in 
business  for  himself  at  St.  Thomas,  Ontario, 
where  for  ten  years  he  conducted  a  successful 
baking  estaoiishment,  and  also  engaged  in  var- 
ious ottier  lines  of  business;  among  other 
things,  the  wholesale  oyster  and  fruit  trade  and 
the  manufacturing  of  Herendeen's  celebrated 
mince-meat,  which  is  still  a  standard  article 
on  the  market  in  the  Dominion.  He  employed 
as  many  as  seventy  hands  in  this  branch  of  his 
business  alone.  It  was  during  this  period  that 
he  invented  and  patented  "Herendeen's  Orien- 
tal Flour,"  which  has  since  become  celebrated 
throughout  the  civilized  world.  He  has  large 
mills  for  the  manufacture  of  this  flour  at  Dan- 
ville, 111.;  manufacturing  plants  and  ware- 
houses in  Chicago,  111.,  and  in  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land; also  warehouses  at  New  York  City,  San 
Francisco,  Cal.,  and  Toronto,  Canada.  Besides 
his  patents  on  the  manufacture  of  flour,  he  has 
patented  various  mechanical  appliances  for  use 
in  connection  with  baking,  such  as  bake-ovens, 
dough-mixers,  etc.;  also  chemical  compounds 
for  checking  and  controlling  fermentation.  He 
also  manufactures  a  fine  quality  of  grits,  hom- 
iny and  other  cereal  products. 

From  the  extent  and  magnitude  of  his  busi- 
ness interests  it  may  readily  be  conceived  that 
Mr.  Herendeen  is  a  busy  man,  but  he  manages 
to  find  time  to  indulge  in  his  favorite  pastime 
of  golf  when  opportunity  offers.  He  is  a  golf 


enthusiast.  He  enjoys  rural  life  and  contact 
with  nature,  and  this  perhaps  had  much  to  do 
with  his  purchase,  in  the  autumn  of  1903,  of 
a  magnificent  stock-farm  (one  of  the  best  in 
the  State)  of  560  acres,  located  on  the  Chicago 
&  North-Western  Railroad  in  McHenry  County, 
fifty-two  minutes'  ride  from  Chicago.  Here  he 
has  a  beautiful  lake  (Crystal  Lake)  located 
entirely  within  the  boundary  lines  of  his  pos- 
sessions, well  stocked  with  different  varieties 
of  the  finny  tribe,  and  here  he  delights  to  wel- 
come his  many  friends  during  the  outing  sea- 
son. He  anticipates  making  of  this  property 
an  ideal  country  home,  stocked  with  the  very 
best  breeds  of  animals,  especially  thoroughbred 
horses,  of  which  he  already  has  a  number. 

Mr.  Herendeen  was  married  at  Aylmer,  Can- 
ada, January  1,  1876,  to  Miss  Helen  Emma 
Pankhurst,  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Elizabeth 
(Graham)  Pankhurst,  of  that  place.  Mrs.  Heren- 
deen's father  was,  for  many  years,  prominent 
in  the  province  as  a  newspaper  publisher  and 
editor,  and  is  a  brother  of  the  late  Dr.  R.  M. 
Pankhurst,  barrister  and  politician  of  Man- 
chester, England,  one  of  the  noted  men  of  his 
day  in  Great  Britain.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herendeen:  Harry  Claude, 
Florence  Marsden,  Nellie  May  and  Charles 
Frederick.  Mr.  Herendeen's  wife  and  children 
have  accompanied  him  on  his  extensive  travels, 
time  and  again,  thus  visiting  most  of  the  prom- 
inent cities  of  the  world. 

In  religious  belief  Mr.  Herendeen  is  a  Bap- 
tist; in  politics  a  Republican,  and  fraternally 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  Workmen  and  the  Ancient  Order 
of  Foresters. 

The  above  is  a  brief  summary  of  a  career  in 
many  respects  out  of  the  ordinary.  He  claims 
never  to  have  had  any  assistance  in  business, 
never  to  have  borrowed  a  dollar,  never  to  have 
bought  on  credit  or  owed  a  dollar  past  the  time 
of  its  becoming  due,  and  never  to  have  made  a 
failure  of  any  business  enterprise  in  which  he 
has  engaged.  He  attributes  much  of  the  credit 
for  this  remarkable  fact,  to  the  helpfulness  and 
intelligent  assistance  rendered  him  by  his 
faithful  wife.  Married  when  each  were  but 
seventeen  years  of  age,  their  lives  and  efforts, 
tastes  and  habits  have  conformed  and  harmo- 
nized; thus  perfecting  a  union  that  has  been 
mutually  helpful  and  sustaining. 

JOHN   J.    HERRICK. 

Success  in  any  calling  is  an  indication  of 
close  application,  industry  and  faithfulness. 
There  are  few  professions  more  honorable,  and 
few  which  offer  better  opportunities  than  does 
that  of  the  law,  for  the  display  of  character, 
sterling  worth  and  ability.  To  the  lawyer  are 
necessarily  entrusted  matters  of  confidence,  in- 
volving property,  reputation,  and  at  times, 
even  life  itself;  and  upon  his  skill,  loyalty  and 
ability,  the  rich  and  poor,  strong  and  helpless, 
often  depend.  Success  in  life  is  something  to 
be  proud  of,  and  the  world  is  better  for  the 
life  of  every  successful  man.  It  is  a  stimulus 
to  others  less  fortunate  in  the  fray,  and  an 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


909 


example  for  them  to  emulate.  The  greatest 
reward  of  the  successful  man  is  his  conscious- 
ness of  having  acted  well  his  part  and  contrib- 
uted something  toward  the  betterment  of  his 
fellow-men.  Yet  the  subject  of  this  sketch  lays 
claim  to  no  particular  honor  for  having  ful- 
filled the  obligations  of  his  profession,  and  for 
having  become  a  successful  lawyer  and  a  prom- 
inent citizen. 

John  J.  Herrick  was  born  at  Hillsboro,  111., 
May  25,  1845,  the  son  of  Dr.  William  B.  and 
Martha  (Seward)  Herrick.  The  Massachusetts 
family  of  Herricks  are  a  branch  of  the  ancient 
family  of  that  name,  of  Leicestershire,  Eng- 
land, a  family  prominent  in  this  country  to-day, 
and  one  which,  in  the  past,  had  many  illus- 
trious members.  Jacob  Herrick,  the  great- 
grandfather of  the  subject  this  sketch,  was  a 
Lieutenant  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and 
after  that  struggle,  settled  in  Durham,  Maine, 
where  he  became  a  Congregational  minister. 
His  son,  Jacob,  was  born  in  and  resided  in 
Durham,  and  here  his  son,  William  B.,  father 
of  our  subject,  was  also  born.  The  Sewards  on 
the  maternal  side  are  old  residents  of  Illinois. 
John  B.  Seward,  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
John  J.  Herrick,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
who  settled  at  an  early  day  in  Montgomery 
County,  111. 

William  B.  Herrick,  father  of  John  J.,  arrived 
in  Chicago  in  1844.  He  was  Surgeon  of  a  regi- 
ment of  Illinois  Volunteers  during  the  Mexi- 
can War,  and  became  one  of  the  first  Professors 
of  Rush  Medical  College,  and  also  the  first 
President  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society. 
He  was  prominent  in  both  medical  and  scien- 
tific circles,  as  well  as  in  civil  and  social  life. 
But  the  toil,  hardships  and  exposures  of  cam- 
paign life  had  left  their  effects  upon  his  sys- 
tem, and  his  health  failing,  he  was  compelled 
in  1857  to  have  recourse  to  his  native  air,  and 
returned  to  Maine. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  public  and  private 
schools  of  Chicago,  and  after  the  return  of  his 
father  to  the  State  of  Maine  in  1857,  he  attended 
the  Lewiston  Falls  Academy,  there  preparing 
for  Bowdoin  College,  which  he  entered  in  1862, 
and  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1866.  Re- 
turning to  Illinois,  he  spent  the  winter  of  1866- 
67  in  teaching  school  in  Hyde  Park,  then  a  sub- 
urb of  Chicago.  Deciding  upon  the  law  as  a 
vocation,  in  1867  he  became  a  student  in  the 
offices  of  Higgins,  Swett  &  Quigg.  Entering 
at  the  same  time  the  Union  College  of  Law, 
at  Chicago,  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1868,  and  selected  to  deliver  the  class  valedic- 
tory. Three  years  later  he  commenced  the 
active  practice  of  his  profession — having  in 
the  meantime  remained  with  Messrs.  Higgins, 
Swett  &  Quigg  as  clerk  and  student,  gaining 
thereby  much  additional  legal  knowledge  and 
valuable  experience  of  a  practical  nature.  As 
in  business,  so  in  professional  life,  much  de- 
pends upon  the  manner  in  which  one's  career  is 
opened.  From  the  very  outset,  that  of  John 
J.  Herrick  has  been  a  marked  success.  He 
soon  acquired  considerable  reputation  from  his 


connection  with  several  important  cases — 
among  others,  the  suits  growing  out  of  the 
alleged  fraudulent  election  of  Michael  Evans 
and  others  to  the  South  Town  offices,  and  their 
ouster  from  office  in  1876,  and  those  growing 
out  of  the  failure  of  the  firm  of  John  B.  Lyon 
and  Company,  in  1872,  and  their  suspension 
from  the  Board  of  Trade.  In  1878,  Mr.  Her- 
rick became  associated  with  the  late  Wirt 
Dexter,  and  in  1880,  Mr.  Charles  L.  Allen  was 
admitted  to  the  partnership,  the  firm  becoming, 
Dexter,  Herrick  &  Allen,  and  thus  it  continued 
until  the  death  of  Mr-.  Dexter,  in  May,  1890. 
For  several  years  Mr.  Herrick  was  associated 
with  Mr.  Allen  alone,  but  by  the  admission  of 
B.  K.  Boyesen  and  Horace  Martin  it  has  now 
(1904)  assumed  the  name  of  Herrick,  Allen, 
Boyesen  &  Martin. 

Among  the  many  other  important  and  noted 
cases  with  which  Mr.  Herrick  has  been  con- 
nected may  be  mentioned  the  case  of  Devine 
vs.  The  People,  out  of  which  arose  the  ques- 
tion of  the  constitutionality  of  the  law  author- 
izing the  County  Commissioners  of  Cook 
County  to  issue  bonds  without  a  vote  of  the 
people;  the  case  of  Barrow  vs.  Burnside,  argued 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Iowa,  and  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  involving 
the  validity  of  the  Iowa  Statute  as  to  corpora- 
tions of  other  States,  known  as  the  "Domesti- 
cation Law,"  the  cases  of  Stevens  vs.  Pratt, 
and  Kingsbury  vs.  Sperry,  before  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Illinois,  and  of  Gross  vs.  United  States 
Mortgage  Company,  and  the  United  States 
Mortgage  Company  vs.  Kingsbury,  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  involving 
important  questions  as  to  the  rights  of  foreign 
corporations  in  Illinois,  and  the  construction  of 
the  Illinois  Statutes  as  to  guardians;  that  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company 
vs.  Dey,  and  other  cases  before  the  United 
States  Courts  in  Iowa  and  Illinois;  the  State 
vs.  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad 
Company,  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ne- 
braska, involving  questions  of  constitutional 
law,  and  important  as  defining  the  rights  of 
railroad  corporations;  Spalding  vs.  Preston,  in- 
volving new  and  important  questions  as  to  the 
construction  of  the  Illinois  Assignment  Law; 
and  the  iaylor  and  Storey  will  cases.  Space 
alone  forbids  an  enumeration  of  many  other 
and  important  cases  with  which  Mr.  Herrick 
has  been  connected.  Al  present,  representing 
large  corporate  and  private  interests,  the  firm 
of  Herrick,  Allen,  Boyesen  &  Martin  have  a 
fine  record,  and  a  reputation  second  to  none. 

Mr.  Herrick  has  held,  at  various  times,  num- 
erous offices  in  the  Chicago  Law  Institute,  the 
Chicago  Bar  Association  and  the  Citizens'  As- 
sociation. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Literary  Society  and  the  University  Club.  He 
is  a  regular  attendant  at  the  Central  Church 
founded  by  the  late  Professor  David  Swing,  but 
now  under  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Gunsaulus. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Herrick,  until  1884,  was  a 
National  Republican,  but,  in  1884  and  in  1888, 
he  voted  for  Grover  Cleveland,  and  is  now  an 
advocate  for  the  reduction  of  tariff  on  the  line 


gio 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


of  free  trade  and  civil  service  reform.  In  mu- 
nicipal and  local  affairs  he  is  non-partisan,  be- 
lieving in  measures  and  men  rather  than  in 
mere  political  wire  pulling.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Julia  A.  Dulon  in  1882,  and  they  have 
three  children. 

In  the  truest  sense,  Mr.  Herrick  is  a  high- 
minded  gentleman,  of  scholarly  attainments, 
and  in  his  professional,  as  in  all  his  other  re- 
lations, seeks  something  higher  and  better  than 
mere  personal  gain.  With  broad  views  of  life, 
he  rises  above  his  calling  or  his  environments, 
using  them  all  as  but  means  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  noble  ends.  Conscious  of  his  own 
powers,  he  is  yet  modest  and  unassuming  in 
manner,  and  never  courts  notoriety;  and,  while 
firm  in  his  convictions,  is  tolerant  of  the  opin- 
ions of  others. 

As  an  advocate  Mr.  Herrick  is  eloquent  at 
times.  Clear  and  concise  in  style  his  arguments 
are  sound  and  thoroughly  logical,  and  rarely 
fail  to  convince.  He  is,  withal,  a  courteous 
gentleman,  affable  and  possessing  the  faculty 
of  making  and  retaining  friends,  of  whom  he 
has  a  host.  He  is  counted  among  Chicago's 
leading  lawyers,  and  has  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  all  who  know  him.  And  none  more 
richly  deserves  to  be  ranked  among  the  city's 
representative  men. 

ROBERT    HERVEY. 

Among  the  older  members  of  the  Chicago  bar, 
following  the  pioneer  period,  Robert  Hervey 
was  for  a  generation  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent. He  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
August  10,  1820,  the  son  of  Alexander  and  Eliza- 
beth (Gibson)  Hervey.  His  father  died  when 
the  son  was  about  eleven  years  old,  and  the  lat- 
ter was  educated  at  the  grammar  school  of  his 
native  city  and  the  Glasgow  University.  While 
a  student  at  the  University  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  and,  although  he  did  not  prosecute 
the  study  to  completion,  the  knowledge  thus 
acquired  proved  of  great  value  to  him  after  he 
entered  the  legal  profession.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  Mr.  Hervey  went  to  Canada 
with  a  view  to  engaging  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  his  uncles,  but  on  the  advice  of  one 
of  the  latter  decided  to  study  law  and  became 
a  student  in  the  office  of  Henry  Sherwood  of 
Brockville,  who  was  afterwards  Attorney-Gen- 
eral for  the  Province  of  Ontario.  When  his 
preceptor  removed  to  Toronto  to  enter  upon 
his  official  duties,  Mr.  Hervey  accompanied  him 
to  that  city,  and  was  there  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1841.  He  then  opened  an  office  in  Ottawa, 
Canada,  where  he  continued  in  practice  until 
1852,  when  he  removed  to  Chicago,  and  on  Sep- 
tember 25th  of  that  year  was  admitted  to  the 
Illinois  bar,  remaining  in  practice  continuously 
until  compelled  to  retire  on  account  of  failing 
health. 

After  coming  to  Chicago,  Mr.  Hervey's  first 
business  connection  was  with  Buckner  S.  Mor- 
ris and  Joseph  P.  Clarkson,  the  latter  a  brother 
of  Bishop  Clarkson,  who  was  then  rector  of  St. 
James  Episcopal  church  and  afterwards  Bishop 
of  Nebraska.  This  partnership  was  continued 


four  years,  and  later  Mr.  Hervey  was  associated 
with  James  A.  Hosmer  and  the  late  Judge 
Elliott  Anthony,  during  a  part  of  the  latter 
period,  the  firm  being  riervey,  Anthony  &  Gait. 
Mr.  Hervey  was  also  for  a  time  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Hervey,  Gait  &  Magruder— the 
last  of  the  firm  being  now  a  Justice  of  the  Illi- 
nois bupreme  Court — and  was  still  later  head 
of  the  firm  of  Hervey  &  Clements.  Judge  El- 
bridge  Hanecy,  later  of  the  Superior  Court  of 
COOK  County,  studied  law  with  Hervey,  An- 
thony &  Gait,  and  after  the  dissolution  of  the 
firm,  occupied  the  same  office  with  his  vener- 
able preceptor. 

Mr.  Hervey's  career  as  a  lawyer  was  a  most 
notable  one.  Of  distinguished  appearance,  dig- 
nified and  courteous  in  manner  and  possessing 
a  high  order  of  eloquence,  he  was  regarded  for 
many  years  as  one  of  the  ablest  trial  lawyers 
of  Chicago,  and  was  connected  with  some  of 
the  most  notable  cases  before  the  Chicago 
courts.  In  1873  he  was  admitted  to  practice 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
and  in  1883  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws  from  the  Wesleyan  University  at  Bloom- 
ington.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  St 
Andrews  Society  of  Chicago,  of  which  he  be- 
came a  member  in  1852.  Mr.  Hervey  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  Bar  Association, 
and  was  President  of  the  Law  Institute.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity 
from  1865,  and  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Hervey  was  first  married  to  Miss  Maria 
Jones,  who  fell  a  victim  to  the  cholera  epidemic 
in  Chicago  in  1854.  She  bore  him  four  children 
Alexander,  Robert,  David  and  Sophia,  the  latter 
now  Mrs.  Sophia  Jones  of  Toronto.  In  1861 
he  married  Miss  Frances  W.  Smith,  a  native  of 
Rochester,  N.  Y.  In  1900  he  married,  as  his 
third  wife,  Miss  Jennie  E.  Graham,  a  Canadian 
lady,  who  survives  him. 

SEGEL  HESS. 

To  be  a  cattle-buyer  for  a  great  corporation 
requires  almost  intuitive  judgment  of  a  high 
order.  To  look  over  a  train  load  of  cattle,  to 
take  in  at  a  single  glance  their  good  and  bad 
points,  and  determine  at  once  their  market 
value,  is  a  task  of  which  few  men  are  capable. 
When  such  a  man  is  found  he  is  always  in  de- 
mand. Among  these  men  at  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  Mr.  Hess  stands  forth  prominently. 
From  a  boy  he  has  had  to  do  with  cattle  in- 
terests, and  is  widely  informed  upon  everything 
that  touches  the  live-stock  interest.  What  he 
knows  he  puts  to  use,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
practical  and  common-sense  men  to  be  found 
among  an  aggregation  of  men  known  through- 
out the  Union  for  their  level-headedness  arid 
sound  sense. 

Mr.  Hess  was  born  in  Hechingen,  Germany, 
March  2,  1846,  and  was  educated  in  the  local 
schools.  As  a  boy  he  helped  his  father  in  a 
butcher  shop,  and  when  he  came  to  Chicago,  in 
June,  1865,  here  found  employment  in  a  butcher 
shop.  In  November  following  he  began  work 
for  Nelson  Morris  in  his  packing  house. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


911 


Through  all  changes  of  name  and  growing  for- 
tunes of  this  great  house  he  has  remained  with 
the  firm,  and  at  the  present  time  is  numbered 
among  its  most  reliable  and  appreciated  em- 
ployes, holding  the  responsible  position  of  cat- 
tle-buyer for  the  house  on  the  open  market. 
Mr.  Hess  was  married  in  Chicago,  July  28,  1872, 
to  Miss  Mary  Rieser,  and  three  children  have 
come  to  bless  this  union.  Mr.  Hess  finds  much 
delight  in  his  home  relations,  and  his  business 
character  and  standing  are  attested  by  his  con- 
nection with  the  same  corporation  for  thirty- 
five  years  and  his  promotion  to  his  present 
position. 

WILLIAM   G.    HIBBARQ. 

A  gentleman,  who,  coming  to  Chicago  after 
he  had  reached  his  majority,  has  mingled  in 
her  busy  life  from  1849,  for  a  period  of  over 
fifty  years,  giving  daily  attention  to  the  man- 
agement of  a  great  corporation  of  which  he 
was  the  executive  head,  is  an  anomaly.  Most 
men  who  nave  reached  over  three  score  and 
ten  years  especially  if  fortune  has  crowned 
their  life's  labor,  feel  like  retiring  from  the 
strife  and  enjoying  the  ease  and  dignity  which 
they  have  earned.  Not  so  with  Mr.  Hibbard. 
With  intellect  unclouded,  and  manly  strength 
but  slightly  abated,  with  an  erect  form,  firm 
step  and  clear  vision  in  his  later  years,  he 
went  about  his  daily  round  of  affairs  as  in  the 
days  when  struggle  seemed  to  be  a  necessity. 
His  was  an  inheritance  from  a  vigorous  an- 
cestry, strengthened  by  a  life  of  activity  and 
unimpaired  by  any  of  the  irregularities  or  vices 
which  wreck  so  many  lives.  In  the  mind  of 
every  Chicagoan  the  name  Hibbard  suggests 
the  proud  position  which  the  city  has  attained 
among  the  centers  of  the  iron  and  steel  indus- 
tries of  the  United  States,  for  he  stood  at  the 
head  of  one  of  the  largest  hardware  houses  in 
the  world.  He  entered  upon  the  hardware 
trade  in  Chicago  on  August  8,  1849,  and  there 
were  few  days  in  the  next  half  century  in 
which  he  was  not  actively  engaged  in  this 
chosen  occupation.  Hard  work  and  business 
genius  gave  him  the  mercantile  eminence  ne 
occupied  so  conspicuously  during  the  closing 
years  of  his  business  career.  Very  few  of  the 
pre-eminently  successful  Chicago  men  have 
achieved  their  triumph  without  the  spur  of 
original  poverty  to  stimulate  their  efforts. 
Among  the  men  indebted  to  personal  labor  for 
the  success  of  later  life  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

William  G.  Hibbard  was  born  in  Dryden,  N. 
Y.,  August  7,  1825.  Two  years  later  he  was 
taken  to  Homer,  N.  Y.,  and,  in  that  town  and 
in  Cortland,  his  boyhood  was  passed,  until  he 
made  a  decision  to  commence  the  active  busi- 
ness of  life  in  what  was  then  the  "Far  West." 
The  facts  of  his  outward  life  were  few  and 
simple.  The  qualities  of  intellect  and  char- 
acter, which  constitute  the  real  life,  are  more 
subtle  and  difficult  of  analysis.  Mr.  Hibbard 
was  reticent  as  to  his  inward  thoughts,  and 
was  possessed  of  a  genuine  modesty  in  respect 
to  his  own  personality,  which  prompted  him 


to    discuss   general    questions   rather   than   his 
business  or  himself. 

Mr.  Hibbard  began  his  career  in  Chicago 
with  the  house  of  Blair  &  Stimson,  his  knowl- 
edge of  hardware  being  limited  to  an  assort- 
ment kept  in  a  country  store,  and  his  first 
year's  salary  was  three  hundred  dollars  and 
board.  In  1855  he  formed  the  partnership  of 
Tuttle,  Hibbard  &  Company,  which  continued 
for  ten  years.  The  force  of  employes  at  that 
time  consisted  of  a  bookkeeper,  a  porter  and  a 
sixteen-year-old  boy,  ana  the  work  was  not 
done  under  the  modern  eight-hour  schedule, 
as  may  well  be  imagined.  The  panic  of  1857 
affected  the  firm  with  less  force  than  some  of 
its  neighbors,  for  the  idea  of  this  house  seemed 
to  be  "not  what  you  can  make,  but  what  you 
can  save,"  and  it  held  fast  to  this  theory 
through  the  subsequent  dark  days  of  each  suc- 
ceeding season  of  panic  and  uncertainty.  In 
1865  the  firm  name  was  changed  once  more, 
this  time  becoming  Hibbard  &  Spencer.  They 
had  just  moved  into  more  commodious  quarters 
and  were  ready  for  enlarged  business  on  Satur- 
day night,  October  7,  1871,  when  came  the 
great  fire.  The  magnitude  of  labor  and  weight 
of  responsibility  which  the  bare  suggestion  of 
this  calamity  brings  to  mind  were  exemplified 
in  this  case,  as  in  thousands  of  others.  He- 
roic work  saved  to  the  firm  most  of  its  books, 
and  about  $15,000  worth  of  stock,  although 
finally  the  latter  was  mostly  destroyed  on  the 
Lake  Park,  whither  it  had  been  removed  for 
safety.  Such  goods  as  were  ultimately  saved 
were  stowed  away  in  the  stable  and  basement 
of  Mr.  Hibbard's  premises,  which,  fortunately, 
had  escaped  destruction,  and  very  soon  busi- 
ness was  resumed  in  a  one-story  wareliouse 
built  a  week  after  the  fire  and  made  safe 
by  a  dozen  barrels  of  salt-brine  on  the  roof 
and  a  steam  fire  engine  always  ready.  The 
shanty,  fifteen  feet  high,  if  not  imposing,  was 
comfortable  and  convenient,  the  inside  office 
having  planed  boards  for  desks,  with  empty 
nail  kegs  in  place  of  chairs.  In  spite  of  dis- 
aster, which  was  dire  enough  to  dismay  the 
stoutest  heart,  a  very  successful  business  was 
done  in  this  old  shanty,  with  its  wooden 
shed  for  a  warehouse,  and  it  was  not  until 
June,  1872,  that  the  firm  moved  to  the  site 
of  its  present  quarters,  occupying  then  No. 
32  Lake  St.  The  little  boom  of  1878  and  '79 
became  the  starting  point  of  the  colossal 
growth  of  this  well-known  house,  which  with- 
in the  last  two  years  has  erected  a  ten-story 
steel  structure,  together  with  a  fire-proof  five- 
story  warehouse,  with  electric  flat-boats  trans- 
ferring goods  from  this  building  across  the 
river  to  the  store. 

In  1882  the  firm  was  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  Hibbard,  Spencer,  Bartlett  &  Company, 
under  which  title  it  is  known  the  world  over. 
Mr.  Hibbard,  its  senior  partner,  was  a  man  of 
liberal  views  and  public  spirit,  and  so  highly 
was  he  regarded  by  associated  dealers,  that 
his  opinion  was  often  sought  as  a  guide  to 
their  operations  on  occasions  of  doubt  and  un- 
certainty. In  a  word,  he  may  be  described 


gi2 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


as  being  unostentatious  without  hypocrisy  or 
cant,  possessing  a  kindly  and  generous  heart, 
and  an  influence  altogether  beneficent — a  man 
who  had  made  the  world  better  by  his  life 
and  influence.  His  accumulations  were  not 
the  fruit  of  speculation  or  wild  adventure,  but 
were  gathered  in  the  pursuit  of  legitimate 
business  and  placed  in  safe  investment.  At  an 
advanced  age,  he  was  vigorous  alike  in  mind 
and  body,  up  to  the  last  directing  his  vast 
interests  with  unfailing  energy  and  sound  judg- 
ment and  enjoying  the  ripening  fruits  of  an 
industrious  and  exemplary  life. 

The  genius  of  the  world  can  neither  devise 
nor  erect  a  more  pleasant  monument  of  eternal 
greatness  than  is  raised  by  the  life  and  example 
of  a  noble  man  who  transmits  to  his  posterity 
the  heritage  of  an  unsullied  name.  Mr.  Hib- 
bard's  death  occurred  October  11,  1903,  ter- 
minating an  honorable  and  successful  busi- 
ness career. 

WILLIAM  HICKS. 

William  Hicks,  soldier  and  farmer,  Palatine 
Township,  Cook  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Mon- 
roe, Mass.,  October  3,  1840,  the  son  of  Joseph 
and  Lucinda  Hicks.  In  1861  he  enlisted  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Fifteenth  Kegiment  Illinois  In- 
fantry, was  discharged  and  re-enlisted  at  Camp 
Cowan,  in  1863.  After  this  he  served  until 
the  fall  of  1865,  when  he  was  finally  mustered 
out  of  the  service.  One  of  his  last  war  experi- 
ences was  the  march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea 
with  General  Sherman. 

NICHOLAS  HINSBERGER. 
Nicholas  Hinsberger,  farmer,  postoffice  ad- 
dress Arlington  Heights,  111.,  is  a  native  of 
Prussia,  born  September  20,  1840.  His  parents 
(John  and  Mary  Magdalena  Hinsberger)  are 
also,  like  himself,  of  German  birth.  On  Janu- 
ary 25,  1870,  he  was  married  to  Annie  Walter, 
and  has  seven  children,  named  respectively, 
Mary,  Andrew,  Rosa  E.,  Anna,  Clara,  Nicholas 
and  Joseph.  Andrew  Walter,  the  father  of 
Mrs.  Hinsberger,  was  one  of  the  oldest  settlers 
of  Wheeling,  Clook  County,  having  located 
there  in  1848,  where  he  resided  on  one  of  his 
farms  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town  until 
his  death  on  July  4,  1901,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years. 

JACOB    HISEL.MAN. 

Jacob  Hiselman,  pipeman  and  treasurer  of 
Engine  No.  6,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  May  3,  1861,  and  educated 
in  the  Chicago  public  schools;  later  worked  at 
steam  and  gas-fitting,  until  he  joined  the  Fire 
Department,  March  23,  1893,  as  pipeman  on 
Engine  No.  6.  He  has  also  been  treasurer  of 
the  company.  He  has  had  many  narrow  es- 
capes from  fatal  accidents.  One  of  these  oc- 
curred on  January  1,  1897,  resulting  from  an 
explosion  of  gas  at  81  Wilson  Street,  which 
knocked  off  the  side  partition  of  the  third 
floor  of  the  building  and  threw  Mr.  Hiselman 
down  two  flights  of  stairs,  badly  burning  his 
face  and  hands.  About  two  years  ago,  at  a 


fire  at  the  corner  of  Madison  and  Canal  Streets, 
while  going  up  the  main  ladder  with  the  hose, 
the  strap  broke,  leaving  him  at  the  top  of  the 
ladder  on  the  fourth  story  of  the  building. 
His  hands  and  face  were  severely  burned  be- 
fore he  could  be  rescued.  Mr.  Hiselman's 
father,  Frank  Hiselman,  lost  his  life  at  the 
corner  of  Division  and  Wells  Streets,  during 
the  Chicago  fire  of  1871,  while  trying  to  save 
a  lady  who  was  also  burned  to  death.  Noth- 
ing was  found  of  his  father's  remains  except- 
ing his  heart.  His  watch  was  found  in  the 
ruins.  Fireman  Hiselman  was  married  in  Chi- 
cago, May  1,  1884,  to  Maggie  Bremer,  and  two 
boys  have  been  born  to  them,  Peter  J.  and 
Harry  F. 

MELCHIOR  HOERNER. 

Melchior  Hoerner,  Superintendent  Police  De- 
partment, Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit 
Company,  Chicago,  was  born  near  Carlisle, 
Cumberland  County,  Pa.,  May  3,  1844,  nine 
years  later  coming  to  Warren  County,  111., 
where  he  was  reared  on  a  farm.  On  July  29, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Eighty-third 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  but  in  December 
following  was  discharged  on  account  of  dis- 
ability. Re-enlisting  a  few  months  later  (1863) 
in  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Cavalry,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Sergeant  of  Company  L,  serving  until 
mustered  out  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  May  31,  1865, 
under  General  Order  No.  77. 

Mr.  Hoerner  came  to  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
in  August,  1865,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  main  gate  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  & 
Transit  Company,  which  position  he  retained 
until  1882,  when  he  was  appointed  Chief  of 
Police  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit 
Company,  the  force  consisting  of  117  men.  He 
has  had  charge  of  the  extra  force  and  all  the 
night  work  for  twenty-four  years.  Mr.  Hoerner 
is  the  oldest  employe  of  this  company  now  in 
their  service,  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  men 
in  that  neighborhood  for  the  faithful  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  and  his  kind  and  affable 
way  of  treating  all  with  whom  he  associates. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education 
of  the  Town  of  Lake  for  the  years  1892-93, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  Mizpah  Lodge,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  Delta  Chapter,  and  Temple  Council. 
Mr.  Hoerner  was  married  in  Chicago,  July  25. 
1869,  to  Miss  Norah  J.  Lynch,  and  five  daugh- 
ters have  been  born  to  them,  three  of  whom 
are  now  living,  viz.:  Effie,  Alice  and  May. 
Mr.  Hoerner  has  lived  in  the  same  house  at 
4422  Emerald  Avenue  for  thirty  years. 

PETER  MICHAEL  HOFFMAN. 
Peter  M.  Hoffman,  Coroner,  Cook  County, 
was  born  in  the  Town  of  Maine,  Cook  County, 
111.,  March  23,  1863,  the  son  of  Michael  and 
Annette  (Nimsgarn)  Hoffman,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Elsass,  Germany.  Michael 
Hoffman,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  when  twelve  years  of  age,  emigrated 
with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  in  1842, 
the  family  locating  on  a  farm  in  the  Town  of 
Northfield,  Cook  County,  which,  at  that  time, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


was  but  sparsely  settled.  In  the  latter  part 
of  the  year  1848,  he  started  across  the  Plains 
for  California,  reaching  there  in  the  latter  part 
of  1849,  and  after  remaining  eight  years  re 
turned  to  Cook  County  in  1857,  when  he  located 
in  the  Town  of  Maine.  In  1861  he  married 
Annette  Nimsgarn  of  McHenry  County,  111., 
and  they  had  three  sons  born  to  them,  viz.: 
Peter,  Urban  and  George.  Typhoid  fever  en- 
tered the  family  in  1890,  and,  on  April  10th  of 
that  year,  the  son  George  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  and  on  November  24th,  follow- 
ing, Urban,  aged  twenty-three,  leaving  Peter, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  only  surviving 
child  of  the  family.  Michael  Hoffman  with 
his  family  lived  on  his  farm  in  Maine  Town- 
ship until  1880,  when  he  located  in  the  village 
of  Des  Plaines,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  dying  August  26,  1896.  During  his 
residence  in  the  Town  of  Maine  he  served  for 
twenty-eight  consecutive  years  as  Township 
Assessor.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Annette  Hoffman, 
still  survives. 

While  living  on  the  farm,  Peter  M.  Hoffman 
spent  his  winter  months  in  attendance  on  the 
public  schools,  after  the  family  removed  to 
Des  Plaines,  attending  the  grammar  school  at 
that  place  and  later  taking  a  two-years'  course 
in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College,  in 
Chicago.  Subsequently  he  began  his  business 
career  as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store,  still  later 
being  employed  as  Money  Order  Clerk  in  the 
Chicago  Postoffice.  In  1884  he  entered  into 
the  employment  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwest- 
ern Railway  Company  as  Shipping  Clerk  in 
Chicago,  subsequently  holding  successively  the 
positions  of  Receiving  Clerk  and  Cashier,  final- 
ly being  promoted  to  Chief  Clerk  for  the 
Freight  Department  at  Grand  Avenue  and  Jef- 
ferson Street,  Chicago.  Other  positions  held  by 
him  include  tnose  of  Chairman  of  the  Des 
Plaines  Village  Board  of  Trustees  and  Chair- 
man of  the  Board  of  Education  for  District 
No.  64,  in  which  he  has  served  for  six  years 
and  up  to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Hoffman  has  always  been  an  earnest 
Republican  and  an  active  worker  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  party  which  he  believes  representa- 
tive of  a  sound  governmental  policy.  In  1898 
he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  County  Com- 
missioner for  Cook  County,  was  re-elected  in 
1900  and  again  in  1902,  serving  three  terms 
of  two  years  each.  While  a  member  of  the 
Board  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Cook  County 
Hospital  Committee  and  of  the  Committee  on 
the  Dunning  Institution,  and  for  six  years  a 
member  of  the  Financial  Committee.  In  1904 
he  received  the  nomination  for  Coroner  of  Cook 
County  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  was 
elected  by  a  plurality  over  his  Democratic  op- 
ponent of  over  60,000  votes. 

Mr.  Hoffman  was  married  August  17,  1888, 
to  Miss  Emma  May  Peet,  of  Wheeling,  Cook 
County,  and  they  have  a  family  of  five  daugh- 
ters and  one  son,  all  living,  viz.:  Edith  May, 
Nettie  J.,  Lela  Rae,  Marguerite,  Evelyn  and 
Gordon  Culver.  Mr.  Hoffman  still  resides  with 


his  family  in  the  delightful  suburban  village 
of  Des  Plaines,  Cook  County. 

MICHAEL,  L.  HOGAN. 

Lieutenant,  Armour  &  Company  Fire  Depart- 
ment, Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago,  born  in 
Bodeke,  County  (Jlare,  Ireland,  August  10, 
1861,  was  educated  in  the  local  schools,  and 
after  leaving  school,  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  until  1880,  when  he  came  to  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  and  there  worked  for  the  Carnegie  Steel 
Company  for  three  years.  Coming  to  Chicago 
in  1883,  he  worked  for  the  Illinois  Steel  Com- 
pany for  two  years,  and  then  for  the  West 
Side  Street  Car  Company  until  November  25, 
1887,  when  he  was  appointed  Lieutenant  of  the 
Armour  &  Co.  Fire  Department,  and  still  holds 
that  position.  He  has  had  many  narrow  es- 
capes but  has  never  been  seriously  injured. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Nugent,  in  Chi- 
cago, August  26,  1897,  and  two  sons  have  been 
born  to  them.  Lieutenant  Hogan  has  shown 
by  his  close  attention  to  his  many  responsible 
duties  that  he  is  always  ready  when  duty  calls. 

F.  A.   HOHMAN. 

F.  A.  Hohman,  City  Clerk,  Blue  Island,  111., 
was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  the  son  of  Valen- 
tine and  Barbara  (Metzger)  Hohman,  who  were 
natives  of  Saxony,  Germany,  and  came  to 
New  York  in  1845,  and  to  Des  Plaines,  111., 
in  1858.  The  father  died  in  1897,  and  the  moth- 
er still  resides  with  her  son,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Mr.  Hohman  has  spent  his  life 
in  Cook  County  since  coming  to  the  county 
with  his  parents  in  1858;  in  1859  went  to 
Chicago,  and  1871  to  Blue  Island,  where  he  has 
been  a  resident  ever  since.  He  first  engaged 
there  in  the  contracting  and  building  business, 
but  in  1887  was  elected  City  Clerk,  was  re- 
elected  in  1889  and  has  served  continuously 
ever  since,  filling  that  position  for  a  longer 
period  than  any  of  his  predecessors.  Mr.  Hoh- 
man was  married  in  Blue  Island  in  1869,  to 
Miss  Rosa  Echart,  the  daughter  of  Christopher 
and  Sophia  C.  Echart,  who  were  born  in 
Germany  and  came  to  Blue  Island  about  1860, 
both  dying  there.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hohman  have 
had  seven  children,  viz.:  Anna  (deceased), 
Florence  (now  Mrs.  Roundstead  of  Blue  Isl- 
and), Samuel,  Daisy,  Fted,  Alice  and  Howard. 
In  politics  Mr.  Hohman  is  a  Republican  and 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  public  affairs;  is  also 
a  member  of  Calumet  Lodge,  No.  716,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  Calumet  Chapter;  of  Walhalla 
Lodge,  No.  574,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  of  No  463, 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

Blue  Island  was  platted  in  1837,  incorpor- 
ated as  a  village  in  1872,  and  as  a  city  in  1902. 
The  City  hall,  a  two-story  pressed-brick  build- 
ing, 74  x  76  feet,  is  occupied  by  the  city  library, 
and  the  offices  of  the  City  Clerk,  the  Chief  of 
Police,  the  Superintendent  of  Police,  the  Super- 
intendent of  Streets  and  the  City  Council 
Room. 

GILBERT   M.    HOLMES. 

Gilbert  M.  Holmes,  manager  Union  Render- 
ing Company  and  coal  operator,  was  born  in 


914 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Aurora,  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  May  17,  1849;  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  graduated 
at  Aurora  Academy.  After  leaving  the  acad- 
emy he  came  to  Chicago  in  1866,  and  became 
connected  with  the  Union  Rendering  Company, 
remaining  with  them  for  fifteen  years.  He 
then  scalped  hogs  for  three  years,  but  in  1884 
engaged  in  farming  and  the  live-stock  business 
at  Beatrice,  Neb.  In  1891  he  went  to  Oska- 
loosa,  Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  coal 
trade  until  January,  1898,  when  he  removed  to 
Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  became  a  coal  operator, 
still  continuing  in  that  line  of  business.  Mr. 
Holmes  was  married  in  Chicago,  Oct.  10,  1876, 
to  Miss  Mary  R.  Humphrey,  and  one  daughter 
has  blessed  their  union.  Mr.  Holmes  has  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  associates,  who  es- 
teem him  highly  for  his  courteous  and  gentle- 
manly bearing  as  a  business  man  and  a  citizen. 

BENJAMIN  F.  HOMER 

Benjamin  F.  Homer,  who  is  one  of  the  noted 
and  successful  hardware  merchants  of  Chicago, 
and  occupies  an  enviable  position  in  the  trade 
circles  of  the  great  metropolis,  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  February  19,  1834. 
When  a  boy  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  the 
western  part  of  the  Empire  State,  where  he 
received  a  common  school  education.  For  two 
years  he  studied  in  the  Middleburg  Academy, 
and  when  he  was  eighteen  years  old  became  a 
teacher.  After  teaching  a  year  he  returned  to 
farming,  in  which  he  had  previously  been  en- 
gaged, and  at  twenty-three  years  of  age  was 
married  to  Emeline  C.  Firman,  of  Richfield 
Springs,  in  his  native  State.  For  a  time  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  in  Livingston  County, 
but  after  marriage,  in  company  with  a  cousin, 
entered  into  the  drug  trade.  Shortly  after,  hav- 
ing purchased  his  partner's  interest,  he  con- 
tinued the  business  alone  until  1868.  In  this 
line  he  was  quite  successful,  and  after  following 
it  eight  years,  sold  out,  bringing  the  proceeds  of 
his  business  with  him  to  Chicago.  In  July  of 
1868  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  hardware 
house  of  Morris,  Hodge  &  Company,  and  about 
two  years  later  Mr.  Homer  and  Mr.  Hodge 
bought  Mr.  Morris'  interest,  the  firm  becoming 
Hodge  &  Homer.  In  1890  a  stock  company  was 
formed  under  the  style  of  the  Hodge  &  Homer 
Company.  This  business  has  steadily  increased 
from  the  beginning,  and  at  the  present  time 
gives  employment  to  a  large  force  of  clerks. 
The  firm  carries  an  extensive  stock  of  builder's 
hardware,  mechanic's  supplies,  machinery, 
agricultural  implements,  cutlery,  and  similar 
goods. 

Mr.  Homer  is  the  father  of  two  children,  Fred 
M.,  who  is  in  the  business  with  his  father,  and 
Florence  E.  Homer,  a  daughter,  who  is  living  at 
home.  Mr.  Homer  is  now  residing  in  Evanston, 
111. 

HENRY  HAMILTON  HONORE. 
Henry  Hamilton  Honore,  capitalist,  was  born 
February  19,  1824,  in  Louisville,  Ky.    His  grand- 
father was  Jean  Antoine  Honore,  born  in  1755 


in  Paris,  France,  the  descendant  of  an  old  and 
aristocratic  family.  Jean  Antoine  having  no 
taste  for  the  priesthood,  for  which  he  had  been 
educated,  and  intensely  imbued  with  the  ideas 
of  that  day  held  by  the  followers  of  Lafayette, 
of  whom  he  was  a  personal  friend,  and  sharing 
the  latter's  enthusiastic  sympathies  with  the 
great  struggle  for  liberty  going  on  in  the  new 
land,  as  soon  as  he  attained  his  majority 
embarked  for  the  United  States,  bringing  a  con- 
siderable patrimony  with  him  to  Baltimore,  Md., 
where  he  settled  in  1781.  Here  he  resided,  a 
conspicuous  and  respected  citizen,  until  1806, 
when  he  determined  to  remove  to  Louisville, 
Ky.,  influenced  thereto  by  its  promise  of  future 
importance  as  one  of  the  chief  cities  of  the 
West.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  rich  country  tributary  to  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  River  basins,  owned  the  first 
steamboat  to  ply  between  Louisville  and  New 
Orleans,  and  was  for  many  years  recognized  as 
a  leading  citizen,  noted  alike  for  business 
sagacity  and  the  courtliness  of  his  manners. 
He  died  in  Louisville  in  1843  leaving,  besides 
other  children,  a  son  Francis,  who  had  been 
born  in  Baltimore  in  1792.  Francis  had  not  the 
same  inclination  for  affairs  possessed  by  his 
father,  and  lived  the  life  of  a  country  gentle- 
man upon  his  plantation  near  Louisville.  He 
married  Matilda  Lockwood,  the  beautiful  and 
accomplished  daughter  of  Capt.  Benjamin  Lock- 
wood,  U.  S.  A.  The  widow  of  Capt.  Lockwood 
married  John  Cleves  Symmes,  Captain  U.  S.  A. 
(quid  vide,  also  "John  Cleves  Symmes,"  his 
uncle,  Revolutionary  patriot  and  founder  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio).  Francis  was  the  father  of  Henry 
Hamilton. 

Henry  Hamilton  received  his  early  education 
in  private  schools  and  divided  his  boyhood  days 
between  extended  visits  to  his  grandfather  in 
Louisville  and  the  home-life  upon  his  father's 
plantation.  Soon  after  reaching  his  majority 
he  married  Miss  Eliza  Carr,  daughter  of  Capt. 
John  Carr  (quid  vide)  of  Oldham  County,  Ky. 
Miss  Carr  was  noted  for  her  intellect  and 
beauty,  even  in  that  country  distinguished  for 
its  beautiful  women.  After  his  marriage  Mr. 
Honore  engaged  in  the  wholesale  hardware  busi- 
ness in  Louisville.  Tales  told  by  Captain  Lock- 
wood,  who  had  visited  Chicago  in  the  days  of 
Fort  Dearborn,  and  those  of  his  father  who  had 
passed  through  the  town  on  his  way  to  Galena 
in  1840,  incited  Mr.  Honore,  in  1853,  to  visit  the 
scene  of  his  later  successes.  He  returned  to 
Louisville  so  enthusiastic  as  to  the  future  of 
Chicago,  that  his  friends  were  greatly  impressed 
and  ultimately  many  of  them  either  sent  funds 
to  Chicago  for  investment  or  themselves  fol- 
lowed him  after  his  removal  in  1855.  Mr. 
Honore's  first  Chicago  investment  was  for  his 
home,  which  he  placed  upon  what  is  known  as 
the  North  Side,  in  the  center  of  a  square  com- 
prising an  entire  city  block.  Later,  becoming 
largely  interested  in  property  on  the  West  Side, 
he  removed  his  residence  to  that  section  of  Chi- 
cago many  sub-divisions  of  which  were  devel- 
oped by  him,  notably  the  Ashland  I.  and  Ash- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


land  II.  Additions  to  Chicago,  containing  the 
beautiful  Ashland  Boulevard.  The  business 
section  of  the  city  also  engaged  Mr.  Honore's 
attention,  he  being  one  of  the  first  to  foresee  the 
future  of  Dearborn  Street  upon  which  he  had 
built  a  number  of  fine  office  structures  before 
the  great  fire  of  October,  1871.  These  he  imme- 
diately re-erected  after  that  catastrophe,  confi- 
dently predicting  what  the  future  has  demon- 
strated— that  Dearborn  Street  would  ultimately 
become  the  most  valuable  office-section  of  the 
city. 

The  magnificent  system  of  parks  and  boule- 
vards encircling  Chicago,  known  collectively  as 
the  North,  South  and  West  Park  Systems,  are 
very  largely  the  result  of  Mr.  Honore's  good 
taste,  foresight  and  public  spirit.  At  a  banquet 
held  about  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the  Colum- 
bian Exposition  in  the  South  Park,  Mr.  D.  H. 
Burnham  said  of  Mr.  Honore:  "Too  much  can- 
not be  said  of  what  he  has  contributed  to  Chi- 
cago's growth.  Wherever  his  hand  appeared 
there  has  been  big,  broad  development;  he  ever 
looked  into  the  future,  planned  for  the  future, 
acted  for  the  future.  He  is  a  grand,  good  man. 
Chicago  owes  him  a  monument." 

Of  Henry  Hamilton  Honore  the  man,  as  he 
was  known  to  his  cotemporaries,  it  is  difficult 
to  draw  a  word  picture.  To  say  that,  in  adver- 
sity and  in  prosperity  alike,  he  was  ever 
approachable,  genial,  courteous,  tells  not  of  the 
extreme  kindliness  of  his  eye,  the  heartiness  of 
his  grasp  nor  of  the  almost  boyish  enthusiasm 
and  frankness  of  his  address.  Such  natures  are 
to  their  fellowmen  a  source  of  perennial  refresh- 
ment; for  in  the  dark  places  of  individual 
experience  they  bestow  encouragement  and  hope 
for  the  morrow  by  a  look  or  a  word,  and  in  days 
bounded  by  a  brighter  horizon,  they  seem  to 
accent  the  beauties  and  enjoyments  of  the 
moment  for  every  one  with  whom  they  come  in 
contact. 

Mr.  Honore  has  lived  to  see  his  six  children 
establish  themselves  firmly  in  the  respect  of 
their  fellow-citizens.  Three  sons,  Adrian  C., 
Henry  Hamilton,  Jr.,  and  Nathaniel  K.,  under 
the  name  of  "Honore  Brothers,"  conduct  a  very 
large  business  in  real  estate  in  Chicago;  his 
youngest  son  Lockwood,  after  distinguishing 
himself  at  the  bar,  was  on  June  1,  1903,  elected 
to  the  bench  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook 
County;  his  elder  daughter,  Bertha,  is  the 
widow  of  one  of  Chicago's  greatest  and  wealth- 
iest citizens,  Potter  Palmer;  his  youngest  daugh- 
ter, Ida,  is  the  wife  of  Brig-Gen.  Frederick  Dent 
Grant,  the  son  of  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  and  recently 
United  States  Minister  to  the  Court  of  Austria- 
Hungary. 

SOLOMON  P.  HOPKINS. 
It  is  always  pleasant  either  to  tell  or  to 
read  the  life-story  of  a  self-made  man  of 
a  lofty  type.  The  patience  under  trial,  the 
courage  in  the  face  of  defeat,  the  energy, 
resolution  pluck  and  power  of  endurance 
displayed  by  such  men  make  us  proud  of 
our  common  humanity.  To  win  one's  way  from 


the  deck  of  a  steamboat  to  a  seat  in  legislative 
halls;  to  rise  through  one's  own  efforts  from  a 
humble  post  of  duty  to  a  position  of  grave 
responsibility  and  high  emolument — this  is  a 
record  of  which  one's  posterity  may  well  be 
proud. 

Synoptically  this  is  the  narrative  of  the  life 
of  the  late  Samuel  P.  Hopkins.  He  came  into 
the  world  on  March  2,  1828,  in  the  village  of 
Fishkill,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.  His  early 
intention  was  to  become  a  lawyer,  but  fate 
decreed  otherwise,  and  after  a  year's  study 
he  put  away  his  text-books  to  become  a  "steam- 
boatman."  Going  to  California  in  1852  he  spent 
some  time  in  the  handling  of  grain,  meanwhile 
filling  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Tiring 
of  life  on  the  coast,  he  turned  his  face  toward 
the  East,  but  got  no  farther  than  Ozaukee 
County,  Wis.,  where  for  two  years  he  carried  on 
business  as  a  flour  merchant.  It  was  while 
living  in  Wisconsin  in  1865  that  he  met  and 
married  Miss  Euretta  A.  Taylor,  who  with  her 
only  son,  Fred  B.,  yet  survives  him,  having  her 
home  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Hopkins  came  to  Chicago  in  1856  and  at 
once  engaged  in  dealing  in  live  stock.  In  1874 
he  took  up  his  residence  in  the  town  of  Lake, 
and  there  lived  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
For  some  years  he  held  the  position  of  inspector 
of  the  Stock  Yards  and  Transit  Company,  and 
later  became  the  representative  of  the  combined 
railroad  interests  doing  business  at  the  Yards. 
In  July,  1882,  ill  health  compelled  his  resigna- 
tion and  on  January  6th,  following,  his  useful 
life  came  to  a  close. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  personality  and  of 
deep,  earnest  conviction.  His  standard  of 
morality  was  high,  and  from  it  neither  circum- 
stance nor  the  allurement  of  prospective  gain 
could  induce  him  to  deviate.  His  death  was 
deeply  deplored,  alike  by  his  business  associates 
and  the  community  at  large.  In  politics  he  was 
a  stanch  Republican,  and  represented  his  legis- 
lative district  in  the  Twenty-eighth,  Twenty- 
ninth,  Thirtieth  and  Thirty-first  General  Assem- 
blies. 

JAMES   KORAN. 

James  Horan,  Second  Assistant  Fire  Marshal, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago 
in  1859,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  city  and  joined  the  Fire  Department 
in  January,  1881,  being  assigned  to  duty  as  pipe- 
man  on  Engine  No.  1;  was  transferred  as  truck- 
man to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  4  in 
1884,  and  promoted  while  there  by  the  "Grand 
Old  Chief,"  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant.  In  1886 
he  was  transferred  to  Engine  No.  15,  and  during 
the  same  year  to  Engine  No.  11.  Here  he  was 
made  Captain  and  assigned  to  the  command  of 
Engine  13,  in  the  heart  of  what  was  then  the 
perilous  wholesale  district.  He  was  transferred 
in  1888  to  Truck  No.  6,  where  he  made  a  fine 
record,  which  hastened  his  promotion  to  the 
Chief  of  the  First  Battalion,  to  which  he  was 
appointed  on  the  26th  day  of  July,  1893.  He 
succeeded  Chief  Patrick  O'Malley,  who  went  to 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Jackson  Park  and,  not  long  after,  responded  to 
the  death  call.  Viewing  the  remains  of  his 
warm-hearted  predecessor,  Horan  observed, 
"God  never  made  a  braver  man  than  Pat  O'Mal- 
ley."  The  remark  published  in  the  daily  papers 
was  echoed  throughout  the  department. 

From  1893  for  years  Chief  Horan  was  the 
first  commander  at  all  fires  in  the  "down-town" 
business  district.  He  was  first  at  the  Ayers 
Building  fire,  where  eleven  citizens  lost  their 
lives  and  where  Fire  Patrol  No.  1  had  so  close 
a  call  in  the  collapse  of  the  structure;  at  the 
conflagration  in  the  Chicago  Toy  Company's 
works,  where  the  men  of  Truck  6  had  so  narrow 
an  escape;  at  the  clothing  house  fire  at  Frank- 
lin and  Van  Buren  Streets,  where  three  men  of 
Engine  No.  2  were  killed  by  falling  floors;  at 
the  fire  of  Gillett's  flavoring  extracts  factory, 
and  many  others  too  numerous  to  mention.  In 
August,  1903,  he  was  appointed  Third  Assistant 
Fire  Marshal  and  after  the  appointment  of 
Chief  Campion  at  the  head  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment in  1904,  was  advanced  to  the  position  of 
Second  Assistant.  Chief  Koran's  ability  is  not 
only  known  in  the  department,  but  is  recognized 
by  the  press  and  the  public.  He  is  regarded  as 
a  stalwart  by  his  friends  in  the  business  com- 
munity and  among  his  associates  where,  by  his 
faithful  discharge  of  duty  and  his  kind  and  gen- 
erous attention  to  the  wants  of  others,  he  has 
drawn  around  himself  a  large  circle  of  personal 
friends. 

COURTNEY  H.  HORINE. 

This  sketch  will  readily  recall  to  one  famil- 
iar with  the  history  of  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  in  their  early  days,  one  of  its  en- 
terprising and  reliable  operators.  In  the  days 
when  individual  character  was  a  pronounced 
factor  of  success  Mr.  Horine  stood  prominent 
and  was  known  throughout  the  Northwest  as  a 
man  of  integrity  and  business  ability.  For 
many  years  he  was  active  in  every  enterprise 
and  movement  to  which  his  attention  was  in- 
vited and  which  looked  to  the  building  up  of 
Chicago  and  the  Stock  Yards.  His  knowledge 
of  business  was  recognized,  his  character  was 
above  reproach  and  he  held  an  honorable  place 
in  that  coterie  of  old-fashioned  and  courtly  gen- 
tlemen, full  of  enterprise,  but  who  would  scorn 
a  mean  act  and  whose  simple  word  was  a  bond. 
His  career  has  been  varied  and  interesting,  and 
his  last  years  are  invested  with  the  respect  that 
comes  from  industry  and  integrity. 

Mr.  Horine,  who  is  still  a  live-stock  commission 
merchant  in  Chicago,  was  born  in  Jessamine 
County,  Ky.,  June  6,  1829,  and  acquired  his 
education  in  the  "poor  man's  university,"  the 
district  school,  which  he  left  at  an  early  age  to 
become  an  apprentice  at  the  carpenter's  trade. 
In  October,  1847,  he  came  to  Bloomington,  111., 
and  cast  his  lot  with  the  people  of  that  thriving 
inland  town.  After  the  fires  of  Civil  War  were 
lighted  he  enlisted  in  1862,  in  Company  A, 
Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  his  country  as  a  private  soldier,  making 
an  honorable  record  and  participating  in  many 


important  engagements.  In  1867  Mr.  Horine 
came  to  Chicago  where  he  soon  found  employ- 
ment for  his  business  abilities  in  the  live-stock 
commission  trade.  In  1870  he  organized  the 
firm  of  Horine  Brothers  &  Company,  in  this 
enterprise  being  associated  with  his  brother,  F. 
M.  Horine,  H.  B.  Steck  and  others.  This  firm 
was  continued  with  occasional  changes  until 
1895,  when  all  interested  parties  retired  but  Mr. 
Horine.  Then  he  became  associated  with 
Thomas,  Starrett  &  Company  with  whom  he  is 
still  connected. 

Mr.  Horine  was  married  near  Bloomington, 
111.,  November  6,  1850,  to  Miss  Sarah  Mason, 
who  became  the  mother  of  eight  children  and 
passed  away  September  24,  1893.  Five  of  their 
children  are  still  living.  On  May  14,  1896,  he 
married,  as  his  second  wife,  in  Chicago,  Miss 
H.  M.  Bowser.  Mr.  Horine  has  led  an  active 
and  strenuous  life,  and  has  contributed  to  the 
up-building  of  Chicago  and  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  to  their  present  mammoth  proportions. 

CHRISTOPH  HOTZ. 

In  all  those  elements  which  enter  into  the 
make-up  of  the  successful  manufacturer  and 
enterprising  business  man,  as  well  as  the  genial 
citizen  and  leader  in  educational  and  other  pub- 
lic enterprises,  Chicago  has  had  no  more  notable 
example  than  he  whose  name  stands  at  the  head 
of  this  article.  He  was  born  in  Wertheim, 
Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Germany,  January  25, 
1842,  the  son  of  Gottfried  Hotz,  a  chandler  and 
grain-merchant  by  occupation.  He  spent  the 
early  years  of  his  life  in  attendance  on  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  place,  which  he  entered 
at  the  age  of  five  years.  Later  he  became  a 
pupil  in  the  Latin  School,  in  the  meantime 
studying  mechanics  under  the  tutorship  of 
Prof.  Andreas  Fries,  preparatory  to  entering  the 
Polytechnic  School  at  Carlsruhe,  where  he 
graduated  with  high  honors  in  1860,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years.  While  a  student  he  spent 
much  of  the  time  during  his  vacation  on  boats 
owned  and  employed  by  his  father  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  business  on  the  rivers  Main  and 
Rhine,  thus  early  becoming  acquainted  with 
practical  business  methods  and  with  the  country 
bordering  upon  these  historic  streams. 

After  graduating  from  the  Polytechnic  School 
at  Carlsruhe,  following  the  custom  of  the  time, 
he  started  in  business  life  as  a  journeyman,  in 
this  capacity  working  in  the  various  branches 
of  his  future  vocation  in  the  most  noted  fac- 
tories and  establishments  of  Switzerland  where 
his  technical  education  was  efficiently  utilized, 
thus  supplementing  in  a  practical  way  the  train- 
ing he  had  received  in  the  schools.  After  six 
years  spent  in  this  manner,  he  was  recognized 
as  a  "master"  in  his  profession,  and  his  thoughts 
were  naturally  directed  to  securing  a  permanent 
position  for  the  employment  of  his  talents.  It 
was  while  still  a  student  at  Carlsruhe  that,  as 
he  said:  "I  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  a 
fellow-student  named  Peter  Schuttler  of  Chi- 
cago. We  were  close  friends,  and,  after  parting, 
we  kept  up  a  desultory  correspondence,  his 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


917 


letters  invariably  holding  out  the  superior  op- 
portunities of  success  in  the  United  States, 
which  so  impressed  me  that  I  sailed  on  the 
evening  of  April  13  (1866),  on  the  steamship 
"Eugenie,"  for  the  New  World,  arriving  in  New 
York  May  2,  1866." 

Mr.  Hotz,  having  reached  Chicago,  first  found 
employment  in  the  establishment  of  Messrs.  P. 
W.  Gates  &  Co.,  manufacturer  of  mining  and 
other  machinery,  located  on  Canal  and  Wash- 
ington streets,  and,  after  a  year  spent  with  this 
firm,  opened  up  an  establishment  on  his  own 
account.  About  this  time  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Catherine  Schuttler,  the  only  sister  of  his 
friend  Peter  Schuttler,  and  out  of  this  relation- 
ship came  the  partnership  of  the  brothers-in- 
law,  which  was  organized  August  22,  1868, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Schuttler  &  Hotz,  their 
business  being  carried  on  at  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  Randolph  and  Franklin  streets,  where  it 
was  originally  etsablished  by  Peter  Schuttler, 
Sr.,  for  the  manufacture  of  wagons,  in  1843. 
This  extensive  establishment,  with  all  its  stock 
and  machinery,  shared  the  fate  which  befell  all 
down-town  property  as  the  result  of  the  disas- 
trous conflagration  of  October,  1871.  The  fac- 
tory was  promptly  rebuilt  on  the  corner  of  Clin- 
ton and  Monroe  streets,  and,  less  than  seven 
months  after  the  date  of  the  fire,  was  reopened 
and  in  full  operation  on  an  enlarged  scale. 
For  this  task,  requiring  the  exercise  of  both 
business  judgment  and  mechanical  skill,  Mr. 
Hotz  had  been  especially  well  qualified  by  the 
practical  experience  gained  in  previous  years 
as  a  practical  and  successful  engineer  and  man- 
ufacturer. 

Despite  the  demands  made  upon  his  time  by 
a  strenuous  business  life,  Mr.  Hotz  still  found 
time  to  be  devoted  to  public  interests,  his  first 
office  being  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  old  Chicago  University,  to  which 
he  was  chosen  while  on  a  visit  to  the  Pacific 
Coast  in  1874.  In  June,  1876,  he  was  appointed 
by  Mayor  Heath  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Education,  in  which  he  served  as 
chairman  of  the  building  committee,  with  sound 
judgment  and  marked  ability  and  with  decided 
advantage  to  the  school  interests  of  the  city. 
Further  evidence  of  the  interest  which  he  had 
ever  manifested  in  the  cause  of  popular  and 
technical  education,  is  furnished  in  the  fact 
that  he  also  served  as  a  Trustee  of  the  Chi- 
cago Manual  Training  School,  and,  for  many 
years  occupied  a  like  relation  with  the  Lewis 
Institute  of  this  city.  His  long  official  connec- 
tion with  institutions  of  this  character,  which, 
in  their  respective  lines,  have  stood  in  the  front 
rank  of  educational  enterprises  of  their  day, 
attests  the  value  that  was  placed  upon  his  ser- 
vices in  this  field.  In  fact,  it  is  doubtful  if 
any  other  business  man  of  Chicago  was  ever 
called  upon  to  fill  so  many  and  such  varied,  as 
well  as  prominent,  positions  in  connection  with 
educational  interests  as  was  Mr.  Hotz  during 
the  nearly  forty  years  of  his  residence  in  Chi- 
cago. 

The  greater  part  of  the  year  1889  was  spent 


by  Mr.  Hotz  traveling  in  Europe  with  his  wife 
and  daughter.  The  following  extract,  taken 
from  his  diary,  relates  to  an  incident  of  this 
period : 

"After  an  absence  from  the  United  States  of 
over  nine  months,  I  picked  up  a  copy  of  the 
'Chicago  Times'  in  the  reading-room  of  the 
Kursall  in  Wiesbaden,  and  the  first  thing  my 
eye  caught  was,  to  my  utter  astonishment,  a 
notice  of  my  election  as  a  Trustee  of  the  San- 
itary District  of  Chicago  on  a  citizens'  ticket." 

Upon  his  return  to  Chicago,  a  little  later,  he 
was  installed  in  office,  filling  the  position  with 
fidelity  to  the  public  interest  and  with  credit 
to  himself  until  January  16,  1892,  when  he  ten- 
dered his  resignation.  At  the  meeting  of  the 
National  Wagon  Manufacturers'  Association, 
held  in  the  following  November,  he  was  unan- 
imously elected  President  of  that  organization, 
discharging  the  duties  of  that  office  to  the  satis- 
faction of  all  concerned  for  the  next  two  years. 
In  1894  he  was  chosen  Treasurer  of  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Agricultural  Implement 
and  Vehicle  Manufacturers,  and  in  June,  1895, 
was  appointed  by  Mayor  George  B.  Swift  a 
member  of  the  first  Civil  Service  Commission 
for  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  which  he  served  dili- 
gently and  with  sound  judgment  for  one  year, 
when  he  was  reappointed  by  Mayor  Swift  for 
a  term  of  three  years,  but  owing  to  a  change 
of  administration  in  1897,  he  and  his  Republican 
colleague  upon  the  Board  retired.  On  January 
7,  1896,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  a  position 
which  he  continued  to  fill  up  to  the  date  of  his 
death,  January  14,  1904.  Mr.  Hotz  brought  with 
him  from  the  Fatherland  those  traits  of  native 
energy,  strict  integrity  and  trained  skill  which 
he  displayed  in  so  conspicuous  a  manner  during 
his  entire  business  career  in  this  country,  and 
which  contributed  in  such  an  eminent  degree  to 
his  success  in  life,  as  well  as  to  the  success  of 
the  enterprises  with  which  he  was  associated. 
His  connection  with  social  organizations  em- 
braced the  Chicago  Commercial  Club,  of  which 
he  became  a  member  December  30,  1882,  and  the 
Chicago  Club,  with  which  he  was  identified  for 
many  years. 

The  highly  responsible  positions  of  both  a  pub- 
lic and  business  character  which  Mr.  Hotz  was 
called  upon  to  fill  during  the  latter  years  of 
his  life,  indicate  the  estimation  in  which  he 
was  held  as  an  upright  and  public-spirited  cit- 
izen, as  well  as  a  business  man.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  one  son,  Robert  Schuttler  Hotz,  and  an 
only  daughter,  Mrs.  Clara  J.  Ream,  Mrs.  Hotz 
having  preceded  him  to  the  "great  unknown" 
by  some  four  years. 

JOHN  HOUGH. 

Few  are  left  of  the  men  who,  three  and  four 
decades  ago,  by  their  hard  work  in  building  up, 
enlarging  and  promoting  the  success  of  the 
Chicago  Stock  Yards,  did  so  much  toward  in- 
suring the  city's  pre-eminence  as  a  live  stock 
market.  They  belonged  to  an  earlier  genera- 
tion, and,  their  work  done,  one  by  one  they 


9i8 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


have  passed  or  are  passing  away.  To  this  class 
of  energetic  workers  belonged  the  late  Mr.  John 
Hough,  who  was  born  at  North  Augusta,  On- 
tario, Canada,  on  September  17,  1846,  and  died 
June  7,  1899. 

It  was  in  1865  that  he  came  to  Chicago  from 
his  Canadian  home,  to  begin  life  at  nearly  the 
bottom  round  of  the  ladder,  as  a  journeyman 
carpenter  in  the  yards  where  he  was  afterward 
to  hold  a  post  of  high  honor  and  responsibility. 
He  climbed  higher,  however,  round  by  round. 
Tireless  efforts  and  unswerving  integrity  make 
themselves  felt  in  the  end,  and  Mr.  Hough  be- 
came Assistant  Superintendent.  In  1888  he 
resigned  this  position,  to  retire  to  private  life, 
in  enjoyment  of  the  competency  which  had  been 
well  earned.  Twenty-five  years  ago  he  invested 
largely,  yet  with  sound  judgment,  in  real  estate 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Yards.  As  time 
went  by  these  investments  proved  more  and 
more  profitable. 

Mr.  Hough  was  a  Republican  in  his  political 
creed,  and  an  active  party  worker  in  both  na- 
tional and  State  politics.  He  was  social  in  his 
nature,  having  many  friends,  who  always  found 
his  fidelity  unfailing.  He  was  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason  and  a  Knight  Templar.  He  was  a  man 
of  broad  public  spirit,  and  was  for  many  years 
prominently  identified  with  the  development  of 
the  town  of  Lake,  prior  to  its  absorption  by  Chi- 
cago. 

Mr.  Hough  married  on  December  17,  1879, 
Hattie  H.  Muirhead,  the  daughter  of  George 
Muirhead,  also  a  prominent  citizen  of  Lake  and 
at  one  time  Town  Supervisor.  The  issue  of  the 
marriage  was  two  sons,  George  M.  and  Har- 
old R. 

JOSEPH  W.  HOUGH. 

Chicago  offers  many  opportunities  to  the 
young  man  who  has  the  brains  to  see  and  the 
will  and  pluck  to  improve  them.  It  is  not  al- 
ways, however,  that  the  seeker  after  success 
is  willing  to  begin  in  the  comparatively  small 
way  which  first  offers,  forgetting  that,  to  win 
his  way,  he  must  be  free  from  undue  self- 
esteem,  and  brave  to  bear  as  well  as  to  do.  Mr. 
Joseph  W.  Hough  unites  these  qualities  in 
that  high  degree  which  has  enabled  him  to  rise 
from  the  position  of  a  mere  subordinate  to  that 
of  an  independent,  prosperous  business  man. 
By  birth  he  is  a  Canadian,  having  first  seen  the 
sun  in  Augusta,  Ontario,  on  January  6,  1852.  It 
was  on  New  Year's  Day,  1879,  that  he  first  came 
to  Chicago  and  at  once  found  employment  at 
the  Union  Stock  Yards.  John  Hough  was,  at 
that  time,  superintendent  of  construction,  and 
Joseph  W.  Hough,  under  his  supervision,  was 
a  journeyman  carpenter.  He  soon  rose,  by 
virtue  of  fidelity  and  skill,  to  be  assistant  fore- 
man, and  on  January  1,  1888,  was  promoted  to 
the  superintendency,  a  position  for  which  he 
possessed  admirable  qualifications,  and  whose 
duties  he  continued  to  discharge  until  Novem- 
ber, 1899,.  when  he  tendered  his  resignation  in 
order  that  he  might  embark  in  the  real-estate 
and  insurance  business.  Mr.  Hough  has  been 
twice  married.  He  first  led  to  the  altar  Miss 


Josie  Buell  to  whom  he  was  united  on  July  4, 
1882,  at  Morristown,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Hough  died 
March  26,  1889,  leaving  two  children.  His  sec- 
ond wife  was  Miss  Laura  I.  Sproul,  and  this 
marriage  has  been  blessed  with  one  child. 

FREDERICK   HOWARD. 

Frederick  Howard  has  long  exerted  a  decided 
influence  in  the  commercial  and  public  affairs 
of  Chicago,  and  in  the  old  days  before  Hyde 
Park  became  a  part  of  the  city,  was  one  of  its 
most  useful  citizens  and  capable  officials.  His 
name  is  indissolubly  associated  with  the  civic 
history  of  that  municipality,  especially  with  its 
old  water  department,  when  it  received  the  first 
pure  water  it  long  had  under  his  administra- 
tion of  that  branch  of  public  service.  Mr.  How- 
ard was  born  in  Randolph,  Mass.,  October  1, 
1848,  and  on  his  arrival  in  Chicago  while  still 
a  very  young  boy,  began  his  attendance  upon 
the  Dearborn  public  school  in  1854.  He  left 
school  in  1861,  and  at  that  early  age  applied 
himself  to  work,  entering  first  the  office  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company, 
where  he  remained  six  months,  and  then  be- 
came an  employe  of  Quimby  &  Company,  pack- 
ers. After  remaining  with  them  two  years,  he 
returned  to  Marion,  Mass.,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  his  father's  hotel  for  four  years.  In 
1868  he  came  back  to  Chicago  to  take  a  posi- 
tion in  the  office  of  the  Commercial  Fire  In- 
surance Company,  which  he  held  for  a  year, 
when  he  again  went  East  to  find  employment  in 
Colchester,  Conn.  Coming  to  Chicago  for  a 
third  time  'he  found  employment  in  the  office  of 
Horine  Brothers,  at  the  Exchange  Building  in 
the  Union  Stock  Yards,  where  he  was  engaged 
for  some  time  as  a  bookkeeper,  later  becoming 
a  member  of  the  firm.  In  1888  he  retired  from 
the  firm  to  engage  in  the  real-estate  business, 
which  seemed  to  offer  opportunity  for  profitable 
investments.  His  judgment  has  been  so  far 
justified  by  results,  that  Mr.  Howard  is  still 
engaged  in  the  business,  having  his  office  at  614 
Chamber  of  Commerce  Building. 

In  1885  Mr.  Howard  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Hyde  Park,  and 
Water  Commissioner,  in  which  position  he  re- 
mained two  years,  and  where  he  had  oppor- 
tunity to  render  valuable  service  to  the  people 
of  that  district.  During  a  heavy  storm  some 
two  years  before  his  entrance  upon  the  office  of 
Water  Commissioner,  the  tunnel  was  closed, 
and  it  was  during  his  administration  that  it 
was  reopened,  thus  securing  the  first  pure  water 
the  district  had  known  for  a  long  period.  He 
served  as  School  Treasurer  for  Hyde  Park  and 
the  town  of  Lake  in  1886,  and  proved  himself, 
as  he  has  everywhere  else,  a  capable  and  vig- 
ilant official.  Mr.  Howard  was  married  April 
23,  1873,  to  Miss  Carrie  I.  Stone,  of  Chicago,  and 
to  their  union  have  come  nine  children,  five 
of  whom  are  now  living.  Mr.  Howard  has  a 
host  of  friends  who  respect  and  esteem  him  for 
his  kind  and  genial  ways,  and  for  his  marked 
readiness  to  "lend  a  hand  whenever  needed" 
to  any  good  cause. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


919 


W.    M.   HOYT. 

In  this  country,  where  the  valuable  prizes 
of  life  depend  upon  merit,  rather  than  upon 
the  accidents  of  birth  and  fortune,  the  men  of 
character,  courage,  pluck  and  ambition  are  the 
successful.  The  highest  places  in  the  learned 
professions  are  filled  with,  and  the  greatest 
commercial  enterprises  are  conducted  by,  such 
men.  The  wonderful  growth  and  prosperity  of 
Chicago  are  the  result  of  the  activity  and  public 
spirit  of  that  class  of  men.  Among  the  most 
prominent  of  the  self-made  and  self-reliant, 
successful  and  independent  business  men  of 
Chicago  is  William  Melancthon  Hoyt,  who,  for 
nearly  fifty  years,  has  been  identified  with  the 
growth  of  Chicago  and,  in  common  with  many 
of  its  strong  and  public-spirited  citizens,  to  his 
well-directed  energy  is  due  much  of  the  ma- 
terial prosperity  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Hoyt  came  from  Vermont  at  the  early  age 
of  eighteen,  and  here  laid  the  foundations  of 
his  fortune  in  his  own  way.  He  is  the  son  of 
Carlos  M.  and  Lydia  Anne  (Buttolph)  Hoyt, 
and  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Addison  County, 
Vt,  July  26,  1837,  being  of  the  tenth  generation 
of  the  Hoyt  family  in  this  country,  and  a  direct 
descendant  of  John  Hoyt,  who  was  one  of  the 
original  settlers  of  Salisbury,  Mass.  Whether 
he  came  directly  from  England,  or  had  pre- 
viously lived  in  other  towns  in  America,  is  un- 
certain. Our  subject's  great-grandfather,  Seth 
Hoyt,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  one  of 
the  council  of  censors  to  examine  the  acts  of 
the  Legislature,  revise  the  laws,  etc,  William's 
early  life  was  spent  on  his  father's  farm  at  the 
sort  of  work  which  hardens  the  muscles  and 
toughens  the  sinews — work  in  a  pure  atmos- 
phere, pure  as  the  sunlight,  that  promotes 
healthfulness  and  perfect  physical  development. 
While  employed  in  the  ordinary  work  of  the 
farm  he  manifested,  very  early,  a  taste  for 
barter  and  exchange,  always  characteristic  of 
the  commercial  instinct  which  is  born  with  the 
boy.  His  preliminary  education  was  acquired 
in  the  public  schools  and  the  academy  of  Mr. 
Ten  Broeke,  at  Panton,  Vt. 

In  1855,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  following  the 
star  of  empire  westward  he  stopped  in  Chicago, 
then  a  flourishing  city  of  less  than  three-score 
thousand  inhabitants.  He  had  little  money  and 
no  influential  friends.  All  he  asked  was  an 
opportunity  to  engage  in  some  line  of  commer- 
cial business.  The  amount  of  salary  at  the 
beginning  was  not  important.  He  had  faith  in 
himself.  He  felt  that,  with  a  trial,  he  could 
make  his  services  so  valuable  to  an  employer 
that  a  fair  salary  would  follow.  The  times 
seemed  not  to  be  auspicious.  He  called  at  many 
houses  to  inquire  for  work,  but  only  to  be  re- 
fused. He  made  application  in  person  to  pro- 
prietors of  many  stores,  only  to  be  turned  aside 
by  their  answer,  "no  vacancies."  The  disap- 
pointments and  discouragements  attending  his 
first  experience  in  Chicago  would  have  caused 
a  less  resolute  boy  to  return  home,  or  turn 
aside  and  enter  into  some  degrading  service,  but 


they  seemed  to  nerve  him  to  greater  effort.  He 
consulted  the  oracle  in  an  intelligence  office 
and  was  sent  to  a  billiard  hall,  where  a  young 
man  was  wanted  to  manage  some  tables.  It 
was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  entered  such 
a  place.  His  convictions,  firm  and  unyielding 
as  to  the  value  of  good  associations  and  the 
corrupting  influence  of  evil  communications, 
fortified  him  with  strength  to  decline  the  sit- 
uation, when  really  anxious  for  work.  He  had 
not  forgotten  a  mother's  good  counsel.  After 
some  urging,  he  induced  the  proprietor  of  the 
intelligence  office  to  permit  him  to  call  upon 
Mr.  Bevans,  a  grocer  who  had  advertised  for 
an  experienced  young  man  to  work  in  his  store. 
The  impression  which  he  made  on  the  grocer 
was  so  satisfactory  that  a  bargain  was  soon 
entered  into,  under  which  he  went  to  work  on 
a  trial  for  ten  dollars  a  month  and  board.  The 
"trial"  was  satisfactory,  and  after  a  short  ser- 
vice a  contract  was  made  for  a  year,  at  twenty 
dollars  a  month  and  board.  The  whole  period 
spent  in  the  place  covered  eighteen  months, 
when  he  resigned  and  took  a  course  of  study  in 
Bell's  Commercial  College,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated. After  a  service  of  one  year  on  a  salary, 
with  a  fruit  dealer,  he  opened  business  for  him- 
self, with  a  capital  of  eighty-nine  dollars,  in  a 
room  for  which  he  agreed  to  pay  the  annual 
•  rental  of  eleven  hundred  dollars.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  a  business  career  that  developed 
into  great  prominence  and  usefulness. 

Like  all  prominent  successes  in  business, 
it  was  a  growth,  gradual  but  without  interrup- 
tion. Opening  as  a  small  dealer  in  fruits  at 
wholesale  and  retail,  he  developed  by  progres- 
sive evolutions  into  a  wholesale  grocer  and  head 
of  a  great  house,  whose  trade  reaches  all  parts 
of  the  Northwest,  and  whose  reputation  is  high 
in  commercial  circles.  A  brief  history  of  the 
changes  and  progress  is  as  follows:  In  1865  he 
bought  the  business  of  James  A.  Whitaker,  No. 
101  South  Water  Street,  foot  of  Wabash  Ave- 
nue. Notwithstanding  the  loss  of  his  place  of 
business  and  the  two  stores  he  owned  on  North 
Dearborn  Street,  at  the  time  of  the  great  fire 
of  1871,  he  fully  realized  that  once  more  it 
would  be  necessary  to  put  forth  great  energy 
in  reconstructing  the  business  and  making  good 
its  great  loss.  As  soon  as  he  learned  that  his 
place  was  in  ashes,  he  cast  about  to  find  a  suit-- 
able  location  outside  of  the  burned  district.  It 
was  early  in  the  forenoon  of  October  9th  that 
he  leased  the  store  at  63  South  Canal  Street, 
and  upon  signing  the  lease  Mr.  Welsh,  the  land- 
lord, remarked  as  he  looked  out  of  the  window, 
where  he  saw  the  fire  was  raging  across  the 
river,  "would  it  not  be  well  to  withhold  our 
signatures  until  we  know  that  this  property 
may  not  be  destroyed."  To  which  Mr.  Hoyt  re- 
plied: "No  harm  in  executing  the  lease  now, 
as  in  case  the  store  goes  the  lease  will  go  with 
it."  It  was  signed,  and  after  a  time  he  was 
offered  a  large  bonus  for  it,  which  was  neces- 
sarily declined.  On  the  evening  of  the  same  day 
Mr.  Hoyt  took  a  train  for  New  York,  where  he 
met  his  creditors  who  were  in  great  doubt  as 


Q20 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


to  what  would  become  of  their  Chicago  busi- 
ness. After  a  short  conference,  in  which  Mr. 
Hoyt  stated  he  could  not  say  how  he  stood,  as 
payment  of  insurance  was  in  doubt  and  his 
books  not  balanced,  but  one  thing  was  certain, 
he  had  a  store  rented  and  wanted  stock  to 
start  with.  The  creditors  were  unanimous  in 
the  opinion  that  it  would  be  best  to  furnish  the 
new  supply  and  await  further  developments. 
The  result  was  that  remittances  came  in  so 
freely  that  the  creditors  got  all  their  dues 
promptly  and  one  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar. 

The  "New  York  Times/'  in  an  editorial  an- 
nounced Mr.  Hoyt  as  the  first  arrival  from  Chi- 
cago since  the  fire,  and  mentioned  the  good  re- 
sults of  the  conference  in  which  Chicago  pluck 
would  be  met  by  New  York  generosity.  The 
following  year  Mr.  Hoyt  purchased  the  site 
of  Old  Fort  Dearborn,  Michigan  Avenue  and 
River  Street,  opposite  the  Rush  street  bridge, 
where  he  erected  the  present  salesroom  and 
warehouse  so  admirably  adapted  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  business.  In  addition  to  this  the 
company  now  owns  Nos.  6  and  8  River  Street, 
opposite,  in  which  they  have  their  coffee  and 
spice  mills. 

The  William  M.  Hoyt  Company  was  incor- 
porated under  the  laws  of  Illinois  in  1883,  with 
members  of  the  old  firm  as  stockholders,  and 
the  business  has  been  conducted  in  the  cor- 
porate name  since  that  time.  The  officers  of 
the  company  are  W.  M.  Hoyt,  President;  R.  J. 
Bennett,  Vice-President;  Arthur  G.  Bennett,  Sec- 
retary and  Treasurer;  Albert  C.  Buttolph  and 
Graeme  Stewart,  business  managers.  As  this 
great  business  house  occupies  one  of  the  most 
interesting  historic  spots  in  the  Northwest,  Mr. 
Hoyt  caused  to  be  prepared  and  set  in  the  wall 
of  his  building  a  memorial  tablet  on  which  he 
had  engraved  a  sketch  of  the  forts  erected  on 
the  site,  the  first  in  1803-04,  the  second  in  1816, 
after  the  dreadful  massacre  of  1812. 

Mr.  Hoyt  was  married  April  9,  1860,  to  Miss 
Emilie  J.  Landon,  daughter  of  Nelson  Landon, 
of  Benton,  Lake  County,  111.,  and  four  children 
were  born  of  this  marriage.  The  eldest,  Wil- 
liam Landon,  died  when  five  years  of  age;  the 
other  three  are  Emilie  Lydia,  now  Mrs.  F.  Mor- 
ton Fox,  of  Philadelphia;  Nelson  Landon,  who 
is  connected  with  the  business  house  of  his 
father.  When  Phelps  Buttolph,  the  second  son, 
manifested  a  desire  for  a  collegiate  education, 
he  was  carefully  prepared  for  the  Scientific 
School  of  Yale  University,  from  which  he  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Ph.B  in  1893.  He  then 
entered  into  the  management  of  his  father's 
real  estate  business. 

Mr.  Hoyt's  children  have  been  carefully 
taught  and  reared.  He  finds  little  attraction  in 
the  allurements  of  club  life.  His  club  is  his 
home,  and  its  membership  comprises  the  mem- 
bers of  his  family.  He  has  thus  been  able  to 
enjoy  the  companionship  of  his  children  and 
exert  a  salutary  influence  during  the  formative 
period,  when  restraint  and  direction  are  so  im- 
portant in  fixing  habits  and  establishing  char- 
acter, and  when  timely  suggestion  impart  whole- 


some and  correct  views  of  lifels  duties  and  ob- 
ligations, to  a  degree  that  determines  the  posi- 
tion and  destiny  of  boys  and  girls.  While  al- 
lowing them  all  the  advantages  that  wealth 
affords,  he  discourages  any  ostentatious  display, 
and  teaches  them  that  money  is  not  to  be  relied 
upon  for  attaining  honorable  position;  that 
must  depend  upon  individual  character  and  ex- 
ertion. He  wisely  endeavors  to  obtain  the 
highest  development  of  a  boy  by  encouraging 
his  natural  tendency  or  inclination.  When  his 
son  Landon  evinced  a  desire  for  business,  he 
took  him  into  the  store,  but  required  him  to  put 
on  an  apron  and  begin  at  the  bottom,  learning 
all  the  details  of  the  business  by  actual  ex- 
perience. 

Mr.  Hoyt  has  been  helpful  to  scores  of  young 
men  who  have  gone  to  him  for  assistance.  Many 
have  been  aided  and  encouraged  by  his  counsel; 
others  have,  through  his  interposition,  secured 
positions  of  responsibility;  and  still  others  have 
obtained  from  him  the  necessary  means  to  em- 
bark in  business.  His  present  partners  were 
former  clerks  in  his  employ  and  were  promoted 
to  their  present  positions  on  account  of  business 
ability  and  valuable  service.  Partners  with  cap- 
ital cut  no  figure  with  him.  Honesty,  good 
morals  and  good  business  ability  he  regards  as 
far  more  valuable  than  cash  capital.  His  lib- 
erality in  matters  of  charity  is  directed  toward 
helping  others  to  help  themselves,  and  many 
deserving  charities  find  in  him  a  liberal  con- 
tributor. Though  not  a  member  of  any  church, 
he  sympathizes  in  a  practical  way  with  the  char- 
itable and  Christian  work  of  his  wife. 

In  1872  he  organized  and  established  the 
"Grocer's  Criterion,"  which  has  developed  into 
the  most  influential  and  widely  circulated  trade 
journal,  for  that  branch  of  business,  in  the 
United  States.  Through  the  medium  of  this 
publication  he  has  brought  the  advantages  of 
his  house  directly  to  the  attention  of  retailers, 
and  has  thus  been  able  to  dispense  with  the  ser- 
vices of  traveling  salesman.  He  was  the  pioneer 
in  the  inauguration  of  this  new  system.  Al- 
though the  "Criterion"  has  passed  into  other 
hands,  its  publication  is  continued  weekly,  and 
his  company  pays  it  annually  for  advertising  a 
sum  larger  than  the  total  income  of  the  best 
country  newspaper. 

The  business  of  the  firm  is  conducted  on  a 
strictly  cash  basis.  They  buy  as  closely  as  pos- 
sible and  discount  all  bills;  sell  on  short  time 
and  require  prompt  payment.  They  are  thus 
enabled  to  make  better  prices  than  dealers  who 
buy  on  credit  and  are  indifferent  about  collec- 
tions. The  stability  of  this  house  is  not  seri- 
ously affected  by  a  monetary  stringency  or  a 
panic.  Personally  Mr.  Hoyt  never  speculates, 
but  invests  his  surplus  in  Chicago  real  estate 
for  permanent  holdings.  By  exercising  good 
judgment  in  real-estate  investments,  they  have 
become  so  varied  and  valuable  as  to  require 
most  of  his  time.  He  lives  in  quiet  luxury  in 
his  large  and  elegant  home  in  Winnetka,  on 
the  Lake  Shore,  seventeen  miles  north  of  Chi- 
cago. He  has  his  winter  home  at  Green  Cove 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


921 


Springs,    Fla.,    near    Jacksonville,    on    the    St. 
John's  River. 

The  career  of  such  a  man  is  a  guide  and  ex- 
ample for  the  young.  It  exhibits  qualities 
worthy  of  imitation.  He  who  starts  in  life  with 
no  capital  but  integrity,  ability  and  a  fixed 
purpose,  and  thus  achieves  remarkable  success, 
is  the  one  who  combines  the  most  desirable 
qualities.  Greater  executive  ability  is  required 
to  organize  and  manage  a  large  commercial 
business  than  to  conduct  the  chief  executive 
office  in  the  State  government.  In  the  latter, 
the  methods  are  all  established,  and  the  law 
directs  the  administration;  whereas,  the  busi- 
ness man  must  formulate  his  plans  and  adapt 
them  to  conditions  liable  to  frequent  changes. 
He  must  study  the  markets,  both  as  a  buyer 
and  a  seller.  He  must  be  able  to  select  and  em- 
ploy men  with  reference  to  their  capacity  to 
buy  and  sell  and  keep  the  infinite  details  of  his 
business  well  in  hand.  Mr.  Hoyt  is  sagacious, 
prudent,  careful.  His  perception  is  acute;  his 
decision  instantaneous;  his  judgment  accurate. 
He  acquires  and  holds  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  his  associates  and  employes.  He  accom- 
plishes his  purpose  with  such  tact  and  diplo- 
macy as  not  to  antagonize  or  offend  others.  He 
rather  shrinks  from  prominence  or  notoriety, 
but  never  shirks  a  duty.  He  is  enterprising  and 
progressive.  By  the  application  of  sound  prin- 
ciples his  business  has  been  extended  to 
enormous  proportions.  Always  public  spirited 
and  ready  to  aid  in  the  advancement  of  Chi- 
cago's interests,  he  was  one  of  the  early  ad- 
vocates for  the  location  of  the  World's  Fair  in 
Chicago  and  contributed  liberally  to  that  gigan- 
tic enterprise.  In  personal  intercourse  he  is 
genial  and  affable,  always  exhibiting  the  gen- 
uine characteristics  of  a  gentleman. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hoyt  was  a  Republican  up  to 
the  time  he  first  voted  for  G-rover  Cleveland 
for  the  presidency.  He  desires  to  be  strictly 
independent  and  casts  his  vote  and  uses  his 
influence  according  to  his  best  judgment.  In 
this  view  he  looks  to  betterment  in  government 
by  restoring  a  Democratic  administration.  In 
this  we  might  expect  greater  economy;  do  away 
with  imperialism;  lessen  taxation;  work  on 
lines  of  peace  rather  than  invite  and  prepare 
for  war;  enjoy  a  freer  trade  and  have  fewer 
trusts;  recognize  the  law  of  supply  and  de- 
mand; get  back  on  to  the  lines  that  insure 
permanent  prosperity,  rather  than  have  booms 
and  inflation  that  result  in  panics  and  demoral- 
ization. 

JOHN  M.  HUBBARD. 

John  M.  Hubbard,  Assistant  Postmaster,  was 
born  at  Drewsville,  N.  H.,  in  1847.  His  early 
years  were  passed  at  Saxtons  River,  Vt.  where 
he  attended  the  district  school  and  academy. 
The  movement  toward  the  West,  then  at  its 
height,  caught  the  spirit  of  adventure  in  the 
youth,  and  he  made  the  long  journey  to  Chi- 
cago in  1864.  He  entered  the  Postal  Service  as 
a  clerk  in  the  mailing  division  in  1871,  and, 
with  but  one  intermission,  has  been  contin- 
uously connected  with  the  service  ever  since. 


Before  entering  the  postoffice,  Mr.  Hubbard 
was  engaged  iu  the  great  wholesale  dry-goods 
house  of  John  V.  Farwell  &  Co.,  and  there  ac- 
quired that  intimate  knowledge  of  business  de- 
tails which  later  proved  extremely  valuable  to 
the  postal  service.  Very  little  in  the  way  of 
information  comes  amiss  to  those  employed  in 
the  •  postoffice,  and  Mr.  Hubbard's  busy  life  ex- 
emplifies the  saying,  for  he  has  occasion  quite 
often  to  draw  upon  the  stores  of  legal  experience 
gained  as  Chief  Clerk  in  the  Sheriff's  office 
during  his  absence  from  the  Postal  Service  be- 
tween the  years  1881  and  1889.  After  serving 
in  the  Registry  Division,  he  was  promoted  to 
be  Postmaster's  Secretary  in  1872,  and  after- 
ward, under  Postmaster  John  McArthur,  became 
Superintendent  of  the  City  Division.  Any  one 
who  remembers  Chicago  as  it  was  just  after 
the  great  fire  of  1871,  will  realize  the  magnitude 
of  the  task  which  presented  itself  to  the  new 
City  Superintendent.  The  city  had  grown  with 
giant  strides,  but  the  Postal  Service  had  not 
kept  pace  with  its  growth.  Mr.  Hubbard's  re- 
ports and  recommendations  from  time  to  time 
opened  the  crusade  for  a  full  recognition  by  the 
Department  of  Chicago's  postal  needs,  which 
successive  Postmasters  have  since  earnestly 
urged.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that,  in  1889, 
Mr.  Hubbard  spoke  before  the  Postoffice  Com- 
mittee at  Washington,  and  recommended  that, 
on  account  of  his  financial  responsibilities  and 
the  importance  of  the  office,  the  salary  of  Chi- 
cago's Postmaster  be  increased  to  $8,000  per 
annum,  but  it  was  not  until  1903  that  the  neces- 
sary legislation  was  secured  to  procure  the  in- 
crease which  was  admitted  as  proper  and  neces- 
sary almost  a  generation  before. 

Mr.  Hubbard's  interest  in  the  service,  however, 
has  not  been  the  sort  of  interest  which  com- 
mendably  enough,  we  feel  in  our  means  of 
livelihood.  It  has  had  a  far  higher  and  wider 
range,  and  covers  the  entire  field  of  postal  prog- 
ress. His  contributions  to  this  field  have  won 
for  him  recognition  as  an  authority  on  the 
Postal  Service  of  the  United  States.  Serving  as 
Assistant-Postmaster  under  administrations  of 
divergent  politics,  his  duties  at  times  have  been 
difficult  and  delicate)  No  one  has  ever  ques- 
tioned his  allegiance  to  the  political  party  which 
formed  about  Lincoln  in  Illinois,  yet  none  has 
ever  intimated  that  his  service  to  the  Govern- 
ment has  ever  been  colored  by  the  least  display 
of  partisanship  in  office.  It  is  this  prevailing 
characteristic  of  impartiality  and  scrupulous  ad- 
herence to  conscientious  convictions  and  well- 
reasoned  beliefs  which  has  enabled  him  to  serve 
with  credit  alike  under  both  Democratic  and  Re- 
publican Postmasters. 

When  Mr.  Hubbard  became  Superintendent  of 
Delivery,  the  entire  postal  business  of  Chicago 
was  done  under  one  roof.  He  recommended  and 
afterward  introduced  into  Chicago  the  Station 
System,  which  now  embraces  250  separate  loca- 
tions at  which  postal  business  is  transacted. 
He  suggested  the  original  plan  for  establishing 
the  collecting  and  delivery  services  on  separate 
bases,  which  was  adopted  during  the  administra- 


922 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


tion  of  Colonel  Sexton.  He  also  specialized  the 
methods  of  city  distribution  and  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  the  system  as  it  stands  today.  He  an- 
ticipated the  civil  service  law,  by  recommending 
to  the  Postmaster  (who  secured  the  depart- 
mental approval)  the  appointment  of  substitute 
carriers  as  regulars  according  to  seniority,  and 
so  displaced  the  haphazard  method  then  pre- 
vailing. 

When  a  man  with  intelligence  and  honesty 
connects  himself  with  any  service,  and  when, 
furthermore,  he  has  occupied  a  position  of  in- 
fluence and  responsibility  for  years  longer  than 
the  average  duration  of  a  human  life,  he  is  cer- 
tain to  impress  himself  on  its  life  and  progress 
in  many  and  various  ways.  So  it  has  been  with 
Mr.  Hubbard.  The  evidences  of  his  interest  and 
intelligence  are  apparent  in  every  division  of  the 
local  postoffice,  and  there  is  scarcely  an  im- 
provement he  has  not  been  instrumental  in  fur- 
thering. Withal,  he  has  the  unusual  capacity  of 
justly  appreciating  his  subordinates,  and  their 
suggestions  are  cordially  received  and  never  fail 
to  gain  the  proper  meed  of  approval.  One  of 
the  more  important  pieces  of  postal  work  on 
which  Mr.  Hubbard  was  engaged,  and  which 
showed  his  skill  and  his  knowledge  of  the  ser- 
vice, was  the  amalgamation  of  fifty-four  inde- 
pendent postoffices  with  the  Chicago  office  in  the 
summer  of  1894.  Postmasters  generally  will  rec- 
ognize that  the  transfer,  even  of  one  small 
office,  with  the  financial  and  other  responsibili- 
ties it  involves,  is  a  difficult  task,  but  when  we 
consider  the  transfer  of  fifty-four — some  of  them 
first-class  offices — then  the  magnitude  of  the 
task,  accomplished  without  a  serious  hitch,  will 
be  realized  as  a  great  piece  of  postal  work. 
Again,  the  removal  of  the  entire  postoffice  force 
and  furniture  from  the  old  postoffice  to  the  tem- 
porary building  on  the  Lake  front  in  April,  1896, 
which  Mr.  Hubbard  planned  without  disturbing 
the  regular  service  beyond  the  dropping  of  one 
trip,  was  a  feat  seldom  equaled  anywhere  in  the 
Postal  Service. 

Mr.  Hubbard  is  a  big,  broad-shouldered  Yan- 
kee, with  a  hearty,  vibrating  voice,  and  one  in- 
stantly feels  that  he  is  deeply  in  earnest  in  what- 
ever cause  he  advocates.  Speaking  of  voice,  it 
should  be  said  in  passing  that  Mr.  Hubbard  is 
a  musician  of  more  than  local  reputation,  and 
for  years  sang  in  the  choir  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian church.  During  the  war,  while  quite 
a  boy,  he  was  a  member  of  the  famous  Chicago 
Quartette,  and  his  singing  inspired  much  patri- 
otic enthusiasm,  and  was  one  of  the  features  of 
the  enthusiastic  war  meetings  of  the  time.  Be- 
fore the  new  civil  service  was  introduced  he 
often  accompanied  the  late  Robert  G.  Ingersoll 
on  his  great  oratorical  campaigns,  and  it  was 
said  of  his  singing  that  it  was  a  fitting  accom- 
paniment to  the  oratory — by  no  means  an  un- 
flattering commendation,  when  one  considers 
the  caliber  of  the  orator. 

Mr.  Hubbard  was  married  to  Miss  Helen  M. 
Childs,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  on  the  23d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1868,  and  has  two  children,  John  M.  Hub- 
bard, Jr.,  and  Mary  M.  Paddleford. 


HENRY  HUDSON. 

Henry  Hudson,  attorney-at-law,  was  born  in 
Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.,  July  24,  1835,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  6f  Ypsilanti,  Mich. 
He  is  a  son  of  Richard  and  Sarah  (Emmet) 
Hudson,  the  former  born  in  Connecticut,  and 
the  latter  in  New  York.  On  the  paternal  side 
of  the  family  the  grandfather  was  John  B.  Hud- 
son, who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  where  he 
married  Sarah  Smith,  a  native  of  the  same 
State.  On  the  maternal  side  the  grandfather 
was  Samuel  Emmet,  whose  birth  occurred  while 
crossing  the  ocean,  the  grandmother's  maiden 
name  being  Anna  Salomon,  a  native  of  England. 
On  the  paternal  side  the  family  is  descended 
from  Daniel  Hudson,  who  was  born  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  in  1690.  The  ancestors  on  the  maternal 
side  came  originally  from  Ireland.  In  politics 
Mr.  Hudson  is  a  Republican.  In  1866  he  was 
elected  Mayor  of  Boone,  Iowa,  and  served  as 
Circuit  Judge  from  1869  to  1873.  He 'was  mar- 
ried in  Chicago,  October  21,  1866,  to  -Mary  E, 
Roche,  and  of  this  union  six  children  were 
born,  of  whom  two,  Harry  N.,  and  Josephine 
H.,  survive. 

WILLIS  A.  HULL. 

Willis  A.  Hull,  Fire  Marshal,  Swift  &  Com- 
pany, was  born  in  Collinsville,  Conn.  December 
22,  1860,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
After  leaving  school  he  went  into  the  grocery 
business,  remaining  until  he  came  to  Chicago  in 
1885,  when  he  joined  the  Fire  Insurance  Patrol, 
No.  1;  later  was  transferred  to  Patrol  No.  4, 
and  promoted  to  Lieutenant.  Mr.  Hull  was  Fire 
Inspector  of  the  Stock  Yards  for  the  Board  of 
Underwriters  for  ten  years,  until  he  came  to 
Swift  &  Company,  November  1,  1896,  and  was 
appointed  Fire  Marshal,  which  position  he  still 
retains,  and,  by  his  long  and  constant  fire 
service,  has  shown  himself  to  be  the  "right  man 
in  the  right  place,"  and  ready  for  any  duty 
which  he  may  be  called  upon  to  perform.  He 
was  .married  in  Chicago,  April  23,  1893,  to  Miss 
Hattie  Bronson,  and  they  have  had  three  chil- 
dren, only  one  of  whom  is  now  living. 

CHARLES  D.  HULVERSON. 
Charles  D.  Hulverson,  Superintendent  of  the 
McReynolds  Elevator  B,  located  at  South  Wood 
Street  and  Fifteenth  Place,  Chicago,  was  born 
at  Plymouth,  Ind.,  July  7,  1861,  the  son  of  Huger 
and  Phoebe  (Tibbets)  Hulverson.  The  father 
died  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years,  but 
the  mother  is  still  living.  After  being  employed 
as  telegrapher  and  train-despatcher  by  the  Wa- 
bash  Railroad  Company  at  the  Forty-seventh 
Street  Station  for  five  years,  and  in  a  like  capac- 
ity by  the  Wisconsin  Central  for  fifteen  years, 
he  spent  nine  years,  first  as  weighman  and  then 
as  foreman  in  the  grain  elevator  business  with 
J.  F.  Kendall.  In  May,  1900,  he  succeeded  Mr. 
Kendall  as  Superintendent  of  the  McReynolds  & 
Company's  Elevator,  a  position  which  he  still  re- 
tains. This  elevator  was  erected  in  1887  by 
Linus  &  Dwight,  being  then  known  as  the  Wis- 
consin Elevator.  It  has  a  storage  capacity  of 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


923 


a  million  bushels  of  grain,  with  ample  and  mod- 
ern machinery  and  other  conveniences  including 
an  electric  light  plant.  Mr.  Hulverson  was 
married  March  17,  1900,  to  Miss  Minnie  New- 
man, of  Chicago,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  attend- 
ants on  services  at  the  Fourth  Christian  Scien- 
tist Church,  Chicago.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  deeply  interested  in  good  government. 

JUDGE    JONAS    HUTCHINSON. 

Jonas  Hutchinson,  lawyer  and  jurist,  at  the 
time  of  his  death  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court 
of  Cook  County,  was  born  in  Milford,  N.  H., 
January  10,  1840,  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
nine  children,  and  was  there  reared  on  a  farm. 
His  father  having  died  when  his  son  was  six 
years  old,  the  latter  worked  in  a  grocery  store 
for  a  time,  took  a  preparatory  course  in  the 
academy  at  Mount  Vernon,  N.  H.,  and,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years,  entered  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  with  honors  in  1863. 
During  his  collegiate  course  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  fraternity,  in 
which  he  always  retained  an  active  interest. 

His  bright  mind  and  attractive  ways  com- 
mended him  to  the  friendship  of  the  President 
of  the  college,  Nathan  Lord,  who  recommended 
him  as  a  teacher  for  the  high  school  at  Colum- 
bus, 0.  This  confidence  was  soon  demonstrated 
to  be  well  founded,  for  we  find  this  young 
teacher,  at  the  end  of  his  first  year  the  Principal 
of  this  high  school.  He  served  two  years  in 
this  position  and  then  came  to  Chicago,  on  a 
business  venture,  as  the  Western  Agent  for  the 
publishing  house  of  D.  Appleton  &  Co.  After 
two  years  of  successful  business  management, 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  law  in 
an  effort  to  gratify  his  youthful  ambition  to 
become  a  lawyer.  He  prosecuted  his  legal  stu- 
dies in  Boston  and  in  Milford,  N.  H.  In  the 
latter  place,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Bain- 
bridge  Wadleigh,  a  distinguished  lawyer,  wno 
subsequently  became  a  United  States  Senator 
from  New  Hampshire,  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  his  native  State  in  March, 
1869.  He  returned  to  Chicago  to  strive  for  the 
rewards  and  honors  in  his  profession,  which  he 
afterwards  so  amply  attained,  both  at  the  Bar 
and  on  the  Bench.  In  1876  he  entered  into  part- 
nership with  James  H.  Roberts,  the  firm  after- 
wards becoming  Roberts,  Hutchinson  &  Thomas. 

Jonas  Hutchinson  was  always  interested  in 
the  political  events  of  his  time  and  was,  all  his 
life,  a  stanch  Democrat.  His  ability  and  popu- 
larity with  his  party  was  shown  by  his  election 
by  acclamation  to  the  chairmanship  of  the 
Democratic  County  Central  Committee  for  three 
successive  years,  beginning  in  1888.  The  suc- 
cess of  the  party,  in  the  election  of  Mayor 
Cregier,  was  conceded  to  be  largely  due  to  his 
management.  His  ability  was  recognized  by 
the  Mayor,  who  appointed  him  Counsel  to  the 
Corporation.  During  his  term  as  Corporation 
Counsel,  from  1889  to  1891,  his  health  became 
so  much  impaired  that  he  was  ordered  South, 
and,  although  he  offered  his  resignation,  it  was 
declined.  His  absence  was  for  about  four 


months,  and  so  scrupulous  was  he  about  taking 
unearned  money,  that  he  refused  to  receive  any 
part  of  his  salary  for  the  time  he  was  absent. 

His  popularity  with  the  public  was  evidenced 
by  the  results  of  the  several  elections  in  which 
he  sought  their  suffrages.  He  was  first  elected 
to  the  Superior  Bench  of  Cook  County,  to  fill 
the  unexpired  term  of  John  P.  Altgeld,  then 
Governor-elect.  He  was  re-elected  in  the  pres- 
idential year  of  1892,  at  which  time  he  received 
the  largest  vote  ever  cast  in  Cook  County, 
which  exceeded  that  of  President  Cleveland  and 
Governor  Altgeld,  as  well  as  that  of  his  asso- 
ciates, by  several  hundred  votes.  So,  too,  in 
the  election  of  1898,  in  which  he  was  again  a 
candidate  for  re-election,  he  was  one  of  the  two 
Democrats  elected  at  that  time.  In  this  election 
the  rest  of  the  Democratic  ticket  was  defeated 
by  from  18,000  to  31,000  in  the  county. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  just  com- 
pleted a  service  of  twelve  years  as  Judge  of  the 
Superior  Court,  years  of  arduous  and  wearing 
toil,  to  which  he  devoted  all  of  his  bright  talents 
and  his  energy  to  within  a  comparatively  few 
days  of  his  death.  He  died  in  Chicago,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1903,  at  his  home,  3139  Calumet  Avenue. 

•In  1876,  Judge  Hutchinson  married  Miss  Leti- 
tia  Brown  of  Springfield,  111.,  formerly  of  Lex- 
ington, Ky.  To  them  were  born  two  children, 
Helen  and  Jonas,  Jr. 

Jonas  Hutchinson  was  an  upright  Judge  of 
fine  legal  attainments,  a  loyal  citizen,  a  faith- 
ful friend,  a  fond  husband  and  father,  true  to 
every  duty  devolving  upon  him  as  student, 
citizen,  business  man,  lawyer,  Judge. 

THOMAS  JESSIE^  HYMAN. 
Secretary  of  the  Illinois  Steel  Co.,  is  descended 
from  good  old  Pennsylvania  stock,  both  his 
parents  having  been  natives  of  that  State. 
In  1851  his  father,  Sylvester  Hyman,  emi- 
grated to  Iowa,  but  a  year  later  returned  to 
his  native  State,  where  he  was  wedded  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Elce,  who  accompanied  him  to 
the  home  of  his  adoption.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  at  Camanche,  Clinton 
County,  Iowa,  April  8,  1855,  and  grew  up 
among  the  progressive  and  enterprising  people 
of  that  prosperous  State,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  at  the  Iowa  State 
Agricultural  College  and  Cornell  College.  He 
early  developed  a  capacity  for  business,  and 
has  successively  held  official  positions  with 
various  railroad  companies,  with  the  American 
Steel  and  Wire  Company  and  with  the  Illinois 
Steel  Company,  with  the  last  of  which  he  is 
still  associated  in  the  responsible  position  of 
Secretary. 

On  December  25,  1877,  Mr.  Hyman  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mae  Hyman,  and  seven  children 
were  the  fruit  of  this  union.  These  are  named, 
respectively,  Frank  S.,  Jessie,  Jean,  Helen, 
Mary,  Dorothy  and  Richard.  For  the  past  ten 
years  his  home  has  been  in  the  City  of  Chi- 
cago, except  for  an  interim  of  about  three 
years  spent  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  where  his  life 
has  been  one  of  great  business  activity.  His 


924 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


standing  as  a  business  man  is  indicated  by  the 
responsible  position  which  he  now  holds  as 
Secretary  of  one  of  the  most  important  manu- 
facturing corporations  in  the  country — a  posi- 
tion to  which  he  was  elected  in  January,  1899. 
In  the  prime  of  life,  courteous  in  manner  and 
faithful  to  the  interests  intrusted  to  his  care, 
he  is  now  in  the  midst  of  a  successful  business 
career. 

HOWARD  H.  JACKMAN. 
Howard  H.  Jackman,  Assistant  Engineer  in 
charge  of  Cribs  Water  Service,  Cnicago,  was 
born  in  East  Liverpool,  Onio,  .teoruary  9, 
1852;  attended  the  puolic  school  at  East  Liver- 
pool, and  then  Alliance  College,  Alliance,  Ohio; 
also  took  a  course  in  civil  engineering  at  Beth- 
any College,  Bethany,  W.  Va.  After  leaving 
college  he  went  into  private  engineering  prac- 
tice in  East  Liverpool,  and,  in  1875,  removed 
to  Cleveland,  where  he  was  employed  in  the 
City  Engineering  Department  until  1878,  when 
he  went  to  Harper  County,  Kans.,  as  Locating 
Engineer  for  Government  lands.  He  was  con- 
nected with  the  construction  of  the  Missouri 
Pacific  Railroad  from  the  eastern  line  of  the 
State  westerly  through  Harper  County,  two 
hundred  miles  to  the  Indian  border,  being  thus 
employed  six  years,  when  he  was  appointed 
City  Engineer  for  Wichita,  Kans.,  during  the 
time  when  all  the  streets  were  being  paved, 
and  having  charge  of  the  construction  of  fifty- 
five  miles  of  the  sewer  system.  After  remain- 
ing at  Wichita  until  1891,  he  was  appointed 
engineer  in  charge  of  a  difficult  system  of 
sewerage  at  Topeka,  serving  in  that  capacity 
for  two  years  and  until  the  completion  of  the 
work.  Then,  having  been  appointed  juror  on 
awards  at  the  World's  Fair,  he  moved  to  Chi- 
cago in  December,  1892,  and  was  in  private 
engineering  business  until  1895,  when  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  Engineering  Bureau  of 
the  City  of  Chicago,  as  first  assistant  to  the 
engineer  in  charge  of  the  construction  of  Sec- 
tion 3,  Northwest  Land  Tunnel,  for  one  year; 
in  September,  1897,  was  transferred  to  North- 
east Lake  Tunnel,  serving  as  engineer  in  charge 
of  its  construction  during  1898  and  1899  and 
of  the  C.  H.  Harrison  intake  crib.  From  that 
time  until  July,  1900,  he  was  in  charge  of  re- 
modeling the  North  Pumping  Station,  and  later 
was  made  Division  Engineer  and  placed  in 
charge  of  the  construction  and  maintenance  of 
Lake  Cribs,  and  also  the  Pumping  Station  re- 
pairs. By  his  continuous  service  as  engineer 
in  charge  of  important  work,  he  has  shown 
that  he  is  qualified  for  any  position  he  is  likely 
to  be  called  upon  to  fill.  He  was  married  at 
Anthony,  Kansas,  December  18,  1879,  to  Miss 
Lydia  M.  Goss,  and  three  children  have  been 
born  to  them. 

P.   MEINRAD   JEGGLE. 

Rev.  P.  Meinrad  Jeggle,  0.  S.  B.,  late  pastor 
of  the  St  Benedict  Catholic  Church  at  Blue 
Island,  111.,  which  he  organized  as  a  mission  in 
connection  with  the  St.  Joseph  Catholic  Church, 
Chicago,  began  his  career  in  connection  with 


this  church  while  assistant  priest  in  1861. 
in  Juiy  01  the  same  year  ne  was  ordainea  by 
liisnop  Dunn  aim  in  1862  became  pastor  of  tne 
fc>t.  Vincent  Church  in  Westmoreland  County, 
Pa.,  also  serving  for  a  time  as  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Erie,  Pa.  in  1865  he  returned  to 
Illinois  and  for  a  time  had  charge  of  a  cnurch 
at  Minonk,  but  soon  after  resumed  his  connec- 
tion with  the  St.  Joseph  Church,  where  he  re- 
mained until  June,  185  <,  also  for  one  year  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  mission  at  Blue  Island.  He 
then  went  East,  wnere  he  remained  until  Janu- 
ary, 1873,  when  he  returned  to  St.  Joseph's 
Church,  Chicago,  remaining  there  until  March, 
1874.  Then  returning  East  again  he  spent 
twenty-two  years  at  .Baltimore,  Md.,  and  later 
two  years  at  Pitts  burg,  Pa.,  when  he  went  to 
Colorado  for  a  time,  but  soon  returned  to  Blue 
Island,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Father 
Jeggle  has  been  a  parish  priest  for  over  forty 
years,  and  is  widely  known  throughout  North- 
ern Illinois. 

ST.  BENEDICT  CATHOLIC  CHURCH,  Blue 
Island,  Cook  County,  111.,  was  founded  as  a 
mission  in  October,  1861,  by  Father  P.  Meinrad 
Jeggle,  O.  S.  B.,  who  was  then  connected  with 
St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church,  Chicago,  where 
he  was  for  a  time  assistant  priest.  The  first 
services  were  held  in  the  house  of  William 
Heckler,  but  Father  Jeggle  urged  the  people  to 
raise  funds  to  erect  a  church  building,  in  which 
he  was  finally  successful,  this  being  at  that 
time  the  only  Catholic  Church  organization 
between  Chicago  and  Joliet.  The  first  church 
was  built  and  dedicated  in  the  summer  of 
1862,  but  remained  a  mission  for  many  years 
under  the  care  of  various  Benedictine  Fathers. 
For  a  time  services  were  held  once  a  month, 
later  being  increased  in  frequency  to  twice  a 
month.  It  continued  to  be  connected  with  the  St. 
Joseph's  Church  until  1874,  when  it  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Washington  Heights  Church.  This 
connection  was  continued  until  December,  1884, 
when  Father  Brum  Riess,  O.  S.  B.,  was  appoint- 
ed the  first  priest  in  charge.  From  an  early  day 
in  its  history  a  parish  school  was  connected 
with  the  church,  at  first  taught  by  Sister  St. 
Clair  until  1879,  when  it  was  taken  in  charge 
by  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  from  Milwaukee. 
Father  Riess  remained  in  charge  of  the  church 
until  1892,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Father  Lochschmidt.  Others  who  have  since 
been  in  charge  have  been  Rev.  William  Hein, 
who  succeeded  Rev.  Lochschmidt  in  Septem- 
ber, 1894,  and  Father  Jeggle,  who  assumed 
charge  in  October,  1898.  A  Sisters'  Home  was 
built  in  1879  or  '80,  a  parsonage  in  1894,  and 
the  present  church  edifice  in  1895 — the  cost  of 
the  latter  being  $25,000.  The  communicants  in- 
clude about  one  hundred  and  fifty  families,  ani 
the  school  is  attended  by  about  2z5  pupils. 

PATRICK  J.   JENNINGS, 

Captain  Engine  No.  13,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Jan.  20, 
1850,  came  to  Chicago  in  1863,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Jones  public  school  ,the  Jesuit 
College  and  University  of  Notre  Dame,  South 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


925 


Bend,  Ind.  After  leaving  school  he  learned  the 
trade  of  marble-cutting  in  1876,  then  worked 
in  Armour's  Tin  Factory  making  solder  for 
two  years,  when  he  joined  tne  Fire  Depart- 
ment, March  3,  1880,  being  assigned  to  Engine 
No.  1,  and  Trucks  1  and  2  (as  substitute),  and 
for  sixty  days  on  Chemical  No.  1;  was  trans- 
ferred to  Engine  17  in  September,  1882;  pro- 
moted to  Lieutenant,  August  3,  1883,  and  trans- 
ferred to  Engine  23;  next  transferred  to  En- 
gine 34,  December  31,  1885,  and  to  Engine  5, 
March  1,  1886;  was  promoted  to  oaptain,  Sep- 
tember 15,  1890,  anu  organized  Engine  No.  59; 
was  transferred  to  Engine  17,  May  1,  1891;  to 
Engine  38,  December  31,  1892;  to  Engine  6, 
July  16,  1897;  and  to  Engine  10,  January  2, 
1899.  In  1904  Captain  Jennings  is  still  on  duty 
on  Engine  No.  23.  He  has  had  many  narrow 
escapes,  being  thrown  from  a  cart  when  on 
Engine  59,  receiving  a  fracture  of  his  right  leg. 
He  rescued  two  pipemen  from  suffocation  at 
1425  Michigan  Avenue,  May  6,  1899;  and  on 
May  24,  1900,  rescued  Lieutenant  Seyferlich, 
of  Engine  10,  in  a  fire  at  Irwin  &  Company's 
336  Clark  Street.  Captain  Jennings  was  mar- 
ried in  Chicago,  May  12,  1874,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Robinson,  and  eight  children  have  been 
the  fruit  of  this  union,  five  of  whom  are  now 
living.  Captain  Jennings  is  one  of  the  brave, 
plucky  firemen  always  on  hand  for  any  emerg- 
ency. 

J.  JOHN  JOENS. 

J.  John  Joens,  foreman  for  a  Chicago  lumber 
company  and  Alderman  for  the  becond  Ward, 
Blue  Island,  was  born  in  Holsjtein,  Germany, 
in  1853,  the  son  of  H.  J.  and"  Anna  (Eden) 
Joens.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  Chicago  in  1868,  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  dying  in 
that  city.  Coming  to  Chicago  with  his  parents 
at  fifteen  years  of  age,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  employed  for  some  time  in  a  sash, 
door  and  blind  factory,  at  15  Lincoln  Street, 
Chicago,  whence  he  removed  to  Blue  Island 
in  1893,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness as  foreman  of  a  firm  having  their  head- 
quarters in  Chicago.  In  the  spring  of  1901,  he 
was  elected  Alderman  for  the  Second  Ward, 
and  served  on  the  License  and  Judiciary  Com- 
mittees, and  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Plats,  Public  Buildings  and  Grounds,  also 
Chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee.  Mr. 
Joens  was  married  in  Chicago,  in  1884,  to  Miss 
Mary  Mundt,  born  in  Germany,  the  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Mundt,  who  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1867,  and  who  died  there.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Joens  have  had  children  named:  John,  George, 
Fred  and  Otto  Mr.  Joens  is  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Mutual  Protection  and  the  German 
Evangelical  Church  of  Blue  Island,  being  a 
member  and  Secretary  of  the  Church  Board  of 
Trustees,  and  is  one  of  the  prominent  men  of 
Blue  Island. 

FRANK  A.   JOHNSON, 

Engineer,  Kosciusko  School,  was  born  in  North 
Koping,  Sweden,  April  29,  1872;  came  to  Ameri- 
ca in  1883,  worked  in  George  Hewitt's  green- 


house four  years,  and  then  for  a  feed  store 
one  year.  He  learneu  his  trade  at  McFarland 
&  Schlack's  boiler-works,  where  he  remained 
five  years.  At  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  ob- 
tained a  license  as  an  engineer,  then  went  with 
the  E.  K.  Pond  Packing  Company  in  1894,  and 
continued  there  until  he  obtained  a  position 
from  the  city  of  Chicago  under  civil  service 
rules,  November  1,  1895.  On  November  30, 
1895,  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Engineer  at 
the  two-mile  crib  (Chicago  Avenue),  remain- 
ing there  six  months;  then  was  transferred  to 
the  Seventy-ninth  Street  and  Greenwood  Ave- 
nue Surface  Draining  and  Pumping  b'lation,  re- 
maining there  two  years.  He  then  went  to 
the  Cottage  Grove  Avenue  Police  Station  as 
engineer  for  two  years;  next  to  the  Seventieth 
Street  Sewage  Pumping  Station;  then  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  engineer  at  Sixty-ninth  Street 
Sewage  Pumping  Station;  and  later  sent  to 
the  Seventieth  Street  Pumping  Station  perma- 
nently where  he  remained  until  March  21,  1904, 
when  he  left  the  Department  of  Public  Works 
to  accept  the  position  of  Engineer  for  the 
Board  of  Education  (Fifth  Grade)  at  Kosci- 
usko School,  Cleaver  and  Division  Streets.  His 
continuous  service  is  a  positive  proof  of  his 
ability  as  an  engineer. 

WILLIAM   OWEN  JOHNSON. 

Capt.  William  Owen  Johnson  (deceased),  for 
many  years  one  of  the  most  extensive  vessel- 
owners  in  Chicago  and  largely  interested  in  the 
lake  trade,  was  born  in  Mygland  Parish,  near 
the  city  of  Arendel,  Norway,  June  8,  1833,  and 
early  became  identified  with  a  sea-faring  life, 
becoming  a  cabin-boy  at  fourteen  years  of  age. 
For  the  next  five  years  he  sailed  on  the  Baltic, 
the  North  Sea  and  the  Mediterranean,  during 
which  he  had  many  exciting  experiences.  At 
sixteen  years  of  age,  he  had  a  narrow  escape 
from  death  by  drowning  while  entering  the 
harbor  of  Setubal,  Portugal,  on  the  Norwegian 
ship  Frey.  The  crew  were  lowering  a  boat 
in  which  they  had  placed  the  young  sailor- 
boy  with  instructions  to  unhook  the  tackle 
when  the  boat  should  reach  the  water.  By 
some  means  the  end  of  the  tackle  had  not 
been  properly  fastened  in  the  block,  and,  as  a 
consequence,  one  end  of  the  boat  dropped, 
throwing  Johnson  head  foremost  into  the  sea. 
The  tide,  which  was  running  at  the  rate  of  five 
or  six  miles  an  hour,  carried  him  rapidly 
away  from  the  vessel,  but  being  a  good  swim- 
mer, he  managed  to  keep  afloat.  He  was  finally 
picked  up  by  an  old  Portugese  peddler,  who 
was  selling  fruit  and  wine  among  the  vessels  in 
the  harbor. 

In  1853,  at  the  age  of  nearly  twenty  years, 
young  Johnson  came  to  Chicago,  and  soon  after 
entered  into  the  employment  of  Mr.  George 
Steele,  the  owner  of  several  lake  vessels.  One 
of  these  was  the  "St.  Lawrence,"  upon  which 
Mr.  Johnson  sailed  for  the  next  two  years. 
A  close  friendship  grew  up  between  him  and 
his  employer,  and  during  the  next  seven 
years  he  made  his  home  with  the  Steele  fam- 
ily during  the  winter,  while  following  his 


926 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


occupation  as  a  sailor  upon  the  lake  during  the 
summer  months.  An  incident  occurred  during 
the  year  1857  which  proved  the  bravery  of  the 
young  sailor  and  won  gratitude  and  lifelong 
trienaship  of  his  employer.  This  was  during 
the  great  flood  in  the  Chicago  River  in  Febru- 
ary, 1857.  While  the  flood  was  at  its  height, 
Mr.  Steele  and  Mr.  Johnson  attempted  to  cross 
the  river  at  Healey's  Slough  (now  the  branch 
leading  to  the  Stock  Yards)  and  thinking  the 
bridge  still  in  place  but  covered  with  ice,  they 
drove  into  the  stream,  when  it  was  discovered 
that  the  bridge  had  been  carried  away.  The 
horse,  buggy  and  men  were  plunged  into  the 
water,  but  Mr.  Johnson  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  opposite  shore  and  soon  after  led  the  horse 
to  safe  footing  on  the  same  side.  Then  swim- 
ming to  the  aid  of  Mr.  Steele,  who  was  a  large 
man,  he  succeeded  in  getting  him  to  shore  in 
an  exhausted  condition.  Mr.  Steele  gave  to 
his  rescuer  credit  for  saving  his  life,  and  this 
adventure  most  strongly  cemented  the  friend- 
ship which  already  existed  between  them. 

In  1857  Mr.  Johnson  engaged  in  the  lake 
shipping  trade  for  himself,  first  becoming  the 
owner  of  a  vessel  called  the  "Fish  Hawk." 
By  purchases  and  the  construction  of  new  ves- 
sels, he  finally  became  the  owner  of  seventeen 
vessels  of  various  grades,  which  were  employed 
in  the  grain  and  lumber-carrying  trade,  and  by- 
shrewd  and  careful  management,  especially 
during  the  period  of  the  Civil  War,  made  large 
profits.  By  judicious  investments  in  real  es- 
tate, he  accumulated  a  large  fortune,  always 
employing  legitimate  and  straight-forward 
methods. 

During  his  career  in  connection  with  lake 
navigation  Captain  Johnson  saw  many  start- 
ling disasters.  Among  these  was  the  burning 
of  the  "Niagara"  at  Port  Washington  in  1857, 
when  he  assisted  in  saving  the  crew.  Again, 
by  shooting  a  line  across  the  schooner  "Grey- 
hound," a  grain-laden  vessel,  which  had  gone 
ashore  at  Sheboygan,  he  succeeded  in  rescuing 
the  crew,  all  of  whom  were  saved  except  two 
who  had  unsucessfully  attempted  to  swim 
ashore.  A  month  after  the  deplorable  disaster 
of  the  "Lady  Elgin,"  which  resulted  in  the  loss 
of  300  lives  in  1860,  he  picked  up  in  mid-lake 
the  bodies  of  two  of  the  victims,  both  ladies, 
one  of  whom  was  identified  by  the  rings  found 
on  her  fingers.  The  bodies  were  buried  at 
Racine. 

In  1872  Captain  Johnson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Eline  Theodora  Schumacher  and 
five  children  were  born  of  this  union,  of  whom 
three  are  still  living:  Clara  Amelia,  Olga 
Theresa  and  Alice  Eline  Theodora.  In  1889, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  oldest  daughter, 
Captain  Johnson  visited  the  International  Ex- 
position at  Paris  of  that  year,  and  'spent  some 
five  months  traveling  in  Europe.  His  residence 
during  his  later  years  was  at  Wicker  Park, 
where  he  died  November  19,  1902.  His  funeral 
services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Austin  D. 
Crile,  pastor  of  the  Wicker  Park  Lutheran 
church,  the  burial  taking  place  in  Graceland 
Cemetery. 


Captain  Johnson  was  emphatically  a  self- 
made  man.  Landing  in  America  a  poor  sailor- 
boy,  by  his  indomitaole  energy  and  faithful 
attention  to  duty,  anu  througn  the  legitimate 
channels  of  business,  he  achieved  a  success  in 
life  attained  by  few. 

DANIEL  AMASA  JONES. 

Daniel  A.  Jones  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn., 
June  29,  1807.  It  is  probable  his  ancestors 
were  W  elsh,  though  the  iiue  ol  descent  beyond 
the  ocean  has  not  been  traced. 

The  family  became  identified  with  America 
at  a  very  early  period  in  its  history,  Josiah 
Jones,  the  American  ancestor,  having  settled 
in  Massachusetts  in  1665.  Amasa  Jones,  the 
father  of  Daniel  A.,  was  a  sea-captain,  com- 
manding a  vessel  which  plied  between  Hart- 
ford and  the  West  Indies.  He  died  the  year 
following  Daniel's  birth.  The  widow  removed 
with  her  family,  consisting  of  three  sons  and 
one  daughter,  to  the  home  of  her  father, 
Israel  Jones,  who  resided  on  a  farm  in  North 
Adams,  Berkshire  County,  Mass.  Israel  Jones 
was  a  typical  New  England  man,  of  industrious 
habit,  of  high  Christian  character  and  ol 
prominence  and  influence  in  the  community. 
He  was  one  of  the  Trustees  of  Williams  Col- 
lege, at  Williamstown,  Mass.,  the  most  impor- 
tant educational  institution  in  Northern  Massa- 
chusetts. Here  the  lad  passed  his  child- 
hood and  boyhood,  working  on  his  grand- 
father's farm  in  summer  and  going  to  school 
in  winter.  In  addition  he  was  sent  for  one 
year  to  an  academy  at  Stockbridge.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  he  left  the  Berkshire 
Hills  and  obtained  a  clerkship  in  a  store  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  three  years 
at  a  salary  of  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  later 
two  hundred  dollars  a  year,  out  of  which  he 
had  to  pay  his  board  and  clothe  himself.  Here 
he  learned  the  details  of  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  contributed  much  to  his  success  in 
after  life.  When  twenty  years  old  he  deter- 
mined to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  West,  where 
an  elder  brother  had  alreaay  gone  and  was 
established  in  business  in  Louisvnle,  Ky.  Ob- 
taining employment  with  nis  brother  in  a  soap 
factory,  he  soon  gained  experience,  and  devel- 
oped such  qualities  of  fidelity  ana  capacity  that 
he  was  sent  to  New  Orleans  to  make  some 
doubtful  collections,  in  which  he  was  so  suc- 
cessful that,  on  his  return,  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  a  store.  Here  he  passed  three  years, 
when,  in  the  fall  of  1829,  he  determined  to 
go  into  business  for  himself.  He  selected  New- 
port, Ind.,  a  village  on  the  Wabash  River,  and 
buying  a  stock  of  goods  at  Louisville  on  credit 
and  borrowing  money  to  pay  the  freight,  he 
opened  a  little  store.  His  business  was  mod- 
erately successful,  so  that  in  1832  he  was  able 
to  purchase  a  cargo  of  pork  and  corn,  which 
he  loaded  on  a  flatboat  and  took  to  New  Or- 
leans, realizing  a  good  profit  on  the  venture. 
He  continued  flatboating  in  connection  with 
his  other  business  for  twenty  years,  and  by 
good  management  and  good  fortune  never  lost 
a  boat.  During  .the  Black  Hawk  War  he  was 


-HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


927 


commissioned  Colonel  or  the  Fifty-ninth  Regi- 
ment, Indiana  Militia,  which  was  organized  to 
take  part  in  the  War,  but  was  never  called 
into  active  service.  He  was  present  at  the 
treaty  made  with  the  Indians  at  Chicago  in 
1833,  at  which  time  he  crossed  the  Chicago 
River  in  a  scow  towed  by  a  rope. 

In  1837  Mr.  Jones  married  Miss  Mary  G. 
Harris,  of  Rockville,  Ind.,  who  became  the 
mother  of  his  seven  children,  and  who  died  in 
December,  1855.  In  1841  he  took  into  partner- 
ship Mr.  Charles  M.  Culbertson,  who  had  been 
with  him  some  years  as  a  clerk.  In  1846  he 
established  a  store  in  Danville,  111.,  with  James 
M.  Culbertson  as  manager,  the  business  being 
continued  for  eleven  years.  After  a  few  years 
he  entered  8,000  acres  of  land  lying  along  the 
route  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad.  In  1856 
he  removed  to  Granville,  Ohio,  to  give  his 
seven  children  better  educational  advantages 
and  to  take  a  rest  after  twenty-nine  years  of 
active  business  life.  But  he  did  not  remain 
long  idle,  as  the  next  year,  in  connection  with 
his  old  partner,  Charles  M.  Culbertson,  he  es- 
tablished a  packing  house  in  Muscatine,  Iowa. 
In  1858  Mr.  Jones  contracted  his  second  mar- 
riage, this  time  with  Miss  Harriet  A.  Knapp 
of  Fairfield,  Conn.,  who  survives  him,  being 
now  a  resident  of  Chicago. 

In  1859,  having  become  tired  of  the  quiet  life 
of  Granville,  he  removed  to  Chicago.  Having 
renewed  his  partnership  with  Charles  M.  Cul- 
bertson, they  built  a  packing  house  at  State 
and  Twenty-second  Streets,  in  1858,  where  they 
packed  pork  until  1862,  when  they  sold  the 
building  and  erected  another,  in  1863,  at  Stew- 
art Avenue  and  West  Eighteenth  Street,  which 
was  sold  to  Culbertson,  Blair  &  Co.,  in  1864. 
In  1865  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Pack- 
ers' and  Provision  Dealers'  Insurance  Com- 
pany, which  position  he  held  until  the  company 
was  consolidated  with  the  Merchants'  Insur- 
ance Company  in  1866.  He  was  a  director  in 
the  last  named  corporation  until  its  failure  at 
the  time  of  the  great  fire  in  18U.  In  1866  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  R.  M.  and  0.  S. 
Hough  and  Chas.  L.  Raymond,  in  the  pack- 
ing and  commission  business.  This  partnership 
lasted  five  years,  when  we  find  him  at  the  head 
of  the  firm  of  Jones  &  Raymond  in  the  same 
line  of  trade.  Mr.  Jones  finally  retired  from 
the  packing  business  in  1884,  having  been 
among  the  most  enterprising  and  extensive 
dealers  in  provisions,  which  branch,  in  the 
hands  of  the  Armours,  Swifts,  Fowlers  and 
Cudahys,  has  become  so  important  a  part  of 
the  commerce  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Jones  was  elected  President  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  in  1869,  and  held  that 
office  at  the  time  the  great  fire  of  1871  swept 
away  the  building.  He  then  tendered  his  res- 
ignation, but  the  board  of  directors  declined 
to  accept  it.  The  Board  of  Trade  demanding 
a  new  building,  Mr.  Jones  was  placed  on  the 
building  committee  and  superintended  the  con- 
struction of  the  building  erected  for  that  or- 
ganization by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  It 
was  pushed  with  such  energy,  in  the  face  of 
many  obstacles  presented  at  that  time,  that  he 


was  enabled  to  present  to  the  Board  of  Trade, 
at  the  end  ot  a  year  from  the  destruction  of 
the  old  building,  a  new  and  a  better  one,  well 
equipped  for  the  transactions  of  the  board's 
business.  The  fire  occurred  on  the  9th  of 
October,  1871.  On  the  9th  of  October,  1872, 
Mr.  Jones  conducted  the  members  of  the  Board 
of  Trade,  with  their  invited  guests,  to  the  new 
hall  and  delivered  to  its  officers  the  keys  to 
the  edifice. 

The  services  of  Mr.  Jones  were  sought  in  the 
conduct  of  various  financial  institutions  in 
•which  he  held  large  interests.  He  was  a  direct- 
or in  the  Merchants'  National  Bank,  Fifth 
National  Bank  and  National  Bank  of  America, 
from  the  time  they  were  organized  until  his 
death.  He  was  largely  interested  in  the  Chi- 
cago City  Railway,  and  during  the  year  1881- 
82,  while  the  cable  line  was  under  construction, 
was  the  acting  President  of  the  company. 

With  all  his  business  energy  and  devotion  to 
practical  affairs  Mr.  Jones  was  a  benevolent 
man,  not  only  in  liberal  contributions  but  in 
helpful  aid  and  sympathetic  interest  in  worthy 
charities.  He  was  particularly  identified  with 
the  founding  of  the  Old  Ladies'  Home,  after- 
ward changed  to  the  Old  People's  Home,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  incorporators,  a  Trus- 
tee and  the  President  until  his  death.  In  the 
work  of  this  institution  he  took  the  interest 
which  a  parent  takes  in  the  welfare  of  a  be- 
loved child,  visiting  its  inmates,  learning  their 
needs  and  supplying  their  wants.  He  left  a 
bequest  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  for  its 
endowment,  to  which  has  been  added  twenty 
thousand  dollars  by  the  representatives  of  his 
estate  in  accordance  with  his  wishes.  Mr. 
Jones  was  a  religious  man  of  the  Presbyterian 
faith.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Calvary  Pres- 
byterian Church,  which  was  merged  into  the 
First  Presbyterian  after  the  great  fire.  His 
religious  faith  was  expressed  not  merely  in 
the  dogmatic  formulas  of  the  church,  but  in 
an  exemplary  life,  which,  amid  the  engross- 
ing cares  of  business,  found  expression  in 
numerous  acts  of  kindness  and  sympathy  and 
in  works  of  practical  beneficence. 

The  year  he  settled  in  Chicago  he  built  a 
home  far  out  of  the  then  settled  part  of  the 
town,  on  Calumet  Avenue,  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-second  Street,  fronting  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan. It  was  a  brick  structure  of  stately  ap- 
pearance and  convenient  arrangement,  at  that 
time  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city,  and  which, 
after  thirty-five  years,  remains  among  the 
handsome  places  that  adorn  that  beautiful  resi- 
dence street.  Mr.  Jones'  life  closed  on  the  llth 
of  January,  1886,  in  his  seventy-ninth  year. 
Four  children  of  his  first  marriage  survive 
him:  William  Jarvis  and  G.  Edwin,  of  Chicago; 
Mrs.  O.  S.  Newell,  of  Kenosha,  Wis.;  and  Mrs. 
N.  H.  Sabin,  of  Williamstown.  Mass.  Besides 
the  bequest  which  he  left  to  the  Old  People's 
Home,  his  will  gave  $10,000  each  to  the  Presby- 
terian Hospital  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  Pres- 
byterian Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Presby- 
terian Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  The  residue 
of  his  large  estate  was  devised  to  his  widow 
and  family,  and  to  trustees,  for  benevolent 


928 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


purposes.  This  last  has  been  carried  out  in 
building  the  Daniel  A.  Jones  memorial  addition 
to  the  Presbyterian  Hospital  at  a  cost  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-five  thousand  dollars,  in  ad- 
dition to  that  already  given  to  that  institution, 
and  in  various  smaller  amounts  to  other  phil- 
anthropic enterprises. 

FERNANDO    JONES. 

This  active  and  public-spirited  man,  hale 
and  well  preserved  in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  and 
enjoying  a  rest  richly  earned  by  his  long  and 
busy  life,  has  the  distinction  of  being  one  of 
the  oldest  of  Chicago's  living  pioneers.  None 
has  done  more  for  the  city's  interests,  and  few 
men  in  any  community  have  been  eye-witnesses 
of  such  rapid  and  marvelous  change  as  he. 

Mr.  Jones,  the  second  child  and  eldest  son  of 
William  and  Anna  (Gregory)  Jones,  was  born 
at  Forestville,  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  May 
26,  1820.  While  a  child  of  four  years  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  Buffalo.  There  he  received  his 
rudimentary  education,  among  his  preceptors 
being  a  young  man  who  was  destined  to  play 
an  important  part  in  national  history — Millard 
Fillmore,  afterwards  President  of  the  United 
States.  While  living  there,  he  also  attended 
the  Fredonia  Academy  in  Chautauqua  County, 
where  he  was  a  fellow-student  of  Reuben  E. 
Fenton,  who  became  Governor  of  New  York. 
In  1835  the  elder  Jones  determined  to  remove, 
with  his  family,  to  Chicago,  then  a  pioneer 
town  on  the  western  frontier.  Here  he  opened 
a  store  on  South  Water  Street  for  the  sale  of 
stoves  and  hardware,  young  Fernando  being 
his  assistant.  Chicago  was  then  an  important 
trading  post,  and  the  point  where  the  Indians 
were  paid  their  annuities.  The  boy  mingled 
with  the  aborigines,  and  soon  became  suffi- 
ciently familiar  with  their  language  to  con- 
verse with  them  and  act  as  interpreter  for  the 
traders.  This  led  to  his  being  given  a  clerk- 
ship by  the  United  States  disbursing  officer. 
At  the  early  age  of  sixteen  he  also  held  clerk- 
ships in  the  United  States  Land  office,  and  in 
the  offices  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  Canal. 

In  1837  Mr.  Jones  entered  the  academy  at 
Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  a  stu- 
dent for  two  years,  and  while  there  formed  a 
warm  personal  friendship  with  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  then  a  student  of  law,  which  lasted 
throughout  the  lifetime  of  that  illustrious  man. 
Meanwhile  Mr.  Jones's  father  had  engaged  in 
the  real-estate  business  in  Chicago,  and  on 
his  return  to  Chicago  in  1839,  Fernando  be- 
came interested  in  the  business,  devoting  his 
attention  to  the  examination  of  titles  and 
furnishing  abstracts.  He  thus  obtained  an  in- 
sight into  the  system  of  "tract  indexes,"  origi- 
nated by  Edward  A.  Rucker,  these  books  being 
the  first  of  the  kind  ever  prepared.  This  intri- 
cate and  essential  branch  of  the  real-estate 
business  afterwards  constituted  the  most  im- 
portant occupation  of  his  life.  He  devised  an 
improved  system  of  abstracts  of  titles  and  pre- 
pared, with  infinite  patience  and  detail,  books 
in  compact  form,  embodying  all  important  in- 


formation respecting  land  titles  contained  in 
the  public  records  of  Cook  County.  All  of 
these  records,  as  well  as  most  of  the  private 
abstract  books,  were  consumed  by  the  flames 
of  October,  1871,  and  then  occurred  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  three  abstract  firms  of  Chase 
Brothers,  Shortall  &  Hoard,  and  Jones  &  Sell- 
ers. Business  was  continued  by  the  new  con- 
cern, which  succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  all 
the  books  and  material  which  had  been  the 
property  of  its  individual  component  firms, 
and  these  records  are  now  owned  by  the  Chi- 
cago Title  and  Trust  Company.  Mr.  Jones, 
finding  himself  now  relieved  of  the  necessity 
for  personal  supervision  of  the  business,  re- 
tired from  active  participation  therein.  Yet 
his  intimate  knowledge  of  titles  and  familiar- 
ity with  the  personal  and  business  lives  of 
early  land-owners  have  rendered  his  services 
of  the  highest  value  in  the  settling  of  disputes 
and  quieting  of  titles. 

While  disinclined  to  hold  office,  Mr.  Jones 
has  not  refused  to  accept  and  discharge  the 
public  duties  devolving  upon  the  citizens  of 
enlightened  public  spirit.  During  the  admin- 
istrations of  Mayors  Haines  and  Wentworth, 
he  sat  in  the  City  Council,  having  been  first 
elected  Alderman  for  the  Third  Ward  in  1859. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  held  the  position  of 
Supervisor  of  the  Town  of  South  Chicago,  the 
area  included  within  Camp  Douglas  falling 
within  what  may  be  called  his  civil  jurisdiction. 
He  has  also  been  conspicuously  identified  with 
the  management  of  various  public  and  private 
charities,  having  served  as  Trustee  of  the 
Central  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Jackson- 
ville, as  well  as  of  the  Chicago  Orphan  Asylum. 
He  was  also  a  Trustee  of  the  old  Chicago  Uni- 
versity, and  has  been  identified  with  many 
business  enterprises  of  magnitude,  in  both  his 
public  and  private  relations  maintaining  an 
enviable  reputation  for  capability,  public  spirit 
and  integrity.  At  the  present  time  he  is  Vice- 
President  of  the  Chicago  Pioneer  Society  and 
a  member  of  the  Calumet  and  Press  Clubs  and 
other  organizations. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married,  July  7,  1853,  to  Miss 
Jane  Grahame,  of  Henry  County,  a  lady  of  rare 
mind  and  culture  and  endowed  with  remark- 
able force  of  character.  Mrs.  Jones  takes  a 
deep  interest  in  the  higher  education  of  her 
sex  and  in  tiie  widening  of  its  sphere  of  influ- 
ence and  usefulness,  and  has  been  prominently 
connected  with  the  management  of  the  Chicago 
Medical  College  for  Women.  Their  only  daugh- 
ter, Genevieve,  married  the  late  George  R. 
Grant,  a  distinguished  member  of  the  Chicago 
Bar.  She  was  left  a  widow  with  one  daughter, 
Leslie,  and  is  now  deceased.  Their  son,  Gra- 
hame, is  a  graduate  of  the  Chicago  Law  School. 

Mr.  Jones,  with  his  wife,  son  and  daughter, 
after  laying  down  the  active  cares  of  a  busi- 
ness life,  devoted  eight  years  to  foreign  travel, 
spending  three  years  at  Florence,  two  at  Paris, 
and  one  each  at  Venice,  Rome  and  Mentone. 
During  his  long  sojourn  abroad  he  accumulated 
a  vast  and  almost  priceless  collection  of  an- 
tiques, curios  and.  rare  works  of  art,  which 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


929 


adorn   the   handsome   and   hospitable  home  at 
1834  Prairie   Avenue. 

GEORGE  PHIFER  JONES. 
George  Phifer  Jones  was  born  in  South  So- 
lon, Madison  County,  Ohio,  April  3,  1839.  His 
father,  William  Jones,  was  born  in  Sullivan 
County,  Tenn.,  and  his  mother,  Sarah  Phifer, 
in  Rockingham  County,  Va.  Mr.  Jones  has 
never  looked  up  the  family  history  to  learn 
whether  his  parents  were  F.  F.  Vs.  or  not. 
He  knew  his  father  was  an  honest  man  and  his 
mother  a  noble  Christian  woman;  and  he  felt, 
if  he  acted  well  his  part,  he  would  rank  high 
enough  to  be  called  a  good  citizen.  With  an 
ordinary  common-school  education,  he  found 
himself  a  young  man  of  twenty-one  in  Cali- 
fornia, pining  for  his  home  and  sweet-heart  in 
Ohio,  and  having  no  money,  the  only  resource 
left  him  was  to  walk,  which  he  did  through 
what  is  now  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  in  the 
month  of  August,  and  his  experiences  on  that 
hot  tramp,  beset  with  California  lions,  rattle- 
snakes, tarantulas,  centipedes,  wild  Indians 
and  wilder  white  men,  cured  him  of  many  of  his 
youthful  follies.  He  arrived  at  London,  Ohio, 
the  home  of  his  parents,  in  October,  1860,  in 
time  to  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and  has  been  voting  the  Republican  ticket  ever 
since.  On  the  first  day  of  May,  1861,  he  mar- 
ried Samantha  Graham,  and  kept  a  country 
dry-goods  store  until  1864,  when  he  moved  to 
Joliet,  111.,  where  he  spent  the  next  fourteen 
years  of  his  life,  save  two  years  during  which 
he  lived  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  first  in  the  dry- 
goods  trade,  and  then  as  Cashier  of  the  Will 
County  National  Bank,  which  his  friend,  Har- 
low  N.  Higinbotham,  and  he  organized.  He 
moved  to  Chicago  in  1878  and  was  connected 
for  a  number  of  years  with  the  Credit  Depart- 
ment of  the  wholesale  Hat  &  Cap  House  of 
Keith  Brothers.  In  1889  he  was  Superintendent 
of  Public  Service  for  Cook  County;  afterwards 
was  connected  with  the  Metropolitan  National 
Bank;  was  Receiver  of  Columbian  Casino  Res- 
taurant at  the  World's  Fair  grounds;  and  As- 
signee and  Receiver  for  a  number  of  other 
concerns.  Later  he  was  Receiver  for  the 
Columbia  Straw  Paper  Company  with  thirty- 
four  properties  scattered  over  nine  States;  for 
many  years  was  Vice-President  and  Trustee  of 
the  Harvey  Land  Association;  and  is  now  Vice- 
President  of  the  Stowell  Manufacturing  & 
Foundry  Company,  of  South  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
and  President  of  the  Jones  and  the  Smith  Car 
Door  Companies  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Jones  has  had 
a  varied  but  modest  business  career,  and  while 
he  has  never  defaulted,  and  has  always  paid 
his  debts,  does  not  claim  any  particular  credit 
for  simply  doing  his  duty.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Union  League  Club  from  its  organ- 
ization, and  has  borne  a  prominent  part  in 
making  that  great  institution  the  home  and 
delight  of  men  of  worth  and  merit,  and  an 
unpleasant  resort  for  snobs  and  presumptuous 
"squaw  men."  He  is  a  Methodist  in  religious 
belief  and  a  Republican  in  political  principle, 
and  entertains  feelings  of  abhorrence  for  rings 


and  cliques  in  church  or  party,  State  or  club. 
Unostentatious  in  manner,  he  has  not  been  a 
seeker  for  notoriety,  and  this  sketch  is  here 
because  of  the  kindly  wishes  and  cordial  ap- 
preciation of  valued  friends. 

FREDERICK  H.  KASBOHM, 
Captain  Fire  Insurance  Patrol,  No.  2,  was  born 
in  Chicago,  January  2,  1856,  and  educated  at 
the  Wells  and  German  Schools.  After  leaving 
school  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  and 
later  learned  the  harness-maker's  trade.  He 
joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department,  March  1, 
1885,  and  was  assigned  to  Truck  No.  11,  but 
resigned  January  25,  1889,  and  joined  the  Fire 
Insurance  Patrol  No.  1;  was  transferred  to 
Fire  Patrol  No.  3,  when  it  was  organized 
March  11,  1889;  to  Patrol  No.  4,  Stock  Yards 
November  10,  1889  ;and  to  Patrol  No.  2,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1892;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant 
November  11,  1892,  and  assigned  to  Patrol  No. 
3,  from  which  he  was  transferred,  December 
1,  1893,  to  Patrol  No.  2.  While  he  has  had 
many  narrow  escapes,  he  has  been  only  slightly 
injured,  and  like  the  majority  of  Chicago  fire- 
boys,  is  always  ready  for  any  emergency 
where  duty  calls.  He  was  married  to  Chris- 
tine Falkenburg,  in  Chicago,  March  16,  1877, 
and  nine  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
eight  of  whom  are  living. 

THOMAS  KAVANAUGH, 

Chief  Engineer,  Harrison  Street  Pumping  Sta- 
tion, was  born  in  Chicago,  April  19,  1869,  edu- 
cated at  the  Christian  Brothers  School,  and 
after  leaving  school  learned  the  steam-fitter's 
and  machinist's  trades,  and  worked  three  years 
as  machinist  for  the  Bullock  Manufacturing 
Company.  He  was  fireman  at  the  West  Side 
Pumping  Station  from  1888  to  1893,  later  serv- 
ing at  various  public  school  buildings  as  engi- 
neer. In  1893  he  became  connected  with  the 
Canal  Pumping  works  as  a  steam-fitter,  remain- 
ing there  two  years,  when  (in  1895)  he  was 
appointed  assistant  engineer  at  the  Harrison 
Street  Pumping  Station,  where  he  remained  un- 
til he  was  appointed  Chief  Engineer  at  the 
West  Side  Pumping  Works,  August  15,  1897, 
and  thence  transferred  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Pumping  Station  May  22,  1901,  where  he  still 
remains.  He  is  very  popular  among  his  many 
friends  and  associates  in  the  Nineteenth  Ward, 
where  he  was  born  and  raised. 

THOMAS  KEATES. 

Thomas  Keates,  DesPlaines,  Cook  County,  111., 
is  a  native  of  England,  born  September  19,. 
1854,  the  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Smith ) 
Keates.  He  was  educated  in  his  native  coun- 
try and,  having  emigrated  to  America,  in  1881 
was  married  to  Alida  E.  Brown,  of  DesPlaines. 
Mr.  Keates  is  a  Methodist  in  religious  belief 
and  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  holds  the 
position  of  Minute  Clerk  in  Judge  Marcus 
Kavanagh's  Court,  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 

LOUIS   F.    KEEGAN, 
Champion   Hand-ball   Player  and   Pipeman   on 


93° 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Engine  No.  15,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was 
born  in  Chicago  September  25,  1870,  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Throop  Public,  German  and 
Sacred  Heart  Schools,  and  after  leaving  school, 
worked  in  Maxwell  Brothers'  box  factory  for 
three  years  and  for  Goss  &  Phillips  Manufac- 
turing Company  three  years.  Then,  after  hav- 
ing been  employed  by  the  City  Electric  Light 
Department  for  eight  years,  he  joined  the  Fire 
Department,  October  9,  1895;  being  assigned  to 
duty  on  Engine  No.  52.  April  7,  1896,  he  was 
transferred  to  Engine  29,  and  to  Engine  15 
April  7,  1897,  where  he  still  remains.  He  has 
had  many  narrow  escapes,  but  has  not  been 
injured.  In  February,  1896,  William  Carney 
and  Keegan  played  a  game  of  hand-ball  with 
Phil.  Casey  and  James  Dunne,  and  won  the 
match  for  the  championship  team  of  the  world. 
They  played  again  June,  1896,  and  were  de- 
feated. Keegan  and  Carney  left  a  challenge 
with  the  editors  of  the  "Police  Gazette"  for 
$1,000,  which  was  never  answered.  Therefore 
they  claim  the  championship  of  the  world.  Mr. 
Keegan  is  the  nephew  of  Lawrence  Barrett, 
the  tragedian.  Mr.  Keegan  says  he  is  ready  to 
play  any  member  of  the  fire  or  police  depart- 
ments at  any  time. 

He  was  married  October  11.  1892,  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Greene,  and  four  children  have  been 
born  to  them. 

WILSON  T.  KEENAN. 

Wilson  T.  Keenan  (deceased),  whose  history 
is  no  slight  part  of  the  story  of  the  live-stock 
industry  of  the  West  and  of  the  upbuilding  of 
the  Union  Stock  Yards  at  Chicago,  was  born  on 
a  farm  near  Lebanon,  Ohio,  October  17,  1836, 
and  there  received  his  education  in  the  district 
school.  At  the  early  age  of  thirteen  he  passed 
out  into  the  world  to  wrestle  with  fortune  for 
a  name  and  a  competence — a  sharp  struggle 
with  all,  a  failure  with  many,  but  crowned 
with  success  for  him.  Mr.  Keenan  apprenticed 
himself  to  the  butcher  trade,  and  mastered 
all  its  details  in  a  manner  characteristically 
thorough.  When  he  was  nineteen,  young  Kee- 
nan came  to  Quincy,  111.,  where  he  found  em- 
ployment in  the  construction  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  and  for  a  time 
was  Station  Agent  at  Colchester,  111.  In  1857 
he  began  buying  grain  for  St.  Louis  and  hogs 
for  Quincy.  In  the  winter  of  1858-59  he  was 
the  superintendent  for  Hurlburt  &  Prevost  in 
the  hog-buying  and  packing  business  at  Keiths- 
burg,  111.,  and  during  the  next  winter  was  em- 
ployed by  other  parties  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  in 
the  same  line.  In  the  winter  of  1860-61  he  was 
engaged  in  slaughtering  and  packing  hogs  at 
Camp  Point,  111.,  and  during  the  year  follow- 
ing, built  slaughtering  houses  at  Quincy  and  at 
West  Quincy  (Mo.),  and  packed  pork  during  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion. 

Mr.  Keenan  became  a  citizen  of  Chicago  in 
1865,  opening  a  live-stock  commission  house 
at  the  Stock  Yards  during  that  year,  and  was 
among  the  first  to  take  up  that  line  of  busi- 


ness in  the  city.  From  that  time  until  his 
death,  June  18,  1900,  he  was  a  prominent  factor 
in  the  history  of  the  live-stock  trade  at  the 
Western  Metropolis.  No  man  there  commanded 
greater  respect,  or  was  more  enterprising  or 
alert.  As  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  W. 
T.  'Keenan  &  Sons,  he  developed  a  large  trade 
with  the  far  Southwest,  and  handled  many  con- 
signments of  Texas  and  Western  range  cattle. 
This  was  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Keenan  had  made  his  name  familiar  to  the  peo- 
ple of  those  remote  sections  by  his  assistance 
and  enterprise  in  laying  out  the  trail  by  which 
stock  was  driven  from  the  Lone  Star  State  to 
Abilene,  Kans.  The  firm  of  Keenan  &  Sons 
was  incorporated  December  1,  1898,  with  W.  T. 
Keenan,  President;  H.  M.  Keenan,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; and  John  D.  Stevens,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer. 

Mr.  Keenan  was  united  in  marriage,  at 
Quincy,  111.,  February  26,  1857,  to  Miss  Martha 
Ann  Tatman,  and  of  this  union  were  born  six 
children:  William  E.,  Horace  M.,  Laura  D., 
Joseph  L.;<  Matie  A.,  and  Robert  R.  In  the 
midst  of  the  competitions  and  activities  of  the 
intense  life  by  which  he  was  surrounded,  Mr. 
Keenan  held  his  honor  untarnished,  and  pos- 
sessed, as  few  men  do,  the  esteem  and  confi- 
dence of  those  who  knew  him. 

MRS.  MARY  KENNICOTT. 
Mrs.  Mary  Kennicott  (widow)  was  born  in 
New  Hampshire  in  1821,  the  daughter  of  Rev. 
John  Mason,  a  native  of  Maine,  who  settled 
in  Elk  Grove  Township,  Cook  County,  in  1837. 
She  received  her  education  in  her  native  State 
of  New  Hampshire  before  the  removal  of  the 
family  west.  Joseph  E.  Kennicott,  who  was 
born  at  Broadalbin,  N.  Y.,  November  20,  1814, 
settled  near  the  village  of  "Half  Day,"  in 
Lake  County,  in  1835;  on  August  2,  1841,  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Mason,  and  in  1853,  pur- 
chased the  farm  of  his  father-in-law,  Rev.  Mr. 
Mason,  which  continued  the  family  homestead 
until  1865,  when  he  removed  to  Arlington 
Heights,  dying  there,  January  14,  1884.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kennicott  had  four  children:  Walter,  Al- 
bert, Eva  and  Carrie.  Both  the  sons  were 
educated  at  the  Northwestern  University.  Wal- 
ter, the  eldest,  became  a  volunteer  in  the  war 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  was  mortally 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and  his 
body  lies  in  Antietam  Cemetery.  Albert,  the 
younger,  died  at  Arlington  Heights,  December 
30,  1876.  The  daughters  still  survive — Eva  (now 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Williams)  residing  at  Monmouth, 
Warren  County,  111.,  and  Carrie,  the  wife  of 
Rev.  Horatio  S.  Hilton,  a  resident  of  Indiana. 
Mrs.  Kennicott  is  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as  was  her  hus- 
band, Mr.  Kennicott,  during  his  life. 

JOSEPH  L.  KENYON, 

Chief  of  Twelfth  Battalion  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, was  born  at  Bronx,  N.  Y.,  Febru- 
ary 9,  1856,  and  brought  to  Chicago  by  his 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


931 


parents  when  but  two  months  old.  In  May, 
1879,  he  was  assigned  to  Hook  and  ladder 
Company,  No.  1,  and  became  a  member  August 
27th,  following.  January  1,  1880,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Engine  No.  13  as  pipeman;  was  pro- 
moted to  Lieutenant  October  1,  1881,  and  as- 
signed to  Truck  No.  4;  transferred  to  Engine 
13,  January  1,  1883;  then  to  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company,  No.  6,  August  4,  1883;  was  promoted 
to  Captain,  May  1,  1884,  and  assigned  to  En- 
gine, No.  21;  to  Engine  45,  January  1,  1886; 
to  Hook  ana  Ladder  Company  15,  was  assigned 
to  duty  as  Acting  Chief  of  the  Twelfth  Battal- 
ion, December  1,  1892,  and  promoted  to  Chief 
of  the  Battalion,  July  1,  1893,  which  position  he 
still  retains.  This  is  the  largest  battalion  in  the 
Fire  Department,  comprising  44  square  miles 
of  territory,  and  including  thirteen  active  com- 
panies and  three  volunteer  companies.  Its 
headquarters  are  at  6345  Wentworth  Avenue, 
occupied  by  Engine  No.  51,  and  Fire  Alarm 
Office  No.  2. 

Captain  Kenyon  has  seen  all  kinds  of  service 
in  the  department.  He  was  one  of  the  heroes 
at  the  Cold  Storage  Fire  on  the  World's  Fair 
grounds,  in  July,  1893,  and  was  in  command 
of  the  rescuing  party  that  recovered  eleven 
bodies  from  the  ruins.  Several  of  the  victims 
were  Chicago's  brave  defenders  who  sacrificed 
their  lives  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty. 
Chief  Kenyon  especially  distinguished  himself, 
repeatedly  risking  his  life  and  sustaining  inju- 
ries from  which,  however,  he  finally  recovered. 
He  also  earned  high  praise  from  his  superior  of- 
ficers and  the  general  public  by  his  service  in 
connection  with  the  fire  in  the  Manufacturers' 
Building  during  the  Fair,  which  endangered 
the  lives  of  many  hundreds  of  people  and  the 
destruction  of  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  prop- 
erty. At  that  fire  Marshal  Musham  and  Chief 
Kenyon  were  in  command,  and  by  their  tact  and 
good  judgment,  the  building  and  contents  were 
saved,  and  another  laurel  added  to  those  al- 
ready won  by  efficient  service.  Another  nar- 
row escape  while  in  the  performance  of  his  duty 
occurred  at  the  big  fire  of  the  Belford-Clark 
Publishing  House,  on  Wabash  Avenue,  when 
he  led  his  men  into  the  very  heart  of  the  fire, 
receiving  severe  injuries  from  the  collapse  of 
the  wall  which  caught  him  as  it  fell.  He  also 
suffered  partial  suffocation  in  February,  1883, 
in  the  sub-basement  of  the  building  on  Arcade 
Court,  where  he  was  rendered  unconscious  for 
six  hours,  while  risking  his  life  for  the  rescue 
of  two  of  his  companions.  He  had  a  limb 
broken  in  several  places  at  the  Donahue  & 
Henneberry  fire,  at  Congress  Street  and  Wab- 
ash Avenue,  May  26,  1886.  He  is  held  in  high 
esteem  by  all  the  members  of  the  department 
and  all  who  know  him  personally,  for  his  brav- 
ery and  genial,  manly  qualities. 

Chief  Kenyon  was  married  in  Chicago,  No- 
vember 11,  1881,  to  Miss  Ella  Powell,  and  four 
children  have  been  born  to  them.  Mrs.  Ken- 
yon pass/ed  away  February  25,  1895,  zfnd  Mr. 
Kenyon  married  Miss  Lawrence  Jentoft,  April 


28,  1897.  Chicago  owes  a  large  debt  of  grati- 
tude to  her  brave  and  plucky  firemen,  but  to 
none  moro  than  to  Chief  Kenyon,  whose  many 
acts  of  heroism  have  won  high  distinction. 

WILLIAM  P.  KETCHAM. 
William  P.  Ketcham,  lumber  and  building 
supply  dealer,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  April  16,  1844;  went  to  Marshalltown, 
Iowa,  in  1853,  and  later  attended  public  and 
private  schools  at  Muscatine,  Iowa.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  joined  the  Union  Army,  July 
22,  1861,  as  a  private  in  the  Seventh  Iowa  Vol- 
unteer Infantry.  He  was  on  detached  service 
at  General  Grant's  headquarters  most  of  the 
time  until  he  was  discharged  August  17,  1864. 
After  leaving  the  army  Mr.  Ketcham  engaged  in 
the  lumber,  grain  and  agricultural  implement 
business  at  Marengo,  Iowa,  retaining  his  inter- 
est there  for  thirty  years.  Coming  to  Chicago 
in  1885,  he  organized  the  firm  of  J.  D.  Ket- 
cham &  Brother,  wholesale  lumber  dealers,  con- 
tinuing in  that  business  until  1896-98.  This 
was  about  time  of  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War,  when  he  took  charge  of  the 
army  beef  contract  for  Swift  &  Company,  Chi- 
cago, until  February  9,  1901.  After  the  war 
he  became  interested  in  a  large  Building  & 
Supply  Company  in  the  city  of  Havana,  Cuba. 
This  was  the  first  enterprise  of  its  kind  under- 
taken after  the  Spanish-American  War,  and 
represented  a  large  amount  of  Chicago  capital. 
Mr.  Ketcham's  long  experience  in  business  life 
is  a  guarantee  that  any  enterprise  with  which 
he  may  be  connected  will  prove  a  success.  Mr. 
Ketcham  was  married  in  Watseka,  111.,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1866,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Parry,  and  one 
child  has  been  born  to  them. 

CHARLES  L.  KILL. 

Charles  L.  Kill,  live-stock  dealer,  Union  Stock 
Yards,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Van  Buren,  Onon- 
daga  County,  N.  Y.,  April  16,  1836,  and  re- 
moved with  his  parents  in  1846  to  Belgium, 
Clay  County,  N.  Y.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  having  among  his  teachers  B. 
W.  Roney  and  Chauncey  Goodrich.  Leaving 
school  at  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  worked  on 
a  farm  until  1861,  when  he  went  to  work  on  the 
Erie  Canal,  remaining  ten  years.  May  17, 
1872,  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  on  August  3, 
1872,  was  employed  as  salesman  by  Frye,  War- 
ner &  Kelly  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards  for  one 
year;  t-hen  sold  hogs  for  Horine,  Steck  &  Co. 
for  four  years;  for  Hathaway  &  Swift  for  two 
years;  and  cattle  for  Bunker  &  Cochran  for 
eleven  years.  Later  he  was  in  businesy  with 
J.  W.  Martin  for  three  years,  and  for  the  past 
eight  years  has  been  with  Rice  Brothers,  sell- 
ing sheep  and  other  live  stock. 

He  was  married  in  Belgium,  V.  Y.,  September 
5,  1858,  to  Susan  Mandell,  and  seven  children 
have  been  the  fruit  of  this  union,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living.  Mrs.  Kill  passed  away 
August  12,  1870,  and  September  3,  1877,  he  was 


932 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


married  in  Chicago  to  Margaret  Littleton,  and 
two  children  have  been  born  to  them. 

WILLIAM  WALLACE  KIMBALL. 
Two  hundred  and  seventy  years  have  passed 
away  since  the  arrival  of  the  first  American  pro- 
genitor of  the  Kimball  family.  Richard  Kim- 
ball  emigrated  from  Ipswich,  England,  to  find 
a  new  home  in  the  little  Massachusetts  town 
which  bore  the  same  name  as  the  city  of  his 
birth.  Since  that  date  (1634)  twelve  genera- 
tions of  his  descendants  have  played  their  part 
in  the  country's  history,  left  their  impress  upon 
the  localities  of  their  residence,  and  entered  in- 
to rest.  The  distinguished  Chicago  merchant 
whose  name  is  known  to  the  trade  and  musical 
world  of  two  continents,  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  representatives  of  this  long  and  hon- 
orable line.  The  branch  of  the  family  to 
which  Mr.  Kimball  belongs  settled  in  Oxford 
County,  Maine,  soon  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  there  he — as  had  been 
his  father,  David  Kimball — was  born,  the  date 
of  his  birth  being  March  12,  1828. 

After  passing  through  the  district  and  high 
schools,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  Mr.  Kimball 
began  life  as  clerk  in  a  country  store,  after- 
wards teaching  school.  On  reaching  his  ma- 
jority he  sought  and  found  employment  in  Bos- 
ton, first  as  a  clerk  and  later  as  a  traveling 
salesman.  His  route  was  gradually  extended 
until  his  territory  embraced  the  Central,  South- 
ern and  Western  States.  Deciding  to  enter  into 
business  for  himself  he  chose  to  settle  in  Chi- 
cago, and  in  the  autumn  of  1857  took  up  his 
permanent  residence  here.  In  1864  he  removed 
his  business  to  the  Crosby  Opera  House,  which 
locality  then  became  the  center  of  the  city's 
music  trade,  and  so  remained  until  the  great 
fire  of  1871  left  that  famous  building  a  heap 
of  smouldering  ruins.  Within  forty-eight  hours 
after  that  catastrophe  Mr.  Kimball  had  recom- 
menced business  in  his  Michigan  Avenue  resi- 
dence, utilizing  his  billiard-room  as  an  office 
and  his  barn  as  a  shipping  room.  His  next 
temporary  quarters  were  at  Wabash  Avenue 
and  Thirteenth  Street,  where  he  remained  until 
1873.  Since  then  the  firm  has  made  four  re- 
movals, each  time  to  more  spacious  quarters,  as 
the  needs  of  its  constantly  growing  business 
demanded.  In  1891  the  final  removal  was  made 
to  the  building  now  occupied,  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Wabash  Avenue  and  Jackson  Boule- 
vard. This  building  was  especially  erected  for 
the  use  of  the  concern,  being  most  carefully 
planned  with  a  view  to  the  perfect  accommo- 
dation of  every  branch  of  their  mammoth  busi- 
ness. In  1882  the  firm  was  re-organized  and  in- 
corporated under  the  name  of  the  W.  W.  Kim- 
ball Company,  and  the  manufacturing  branch 
of  its  business  has  steadily  and  rapidly  grown, 
the  corpbined  floorage  capacity  of  the  piano  and 
organ  factories  amounting  to  ten  acres. 

On  June  22,  1865,  Mr.  Kimball  was  married 
to  Miss  Evalyne  M.,  a  daughter  of  Hubbell  B. 
Cone,  of  Chicago.  In  private  life  he  is  genial 


and  hospitable,  a  member  of  several  clubs  and 
social  organizations,  fond  of  the  higher  class 
of  amusements,  notably  of  the  drama,  and  is 
especially  popular  among  a  large  circle  of  per- 
sonal acquaintances. 

GEORGE  KIRCHHOFF. 

George  Kirchhoff  (deceased),  farmer,  Arling- 
ton Heights,  111.,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Wheeling,  Cook  County,  111.,  in  1855,  the  son  of 
William  and  Sophia  (Prelberg)  Kirchhoff,  who 
were  natives  of  Germany  and  came  to  this 
country  about  the  middle  of  the  century.  The 
father  died  September  17,  1881,  and  the  mother 
died  April  28,  1904,  at  the  age  of  76  years.  Mr. 
George  Kirchhoff  was  educated  at  Arlington 
Heights  and,  in  1876,  was  married  to  Johanna 
Henjes,  of  Elk  Grove  Township,  eight  children 
— William,  Sophia,  Henry,  Edward,  George, 
Ella,  Ernst  and  Rudolf — being  the  fruit  of  this 
union.  Of  these  Sophia,  George  and  Rudolph 
died  in  their  infancy.  Mr.  Kirchhoff  was  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  in  polit- 
ical views  was  a  Republican.  Mr.  Kirchhoff 
died  September  27,  1904.  His  widow,  Mrs. 
Johanna  (Henjes)  Kirchhoff  still  survives. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON  KLINE, 
Pioneer  Engineer,  on  Engine  78,  Chicago  Fire 
Department,  was  born  in  Lawrence  Township, 
Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  November  12,  1839, 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  His 
grandfather,  John  Kline,  was  a  pioneer  in  Law- 
rence Township,  where  he  bought  4,000  acres 
of  land,  which  still  remains  in  the  family. 
After  leaving  school  Mr.  Kline  served  four  and 
a  half  years  in  Company  A,  Nineteenth  Ohio 
Volunteer  Regiment — his  company  being  known 
as  the  "Canton  Company"  under  command  of 
Captain  C.  F.  Manderson — holding  the  rank  of 
"high  private"  all  through  the  war.  After  be- 
ing mustered  out  he  entered  into  the  employ- 
ment of  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago 
Railroad,  then  came  to  "Chicago  in  November, 
1866,  and  engaged  with  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad  Company  as  switchman.  In 
1868  he  became  connected  with  the  Michigan 
Central  Company,  remaining  until  May  6,  1872, 
when  he  joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department  as 
Assistant  Engineer  on  Engine  12.  He  was 
transferred,  November,  1872,  to  Engine  No.  17; 
December  21,  1872,  to  Engine  15;  December  31, 
1875,  to  Engine  17;  was  appointed  Engineer  in 
April,  1879,  on  Engine  20.  Other  transfers  in- 
cluded to  Engine  21,  May  6,  1879;  to  Engine 
17,  June,  1883,  and  to  Engine-  35,  at  its  organ- 
ization, December  31,  1884.  Having  resigned, 
June  27,  1886,  he  was  appointed  Engineer  of 
the  North  Side  Water  Works,  serving  two  years, 
including  several  months  as  Engineer  of  the 
Inter-State  Exposition  in  1888,  when  he  re- 
turned to  the  North  Side  Water  Works  for 
two  years;  then  worked  for  C.  S.  Hutchinson 
until  May,  1893,  when  he  joined  the  World's 
Fair  Fire  Department,  as  Engineer  on  Engine 
No.  6  (Midway);  was  re-appointed  to  the  Chi- 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


933 


cago  Fire  Department  on  Engine  14,  as  assist- 
ant engineer,  August  4,  1894;  transferred  to 
Engine  No.  1,  September  1,  1894;  to  Engine  22, 
September  15,  1894;  to  Engine  35,  December 
31,  1894;  to  Engine  21,  July  15,  1895;  to  Engine 
13,  July  2,  1896;  to  Engine  9  (as  Engineer), 
November  9,  1898;  and  to  Engine  78,  April  15, 
1899.  Our  subject  has  had  many  narrow  es- 
capes but  no  bones  were  broken;  did  noble 
service  with  Engine  11  at  the  great  fire  of  1871, 
and  was  badly  burned  while  trying  to  rescue 
several  people  and  save  property.  During  his 
whole  term  of  service  he  has  not  lost  over 
fourteen  days'  time,  either  by  sickness  or  other- 
wise. His  close  attention  to  duty  and  his  noble 
bearing  have  won  for  him  the  esteem  of  his 
employers  and  associates. 

Mr.  Kline  was  married  in  Chicago,  January 
10,  1872,  to  Miss  Vesta  V.  Crozier. 

JOSEPH  E.  LACEY. 

Joseph  E.  Lacey,  formerly  Lieutenant  Engine 
No.  5,  Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Chicago,  May  6,  1869,  was  educated 
in  the  Pearson  public  school,  and  later  learned 
and  worked  at  the  machinist  trade.  August  13, 
1891,  he  joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department, 
being  first  assigned  as  pipeman  to  Engine  No. 
60;  was  transferred  to  Truck  No.  6  on  January 
1,  1892,  and  to  Engine  No.  40,  in  March,  1896. 
July  17,  1897,  he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant, 
and  assigned  to  Engine  No.  5.  Among  the 
numerous  hair-breadth  escapes  which  he  met 
with  during  his  career  as  a  fireman,  was  that 
in  connection  with  the  explosion  of  the  North- 
western Elevator  on  August  5,  1897,  when  he 
was  dangerously  injured,  but  was  saved  by  his 
prompt  removal  to  the  hospital  in  a  carriage 
furnished  by  Capt.  H.  M.  Murray,  of  Engine  No. 
46.  For  ten  days  he  was  practically  blind  in 
consequence  of  the  grain  being  blown  into  his 
face  by  the  explosion.  His  comrade,  Pipeman 
William  Hanley,  who  was  at  his  side  at  the 
time  of  the  accident,  died  a  few  days  later  as 
the  result  of  injuries  then  received.  As  has 
been  the  rule  with  the  ideal  Chicago  fireman, 
Lieutenant  Lacey  has  ever  been  ready  to  re- 
spond to  the  call  for  duty  in  the  face  of  dan- 
ger. At  this  date  (1905)  he  is  Lieutenant  of 
Engine  Company  No.  14,  located  at  88  Chicago 
Avenue. 

JAMES   K.   LAKE. 

James  K.  Lake,  General  Superintendent  and 
manufacturer,  is  a  native  of  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.,  where  he  was  born,  November  22,  1835. 
His  ancestors  on  the  paternal  side  were  of  New 
England  birth,  both  his  grandparents,  Andrew 
and  Caroline  (Bicknall)  Lake,  having  been  born 
in  Litchfield  County,  as  was  also  his  father, 
Nathaniel  B.  Lake.  His  father  and  his  grand- 
father were  both  farmers.  His  grandfather  on 
the  maternal  side  was  named  Andrew  Jackson, 
a  native  of  Virginia,  who  married  Amanda 
Humason,  born  in  Litchfield  County,  Conn., 
their  daughter  Elvira  Jackson,  whose  birth- 
place was  in  TrumDull  County,  Ohio,  becoming 


the  wife  of  Nathaniel  Lake  and  the  mother  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

At  five  years  of  age  (1840)  Mr.  Lake's  par- 
ents removed  from  Connecticut  to  Albion,  Or- 
leans County,  N.  Y.,  traveling  by  way  of  the 
Hudson  River  and  Erie  Canal,  there  being  no 
railroads  across  the  State  at  that  time.  He 
was  educated  in  an  academy  at  Albany,  and, 
in  1855,  began  his  business  career,  being  en- 
gaged during  1855-56  in  the  construction  and 
operation  of  the  Rochester,  Lockport  &  Niagara 
Falls  Railroad,  now  a  part  of  the  New  York 
Central.  In  1857  he  was  employed  as  an  engi- 
neer on  the  Mississippi  River,  but  the  following 
year  came  to  Chicago  and  entered  into  the 
service  of  the  Chicago  City  Railway  Company. 
In  1863  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  West 
Division  City  Railway,  remaining  until  1866, 
when  he  engaged  as  a  contractor  in  street  con- 
struction and  the  paving  business.  A  year  later 
(June,  1867)  he  received  the  contract  for  the 
construction  of  the  Washington  Street  Tunnel 
under  the  Chicago  River,  finished  his  contract 
in  two  and  a  half  years,  and,  'On  January  1, 
1870,  transferred  the  tunnel  to  the  city  in 
completed  condition.  The  same  year  he  was 
awarded  the  contract  for  the  construction  of  the 
lock  and  dam  on  the  Illinois  River  at  Henry, 
and  two  years  later  received  the  contract  for 
dredging  a  channel  in  Galveston  Bay  and  Buf- 
falo Bayou  between  Galveston  and  Houston, 
Texas.  His  next  important  work  was  under- 
taken in  1873  in  the  construction,  for  the  Com- 
pany, of  the  Chicago  &  Pacific  Railroad — now 
a  part  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway — from  Chicago  to  Rock  River.  In 
1874  he  again  entered  into  the  service  of  the 
Chicago  West  Division  City  Railway,  as  Gen- 
eral Superintendent  and  Manager,  remaining 
until  1886,  when  he  resigned.  During  the  twelve 
years  of  his  administration  the  volume  of 
business  on  this  line  grew  rapidly  until,  on  his 
retirement  in  1886,  it  was  second  to  that  of 
no  other  road  of  like  character  in  the  country. 
In  1903  Mr.  Lake  was  extensively  engaged  in 
the  manufacturing  business,  including  the  con- 
struction of  engines,  automobiles  or  horseless 
carriages,  and  other  classes  of  machinery,  and 
also  serving  as  Vice-President  and  Treasurer 
of  the  McMullin  Motive  Power  and  Construc- 
tion Company. 

On  November  9,  1864,  Mr.  Lake  was  married 
in  Chicago  to  Charlotte  Maria  Clark,  and  had 
a  family  of  four  children  named  William  Oving- 
ton,  Jessie  Genevieve,  James  Clark  and  Char- 
lotte Myrtle.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Pres- 
byterian and  in  politics  a  Republican,  but  in 
no  sense  of  the  word  an  office-seeking  politician. 
His  life  has  been  one  of  unusual  business  activ- 
ity, the  results  of  which  are  seen  in  some  of 
the  conspicuous  public  works  of  Chicago 
and  the  State  of  Illinois,  which  stand  as  monu- 
ments of  his  enterprise  and  engineering  skill. 

AUGUSTUS  D.   LAMB. 
Augustus  D.  Lamb  comes  from  good  old  Rev- 


934 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


olutionary  stock,  having  been  born  in  Tioga 
County,  Pa.,  April  14th,  1831.  Loren  Lamb, 
his  father,  was  the  fourth  direct  descendant 
of  John  Lamb,  who  came  from  Scotland  and 
settled  in  America  in  1680;  Susan  Adams,  his 
mother,  being  a  daughter  of  Lyman  Adams, 
a  brother  of  John  Adams,  the  second  President 
of  the  United  States. 

When  eight  years  of  age  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  went  to  Warsaw,  N.  Y.,  to  make  his 
home  with  an  uncle,  where  he  received  such 
educational  advantages  as  were  afforded  by 
the  country  schools  of  that  time.  In  1853  he 
came  to  Chicago  to  seek  a  fortune.  His  first 
employment  was  with  Eddy  &  Butler,  dealers 
in  hardware  and  stoves,  with  whom  he  re- 
.mained  for  two  years.  In  1855  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Isaac  Anderson,  in  the  same 
line  of  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Lamb 
&  Company,  but  later  Mr.  Anderson  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mr.  Jewett,  who  had  come  to  Chi- 
cago on  Mr.  Lamb's  urgent  personal  solicita- 
tion. Subsequently  Mr.  Lamb  disposed  of  his 
interest  in  the  business  of  Lamb  &  Jewett  to 
O.  R.  Butler.  Within  a  few  years,  however, 
Mr.  Lamb  entered  the  firm  of  Tuttle,  Bartlett 
&  Co.,  and  after  some  years  of  faithful  service 
was  admitted  into  partnership,  the  firm  being 
soon  after  reorganized  and  incorporated  under 
the  firm  name  of  Hibbard,  Spencer,  Bartlett  & 
Company.  He  subsequently  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  this  concern  to  enter  the  wholesale 
hardware  firm  of  Brintnall,  Lamb  &  Co.,  which 
he  assisted  in  organizing.  Mr.  Lamb  has  passed 
the  age  of  three  score  and  ten  and  has  retired 
from  active  business  life,  to  pass  his  declining 
years  in  the  peaceful  serenity  of  a  rest  which  a 
well-spent  life  of  toil  and  integrity  has  richly 
earned.  He  was  married  in  Chicago,  in  1859, 
to  Miss  Anna  E.  Bissell,  and  was  the  father  of 
two  sons,  Louis  A.,  and  Benjamin  B.,  with 
whom  he  now  resides  at  2011  Prairie  Avenue. 

EDMUND  M.  LANDIS. 

Edmund  M.  Landis,  physician  and  surgeon, 
was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  October  4,  1846, 
and  died  in  Chicago,  December  14,  1902.  He 
was  a  great-great-grandson  of  William  Robin- 
son, the  first  Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  whose 
father,  Rowland  Robinson,  came  from  Cumber- 
land, England,  to  Rhode  Island  in  1675.  The 
father  of  Edmund  M.  was  Dr.  Edmund  Landis. 
who  practiced  medicine  in  Baltimore,  Md..  in 
early  life,  and  later  in  Chicago,  where  he  died. 
His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Potter 
Robinson,  who  was  closely  allied  with  some 
of  the  leading  families  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
was  a  cousin  of  Commodore  Oliver  Hazzard 
Perry. 

The  younger  Dr.  Landis  received  his  early 
education  in -Baltimore,  and  removed  from  that 
city  to  Chicago  in  his  youth.  When  in  his 
sixteenth  year,  he  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Thirteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  for 
service  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  was 
three  years  in  the  Union  Army.  He  was  one 


of  the  youngest  of  those  who  left  Illinois  to 
fight  for  the  Union,  and  none  discharged  more 
faithfully  all  the  duties  of  a  soldier. 

After  the  war  Dr.  Landis  completed  his  edu- 
cation, and  for  several  years  was  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  in  Chicago,  beginning  the 
study  of  medicine  in  the  meantime,  and,  in 
1875,  was  graduated  from  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege. He  established  himself  in  medical  prac- 
tice on  the  North  Side  in  Chicago,  and  within 
a  few  years  became  one  of  the  leading  practi- 
tioners in  that  part  of  the  city.  For  many 
years  he  was  an  intimate  personal  and  profes- 
sional friend  of  the  famous  surgeon,  Dr.  Moses 
Gunn,  and,  for  a  time,  was  House  Physician  at 
St.  Joseph's  Hospital.  His  practice  was  general 
in  character,  and  few  physicians  of  Chicago 
have  had  a  clientele  more  devoted  or  more 
appreciative  of  chivalrous  devotion  to  profes- 
sional duties.  He  loved  his  profession,  had  a 
true  moral  sense  of  all  the  obligations  that 
rested  upon  him,  and  was  counselor  and  friend, 
as  well  as  physician,  to  many  of  his  patrons. 
His  illness  was  short,  and  his  death,  while  still 
at  the  height  of  his  usefulness,  was  a  shock  to 
those  who  trusted  him  as  a  physician  and 
friend.  He  was  a  member  and  Surgeon  of  Han- 
cock Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  his  obsequies  were 
conducted  by  that  organization. 

In  1877  Dr.  Landis  was  married  to  Miss  Alma 
Moore,  of  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
James  J.  Moore,  one  of  the  leading  physicians 
of  Southern  Ohio.  Dr.  Landis  is  survived  by 
his  widow,  one  daughter,  Ida  Mary  Landis,  and 
a  son,  Edmund  Robinson  Landis;  also  two 
brothers,  Rowland  R.  and  John  W.  Landis. 

ALBERT   G.   LANE. 

Albert  G.  Lane,  District  Superintendent  of 
Schools,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Chicago,  March 
15,  1841,  of  New  England,  and  Puritan  parent- 
age. His  father,  Elisha  B.  Lane,  settled  in  Chi- 
cago as  early  as  1836.  Mr.  Lane  received  his 
elementary  education  in  the  old  Scammon 
School,  and  later  in  the  High  School,  gradu- 
ating with  the  first  class  from  the  latter  in 
1858.  Immediately  after  graduating  he  was 
elected  Principal  of  the  Franklin  School  in  the 
North  Division,  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the 
position  before  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age, 
being  the  youngest  School  Principal  Chicago 
has  ever  had.  His  success,  however,  is  demon- 
strated by  the  fact  that  he  retained  the  posi- 
tion until  1869,  when,  having  been  elected 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools  as  successor 
to  J.  F.  Eberhart,  he  retired  from  his  connec- 
tion with  the  city  schools.  In  1873,  having 
failed  of  re-election,  he  entered  into  the  bank- 
ing business  in  a  west  side  bank,  but  four  years 
later  was  re-nominated  and  re-elected  County 
Superintendent  of  Schools  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  After  that  time  he  was  re-elected  three 
times,  each  time  by  increased  majorities,  mak- 
ing five  terms  in  the  same  office.  In  1871  Mr. 
Lane  prepared  a  graded  course  of  study  for 
the  country  schools  of  Cook  County,  which 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


935 


was  subsequently  adopted  for  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, and  in  modified  form  in  many  of  the 
Western  States. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  panic  of  1873,  Mr. 
Lane  had  $33,000  of  County  School  funds  de- 
posited in  the  old  Franklin  Bank,  which  proved 
a  loss  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  bank. 
Although  he  might  have  made  an  adequate 
defense,  he  made  the  amount  good  by  volun- 
tarily selling  his  property,  borrowing  from  his 
bondsmen,  insuring  his  life  to  protect  them, 
and  working  fifteen  years  to  pay  the  debt. 

September  15,  1891,  while  serving  his  fifth 
term  as  County  Superintendent,  Mr.  Lane  was 
elected  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools  for 
the  City  of  Chicago,  as  successor  to  the  late 
George  Rowland,  who  had  resigned  in  August 
previous.  That  his  election  was  independent 
of  political  consideration  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  he  received  fifteen  votes  out  of  a  total 
of  twenty-one  in  the  School  Board,  a  majority 
of  whose  members  were  Democrats.  Mr.  Lane 
has  been  recognized  as  a  leader  in  the  ranks 
of  education  of  the  State  for  years,  and  has 
been  prominent  in  the  deliberations  and  dis- 
cussions at  the  annual  meetings  of  the  National 
and  State  Teachers'  Associations.  He  was 
President  of  the  National  Educational  Associa- 
tion for  1893  and  1894  and  of  the  Illinois  State 
Teachers'  Association  for  1899,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent time  is  a  member  of  the  National  Council 
of  Education.  In  1898  he  was  appointed  Assist- 
ant Superintendent  of  Schools  for  the  city 
of  Chicago,  but  under  a  reorganization  of  Chi- 
cago's school  system,  is  now  serving  in  the 
capacity  of  District  Superintendent.  Mr.  Lane 
is  identified  with  the  Methodist  Church,  and  has 
always  been  prominent  in  religious  and  Sun- 
day-school work.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illi- 
nois Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution. 

ALBERT  LARRABEE, 

City  Missionary  for  the  Church  of  Christ,  and 
the  son  of  Stephen  and  Elizabeth  N.  (Fair- 
banks) Larrabee,  both  natives  of  Maine,  was 
born  in  Danville,  Maine,  May  20,  1831,  and  edu- 
cated at  Lewiston  Falls  Academy.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather  was  Jacob  Larrabee,  born  in 
Scotland,  and  his  maternal  grandparents  were 
Jonathan  and  Mahitabel  (Wilson)  Fairbanks, 
both  natives  of  Maine.  Mr.  Larrabee's  boy- 
hood was  spent  on  a  farm  in  what  is  now 
known  as  Auburn,  Maine,  and  his  business  life 
has  been  devoted  to  the  organization  and  pro- 
motion of  various  pioneer  enterprises,  some  of 
which  are  as  follows:  In  1856  he  moved  to,  and 
settled  in  the  new  town  of  Macon,  Mo.,  where, 
in  1857,  he  obtained  the  establishment  of  a  post- 
office  and  was  appointed  Postmaster;  in  1860 
the  town  was  incorporated  and  he  was  elected 
its  first  Mayor,  being  re-elected  in  1861.  In 
1863  he  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law  in 
the  courts  of  that  State.  In  1866  he  became 
united  with,  and  at  once  set  about  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Christian  Church  at  Macon, 
Mo.;  in  1867,  organized  the  North  Missouri  In- 


surance Company,  and  was  its  manager  until 
1873.  This  company  did  business  in  twenty- 
seven  States,  had  1,400  agents  and  received  in 
premiums,  $1,000,000  annually. 

In  1874  Mr.  Larrabee  removed  to  Chicago, 
and,  for  several  years,  continued  in  the  fire 
insurance  business.  On  his  arrival  in  Chicago, 
he  identified  himself  with  the  church  and  Sun- 
day-school mission  work  on  the  West  Side. 
At  that  date  (1874)  there  was  only  one  Chris- 
tian Church  (so  called),  which  is  now  known 
as  "Central  Church  of  Christ,"  at  Indiana  Ave- 
nue and  Thirty-seventh  Street.  This  West  Side 
Mission  grew  into  organization,  and,  from  1876 
to  1895,  was  located  at  Oakley  Avenue  near 
Jackson  Street  (now  Jackson  Boulevard).  It 
has  since  been  moved  to  Monroe  and  Francisco 
Streets,  and  is  known  as  "Monroe  Street  Church 
of  Christ."  For  several  years  Mr.  Larrabee 
has  devoted  his  time  wholly,  to  opening  up  new 
missions  and  developing  these  missions  into 
organized  churches.  From  the  above  named 
mission  of  1874  have  grown  all  of  the  churches, 
of  that  denomination  (seven  or  eight  in  num- 
ber), on  the  West  Side,  at  the  present  time. 

The  success  of  several  of  these  churches 
and  missions  is  largely  the  result  of  his  labor. 
He  is  one  of  God's  noblemen  and  his  work  is 
being  richly  blessed.  Mr.  Larrabee  is  at  present 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Chicago  Chris- 
tian Missionary  Society. 

Mr.  Larrabee  was  married  in  Auburn,  Maine, 
October  2,  1853,  to  Hannah  N.  Bourk,  and  six 
children  have  blessed  this  union:  Julius  Burke, 
Stephen  Evrett  Girard,  Massena  Goodrich,  Ag- 
nes Estelle,  Albert  Milsted,  and  Raggio.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Larrabee  is  affiliated  with  the 
Democratic  party. 

GEORGE  LEADY, 

Engineer  on  Engine  No.  73,  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, son  of  Nicholas  and  Frances  Leady, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  July  22,  1846,  and 
was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Chicago  when 
he  was  one  year  old,  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Chicago.  After  leaving  school, 
he  learned  the  trade  of  machinist  with  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  remaining 
there  four  years.  In  September,  1867,  he  joined 
the  Chicago  Fire  Department  as  substitute 
assistant  engineer  on  Engine  No.  5;  was  trans- 
ferred as  substitute  on  Engine  14  (Fred  Gund, 
D.  J.  Swenie  Captain),  and  to  Engine  11  (Cov- 
entry). On  November  1,  1868  he  was  made  a 
regular  member  as  assistant  engineer  on  En- 
gine 9  (Frank  Sherman),  and  promoted  to 
Engineer  in  1873.  At  the  great  Chicago  fire 
of  October  8,  1871,  he  responded  to  the  call, 
ttegan  fighting  fire  first  on  the  corner  of 
canal  and  Forquer  Streets,  and  then  was  or- 
dered to  the  Bonded  Warehouse,  at  Beach  and 
Taylor  Streets.  When  the  fire  crossed  the 
river,  he  was  ordered  to  take  a  stand  at  Har- 
rison and  Clark  Streets,  and  from  there  to  the 
Goodrich  dock,  and  took  suction  125  feet  east 


936 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


of  Rush  Street  Bridge,  with  Engine  13  (A.  D. 
Titsworth). 

While  working  there  the  engineer  of  No.  13 
was  overcome  with  smoke  and  asked  Leady 
to  run  his  engine  at  the  same  time  he  was 
running  his  own.  Later  his  engine  was  re- 
moved to  the  Lake  Front  and  Washington 
Street,  as  the  water-works  were  destroyed. 
Engines  9  and  16  worked  at  the  head  of  25th 
Street  and  the  lake,  pumping  into  the  mains, 
and  again  Assistant  Engineer  Leady  was  cal- 
led upon  to  run  both  engines  all  night,  as  the 
engineer  and  assistant  had  left  their  engines 
without  pulling  their  fire.  Engineer  C.  S. 
Petrie  relieved  Engineer  Leady  in  the  morn- 
ing, by  taking  charge  of  Engine  16. 

Engineer  Leady  remained  on  Engine  9  for 
thirty-one  years  until  he  was  retired  August  1, 
1898,  and  was  re-assigned  to  duty  as  Engineer 
June  30,  1899,  on  Engine  73,  where  he  is  ready 
if  it  becomes  necessary  to  repeat  all  the  brave 
acts  performed  by  him,  and  attend  any  fire 
wMch  may  occur,  whether  large  or  small. 
During  these  thirty-one  years  he  was  at  all  the 
large  fires  that  occurred.  iNOvembef  16, 1897, 
he  met  with  an  accident,  having  his  foot  cut 
off  at  the  instep,  which  was  the  cause  of  his 
being  retired  August  1,  1898.  Engineer  Leady's 
father,  Nicholas  Leady,  became  a  member  of 
the  Chicago  Fire  Department  in  1848,  and  was 
on  Eagle  No.  7,  State  and  Harrison  Streets.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Volunteer  Associa- 
tion, and  later  a  member  of  the  paid  Fire  De- 
partment on  Engine  5  (U.  P.  Harris).  He 
rang  the  bell  at  the  court  house,  also  at  Twelfth 
Street  and  the  Harrison  Street  bell,  and  re- 
mained with  the  department  until  1864. 

George  Leady  was  married  in  Chicago,  May 
18,  1870,  to  Miss  Bertha  Stageman. 

DESIRA  M.  LE  BEAU. 

Desira  M.  Le  Beau,  yarder,  Union  Stock 
Yards,  the  son  of  Desira  and  Phoebe  (Mitchell) 
Le  Beau,  natives  of  Montreal,  Canada,  was  born 
in  Chicago,  May  3,  1852  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Washington,  Dearborn  and  Foster 
schools.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  for 
Field  Leiter  &  Co.,  on  Lake  Street,  for  about 
one  year,  and  then  for  A.  G.  Downs  &  Co.  for 
three  years.  He  learned  and  worked  at  the  car- 
penter's trade,  then  took  charge  of  the  Ameri- 
can Express  Company's  work,  in  the  capacity 
of  Superintendent  of  Construction,  continuing 
in  that  position  until  1894,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  employed  as  yarder  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards.  He  was  married  to  Margaret 
Russell,  in  Chicago,  on  February  5,  1879.  Eight 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  five  of  whom 
are  now  living. 

DESIRA  LE  BEAU,  Sr.,  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  in  1827,  and  came 
to  Chicago  in  1837.  He  here  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade  with  his  brother,  Cyril  LeBeau, 
with  whom  he  entered  into  a  partnership, 
which  continued  until  his  death,  June  24,  1896. 
Mr.  Le  Beau  was  married  in  Chicago,  in  1848 


to  Phoebe  Mitchell,  and  they  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  were  living 
in  1901. 

LEVI  Z.  LEITER. 

Levi  Z.  Leiter  (deceased)  was  born  Novem- 
ber 22,  1834,  in  the  little  town  of  Maryland 
which  bears  the  ancestral  name  of  Leitersburg, 
from  the  first  progenitor  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  family,  who  came  from  Rotter- 
dam in  1762.  He  grew  to  early  manhood  in  his 
native  place,  there  received  his  rudimentary 
education  and  commenced  his  commercial  life 
as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store.  Becoming  con- 
vinced that  "the  West"  offered  a  more  promis- 
ing field  for  youthful  energy,  he  journeyed  as 
\faa*  as  Springfield,  Ohio,  where  for  twelve 
months  he  filled  a  clerical  position  for 
Peter  Murray,  a  prominent  merchant  of 
that  place.  Leaving  Springfield  in  1854, 
he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Downs  &  Von  Wyck,  with  whom 
he  remained  until  January,  1856,  when  he  be- 
came a  clerk  in  the  w.holesale  house  of  Cooley, 
Wadsworth  &  Company.  Marshall  Field  was 
a  fellow-employe  of  the  same  firm,  and  both 
young  men  were  subsequently  taken  into  part- 
nership, in  recognition  of  their  business  capa- 
city and  service.  On  January  1,  1863,  they  sold 
their  interest  in  the  firm  of  Cooley,  Wadsworth 
&  Company  to  John  V.  Farwell,  and  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  business  which  had  been 
built  up  by  Potter  Palmer.  For  several  years 
the  dry-goods  firm  of  Field,  Palmer  &  Leiter 
did  a  flourishing  business.  Mr.  Leiter  and  Mr. 
Field  finally  bought  out  Mr.  Palmer,  and,  from 
1867  to  1881,  managed  the  entire  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Field,  Leiter  &  Company. 

On  January  1,  1881,  Mr.  Leiter,  whose  real- 
estate  holdings,  because  of  their  magnitude 
and  importance,  had  already  begun  to  demand 
much  of  his  time,  disposed  of  his  interest  in 
the  firm  of  Field,  Leiter  &  Company  to  his  busi- 
ness partners,  and  from  that  time  gave  his  at- 
tention chiefly  to  his  large  and  growing  real- 
estate  interests,  in  the  meanwhile  devoting 
much  time  to  travel,  to  the  education  of  his 
family,  to  the  cultivation  and  gratification  of 
his  own  artistic  and  scientific  tastes,  including 
the  accumulation  of  a  magnificent  library, 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  private  collections 
in  the  country.  From  1883  he  maintained  his 
home  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  this  was  widely 
famed  for  its  generous  and  refined  hospitality. 
During  his  life  his  public  and  private  bene- 
factions were  liberal  and  well  directed.  A 
biographer  has  said  of  him:  "For  many  years 
Mr.  Leiter  was  a  Director  of  the  Chicago  Relief 
and  Aid  Society,  and  gave  much  time  and 
patient  study  to  the  wise  distribution  of  char- 
ity; and  not  only  in  this  enterprise,  but  in  all 
intelligently  directed  charities,  he  has  been 
an  honest  worker  and  a  liberal  contributor, 
whenever  he  became  convinced  that  the  be- 
stowal of  money  and  time  would  produce 
more  good  than  harm.  In  all  that  goes  to  ad- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


937 


vance  the  social  and  educational,  as  well  as 
the  business,  interests  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Leiter 
has  been  a  moving  spirit.  His  great  means, 
as  well  as  his  keen  business  capacity,  have 
been  enlisted  in  many  worthy  enterprises." 

To  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  he  was  a 
liberal  contributor,  as  well  as  a  generous 
patron  of  the  Art  Institute.  After  the  former 
had  suffered  so  severely  in  the  fires  of  1871 
and  1874,  he  was  one  of  a  few  devoted  friends 
who  came  to  its  relief  with  substantial  dona- 
tions, which  saved  it  from  threatened  collapse 
and  again  placed  it  on  a  solid  basis.  He  also 
contributed  generously  toward  the  Society's 
Building  fund,  and  aided  it  in  many  other 
ways.  He  was  the  second  President  of  the  Art 
Institute,  succeeding  Mr.  George  Armour.  Al- 
though a  resident  of  Washington,  he  never 
lost  his  interest  in  Chicago,  where  he  was  an 
extensive  real  estate  owner  and  a  heavy  tax- 
payer. After  the  conflagration  of  1871,  he  ma- 
terially aided  in  the  city's  rebuilding  by  the 
erection  of  numerous  stores  and  handsome 
office  and  business  blocks;  was  also  one  of  the 
principal  stock-holders  in  the  Illinois  Trust 
and  Saving  Bank  from  the  time  of  its 
organization.  In  social  life  he  was  connected 
with  a  number  of  local  clubs,  including  the 
Chicago,  the  Calumet,  the  Washington  Park 
Clubs  and  the  Union  League. 

In  October,  1866,  Mr.  Leiter  was  married  to 
Mary  Theresa,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Carver, 
a  lineal  descendant  of  a  brother  of  John  Car- 
ver, the  first  Governor  of  Plymouth  Colony. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leiter  had  four  children;  Joseph, 
Mary  Victoria,  Nancy  Lathrop  Carver  and 
Marguerite  Hyde — the  latter  familiarly  known 
in  society  as  Miss  Daisy  Leiter.  Joseph  Leiter 
came  into  prominence  in  1898,  through  his 
daring  ventures  in  the  wheat  market,  which, 
while  they  resulted  in  financial  loss  to  the 
operator,  proved  of  immense  vlalue  to  the 
farmers  of  the  Northwest.  Mr.  Joseph  Leiter 
is  largely  interested  in  coal  mines  in  Southern 
Illinois.  The  eldest  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
L.  Z.  Leiter,  Mary  Victoria,  became  the  wife 
of  the  Honorable  George  Curzon,  now  Lord 
Curzon,  of  Keddleston,  England,  and  Viceroy 
of  India.  The  second  daughter,  Nancy  Lathrop 
Carver,  is  married  to  Colin  P.  Campbell,  a 
Major  in  the  English  Army  in  India.  The 
youngest  daughter,  Marguerite  Hyde,  is  married 
to  the  Earl  of  Suffolk  and  Berkshire. 

FREDERICK  A.  LENNON. 
Frederick  A.  Lennon,  time-keeper  and 
hog-buyer  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards, 
Chicago,  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  February 
24,  1859,  and  educated  by  private  tutors. 
After  leaving  school  he  came  to  Chicago 
in  1879  and  found  employment  with  Armour 
&  Company  as  time-keeper,  remaining  there 
for  twelve  years.  He  then  bought  hogs 
for  the  International  Packing  Company  for 
about  three  years,  and  later  for  the  Chicago 
Packing  &  Provision  Company  for  three  and 


a  half  years,  after  which  he  entered  into  the 
employment  of  the  T.  J.  Lipton  Co.,  where 
he  has  since  remained  buying  hogs  for  this 
company.  Always  attentive  to  business  and 
watchful  for  the  interests  of  his  employers, 
he  is  highly  appreciated  by  all  with  whom  he 
associates. 

NICHOLAS  A.  LIES, 

Assistant  Engineer,  Harrison  Street  Pumping 
Works,  was  born  in  Aurora,  111.,  February  19, 
1865,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  After 
leaving  school  he  worked  in  the  office  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  at  Au- 
rora for  two  years,  then  in  the  machine  shop 
of  the  same  company  until  he  went  to  the 
machine  shop  of  Hoyt  Brothers,  remaining 
there  three  years,  when  in  1888,  he  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  worked  in  the  shop  of 
Robert  Tarrant  &  Company  for  two  years.  He 
then  found  employment  in  steamboating  on 
the  lakes  during  the  summers  for  five  years, 
and  at  Tarrant  &  Company's,  during  the  winters. 
He  was  the  first  assistant  engineer  at  the 
Rookery  Building  for  ten  months,  and  then 
assistant  engineer  for  six  months  at  the  Mar- 
quette  Building,  when  he  took  the  civil  service 
examination,  and  was  the  first  certified  under 
the  civil  service  rules,  obtaining  the  first  ap- 
pointment. He  then  went  to  the  Fullerton 
Avenue  Pumping  Station,  remaining  one  year; 
then  took  another  promotion  from  civil  service 
examination,  standing  at  the  head  of  the  list 
and  receiving  the  appointment  of  assistant 
engineer  for  Central  (Harrison  Street)  Pump- 
ing Works,  where  he  has  remained  for  more 
than  four  years,  and,  by  strict  attention  to 
duty,  has  merited  the  approbation  of  his  as- 
sociates. He  is  a  member  of  Douglas  Lodge, 
No.  125,  Knights  of  Pythias:  Columbian 
Knights,  Oriental  Lodge  No.  44;  and  National 
Association  of  Stationary  Engineers,  No  1. 
He  was  married  in  Chicago,  November  27, 
1895,  to  Miss  Amanda  Krueger,  and  they  have 
one  son. 

ROBERT    T.    LINCOLN. 

Robert  Todd  Lincoln,  lawyer,  ex-Secretary 
of  War  and  for  four  years  Representative  of 
the  United  States  at  the  Court  of  St.  James, 
was  born  in  Springfield,  111.,  August  1,  1843, 
the  oldest  son  of  Abraham  and  Mary  (Todd) 
Lincoln,  and  was  educated  in  the  home  schools 
and  at  the  Phillips-Exeter  Academy  and  Har- 
vard College,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1864.  During  the  last  few  months  of  the  Civil 
War  he  served  on  the  staff  of  General  Grant 
with  the  rank  of  Captain.  After  the  war  he 
studied  law,  and,  on  his  admission  to  the  bar, 
settled  in  Chicago,  finally  becoming  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Isham  &  Lincoln.  In  1880  he  was 
chosen  a  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  and  in  March  following  was  ap- 
pointed Secretary  of  War  by  President  Gar- 
field,  serving  until  the  close  of  President 
Arthur's  administration.  In  1889  he  became 


938 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Minister  to  England  by  appointment  of  Presi- 
dent Harrison,  and  continued  in  this  office 
until  the  accession,  of  President  Cleveland. 
This  was  the  last  public  office  held  by  him. 
After  the  death  of  George  M.  Pullman  he  be- 
came Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee 
and  Acting  President  of  the  Pullman  Palace 
Car  Company,  which  position  (1904)  he  still 
holds.  Mr.  Lincoln's  name  has  been  frequently 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  Republican 
nomination  for  the  Presidency,  but  its  use  has 
not  been  encouraged  by  him. 

JAMES  ARTHUR  LONG. 

James  Arthur  Long,  lawyer,  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Appleton,  Wis.,  April  19,  1869,  the  son 
of  Matthew  and  Anna  (Martin)  Long,  who 
were  both  of  Irish  birth  and  ancestry.  His 
paternal  grandparents  were  Matthew  and  Anna 
(Lane)  Long,  while  his  maternal  grandfather, 
James  Martin,  married  a  lady  by  the  name  of 
Cashman,  all  natives  of  Ireland.  The  father, 
Matthew  Long,  was  a  college  professor  in  his 
native  country,  came  .to  America  in  1838,  and 
finally  settled  on  a  farm  near  Appleton,  Wis., 
then  a  frontier  wilderness  district,  where  he 
reared  a  family  of  eleven  children — eight  boys 
and  three  girls. 

James  A.  Long,  the  fifth  son  and  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  the  high  school 
at  Appleton,  in  the  Normal  School  at  Valpa- 
raiso, Ind.,  and  the  Kent  Law  School,  Chicago. 
In  May,  1889,  he  went  to  Montana  and  rode 
with  the  cow-boys  on  "the  range"  in  the  north- 
west part  of  the  Territory  for  two  years. 
October  20,  1893,  during  the  last  days  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  he  arrived  in 
Chicago,  and  was  employed  by  J.  F.  Snyder, 
a  lawyer  now  in  theTacoma  Building,  on  a 
salary  of  two  dollars  a  week.  He  studied  law 
at  night,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  has  had  a 
successful  practice,  his  annual  income  during 
the  last  few  years  amounting  to  several  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  spent  two  years  among  the 
Indians  during  his  stay  in  the  Northwest,  and 
bears  the  mark  of  Indian  bullets  upon  his  arm. 
On  August  6,  1890,  he  was  married  to  Lulu 
Jane  McKay,  of  Chicago.  In  religious  belief 
Mr.  Long  is  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  politically 
a  Democrat. 

JOEL  M.  LONGNECKER, 
Joel  M.  Longnecker,  attorney-at-law,  Chi- 
cago, born  near  Robinson,  Crawford  County, 
111.,  January  12,  1847,  was  educated  in  the 
district  and  public  schools  and,  before  reach- 
ing his  eighteenth  year,  in  November,  1864, 
enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Regiment  Illinois  Cavalry, 
during  his  period  of  service  participating  in 
many  hard  fought  battles  and  great  raiding 
expeditions,  including  the  Meridian  raid  and 
the  expedition  against  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  being 
finally  mustered  out  October  27,  1865.  Upon  re- 
turning home,  Mr.  Longnecker  devoted  his 
attention  to  study,  attending  the  Robinson 
High  School,  where  he  graduated  and  then 


began  teaching,  but  later  took  up  the  study 
of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Olney, 
in  1870.  Then,  after  serving  two  years  as  city 
Attorney  and  four  years  (1877  to  1881)  as 
State's  Attorney,  he  removed  to  Chicago  in 
the  latter  part  of  1881.  From  the  very  start, 
his  career  has  been  both  successful  and  bril- 
liant, having  filled  several  of  the  most  im- 
portant positions  in  the  State.  In  1886,  Mr. 
Longnecker  succeeded  to  the  office  of  Prose- 
cuting (State's)  Attorney,  continuing  until 
1892.  While  in  this  office,  he  conducted  a 
large  number  of  important  criminal  cases,  one 
of  the  most  important  being  the  trial  of  the 
murderers  of  Dr.  Cronin,  in  which  he  gained 
a  wide  reputation  for  skill  and  ability  as  a 
prosecutor  in  cases  of  this  character.  He  has  a 
large  and  growing  practice  and,  together  with 
his  son,  Rolla  R.,  has  organized  the  firm  of 
LongnecKer  &  Longnecker.  He  is  a  member 
of  Lincoln  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and,  in  May,  1900, 
was  chosen  as  Department  Commander  for 
Illinois  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  is  a  man  of  eminent  ability  with  command- 
ing influence  and  dignity.  His  frank  and  genial 
nature,  and  his  earnestness  and  confidence 
in  his  undertakings  naturally  fit  him  for  a 
leader;  his  comrades  of  the  G.  A.  R.  knew 
this  and  hence  their  choice.  Mr.  Longnecker 
was  married  to  Miss  Florence  Fitch  in  August 
1870,  and  three  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  viz.:  Rolla  R.,  Joel  F.  and  Theodosia  M. 

JOHN  McMURDO  LORIMER. 
John  McMurdo  Lorimer,  State  Grain  In- 
spector, Chicago,  was  born  in  Manchester,  Eng., 
July  20,  1866,  the  son  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Harley)  Lorimer,  who  came  to  America  when 
he  was  two  years  old.  The  father,  who  was  a 
civil  engineer  and  stone-mason,  was  killed 
on  a  building  in  1872,  being  then  but  thirty- 
five  years  of  age.  There  are  six  of  his  children 
now  living:  Anna,  William,  Sarah,  Agnes, 
John  McM.  and  Mary.  The  mother  died  June 
5,  1903,  aged  seventy-two  years  and  eleven 
months.  Mr.  Lorimer's  brother,  William,  is 
an  influential  factor  in  political  affairs  in 
Cook  County  and  the  State  of  Illinois,  and, 
except  a  few  years  (1893-95),  has  held  the 
position  of  Representative  in  Congress  from  a 
Chicago  District  continuously  since  1894  to 
the  present  time  (1905).  John  McM.  Lorimer 
attended  the  Scammon  School  until  he  was 
nine  years  old,  then  leaving  to  become  a 
newsboy.  When  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  en- 
tered the  employment  of  the  Street  Railway 
Company,  and  in  1886  became  a  fireman  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  re- 
taining this  position  for  seventeen  months. 
He  then  (February,  1888)  went  on  a  strike, 
which  lasted  eight  months,  after  which  he 
was  employed  as  fireman  on  the  Wisconsin 
Central  eight  and  a  half  years,  when  he  re- 
signed, April  13,  1897.  He  then  began  prep- 
aration for  taking  a  civil  service  examina- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


939 


tion  for  the  position  of  grain  inspector,  which 
he  successfully  passed  July  1,  1899. 

Mr.  Lorimer  was  married  at  Waukesha,  Wis., 
February  22,  1892,  to  Miss  Agnes  E.  Lenartz, 
of  Chicago,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two 
children:  Agnes  Catherine,  born  March  27,  1893, 
and  William  Joseph,  born  March  19,  1897.  Mr. 
Lorimer  belongs  to  the  Brotherhood  of  Loco- 
motive Firemen  and  the  National  Union,  and 
his  people  are  Presbyterian  in  their  church 
relations.  His  wife  is  a  Catholic. 

JAMES  P.  LOTT. 

James  P.  Lott,  prominent  live-stock  dealer, 
Chicago,  and  sole  surviving  child  of  the  late 
Thomas  Lott  by  his  first  marriage,  was  born 
in  South  Charleston,  Ohio,  October  12,  1839, 
attended  the  public  schools  as  a  boy,  and  after- 
ward worked  on  a  farm.  In  January,  1861, 
he  came  with  his  father  to  Bloomington,  111., 
where  he  at  first  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, and  afterward  conducted  a  hotel.  Coming 
to  Chicago  in  1870,  he  worked  for  his  father's 
firm,  Lott  &  Smith,  until  his  parent's  death, 
when  he  succeeded  to  his  interest.  In  1876  he 
withdrew  from  this  concern  to.  enter  into 
partnership  with  William  Harpole,  William  T. 
Dickson  subsequently  becoming  a  member  of 
the  firm.  In  1884  Mr.  Harpole  severed  his  con- 
nection with  the  house,  and  Messrs.  Dickson 
&  Lott  carried  on  the  business  alone,  until 
1902,  when  Mr.  Lott  retired.  Mr.  Lett's  ex- 
perience, judgment  and  sense  are  widely 
known,  and  have  won  for  him  both  commer- 
cial and  civic  distinction.  In  1897,  Governor 
Tanner  appointed  him  a  member  of  the  Illi- 
nois Live  Stock  Board,  a  position  which  he 
held  until  April,  1891. 

While  a  thorough-going  business  man,  keenly 
alert  to  every  detail  of  the  important  interests 
to  which  he  devotes  his  personal  supervision, 
Mr.  Lott  is  genial  in  temperament  and  fond 
of  social  pleasures,  readily  making  and  keep- 
ing friends.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
E.  White,  of  Sycamore,  111.,  on  October  30, 
1873. 

THOMAS  LOTT. 

Reference  has  already  been  made,  in  these 
pages,  to  the  important  part  played  by  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  in  the  commercial  develop- 
ment of  Chicago  and  in  placing  it  in  the  posi- 
tion of  the  leading  provision  and  live-stock 
market  of  the  world.  In  recalling  this  fact, 
however,  the  average  reader  is  apt  to  bring  to 
mind  only  the  great  packing  houses  whose 
enormous  plants  are  capable  of  supplying  the 
armies  of  the  world,  and  whose  empty  cans 
have  been  picked  up  by  explorers  upon  the 
sun-scorched  lands  of  Central  Africa.  Not  to 
these  men  alone  does  Chicago  owe  a  debt, 
but  to  the  live-stock  commission  dealers  as 
well,  whose  sagacity,  promptitude  and  fair- 
dealing  have  become  proverbial.  To  this  class 
of  business  men  belonged  the  late  Thomas 
Lott,  whose  name  was,  for  many  years,  a  syn- 


onym for  business  integrity  among  both  his 
customers  and  his  business  associates. 

Mr.  Lott  was  born  at  Danville,  Pa.,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1815,  and,  after  reaching  maturity, 
engaged  in  stock-farming  in  Clark  County, 
Ohio.  Thence,  in  January,  1861,  he  removed 
to  Bloomington,  111.,  and  in  1868  came  to  Chi- 
cago, becoming  a  partner  in  the  live-stock 
firm  of  Horine  &  Lott,  at  the  Stock  Yards. 
A  year  later  he  withdrew  to  form  a  partnership 
with  H.  R.  (familiarly  known  as  "Jersey") 
Smith.  He  remained  a  member  of  this  firm, 
under  the  name  of  Lott  &  Smith,  until  his 
death,  March  21,  1872. 

Thomas  Lott  was  twice  married,  first,  in 
1838,  in  Clark  County,  Ohio,  to  Susan  Paist, 
who  bore  him  two  children,  one  of  whom, 
James  P.,  is  yet  living.  She  died  in  1842,  and 
three  years  afterward  Mr.  Lott  married  Mary 
Holloway,  by  whom  there  were  five  children, 
two  of  whom  are  now  living. 

WILLIAM  W.  LOWE, 

"Pioneer"  Assistant  Engineer  Sewerage  De- 
partment, was  born  in  New  York  City,  Decem- 
ber 21,  1838,  and  was  brought  to  Chicago  by 
his  parents  in  1839.  Here  he  attended  the 
Dearborn  School  and  Wilson's  Academy,  and 
after  leaving  school  was  employed  in  James 
Potter's  engineering  office,  where  he  remained 
until  April  17,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  as  United 
States  Volunteer,  being  mustered  in  April  19, 
on  Battery  A,  First  Illinois  Artillery.  He  took 
part  in  a  number  of  prominent  battles  as  a 
member  of  the  Paducah  Division,  and  was 
transferred  to  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman's  Division 
after  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  and 
later  to  Sherman's  Grand  Division.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  from  the  army  July  28, 
1864.  After  leaving  the  army  he  returned  to 
Chicago  and  entered  the  onice  of  the  Sewerage 
Department  in  the  fall  of  1864,  as  Assistant 
Engineer  under  W.  H.  Clarke,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  sixteen  months,  has  been  in  the 
service  of  that  department  up  to  the  present 
time,  proving  that  his  valuable  services  have 
been  appreciated  by  the  administrations  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  during  a  period 
of  forty  years. 

Mr.  Lowe  was  married  to  Miss  C.  K.  Fish, 
in  Chicago,  September  6,  1865,  and  of  this 
union  one  daughter  has  been  born. 

JOHN  LYNCH, 

Chief  of  Battalion  15,  Cnicago  Fire  Department, 
was  born  in  Joliet,  111.,  April  1,  1849.  He  be- 
came a  fireman  in  1872,  and  served  on  Engine 
No.  17  and  Chemical  No.  1.  He  was  made  a 
Lieutenant  in  1876  and  a  Captain  in  1886,  later 
serving  on  Engine  No.  18.  In  1878  he  was  pro- 
moted to  Chief,  and  is  now  (1904)  serving  at 
the  head  of  Battalion  15,  with  headquarters  at 
1245  West  Thirteenth  Street.  Captain  Lynch 
has  had  many  hair-breadth  escapes,  including 
the  fire  at  the  Academy  of  Mlisic,  just  miss- 
ing a  descent  through  the  roof  into  the  blaz- 
ing parquet,  when  Marshal  Petrie  and  seven 


940 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


companions  went  down.  He  was  President  of 
me  Firemen's  xienevolent  Association,  when 
the  clever  Dan  Healy,  Superintendent  of  Pub- 
lic Service  and  an  ex-fireman,  was  Treasurer. 
He  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  genial,  brave,  fear- 
less and  always  ready  Chicago  fireman.  He 
was  married  on  the  17th  day  of  March,  1875, 
to  Mary  O'Hallaran  in  Chicago,  and  five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them:  Henry  J.,  George 
E.,  M.  E.,  Agnes  and  Annie. 

JOHN    J.    LYNCH, 

Lieutenant  of  Fire  Insurance  Patrol  No.  4,  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Bunker  Hill,  Macoupln 
County,  111.,  March  19,  1864,  and  educated  in 
the  district  schools.  After  leaving  school  he 
worked  for  the  St.  Louis  Bridge  Company  for 
eleven  years,  then  came  to  Chicago  May  3, 
1891,  and  entered  the  employ  of  Armour  &  Co., 
and  later  that  of  the  Chicago  Telephone  Com- 
pany. He  joined  Patrol  No.  1,  November  6, 
1891,  and  was  assigned  to  No.  5,  when  it  was  or- 
ganized March  5,  1892;  was  transferred  to 
Patrol  No.  1,  August  13,  1894;  promoted  to 
Lieutenant,  November  1,  1896,  and  transferred 
to  Patrol  No.  4,  Union  Stockyards,  where  he  is 
always  ready  to  protect  the  valuable  interests 
with  which  he  is  surrounded.  He  has  no  won- 
derful escapes  or  injuries  to  relate,  but  has 
had  many  close  calls.  He  was  married  in  Chi- 
cago, November  25,  1890,  to  Miss  Nora  Scully, 
and  they  have  had  six  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living. 

CHARLES  ELIAS  MABIE. 

Charles  Elias  Mabie,  President  of  the  North- 
western Life  Assurance  Company,  was  born  at 
Onion  River,  Sheboygan  County,  Wis.  July  1, 
1855,  a  son  of  Daniel  K.  and  Ann  Eliza 
(Hyatt)  Mabie.  The  family  name  is  an  ancient 
one,  its  origin  in  this  country  dating  from  the 
time  of  the  war  between  Holland  and  Spain, 
when  an  ancestor  of  that  name  came  over  as 
a  privateersman  on  a  vessel  fitted  out  by  the 
Spanish  nation.  This  ancestor  settled  on  the 
New  York  coast,  and  the  family  in  due  time 
became  numerous  and  well-known  in  New  Eng- 
land history.  Daniel  K.  Mabie,  the  father  of 
Charles  E.,  was  born  in  Putnam  County,  N.  Y., 
in  1818,  and  was  the  eldest  of  a  large  family  of 
children.  He  was  a  physician  of  high  standing, 
and  removed  to  Wisconsin  in  1855,  and  from 
there  to  Illinois  in  1871,  where  he  practiced 
his  profession  for  many  years  with  marked 
success. 

The  son  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Pecatonica,  111.,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
commenced  business  as  a  fire  insurance  soli- 
citor. Following  this,  he  took  up  life  insur- 
ance, and  in  1878  accepted  the  position  of  Gen- 
eral Agent  for  the  Equitable  Life  Assurance 
Society  of  New  York  City.  In  1881  Mr.  Mabie 
was  elected  President  of  the  Northwestern  Life 
Assurance  Company  of  Chicago,  thus  assuming 
still  greater  burdens  and  responsibilities  as  an 
executive  officer.  His  selection  for  this  posi- 


tion was  a  wise  step,  and  under  his  able  direc- 
tion the  business  has  rapidly  increased.  Mr. 
Mabie  is  a  gentleman  of  fine  social  as  well  as 
business  qualities.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Hyde 
Park,  the  Hamilton  and  Marquette  Clubs,  and 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Masonic  orders. 
He  is  a  widower  and  has  two  daughters,  Litta 
and  Dorothea. 

SAMUEL  JOHN  MACK. 

The  extensive  railroad  interests  of  the  coun- 
try are  believed,  at  the  present  time,  to  afford 
the  most  inviting  field  for  the  exercise  of  un- 
usual business  abilities.  Certain  it  is  that  the 
railroad  men  connected  with  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  Company  at  Chicago,  are  men  who  hold 
their  positions  by  right  of  natural  fitness.  Their 
work  is  too  complicated  and  involved  for  weak- 
lings and  incompetents,  and  the  men  who  are 
doing  what  their  companies  need  are  strong 
and  capable.  Among  these  men  Mr.  Mack  holds 
an  honorable  place.  He  is  the  agent  of  the 
shipping  division  of  the  Chicago  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  which  has  charge  of  the 
handling  of  the  live  stock  at  the  Union  Stock 
Yards,  and  during  his  long  connection  with  the 
"Q"  has  displayed  business  abilities  of  the 
highest  order. 

Mr.  Mack  was  born  at  Lakeville,  Washington 
County,  N.  Y.,  August  6,  1847,  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools.  When  he  had  finished  his 
studies  he  secured  a  position  with  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  at  Somonauk, 
111.,  and  there  was  at  work  when  the  Civil  War 
called  him  to  the  front.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in 
the  Eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and 
served  throughout  the  war,  making  a  record  of 
which  his  friends  are  justly  proud.  In  the  fall 
of  1865  he  resumed  his  connection  with  the 
"Q,"  and  for  two  and  a  half  years  was  employed 
in  its  train  service,  when  he  was  sent  to  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  to  take  charge  of  the  ship- 
ping interests  of  the  company  at  that  point. 
For  a  time  his  business  was  amply  accommo- 
dated in  a  way-car;  but  it  speedily  grew  and, 
at  the  preesnt  time,  has  attained  mammoth 
proportions.  Mr.  Mack  finds  his  one  recreation 
in  the  enjoyment  of  a  good  horse,  and  is  a  pas- 
sionate lover  of  this  noble  animal,  keeping  sev- 
eral on  hand.  Nothing  delights  him  so  much 
as  a  friendly  spin  and  a  warm  tilt  down  the 
boulevards.  His  long  service  of  forty  years 
with  the  great  company  whose  interests  he  so 
zealously  guards  at  the  stock  yards  is  proof 
of  his  signal  business  ability,  and  the  warm 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  an  army  of  ship- 
pers shows  his  manly  qualities  and  generous 
nature.  He  belongs  to  Home  Lodge,  No.  508, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  an  adept  in  the  mysteries 
of  the  craft. 

FRANKLIN  MACVEAGH. 
The   ranks   of  commerce  have   given  to   the 
world  an  innumerable  host  of  men  justly  fameJ 
for  keen  perception,  far-seeing  judgment,  broad 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


941 


knowledge  of  affairs  and  unselfish  devotion 
alike  to  private  and  public  trusts;  yet  among 
their  members  it  is  rare  to  find  men  who  join 
to  these  powers — inherent  or  acquired — broad 
scholarship  and  ripe  culture.  Business  cares, 
engrossing  in  their  nature  and  peremptory  in 
their  demands,  not  infrequently  stunt  mental 
development  and  act  as  a  curb  to  the  natural 
expansion  of  latent  impulse. 

The  business  life  of  Franklin  MacVeagh  fur- 
nishes a  notable  exception  to  the  rule,  and 
amounts  almost  to  a  contradiction  of  the  aphor- 
ism. Lawyer,  merchant,  author,  statesman,  he 
has  studied  no  subject  which  he  has  not  probed, 
and  undertaken  no  task  in  which  he  has  been 
found  derelict. 

Mr.  MacVeagh  was  born  in  Westchester,  Ches- 
ter County,  Pa.,  his  father  being  a  prosperous 
and  universally  esteemed  farmer,  commonly 
hailed  as  "Squire"  by  his  fellow-townsmen. 
Franklin  pursued  his  preparatory  studies 
chiefly  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  after- 
wards matriculated  at  Yale  College,  where  he 
graduated  in  the  academic  course  in  1862.  The 
two  years  following  he  spent  in  Columbia  Col- 
lege Law  School,  then  under  the  wardenship  of 
the  eminent  Theodore  W.  Dwight,  afterward  a 
member  of  the  Commission  of  Appeals.  While 
pursuing  his  studies  theoretically  at  the  law 
school,  he  was  gaining  a  practical  insight  into 
practice  through  his  connection  with  the  office 
of  Edmonds,  Bushnell  &  Hamilton.  At  that 
time  Judge  Edmonds,  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm,  was  engaged  upon  a  private  revision  of 
the  New  York  Statutes,  a  work  which  became 
recognized  and  quotable  authority  in  the  State 
courts  of  record.  The  natural  acumen  and 
painstaking  accuracy  of  young  MacVeagh, 
joined  to  his  facile  use  of  language  acquired 
through  college  training,  induced  the  Judge  to 
employ  him  as  an  assistant  in  what  was  one 
of  the  stupendous  legal  and  literary  undertak- 
ings of  the  decade.  Later,  the  young  lawyer, 
after  declining  a  partnership  with  Judge  Ed- 
monds, formed  a  limited  business  connection 
with  Charlton  T.  Lewis,  Esq.,  of  New  York, 
but  ill  health  necessitated  his  abandonment  of 
a  profession  for  which  he  had  manifested  a 
marked  aptitude,  and  in  which  his  native  tal- 
ent and  high  endowments  woulQ,  beyond  ques- 
tion, have  enabled  him  to  take  a  high  rank. 
Being  advised  to  seek  a  change  of  climate,  he 
removed  to  Chicago  in  September,  1865,  and 
has  there  aided  in  founding  and  building  up 
the  enormous  wholesale  grocery  business  con- 
ducted by  the  firm  of  which  he  has  been  the 
head  since  1870. 

Not  all  his  time,  however,  is  given  up  to  the 
cares  of  business.  "Fond  of  literature  and  of 
literary  pursuits,  he  spends  many  hours  in  his 
large,  well-selected,  richly  housed  library  in 
his  handsome  home  on  the  Lake  Shore  Drive, 
which  abounds  in  evidence  of  a  refined,  even 
aesthetic  taste.  As  a  writer  he  is  versatile  and 
forceful,  and  his  diction  is  often  classic  in  its 
purity  and  elegance. 


Chicago  has  received  many  proofs  of  Mr. 
MacVeagh's  self-sacrificing  readiness  to  respond 
to  appeals  to  his  public  spirit  as  a  citizen.  In 
1874  he  was  chosen  President  of  the  Citizens' 
Association,  and  was  charged  with  the  chief 
responsibility  of  perfecting  the  organization  of 
the  body  and  formulating  and  directing  its 
work.  Although  the  task  was  an  onerous  one, 
his  deep  interest  in  the  public  welfare  would 
not  permit  him  to  seek  to  shift  the  responsi- 
bility and  burden  to  the  shoulders  of  another. 
The  results  of  the  association's  labors  form  a 
part  of  the  city's  history,  and  Chicago  is  today 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  the  profound  thought, 
patient  study  and  systematic  efforts  of  Mr.  Mac- 
Veagh and  his  associates,  to  whom  patriotism 
meant  more  than  partisanship,  and  who  valued 
the  public  good  more  than  private  gain. 
Through  their  efforts  the  City  Fire  Department 
was  entirely  reorganized  and  placed  on  a  non- 
partisan  basis;  the  bureau  system  of  municipal 
administration  gave  way  to  one  investing  the 
Mayor  with  broader  powers  and  providing  for 
the  appointment  of  responsible  heads  of  depart- 
ments; provision  was  made  for  more  adequate 
water  supply,  and  other  equally  vital  reforms 
were  inaugurated. 

While  taking  a  deep  interest  in  political 
affairs,  Mr.  MacVeagh  has  never  aspired  to  hold 
office  because  of  the  honor,  the  mere  emolu- 
ments or  patronage  incident  to  official  position. 
In  1894,  however,  he  consented  to  become  the 
Democratic  nominee  for  the  United  States  Sen- 
ate, and  was  named  as  such  by  the  State  Con- 
vention of  his  party.  The  Legislature  elected 
was  Republican,  there  being,  during  that  year, 
what  is  popularly  called  a  "political  landslide," 
and  while  he  received  the  full  Democratic  vote 
on  joint  ballot,  Senator  Cullom  was  re-elected. 
Mr.  MacVeagh's  brother,  Wayne  MacVeagh,  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  for  many  years  in  public 
life,  having  filled  the  posts  of  United  States 
Minister  to  Turkey  and  to  Italy,  and  sat  in  the 
Cabinet  of  President  Garfield. 

Mr.  MacVeagh  is  a  charming  conversational- 
ist, and  of  polished,  yet  genuine  and  sincere 
courtesy.  His  address  combines  dignity  with 
affability,  and  thoughtfulness  for  others  is  one 
of  his  pronounced  characteristics.  He  is  en- 
dowed with  rare  organizing  and  executive  abil- 
ity, and  his  judgment  of  men  is  rarely  at  fault. 

Mrs.  MacVeagh  is  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Henry  F.  Eames,  for  many  years  President 
of  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Chicago, 
which  responsible  position  he  filled  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death. 

CHARLES  A.  MALLORY. 
While  not  yet  having  passed  the  prime  of 
manhood,  Mr.  Charles  A.  Mallory  has  already 
attained  a  high  place  among  the  enterprising 
and  successful  business  men  of  Chicago.  The 
only  son  of  the  late  Henry  C.  Mallory,  he  has 
worthily  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  es- 
teemed and  lamented  father.  Charles  A.  was 
born  on  the  paternal  farm,  in  Hillsdale  County, 


942 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Mich.,  on  September  28,  1858,  and  brought  by 
his  parents  to  the  City  of  Chicago  while  yet  an 
infant.  After  leaving  school,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  he  started  in  the  life  insurance  business, 
but  the  following  year  began  work  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards,  and  since  1874  has  been  identified 
with  the  live-stock  commission  business.  As 
a  member  of  the  firms  of  Mallory  &  Brother, 
and  Mallory  &  Son,  and  as  Treasurer  and  man- 
ager of  the  Mallory  &  Son-Zimmerman  Com- 
pany, and  as  Treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Mal- 
lory Commission  Company,  his  name  is  still 
well  known  in  every  great  live-stock  market 
throughout  the  continent,  his  firm  having 
branches  at  St.  Joseph  and  Kansas  City,  Mo.; 
South  Omaha,  Neb.;  South  St.  Paul,  Minn.; 
and  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  During  his  compara- 
tively short  business  career,  he  has  exhibited  a 
quick  perception,  sound  business  judgment  and 
executive  capacity  of  a  high  order,  which  could 
scarcely  fail  to  bring  him  prominently  into  the 
foreground. 

Mr.  Mallory  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Allen  at  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  on  March  4,  1884,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  only  two 
of  whom  are  living. 

DEWITT  CLINTON  MALLORY. 

Although  not  yet  past  middle  life,  few  men 
at  the  Union  Stock  Yards  are  better  known  or 
more  universally  esteemed  than  Dewitt  C.  Mal- 
lory, President  of  the  Mallory  Commission  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Mallory  was  born  at  Moscow,  Hills- 
dale  County,  Mich.,  September  19,  1843.  Attend- 
ance at  the  District  school  was  supplemented 
by  a  course  of  study  at  Albion  College  in  his 
native  State,  when,  in  January,  1872,  he  came 
to  Chicago  to  begin  work  for  the  firm  of  Mal- 
lory Brothers  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  the  retirement  from 
the  firm  of  H.  E.  Mallory.  The  gentleman  last 
named  and  Mr.  D.  C.  Mallory  then  formed  a 
partnership  under  the  title  of  Mallory  & 
Brother.  H.  E.  Mallory  died  in  1889,  and  his 
surviving  partner  became  a  member  of  the  Mal- 
lory &  Son-Zimmerman  Company,  in  which  con- 
cern he  held  the  office  of  Vice-President  until 
December  25,  1895,  when  occurred  the  death  of 
another  brother,  H.  C.  Mallory.  Not  long  after, 
there  was  organied  the  Mallory  Commission 
Company,  D.  C.  Mallory  being  elected  its  Presi- 
dent and  still  retaining  that  position. 

On  April  27,  1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  Josephine  Vaughn,  at  his  native  town 
of  Moscow,  and  two  of  the  four  children  born 
to  them  survive.  S.  A.  Mallory,  son  of  D.  C., 
is  now  one  of  the  employes  looking  after  the 
interests  of  the  firm  in  the  Yards.  His  daugh- 
ter is  married  to  A.  C.  Dean,  who  is  now  in 
the  employ  of  the  Swift  Company  and  is  located 
in  New  York  City. 

HENRY  CLAY  MALLORY. 
For  nearly  forty  years  the  name  of  Mallory 
has  been  a  familiar  one  to  dealers  in  live  stock, 
not  only  in  Chicago  but  also  throughout  the 


West.  Under  various  mutations  of  style,  the 
house  of  Mallory  has  grown  and  prospered  for 
four  decades,  its  original  founder  having  been 
the  prominent  business  man  just  named.  Henry 
C.  Mallory  was  born  at  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  August 
19,  1828.  When  he  was  a  boy  of  nine  years,  his 
parents  emigrated  from  Wayne  County,  in  the 
Empire  State,  to  Hillsdale  County,  Mich., 
settling  on  a  farm  near  Jonesville.  There  he 
grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  education  in 
the  country  schools  and  at  Albion  College. 
While  yet  a  young  man  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Rail- 
road Company,  as  a  solicitor  of  consignments 
of  live  stock  for  east-bound  shipment.  It  was 
in  this  capacity  that  he  came  to  Chicago  in 
1859.  Three  years  afterward  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  a  Mr.  Wallwork  for  the  conduct 
of  a  live-stock  commission  business,  at  the  old 
Lake  Shore  &  Fort  Wayne  Yards.  In  1865  Wall- 
work  &  Mallory  removed  to  the  Union  Stock 
Yards.  In  1867  his  brother,  H.  E.  Mallory,  en- 
tered the  firm,  the  style  thereupon  becoming 
Mallory  &  Brother.  In  1878  H.  E.  Mallory  with- 
drew to  engage  in  business  alone,  and  the  name 
of  the  house  was  changed  to  Mallory  &  Son. 
The  Mallory  &  Son-Zimmerman  Company  was 
incorporated  in  1869  with  Henry  C.  Mallory  as 
President,  and  this  position  he  continued  to 
fill  until  his  death,  on  Christmas  Day,  1895. 
The  foregoing  resume  of  his  life  and  work  is 
necessarily  brief  and  imperfect.  The  mere  out- 
line of  a  life  will  fail  to  show  the  innate  nobil- 
ity of  character  which  underlies  it.  To  assiduity 
in  business  Mr.  Mallory  joined  gentleness  and 
generosity,  and  to  keen  business  judgment  a 
scrupulous  sense  of  business  honor.  While  living 
in  Jonesville,  Mich.,  in  1850,  he  married  Miss 
Susan  B.  Hoxie,  the  issue  of  the  union  being 
two  children,  Charles  A.  and  Emma  L. 

HERBERT  E.  MALLORY. 

The  passing  from  life  of  such  men  as  the  late 
Herbert  E.  Mallory  leaves  a  void,  not  only 
among  the  friends  who  loved  him  for  his  un- 
selfish spirit  and  broad  charity,  which  knew  not 
malice,  but  also  in  the  community  in  which  he 
wa,s  honored  for  his  unspotted  character  and 
blameless  life.  For  forty-four  years  he  was 
identified  with  Chicago's  live-stock  markets, 
and  during  all  that  period  his  name  was  a  syn- 
onym for  probity  and  upright  dealing. 

It  was  at  Macedon,  Warsaw  County,  N.  Y., 
that  he  was  born,  on  January  14,  1833,  but  while 
a  child  of  four  years,  his  parents  removed  to 
Michigan,  being  among  the  pioneer  setttlers  of 
that  State.  As  a  boy  he  helped  his  father  in 
farm  work,  and,  by  the  aid  of  such  schools  as 
the  locality  afforded  and  study  at  home,  he  man- 
aged to  acquire  a  fair  common-school  education. 
He  was  industrious  and  thrifty,  and  at  twenty 
years  of  age  was  engaged  in  cultivating  his 
own  farm,  to  which  he  had  acquired  the  title 
through  patient  work  and  self-denial. 

He  was  married  early  in  life,  choosing  for  his 
wife  Lucy  A.  Wakefield,  of  Wheatland,  Mich.,  to 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


943 


whom  he  was  wedded  on  February  22,  1852. 
The  issue  of  this  union  was  three  daughters. 
The  eldest,  Josephine  R.,  became  Mrs.  M.  J. 
Messinger,  who  died  June  24,  1873.  The  other 
two  married,  respectively,  Frank  Kinzie  and 
George  Moore.  Being  blessed  with  no  son,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mallory  adopted  one,  who  is  known  as 
Frederick  A.  Mallory. 

In  1862  Mr.  Mallory  removed  to  Detroit  to 
assume  superintendency  of  the  construction  of 
the  stock  yards  there,  and  for  a  year  was  en- 
gaged in  snipping  stock,  but  the  following  year 
took  up  his  residence  in  Chicago.  Having  ex- 
perienced financial  reverses,  and  with  serious 
domestic  responsibilities  resting  upon  his  shoul- 
ders, he  lost  no  time  in  making  an  effort  to 
recoup  his  fortunes.  He  formed  a  business 
association  with  his  cousin,  John  R.  Hoxie. 
They  were  purchasing  and  shipping  agents  for 
a  Cleveland  concern,  also  doing  more  or  less 
business  under  army  contracts,  and,  during  one 
winter,  purchased  and  shipped  $250,000  worth 
of  stock  unaided.  In  1867  he  entered  the  firm 
of  Wallwork  and  Mallory,  in  which  his  brother, 
Henry  C.,  was  a  partner.  The  style  of  the  firm 
then  became  Mallory  &  Brother.  Mr.  Mallory 
continued  to  carry  on  business  successfully  at 
the  Yards  until  his  demise,  which  occurred 
November  3,  1887. 

Although  always  averse  to  holding  public 
office,  Mr.  Mallory  consented  to  represent  the 
Fourth  Ward  in  the  City  Council  in  1878,  and 
again  in  1879,  showing,  in  the  service  of  his 
constituents,  the  same  pains-taking  care,  the 
same  sound  business  sense  and  the  same  fidelity 
to  duty  which  always  guided  him  in  his  private 
affairs.  He  was  a  member  of  Home  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  but  his  domestic  tastes  always 
inclined  him  to  the  pleasures  of  his  own  fire- 
side. In  reviewing  his  life  and  character,  it 
is  difficult  to  give  him  just  meed  of  praise  with- 
out employing  terms  which  may  sound  like  ful- 
some flattery  to  those  who  did  not  know  him. 
Faithful  in  every  relation  of  life,  with  tender, 
sympathetic  heart  and  generous  impulses,  his 
life  was  filled  with  deeds  of  unostentatious 
kindness  and  benevolence.  The  memory  of 
such  men  cannot  die. 

WILLIAM  H.  MALLORY. 
Few  names  are  better  known,  or  more  thor- 
oughly respected,  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  than 
that  of  Mallory.  Since  the  opening  of  the  gates 
for  business,  the  members  of  this  family  have 
been  prominently  identified  with  the  live-stock 
business  carried  on  there,  and  have  been  among 
those  who  have  contributed  much,  not  only  to 
the  building  up  of  the  Yards,  but  also  to  the 
increase  of  Chicago's  business.  The  subject 
of  this  biography  has  been,  for  nearly 
forty  years,  a  familiar  figure  and  suc- 
cessful trainer  at  the  great  center  of  busi- 
ness activity.  He  was  born  at  Moscow,  Mich., 
January  18,  1841,  the  son  of  Azariah  Mallory, 
who  died  June  23,  1853.  After  passing  through 
the  district  school,  he  pursued  his  studies  at 


Albion  and  Hillsdale  Colleges,  meanwhile  work- 
ing upon  the  farm.  After  the  settlement  of  his 
father's  estate  he  came  to  Chicago,  in  October, 
1863,  and  entered  the  employ  of  Wallwork  & 
Mallory,  with  whom  he  remained  one  year.  He 
then  engaged  in  shipping  live  stock  in  connec- 
tion with  his  brother  Byron.  After  his  broth- 
er's death  he  continued  to  carry  on  the  business 
alone  with  decided  success  until  1873.  During 
these  years  he  bought  cattle  for  several  eastern 
houses,  among  them  being  the  well  known  firm 
of  Comstock  &  Brothers,  of  Providence,  R.  I. 
In  1873  he  became  buyer  of  hogs  for  J.  B.  Mur- 
phy, and  after  two  years  accepted  a  similar  po- 
sition with  Armour  &  Co.  He  left  the  latter 
concern  in  1876,  to  become  cattle  buyer  for  Nel- 
son Morris  &  Co.,  which  responsible  position 
he  still  fills,  his  sound  judgment,  shrewd  sense 
and  absolute  fidelity  having  proved  invaluable. 

OSCAR  F.  MALMBBRG, 

Captain  on  Engine  No.  83,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Sweden,  October  30,  1862, 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  came  to 
New  York  in  February,  1882,  and  to  Chicago  in 
June,  1882,  and  in  the  latter  city  was  clerk  in 
a  grocery  store  until  September,  1885,  when  he 
bought  a  grocery.  On  August  15,  1887,  he  joined 
the  Chicago  Fire  Department,  and  was  assigned 
to  Engine  No.  22  as  substitute  pipeman,  serving 
with  that  company  until  transferred  to  Engine 
No.  13  on  November  1,  1887.  He  was  promoted 
to  Lieutenant  July  2,  1891,  and  assigned  to  the 
fire-boat  "Yosemite,"  and  on  July  2,  1896,  was 
promoted  to  Captain  and  transferred  to  Engine 
No.  21,  then  transferred  to  Engine  No.  73,  April 
15,  1897,  and  later  to  Engine  85,  where  {1904) 
he  is  ready  for  any  call  of  duty  or  danger.  He 
has  had  several  narrow  escapes  and  rescues, 
and  was  honorably  mentioned  by  the  Depart- 
ment for  rescuing  a  man  from  drowning  at  the 
Yosemite  headquarters,  at  the  foot  of  LaSalle 
Street,  August  5,  1892,  and  on  the  following 
night,  with  the  assistance  of  the  crew,  rescued 
two  men  from  drowning.  At  the  fire  at  236-238 
Monroe  Street,  February  14,  1894,  he  was  or- 
dered with  his  company,  by  Chief  Swenie,  to 
rescue  William  Fleming  of  Engine  No.  40,  who 
was  caught  by  falling  floors  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs  leading  to  the  third  floor,  and  while  en- 
gaged in  releasing  Fleming's  arm  from  under- 
neath a  heavy  beam,  an  explosion  occurred, 
throwing  them  to  the  bottom  of  the  stairs  on 
the  first  floor,  just  as  Fleming  was  released. 
At  the  lumber  yard  fire,  August  1,  1894,  Lieu- 
tenant Malmberg,  while  with  fire-boat  "Yosem- 
ite," did  excellent  service  with  the  other  officers 
and  the  crew  in  stopping  the  cyclone  of  fire 
from  crossing  the  river  south  of  the  fire,  thereby 
saving  from  destruction  the  Santa  Fe  elevator, 
which  was  on  fire  many  times  but  escaped  with 
slight  damage.  The  wind  developed  into  a 
cyclone  of  sufficient  power  to  lift  wagons  loaded 
with  lumber,  whirling  them  through  the  air. 
One  of  them  struck  the  starboard  side  of  the 
fire-boat,  doing  considerable  damage.  First  As- 


944 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


sistant  Fire  Marshal  W.  H.  Musham  was  thrown 
into  the  river  and  rescued  by  the  crew.  Lieuten- 
ant Malmberg  was  blown  from  the  stand-pipe 
on  the  deck,  but  recovered  shortly  after. 

On  September  12,  1894,  the  fire-boat  "Yosem- 
ite"  responded  to  a  special  call  at  8:13  p.  m., 
from  box  1511,  to  A.  R.  Beck's  lumber  yard, 
South  Chicago.  In  leaving  the  harbor  every- 
thing was  made  fast,  and  the  port-holes  closed, 
as  a  gale  was  blowing  from  the  southwest.  In 
order  to  avoid  the  reef  at  Morgan's  pier  near 
Fifty-eighth  Street,  the  boat  was  headed  out  into 
the  lake.  When  about  one  and  one-half  miles 
from  the  shore,  and  one  mile  south  of  the  Six- 
ty-eighth Street  crib,  the  stoker  informed  the 
officers  that  the  water  in  the  hold  was  touching 
the  grates,  and  threatened  to  put  out  the  fires. 
Immediately  the  suctions  were  applied  to  the 
pumps,  but  too  late,  and  the  fire-whistle  was 
blown  as  a  signal  of  distress.  The  men  were 
ordered  to  bail  out  the  boat  with  buckets.  Lieu- 
tenant Malmberg  made  torches  by  taking  his 
own  clothes  and  those  of  the  crew,  and  saturat- 
ing them  with  kerosene  oil,  which  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  life-boat  crew  at  Jackson  Park. 
In  about  three  hours  the  life-boat  appeared  and 
rescued  the  "Yosemite"  crew,  although  in  re- 
turning to  the  shore  the  waves  were  so  high 
that  the  life-boat  capsized,  and  the  eighteen 
occupants  were  thrown  into  the  lake.  After 
many  attempts  the  boat  was  righted  and  the 
storm-tossed  mariners  were  again  seated  in  it, 
excepting  Lieutenant  Malmberg  and  Engineer 
Brown,  who  had  to  hang  on  to  the  edge  of  the 
boat  until  they  reached  the  shore.  The  fire-boat 
sank  within  ten  minutes  after  the  crew  was 
rescued,  but  was  raised  and  placed  in  service 
again. 

Lieutenant  Malmberg  was  married  in  Chicago, 
April  30,  1890,  to  Miss  Jennie  Akerland,  and 
two  children  have  been  born  of  this  union. 

AUGUSTUS  K.  MANNING. 
Augustus  K.  Manning,  soldier  and  attorney-at- 
law,  Chicago,  was  born  at  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  No- 
vember 30,  1848;  came  to  Warrenville,  Du  Page 
County,  111.,  with  his  parents  in  1849,  and  re- 
mained there  until  he  was  about  sixteen  years 
old,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Army, 
joining  Company  H,  Twenty-third  Illinois  In- 
fantry (Mulligan's  Irish  Brigade),  at  Rich- 
mond, Va.  When  the  war  was  over  he  returned 
to  Warrenville,  and  in  1866  became  traveling 
salesman  for  Torrance,  Manning  &  Company, 
wholesale  notion  dealers,  of  Chicago,  and  at  the 
time  of  the  great  fire  in  1871,  was  traveling 
salesman  for  J.  B.  Shay  &  Company,  of  Chicago, 
wholesale  dry-goods  dealers.  In  1872  Mr.  Man- 
ning went  into  the  real  estate  business,  and,  in 
1880,  graduated  from  the  Union  College  of  Law, 
of  Chicago,  since  which  time  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  practice  of  his  profession  in  this  city. 

HUGH  MARTIN, 

Chief  Engineer,  Fourteenth  Street  Pumping  Sta- 
tion, Chicago,  was  born  in  Chicago,  January  1, 


1863,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  After 
leaving  school,  he  learned  the  machinist's  trade, 
including  engineering  on  railroads  and  steam- 
boats, until  he  was  appointed  Chief  Engineer  of 
the  Cook  County  Court  House,  January  1,  1892. 
He  was  assigned  to  the  Fourteenth  Street 
Pumping  Station,  as  Assistant  Engineer,  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1893,  remaining  there  two  years,  when 
he  worked  for  the  John  Bullen  Malting  Com- 
pany, as  engineer,  for  one  year,  and  then  for 
the  Citizens'  Brewing  Company.  He  returned 
to  the  Fourteenth  Street  Pumping  Station  July 
1,  1897,  as  Chief  Engineer,  and  was  transferred 
to  the  Sixty-eighth  Street  Pumping  Station  May 
22,  1901,  occupying  one  of  the  most  important 
positions  connected  with  the  City  Water  Works. 
In  1904  he  is  again  on  duty  at  the  Fourteenth 
Street  Pumping  Station. 

Chief  Engineer  Martin  was  married  to  Ellen 
Keefer  on  the  26th  day  of  October,  1886,  in  Chi- 
cago, and  four  children  have  been  born  to  them. 

JOHN'H.  MARTIN. 

John  H.  Martin  and  his  brother,  Lawrence  T., 
may  well  be  regarded  as  among  the  early  pio- 
neers of  the  live-stock  business  of  the  West,  the 
elder  having  spent  forty-nine  years  of  his  long 
and  honorable  life  therein.  He  was  born  at 
Tweedsmuir,  Peebleshire,  Scotland,  February 
16,  1833.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  the 
parental  roof-tree  for  Edinburgh,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  butcher,  later  entering 
the  service  of  Sir  John  Thorold,  an  English 
gentleman  of  rank.  In  1853  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  and  for  about  a  year  carried  on  busi- 
ness as  a  butcher  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but  having 
secured  a  more  desirable  position  at  Burlington, 
Iowa,  he  removed  thither  in  the  spring  of  1854. 
In  1860  he  and  his  brother,  Lawrence,  of  whom 
mention  has  been  already  made,  formed  a  part- 
nership, under  the  firm  name  of  Martin  Broth- 
ers, for  the  purchase  and  shipping  of  live  stock. 
So  well  did  they  succeed  that,  in  1872,  they 
came  to  Chicago,  locating  themselves  at  the 
Union  Stock  Yards.  From  the  first  they  were 
exceedingly  prosperous,  and  their  business  has 
steadily  grown.  To  its  conduct  they  have 
brought  tireless  industry,  hard  common  sense, 
good  judgment  and  unwavering  integrity.  Few 
men  are  more  widely  known  or  more  univer- 
sally esteemed  at  the  Yards  than  they.  On  June 
1,  1898,  the  name  of  the  firm  was  changed  from 
Martin  Brothers  to  Martin  Brothers  &  Company. 
In  August,  1857,  John  H.  Martin  was  married 
to  Helena  R.  Patterson,  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  and 
they  have  had  eight  children,  all  yet  living,  and 
named  as  follows:  Wallace  R.,  James,  Lawrence 
T.,  Robert  P.,  Isabella,  George  E.,  Harvey  R., 
and  Lilias  R.,  the  last  two  being  twins. 

WILLIAM  E.  MASON. 

William  Ernest  Mason,  long  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  Chicago  Bar  and  late  (1901) 
United  States  Senator  from  Illinois,  is,  like 
many  other  of  the  eminent  sons  of  his  adopted 
State,  by  birth  a  New  Yorker.  He  came  into  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


945 


world  in  Franklinville,  Cattaraugus  County,  in 
that  State,  on  July  7,  1850.  While  he  was  yet 
a  boy  his  family  removed  to  Bentonsport,  Iowa, 
where  he  attended  the  academy.  On  completing 
his  preliminary  training  he  studied  at  Birming- 
ham College,  and  from  1866  to  1870,  followed  the 
vocation  of  a  pedagogue,  teaching  for  two  years 
at  Des  Moines.  It  was  in  that  city,  also,  that 
he  pursued  his  professional  studies  in  the  office 
of  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Withrow,  who  afterward 
admitted  him  into  partnership.  He  came  to 
Chicago  in  1872,  and  for  nearly  three  decades 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  public 
affairs  in  the  city  and  State.  While  continu- 
ously and  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  however,  the  natural  trend  of 
his  psychical  nature  has  irresistibly  drawn  him 
into  the  maelstrom  of  political  and  public  life. 

In  1878  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of 
the  General  Assembly,  and  in  1880  to  the  State 
Senate.  The  rare  capacity  for  public  affairs 
which  he  manifested,  no  less  than  his  natural 
gift  of  oratory,  captured  for  him  both  popular 
admiration  and  respect,  and  in  1884  he  was  the 
regular  nominee  of  the  Republicans  of  the 
Third  Illinois  District  for  Congress.  The  con- 
stituency at  that  time  was  overwhelmingly  of 
his  own  political  creed,  but  owing  to  dissensions 
in  the  party's  ranks,  he  was  defeated  by  his 
Democratic  opponent,  James  H.  Ward.  In  1886, 
and  again  in  1888,  he  was  a  successful  candi- 
date for  Representative,  but  in  1890  was  once 
more  defeated  by  a  Democrat,  Allen  C.  Dur- 
borow.  In  1894  he  was  an  unsuccessful  candi- 
date for  the  caucus  nomination  of  his  party 
for  the  United  States  Senatorship,  but  in  1896 
secured  both  nomination  and  election,  serving 
his  term  of  six  years,  ending  March  4,  1903. 

Senator  Mason  is  a  man  of  rare  native  abil- 
ity and  earnest  conviction,  but  of  impulsive 
temperament.  Genial  and  of  quickly  sympa- 
thetic sensibility,  he  easily  makes  friends;  en- 
dowed with  unswerving  fidelity,  he  rarely  loses 
one.  In  his  public  career,  fidelity  to  his  con- 
ceptions of  right  have  weighed  more  with  him 
than  chances  of  self-advancement,  and,  at  times, 
he  has  been  charged  with  lack  of  party  fealty. 
Such  criticisms  stir  him  not  at  all,  knowing,  as 
he  does,  that  the  judgment  of  posterity,  like  the 
"fiat  of  the  great  Jove,"  is  rarely  at  fault. 

THOMAS  MATHEWS. 

Thomas  Mathews  (deceased)  was  born  in 
County  West  Meath,  Ireland,  March  23,  1823, 
the  son  of  Patrick  and  Ann  (Gavin)  Mathews, 
who  were  natives  of  the  same  county,  his  father 
being  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Left  an  orphan 
at  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  being  the  oldest  of 
a  family  of  four  children,  the  responsibility 
of  caring  for  and  educating  three  younger  sis- 
ters— the  youngest  at  this  time  being  only  seven 
years  old — devolved  upon  him  at  this  early  age, 
imposeing  much  serious  hardship. 

In  1848  Mr.  Mathews  came  to  America,  arriv- 
ing on  March  30th,  and  two  years  later  sent  for 
his  sisters,  whom  he  placed  in  a  convent.  After 


his  arrival  in  America,  he  found  employment  on 
a  farm  in  New  York  at  a  compensation  of  seven 
dollars  per  month,  but  a  few  months  later  went 
to  work  in  the  pineries.  He  there  earned 
enough  money  to  support  himself  and  come  to 
Chicago,  where  he  first  engaged  as  a  street 
laborer.  He  next  bought  a  team  of  horses  and, 
in  1849,  helped  to  open  Buffalo  Street.  By 
economy  and  hard  labor,  with  the  aid  of  his 
team  during  the  next  two  years,  he  was  able  to 
accumulate  enough  means  to  make  his  first  in- 
vestment in  real  estate,  which  he  did  at  the 
corner  of  Green  and  Randolph  Streets,  where 
he  established  himself,  in  a  small  way,  in  the 
grocery  and  saloon  business.  This  he  continued 
until  1868,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  real 
estate,  in  which  he  was  engaged  more  or  less 
during  the  rest  of  his  life,  accumulating  a  con- 
siderable property.  In  1883  he  erected  a 
home  on  Grand  Avenue,  where  he  remained  four 
years,  when,  in  1887,  he  removed  to  a  house 
which  he  had  built  on  West  Madison  Street, 
and  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his 
death,  September  17,  1896.  During  the  previ- 
ous year,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he  spent 
some  time  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark. 

December  28,  1852,  Mr.  Mathews  was  married 
in  the  City  of  Chicago,  to  Catherine  White, 
who  died  January  30,  1878.  On  July  2,  1879, 
he  married,  as  his  second  wife,  Catherine 
Lyons,  who  still  survives.  In  all  he  had  ten 
children — eight  sons  and  two  daughters — of 
whom  seven  are  still  living:  Thomas,  Harry, 
John,  Joseph,  Stephen,  Mary  V.,  and  Catherine 
Agnes.  Mr.  Mathews  was  a  zealous  churchman 
and  communicant  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  in  politics  uniformly  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
Court  No.  8,  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters.  Of 
genial  temperament,  he  had  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  and  manifested  his  benevolent  charac- 
ter by  acts  of  charity  for  the  poor. 

JAMES  MCCARTNEY. 

James  McCartney,  lawyer,  Chicago,  was  born 
of  Scotch-Irish  parentage  in  the  North  of  Ire- 
land, February  14,  1835.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, James  McCartney,  was  also  a  native  of 
Ireland,  while  his  mother  was  descended  from  a 
Scotch  family  by  the  name  of  Fife.  Mr.  McCart- 
ney's family  came  to  America  when  he  was  two 
years  old  and,  after  stopping  for  a  time  in  Penn- 
sylvania, removed  to  Trumbull  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  received  a  common  school  and  aca- 
demic education,  the  latter  in  attendance  on  the 
Western  Reserve  Seminary  at  Farmington, 
Ohio.  Subsequently  he  read  law  with  Judge 
Matthew  Birchard,  at  Warren,  Ohio,  but  in 
October,  1857,  came  to  Illinois,  settling  first  at 
Monmouth,  where  he  commenced  practice  in 
partnership  with  Philo  E.  Reed.  Two  years 
later  he  removed  to  Galva,  Henry  County,  re- 
maining in  practice  there  until  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  War  in  1861,  when  he  promptly  en- 
listed as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Seventeenth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  he  was 


946 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


commissioned  First  Lieutenant.  Resigning  this 
position  in  April,  1862,  in  September  following 
he  re-enlisted  in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and 
Twelfth  Illinois,  was  commissioned  First  Lieu- 
tenant, and  became  Captain  in  March,  1863, 
serving  as  such  to  the  end  of  the  war,  though 
officiating  much  of  the  time  as  Judge  Advocate 
on  court-martials. 

Returning  home  after  the  end  of  the  war,  he 
settled  at  Fairfield,  Wayne  County,  where  he 
continued  in  the  practice  of  law  until  January, 
1881,  when,  having  been  elected  Attorney-Gen- 
eral for  the  State  of  Illinois,  he  removed  to 
Springfield,  remaining  through  his  term  of  four 
years.  During  the  last  year  of  his  term  as 
Attorney-General  (1884)  he  made  the  race  for 
Congress  on  the  Republican  ticket  in  the  Six- 
teenth District,  and  was  defeated  by  only  313 
votes,  although  Mr.  Cleveland,  the  Democratic 
candidate  for  President,  carried  the  district  by 
1,800  majority.  After  the  expiration  of  his 
term  as  Attorney-General,  he  spent  the  next  two 
years  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Spring- 
field, but,  in  1887,  removed  to  Ness  City,  Kans., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  a 
year  later  locating  at  Hutchinson  in  the  same 
State  for  the  practice  of  law.  In  1890  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  established  himself  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Chicago,  his 
present  residence  being  in  Berwyn,  a  suburb 
of  Chicago.  From  1891  to  1894  he  was  Attorney 
for  the  State  Board  of  Health,  and  later  served 
several  years  as  Attorney  for  the  Lincoln  Park 
Commission.  Mr.  McCartney  was  married  in 
1888  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Stadden,  at  Rock  Island, 
111.,  and  has  three  children,  two  sons  and  a 
daughter.  He  defines  his  religious  faith  as  "be- 
lief in  God";  in  politics  he  is  a  stalwart 
Republican. 

SAMUEL   G.    McCAUSLAND. 

To  the  hard-headed  sense  and  sturdy  physical 
vigor  of  its  Scotch-Irish  immigrants  and  their 
descendants,  the  country  owes  not  a  little  of 
its  material  development.  Men  of  brain  and 
brawn  alike,  they  have  been  quick  to  perceive 
obstacles  and  equally  ready  in  overcoming  them. 
Of  this  stock  are  the  McCauslands.  The  first 
of  the  branch  of  the  family,  to  which  Samuel 
McCausland  belongs,  to  settle  in  America,  was 
his  great-great-grandfather,  William,  who,  with 
his  family,  left  the  Town  of  Omagh,  County 
T,yrone,  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  because,  as 
stanch  Presbyterians,  they  could  not  submit 
their  conscience  to  the  English  Conformity  Act. 

William  McCausland  bought  land  from  the 
heirs  of  William  Penn,  in  Pequea  Township. 
Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  the  estate  remaining  in 
the  family  for  four  generations,  or  until  the 
time  of  John  C.  McCausland,  the  father  of  Sam- 
uel. Several  of  the  family  were  among  the 
patriots  of  1776,  who  served  in  the  armies  of 
Washington,  one  carrying  the  commission  of  an 
Ensign  and  another  that  of  a  Major. 

John  C.  McCausland  removed  to  West  Vir- 
ginia while  his  children  were  small,  and  there, 


in  partnership  with  P.  B.  and  A.  D.  Cookman, 
engaged  in  handling  live  stock.  They  drove 
cattle  from  West  Virginia  and  Ohio  to  Phila- 
delphia and  Baltimore,  usually  starting  a  drove 
from  120  to  150  head  every  two  weeks  during 
the  summer  season.  Mr.  McCausland  remained 
in  the  East  until  the  close  of  the  season,  in 
November,  attending  to  the  disposition  of  the 
cattle.  The  driver  rode  on  horseback  and  had 
two  helpers  who  followed  on  foot.  Tiresome  as 
the  trip  was,  Samuel  and  his  brother,  Thomas, 
then  boys  of  eight  and  ten  years,  often  accom- 
panied these  caravans,  part  of  the  time  walking 
barefoot.  Their  youthful  enthusiasm  enabled 
them  to  learn  rapidly,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
they  themselves  became  "bosses,"  in  othe'r 
words,  each  riding  horseback  at  the  head  of  his 
own  herd. 

Mr.  McCausland's  father  also  enjoys  the  dis- 
tinction of  having  been  the  first  Eastern  ship- 
per of  cattle  by  rail.  The  consignment  con- 
sisted of  nine  steers,  which  were  loaded  on  a 
flat  car  with  slats  and  without  a  roof.  The  load- 
ing was  done  by  driving  them  one  after  an- 
other, separately,  down  a  chute  to  the  rear  of 
the  car,  nine  cattle  constituting  a  car  load. 
There  they  stood,  separated  from  each  other  by 
a  rail  partition,  undergoing  all  the  discomforts 
of  a  ride  in  winter  from  Fetterman,  West  Va. 
(then  the  western  terminus  of  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Railroad)  to  Baltimore.  This  was  in 
1854.  The  first  shipment  stood  the  journey 
fairly  well,  and  brought  remunerative  prices 
but  the  second  was  quarantined  by  the  health 
authorities  as  unfit  for  food,  because  of  the 
alleged  feverish  condition  of  the  animals.  In 
the  light  of  subsequent  events  there  can  be  lit- 
tle doubt  that  this  condemnation  was  prompted 
by  a  determination  of  local  feeders  and  dealers 
to  prevent  the  importation  of  cattle  at  any  cost. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  this  official  action  effectually 
ended  the  incipient  industry. 

In  1855  John  C.  McCausland  purchased  farm- 
ing lands  in  the  northern  part  of  Scott  County, 
Iowa,  near  the  present  town  of  McCausland. 
With  the  exception  of  the  two  boys,  Samuel  G. 
and  Thomas  W.,  the  family  made  the  journey 
by  rail.  They,  then  aged  fifteen  and  thirteen 
years,  respectively,  with  inborn  love  of  adven- 
ture and  hardship,  traveled  the  eight  hundred 
miles  together  on  horseback.  There  the  father 
conducted  a  successful  stock  farm.  His  sons 
assisted  him  until  1862,  when  both  brothers 
enlisted  in  the  Twentieth  Iowa  Infantry,  for 
three  years.  They  were  mustered  out  at  Mobile, 
Ala.,  in  1865,  Samuel  as  Quartermaster's  Ser- 
geant. Samuel  G.  McCausland  came  to  Chicago 
to  reside  in  1878,  and  at  once  embarked  in  the 
live-stock  commission  business  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards,  entering  the  firm  of  McCurdy  & 
Beveridge.  Scott  &  McCausland  began  business 
in  1880,  and  since  then,  death,  withdrawals  and 
admissions  have  caused  various  changes  in  the 
firm  name,  which  is  now  McCausland,  Hoag  and 
Turner. 

Mr.  McCausland  has  never  lost  his  boyish  love 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


947 


for  travel  and  adventure,  and,  besides  visiting 
all  quarters  of  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
has  explored  Mexico  and  Central  America.  He  is 
the  owner  of  an  extensive  and  valuable  interest 
in  Honduras,  being  the  President  and  one  of 
the  principal  stockholders  in  the  Central  Amer- 
ican Commercial  Company,  capitalized  at  $500,- 
000,  which  owns  6,000  acres  of  land  already  in 
process  of  rapid  improvement.  Two  thousand 
acres  of  this  land  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
cocoanuts,  a  thousand  acres  to  bananas  and  fifty 
to  lemons,  and  a  hundred-acre  grove  of  rubber 
trees.  The  company  own  vessels,  plying  be- 
tween Mobile  and  their  plantation,  which  is 
located  at  the  mouth  of  the  Black  River.  In 
addition,  Mr.  McCausland  is  the  owner  of  two 
well  located,  well  kept  farms  in  Scott  County, 
Iowa,  which  he  devotes  to  the  raising  of  cattle 
and  hogs. 

He  was  married  in  November,  1893,  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Woods,  of  Lancaster  County,  Pa.  The 
farms  of  the  two  families  had  been  adjacent. 
Both  properties  were  purchased  from  the  Penn 
heirs  about  the  same  time,  and  the  Woods  estate 
has  remained  in  the  family  for  one  hundred  and 
ninety  years.  A  son  and  a  daughter  have  been 
born  to  them:  John  Woods  and  Anna  Catherine. 

Mr.  McCausland  is  a  charter  member  of  Lin- 
coln Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  as  well 
as  of  the  Chicago  Live  Stock  Exchange,  and  is 
now  serving  his  third  term  of  three  years  in  the 
directorate  of  the  last  named  organization. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

JOSEPH  A.  McCORMICK, 
Captain  on  Engine  No.  79,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Chicago,  March  19,  1864,  edu- 
cated in  the  Chicago  public  schools,  and  after 
leaving  school  engaged  in  the  painting  business. 
Later  he  went  west  to  Seattle  and  Tacoma, 
Wash.,  but  returning  on  March  29,  1885,  joined 
the  Chicago  Fire  Department  and  was  assigned 
to  Chemical  No.  2.  He  was  afterwards  succes- 
sively transferred  to  Engines  1,  32  and  4;  was 
promoted  to  Lieutenant  December  31,  1889,  and 
assigned  to  Engine  22;  was  transferred  to  En- 
gine 27,  June  24,  1891;  promoted  to  Captain, 
April  15,  1893,  and  assigned  to  Engine  9;  was 
transferred  to  Engine  33,  August  3,  1893,  and  to 
Engine  42,  July  25,  1896.  In  1904  he  remains  on 
duty  serving  on  Engine  79. 

Captain  McCormick  was  at  the  cold  storage 
fire  on  the  World's  Fair  grounds,  July  10,  1893, 
doing  duty  on  Engine  9,  and  was  honorary  pall- 
bearer at  the  funeral  of  the  firemen  killed  at 
that  fire  and  one  of  the  pall-bearers  at  the  fun- 
eral of  Capt.  John  Fitzpatrick,  who  died  from 
injuries  received  at  the  same  fire.  August  3, 
1887,  at  the  Box  Factory  fire  on  Goose  Island, 
he  was  taken  out  for  dead,  being  overcome  by 
heat,  but  recovered  after  being  laid  up  two 
weeks.  He  stopped  a  runaway  horse  and  saved 
the  life  of  a  boy  in  front  of  Company  4's  quar- 
ters, for  which  he  received  honorable  mention; 
also  had  many  other  narrow  escapes  and  as- 
sisted in  several  rescues.  Captain  McCormick 


was  married  in  Chicago,  August  4,  1887,  to  Bar- 
bara Windbiel,  and  four  children  have  blessed 
this  union:  Mabel,  Irene,  Joseph  and  Helen. 

ANDREW  j.  MCDONALD. 

Andrew  J.  McDonald,  contractor,  builder  and 
inventor,  and  also  soldier,  was  born  in  East 
Point,  Prince  Edward  Island,  October  15,  1840, 
went  to  Boston  with  his  parents  in  1845,  and 
remained  there  until  they  removed  to  New  York 
City  in  1850,  where  he  remained  until  he  came 
to  Chicago  in  1855.  Here  he  worked  at  the  car- 
penter's trade  for  two  years,  and  then  went  to 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  there  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  and  building  trade.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  enlisted  as  private  in  the  First  Wiscon- 
sin Cavalry,  was  elected  Lieutenant  and  Quar- 
termaster, and  later  promoted  to  Captain,  and 
transferred  to  the  Seventeenth  Wisconsin  In- 
fantry, finally  receiving  his  discharge  in  1864 
on  account  of  sickness,  when  he  again  engaged 
in  the  building  business.  Coming  to  Chicago  in 
1870,  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  and 
building,  and  in  1873  built  the  brick  block  on 
West  Madison  Street,  known  as  the  McDonald 
Building,  which  was  the  means  of  starting 
other  building  enterprises  in  that  locality.  He 
was  the  inventor  of  the  first  pneumatic-air  rail- 
road brake  ever  built,  and  also  devised  many 
improvements  in  steam-boilers,  having  received 
from  the  United  States  Patent  Office  sixty-seven 
patents  on  his  different  inventions  in  three 
years.  He  has  built  three  factories  and  railroad 
supply  depots,  and  has  done  his  part  well  to 
make  Chicago  and  Cook  County  the  wonder  of 
the  world  as  a  manufacturing  and  industrial 
center. 

CHARLES  B.  McDONALD. 

The  combination  of  genius  with  industry — 
as  rare  as  it  is  fortunate — is  one  which  rarely 
fails  of  success  when  united  to  energy  and  a 
high  moral  sense.  The  man  thus  endowed 
aims  high;  and  while  he  may  not  always  attain 
his  ideals,  he  usually  accomplishes  not  a  little 
for  himself  while  he  makes  his  impress  felt 
upon  the  world  around  him.  This  has  been  the 
case  with  Mr.  Charles  A.  McDonald,  soldier, 
mechanic,  inventor  and  manufacturer.  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald was  born  near  Frederickton,  N.  B.,  Jan- 
uary 22,  1848,  but  while  yet  a  mere  child,  his 
parents  removed  to  Will  County,  111.,  settling  at 
Joliet.  He  was  educated  in  the  Joliet  public 
schools,  and  subsequently  received  a  training 
for  business  in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  College  at 
Chicago.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he 
enlisted  in  Company  F,  Sixty-fourth  Illinois  In- 
fantry, and  served  with  gallantry  until  the  close 
of  the  war. 

After  being  discharged  from  the  army  in  1865, 
Mr.  McDonald  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  about  four  years  at  the 
tinner's  trade.  For  a  time  he  worked  as  a  jour- 
neyman for  Frank  Sturges  &  Company,  and 
later  entered  the  employ  of  the  Chicago  Stamp- 
ing Company,  remaining  with  the  latter  eight 


948 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


years,  during  the  last  two  being  foreman  of  the 
shops.  In  the  summer  of  1879  he  accepted  the 
superintendency  of  the  tin  factory  of  Armour 
&  Company,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  com- 
plete plants  of  its  kind  in  the  West,  employing 
three  hundred  hands  and  having  an  annual  out- 
put of  25,000,000  cans.  While  with  Armour  & 
Company  his  inventive  genius  devised  many  im- 
provements in  the  process  of  manufacture, 
among  them  being  a  new  method  of  soldering 
cans,  as  well  as  many  automatic  machines.  For 
the  manufacture  of  these  for  the  trade,  he  has 
organized  the  McDonald  Machine  Company,  of 
which  his  son,  Charles  D.  McDonald  is  man- 
ager, and  which  does  a  large  and  lucrative  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  McDonald  was  married  February  20,  1870, 
to  Miss  Willempa  Coleman,  and  five  of  their 
six  children  are  yet  living.  Mr.  McDonald  has 
resided  in  England  since  December,  1882. 

JOHN   McGLASHAN. 

John  McGlashan  (deceased),  pioneer  and 
early  Board  of  Trade  dealer,  Chicago.  The 
memory  of  the  early  Chicago  pioneers,  the 
men  of  brawn  and  brain,  whose  earnestness  of 
purpose  and  resoluteness  of  will  laid  broad  and 
deep  the  foundation  of  the  present  great 
metropolis,  deserves  to  be  perpetuated  upon 
lasting  brass.  Self-reliant,  mutually  helpful, 
patient  under  privation,  courageous  in  the  face 
of  defeat  and  tireless  in  energy,  they  may  be 
called  the  exemplars  of  the  generations  which 
followed  them.  To  this  class  belonged  the  late 
John  McGlashan,  who,  born  in  Perthshire,  Scot- 
land, in  September,  1815,  and  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Edinburgh,  crossed  the  ocean  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years  and  settled  at  Chicago  in 
1835.  His  first  business  venture  was  as  a 
market  gardener,  his  land  lying  around  the 
point  where  Twenty-second  Street  crosses  the 
South  Branch,  near  the  present  McGlashan 
Street.  He  next  embarked  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, but  in  1865  became  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade,  and  thereafter  devoted  himself  to  the 
handling  of  grain.  His  place  of  residence  at 
that  time  was  at  the  intersection  of  Vincennes 
Avenue  •  and  Forty-seventh  Street.  In  his  day 
he  was  one  of  Chicago's  largest  shippers  of 
grain  and  provisions  to  the  East  and  to  Great 
Britain,  Tobey  &  Booth  and  H.  Milward  &  Com- 
pany being  his  only  rivals.  In  1849  he  married 
Miss  Jessie  Guthrie  of  Chicago,  who  bore  him 
one  child,  John,  Jr.  Mr.  McGlashan  died  Aug- 
ust 11,  1873,  one  of  the  city's  leading  and  most 
esteemed  business  men,  deeply  mourned  by 
the  many  friends  whom  he  had  made  by  his 
kindly  disposition,  no  less  than  by  his  blame- 
less life.  His  widow  survived  him  until  De- 
cember 24,  1898. 

PATRICK  McGRATH. 

Patrick  McGrath,  born  in  Ballyfinch,  County 
Down,  Ireland,  May  13,  1839,  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools,  and  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents  in  October,  1846.  After  spend- 
ing two  years  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  they  moved  on 


to  a  farm  near  Johnstown,  Fulton  County,  N. 
Y.,  remaining  there  two  years,  then  removing 
to  Beaver  Dam,  Dodge  County,  Wis.  Here  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  remained  until  Novem- 
ber, 1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Seventeenth 
Regiment  Wisconsin  Infantry;  was  promoted  to 
Second  Lieutenant  at  Benton  Barracks,  Mo., 
in  March,  1862;  to  First  Lieutenant  at  Lake 
Providence,  La.,  in  February,  1863,  and  to  Cap- 
tain at  Marietta,  Ga.,  in  November,  1864.  He 
served  through  the  campaigns  of  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee,  participating  in  the  battles  of 
Corinth,  luka,  Hatchie,  Tallahatchie,  Siege  of 
Vicksburg,  Champion  Hills,  Big  Black  and  the 
Atlantic  campaign.  After  being  mustered  out, 
January  25,  1865,  he  came  to  Chicago,  served 
on  the  Board  of  Public  Works  for  three  years, 
then  in  the  Register's  department  in  the  Chi- 
cago Postoffice,  and  later  was  elected  County 
Agent  of  Cook  County,  serving  in  that  capacity 
for  two  years;  also  served  as  Court  Clerk  for 
one  year,  and  then  as  Clerk  of  the  Superior 
Court  for  two  terms,  after  which  he  entered 
the  printing  business.  Mr.  McGrath  married 
Katherine  Egan,  in  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  in 
November,  1866,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living. 

JEREMIAH  McKEE, 

Superintendent  Rock  Island  Elevators  A  and 
B,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Kingston,  Canada,  in 
1844,  the  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Cousins) 
McKee,  both  natives  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  and 
who  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz.: 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Thomas  McGratten; 
Alexander,  of  Chicago;  Mary  Ann,  married 
James  Choren  and  died  in  December,  1900; 
Susannah,  who  became  the  wife  of  Robert  Arm- 
strong of  Mountain  Grove,  Canada;  Jeremiah, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Thomas,  also  of 
Chicago;  Rose  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Nathan  Cam- 
eron, Chicago;  and  Margaret,  the  wife  of  John 
McGowen,  of  Canada.  The  father  died  in  1887 
and  the  mother  in  1886. 

Jeremiah  McKee  came  to  Chicago  in  1861 
and,  for  some  years,  was  engaged  in  tallying 
grain  on  lake  boats  or  delivering  groceries 
sold  in  wholesale  lots  to  farmers  in  the  coun- 
try; then  became  weighman  and,  later,  fore- 
man for  two  years  of  Elevator  A,  with  which 
he  is  now  connected,  in  May,  1900,  being  ad- 
vanced to  his  present  position  at  the  head  of 
both  Elevators  A  and  B.  Elevator  A  was 
built  in  1882  with  a  capacity  of  1,250,000  bushels 
and  Elevator  B  in  1870  with  a  capacity  of 
850,000  bushels — both  being  erected  by  the 
Rock  Island  Railway  Company.  They  are  pro- 
vided with  up-to-date  machinery  and  are  cap- 
able of  handling  250  cars  daily.  The  larger 
employs  sixteen  men  and  the  smaller  ten  to 
fourteen. 

In  1872  Mr.  McKee  married  Miss  Catherine 
McGratten,  of  Chicago,  and  four  sons  and  two 
daughters  have  been  born  to  them:  George 
Thomas,  born  September  27,  1873,  is  now  weigh- 
man in  the  Rock  Island  Elevators;  Walter  W., 
born  in  1875,  is  trackman  under  his  father; 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


949 


Albert  A.,  born  in  1878,  is  a  grocer  in  Chicago; 
Susan,  born  in  1881;  Leroy  L.r  born  in  1885, 
now  a  student  in  college;  and  Mabel,  born  July 
16,  1895.  Mr.  McKee  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  attends  the  Congregational 
Church  and  votes  the  Republican  ticket. 

MICHAEL,  McKIERNAN, 

Captain  Engine  No.  51,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Ireland,  March.  17,  1858; 
came  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  May  29,  1875,  and  to 
Chicago  in  October  1877,  where  he  worked  at 
the  Stock  Yards  until  1883.  He  joined  the  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department  October  3,  1883,  and  was 
assigned  to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No. 
4;  was  transferred  to  Truck  5,  October  9,  1883, 
and  appointed  a  member  of  the  department, 
December  28,  1883.  His  other  changes  and 
transfers  included  to  Engine  23,  in  1884;  to 
Engine  6;  promoted  to  Lieutenant,  August  11, 
1888,  and  assigned  to  Engine  No.  2;  promoted 
to  Captain  December  31,  1892,  and  assigned 
to  Engine  51.  He  has  had. numerous  narrow 
escapes  but  has  not  had  any  bones  broken; 
is  always  ready  for  any  emergency,  where 
duty  calls.  He  was  married  in  Chicago  on  May 
15,  1884,  to  Sarah  McAllister,  and  eight  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  six  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

GEORGE  F.  MCKNIGHT. 

George  F.  McKnight,  member  of  the  Illinois 
Board  of  Equalization,  was  born  in  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  March  9,  1837,  the  son  of  George  and 
Susanna  (Wheeler)  McKnight.  The  father  was 
of  Scotch  descent,  born  in  Massachusetts,  and 
was  by  occupation  a  packer  of  beef  and  pork. 
Mrs.  McKnight  married,  in  1847,  James  W. 
Sanford,  who  was  for  many  years  one  of  the 
best-known  steamboat  men  on  the  lakes,  and 
after  his  retirement  from  this  occupation,  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  (1895)  was  the  oldest  real- 
estate  dealer  in  Buffalo. 

Captain  George  F.  McKnight  did  not  have  the 
advantages  of  an  academic  or  collegiate  train- 
ing. His  education  was  limited  mainly  to  the 
English  branches  as  taught  at  public  school 
No.  6  in  his  native  city  of  Buffalo.  His  first 
occupation  after  leaving  school  was  as  check 
clerk  on  the  docks  at  Buffalo.  Later  he  became 
steamboat  clerk  on  the  lakes,  for  the  then 
celebrated  Troy  &  Erie  Line  of  boats,  and  af- 
terwards had  employment  in  the  same  capacity 
for  the  Buffalo  &  Cleveland  Steamboat  Com- 
pany. After  leaving  this  service  he  spent  three 
years  in  an  engineering  corps  employed  in  the 
enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal  in  the  State  of 
New  York.  From  1858  until  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War  he  was  employed  in  a  clerical 
capacity  in  the  wholesale  leather  house  of  John 
M.  Hutchinson,  in  Buffalo.  Incidentally  it  may 
be  mentioned  that  from  1857  to  1861  he  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Buffalo  Volunteer  Fire  De- 
partment. 

Mr.  McKnight's  health  had  never  been  ro- 
bust, but  when  the  call  for  volunteers  to  de- 


fend the  old  flag  came,  in  1861,  he  became  fired 
with  patriotic  ardor  and  determined  to  give 
his  services  to  his  country.  He  enlisted  in 
Battery  G,  First  New  York  Light  Artillery, 
known  as  "Frank's  Battery."  On  March  3, 
1863,  he  was  commissioned  Captain  and  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  the  Twelfth  New 
York  Independent  Battery,  Light  Artillery.  In 
this  capacity  he  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  the 
City  of  Washington,  D.  C.  From  the  close  of 
the  Civil  War  until  1869  he  was  engaged  in 
the  oil  business  in  the  city  of  New  York,  In 
the  year  last  mentioned  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  engaged  in  the  Fire  Insurance  business, 
in  which  he  continued  successfully  until  1879, 
when  he  organized  the  Lake  Gas  Company,  of 
which  he  was  made  Treasurer,  Secretary  and 
General  Manager,  continuing  as  such  until 
1888,  when  he  became  interested  in  the  iron 
business  and  later  in  the  real-estate  business. 

Captain  McKnight  has  always  been  interested 
in  politics,  and  in  the  later  years  of  his  life 
has  been  very  active  in  furthering  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Republican  party.  It  is  but  natural 
that  this  ardent  devotion  to  the  principles  of 
his  party  should  have  been  duly  recognized. 
The  late  Governor  Richard  Oglesby  being  not 
only  an  astute  politician  but  likewise  a  good 
judge  of  the  respective  merits  of  men,  saw  in 
Captain  McKnight  a  man  who  would  be  val- 
uable to  the  State  in  one  of  the  most  important 
positions  under  the  gubernatorial  dispensation. 
A  vacancy  occurring  in  the  Board  of  Equaliza- 
tion, Captain  McKnight  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Oglesby  to  fill  this  vacancy  and  thus,  for 
the  first  time,  became  a  public  official.  He  has 
since  been  three  times  elected  to  the  same 
office,  his  present  term  extending  to  1905.  This 
continued  succession  to  the  same  important 
position  is  perhaps  the  best  comment  that  could 
be  offered  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  dif- 
ficult duties  of  the  office  have  been  discharged. 
On  the  annexation  of  the  Town  of  Lake  to  the 
City  of  Chicago,  in  June,  1889,  Captain  Mc- 
Knight was  elected  Alderman  of  the  Thirty- 
first  Ward,  one  of  the  first  two  Aldermen  from 
that  ward,  and  upon  the  expiration  of  this  term 
he  was  re-elected.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Thirty-first  Ward  Republican  Club,  and  has 
been  a  delegate  to  almost  every  city,  county 
or  State  convention  held  since  1889. 

Captain  McKnight  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  of  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac Society  and  of  the  National  Union  So- 
ciety. He  has  traveled  extensively  in  a  busi- 
ness capacity  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  country,  is  a  man  of  courteous 
bearing,  genial  temperament  and  extensive  in- 
formation on  the  leading  topics  of  the  times. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Home  Club  of 
Englewood  since  its  organization;  and  of  the 
Illinois  Club  for  many  years.  He  was  married, 
October  22.  1863,  to  Miss  Caroline  G.  Case, 
daughter  of  Capt.  Lyman  and  Rebecca  (Rug- 
gles)  Case  and  grand-daughter  of  Judge  Almon 
Ruggles  of  Ohio.  Capt.  Case  was  for  many 


950 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


years  one  of  the  most  prominent  steamboat 
and  vessel  commanders  on  the  lakes.  He  was 
a  thorough  disciplinarian  whose  authority  was 
ever  tempered  with  righteous  judgment — a  con- 
sistent Christian  in  whom  all  men  trusted. 
Judge  Ruggles,  an  early  pioneer  of  the  West- 
ern Reserve,  possessed  many  rare  qualities  of 
heart  and  mind,  conspicuous  among  which  was 
a  true  conception  of  man's  relation  and  duty 
to  man.  This  fact  gave  him  prominence  as  a 
promoter  of  the  cause  of  abolition  of  American 
slavery,  the  achievement  of  which  called  forth 
such  determined  energy  throughout  the  "West- 
ern Reserve." 

Captain  and  Mrs.  McKnight  have  but  one 
child,  Sanford  C.  McKnight,  who  has  attained 
his  majority,  is  a  young  man  of  exemplary 
habits  and  who  gives  promise  of  succeeding 
worthily  to  the  standing  and  position  achieved 
by  his  father. 

JAMES  H.  McMAHON, 

Ex-Captain,  Fire  Patrol  No.  1,  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  August  7,  1848,  was  educated 
at  the  Jones  School,  and  after  leaving  school, 
worked  for  the  Western  Insurance  Company, 
for  eight  years;  joined  Fire  Patrol  No.  1,  in 
May,  1872,  remaining  there  two  years;  then 
joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department  on  En- 
gine No.  1,  as  pipeman,  serving  for  one  year, 
when  he  returned  to  the  Fire  Patrol  and  was 
made  Lieutenant  of  Patrol  No.  2  at  its  organiza- 
tion in  1874.  Three  months  later  he  was  pro- 
moted to  Captain  and  transferred  to  Patrol 
No.  1,  there  remaining  until  October,  1884, 
when  he  resigned  and  went  into  partnership 
with  B.  B.  Bullwinkle,  in  the  teaming  business 
at  48  Custom  House  Place.  Later  he  bought 
out  Mr.  Bullwinkle's  interest  and  changed  the 
teaming  business  into  the  livery  business,  in 
which  he  is  at  present,  as  member  of  the  firm 
of  McMahon  Brothers,  at  46  Custom  House 
Place,  ready  to  serve  his  customers  with  his 
usual  promptness  and  courtesy.  While  patrol- 
man he  had  many  narrow  escapes,  but  was  al- 
ways ready  when  duty  called  and  never  sus- 
tained any  serious  injuries.  Mr.  McMahon  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Morgan  in  Chicago,  in 
1878,  and  four  children  have  blessed  this  union. 

THOMAS  McMANNON, 

Lieutenant  Engine  Company  No.  1,  Chicago 
Fire  Department,  was  born  in  County  Mayo, 
Ireland,  June  22,  1867,  and  educated  in  the 
district  schools.  After  leaving  school,  he  came 
to  America  in  1885,  and  reaching  Chicago, 
worked  in  brick-yards  and  malt-houses  until 
June  17,  1892,  when  he  joined  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment, being  assigned  to  Engine  18;  was  trans- 
ferred to  Truck  14,  January  15,  1894;  to  engine 
No.  1,  December  31,  1897,  and  promoted  to  Lieu- 
tenant, October  1,  1900.  He  was  in  the  great 
lumber  fire  of  August  1,  1895,  when  two  fire- 
men narrowly  escaped  being  surrounded  by  fire 
in  an  alley,  while  lieutenant  John  McGinn,  of 
the  Fire-boat  "Geyser,"  was  fatally  burned. 
Though  rescued  by  Lieutenant  McMannon  act- 


ing under  orders  of  Marshal  James  Heany, 
Lieutenant  McGinn  died  two  hours  later  at  the 
County  Hospital.  Lieutenant  McMannon  was 
severely  burned  while  trying  to  save  the  life 
of  his  comrades.  He  also  had  a  close  call  at 
a  State  and  Madison  Street  fire,  being  taken  out 
of  the  basement  in  an  unconscious  condition, 
but  recovered  in  about  an  hour.  Lieutenant  Mc- 
Mannon was  married  in  Chicago,  September  8, 
1898,  to  Miss  Annie  Casey,  who  died  March  30, 
1899. 

MICHAEL  T.  McNAMARA, 
Lieutenant,  Hook  and  Ladder  No.  20,  Chicago 
Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Cold  Springs, 
Putnam  County,  N.  Y.,  January  17,  1847;  came 
with  his  parents  from  New  York  City  to  Chi- 
cago in  1856,  and  was  educated  in  St.  Mary's 
School,  the  Moseley  public  school,  and  the 
Condon  Parochial  School,  at  Polk  and  Sherman 
Streets.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  in 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  blacksmith  shop 
at  Welden  Station,  running  a  trip-hammer  for 
his  father;  was  next  engaged  at  the  Michigan 
Southern  Stock  Yards,  Twenty-second  and 
Clark  Streets,  and,  when  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
were  opened  in  1865,  continued  work  there  un- 
til 1870.  He  then  worked  in  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  blacksmith  shop,  and  later  at 
Boomer's  Bridge  Works.  He  joined  the  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department,  June  1,  1872,  commenc- 
ing as  truckman  on  Hook  and  Ladder  Com- 
pany No.  1,  at  Twenty-second  Street  and  Went- 
worth  Avenue,  and  remained  there  seven 
months,  when,  in  December,  1872,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Truck  4;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant 
January  1,  1885,  transferred  to  Engine  8,  Jan- 
uary 1,  1891;  to  Truck  20,  June  30,  1892,  and  to 
Engine  82,  January  8,  1902.  He  assisted  in  the 
rescue  of  a  man  and  woman  at  a  fire  in  Lloyd's 
Hotel,  at  Polk  and  Clark  Streets,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Pazen,  in  1872,  and  on 
July  14,  1874,  carried  a  woman  down  a  45- 
foot  ladder  at  525  Clark  Street  while  on  Truck 
4,  under  the  command  of  Captain  George  Rau. 
At  the  burning  of  the  Singer  Building,  corner 
of  State  and  Washington  Streets,  he  rescued 
the  body  of  George  Dudley,  an  ex-member  of 
the  Chicago  Fire  Department,  found  on  the 
fifth  floor  suffocated.  At  the  same  fire  he  as- 
sisted in  the  rescue  of  John  Flannigan,  Pipe- 
man of  Engine  18,  and  Lieutenant  Chanfrau  of 
Engine  6,  from  the  debris  where  they  lay  in- 
jured by  the  falling  tank  from  the  roof.  He 
served  at  all  the  fires  during  the  World's  Fair 
under  First  Assistant  Chief  Musham  and  Mar- 
shals Murphy.  O'Malley  and  Kenyon.  At  the 
Cold  Storage  fire,  although  on  furlough,  seeing 
the  danger  the  firemen  were  exposed  to,  he  re- 
ported to  Marshal  Murphy,  and  was  ordered  to 
raise  the  World's  Fair  Truck,  then  under  the 
command  of  Capt.  Robert  Palmer,  to  the  roof, 
which  he  ascended  and,  after  having  gone  on 
the  roof  about  40  feet  to  rescue  the  bodies  of 
the  firemen  confined  in  the  debris  from  the 
falling  tower,  was  compelled  to  make  a  quick 
retreat  to  save  his  own  life,  as  the  fire  was 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


95 1 


then  bursting  out  of  all  the  windows  beneath. 
He  has  had  many  narrow  escapes,  one  of  which 
was  on  the  morning  Daniel  Hartnett,  driver  of 
Truck  4,  was  killed  at  the  corner  of  Twenty- 
second  and  State  Streets.  Lieutenant  McNa- 
mara  handled  the  tiller  until  the  runaway  team 
was  brought  under  control  without  a  driver. 
Under  Lieutenant  Kenyon  he  was  ordered  to 
get  a  chemical  line  of  hose  out  to  the  fire  on 
a  wood  barge  in  the  river  north  of  Twenty- 
second  Street  bridge,  near  Grove  Street,  and 
while  obeying  this  order  the  rope  tied  to  the 
barge  was  cut,  letting  truckman  McNamara 
down  into  the  water,  but  he  swam  to  a  way- 
ward boat,  and  then  returning  extinguished  the 
fire.  He  has  had  honorable  mention  of  merit 
in  General  Orders  No.  10,  of  1882;  No.  4,  of 
1887;  No.  7,  of  1887;  No.  7,  of  1888,  and  No.  11, 
of  1889.  He  is  still  ready  for  any  emergency 
where  duty  calls.  Lieutenant  McNamara  was 
married  to  Miiss  Mary  Kircher  in  Chicago,  Sep- 
tember 4,  1865,  and  eight  children  have  been 
born  to  them,  six  of  whom  are  now  living, 
viz.:  Margaret,  now  Mrs.  Petrie;  Amelia,  now 
Mrs.  Hartney;  Nellie,  late  Mrs.  Millard  (de- 
ceased), Elizabeth,  Sarah  and  Edward.  Mrs. 
McNamara  passed  away  February  19,  1900. 
Anna,  the  first  born,  died  in  infancy. 

PAUL  WHEELER  McWHORTER. 

Col.  Paul  Wheeler  McWhorter  was  born  July 
4,  1841,  in  the  southern  part  of  Waukesha  town- 
ship, Waukesha  County,  Wis.  His  father,  Will- 
iam McWhorter,  was  a  native  of  Salem,  Wash- 
ington County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  a  farmer 
and  leading  citizen.  Of  Scotch  descent,  the 
father  was  noted  for  his  patriotism  and  pub- 
lic spirit.  He  married  Julia  Anna  Wheeler, 
daughter  of  Paul  Wheeler  (after  whom  the  Col- 
onel was  named),  all  of  whom  were  born  in 
Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  of  English  descent. 
Colonel  McWhorter  received  a  common  school 
education  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  un- 
til August  20,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate soldier  in  Company  G,  Twenty-eighth  Wis- 
consin Volunteer  Infantry.  His  military  serv- 
ice covered  a  period  of  about  four  and  one- 
half  years,  during  which  time  he  was  promoted 
to  the  various  ranks  for  meritorious  service, 
until  he  attained  the  rank  of  Colonel  and  com- 
manded a  brigade  in  the  field.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  where 
he  located  and  soon  after  bought  out  the  Lit- 
tle Rock  Wood  Company,  in  which  he  was  a 
stockholder.  A  year  later  he  sold  out  to  But- 
ler, Cady  &  Gebo,  lumber  merchants. 

In  the  social  affairs  of  Little  Rock  Colonel 
McWhorter  occupied  a  prominent  place.  Polit- 
ically he  took  an  active  part  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  and  was  assistant 
Adjutant  General  on  the  staff  of  General  Powell 
Clayton  when  the  latter  was  Governor  of 
Arkansas.  He  read  law  with  Judge  Orval  Jen- 
nings, United  States  District  Attorney,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  settled  in  Arkadelphia, 
Clark  County,  Ark.,  where  he  successfully  prac- 
ticed his  profession  in  the  Eighth  Judicial  Cir- 


cuit, and  where  he  became  prominent  as  a  Re- 
publican politician.  He  was  elected  Chairman 
of  the  Clark  County  Central  Committee  and 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Congressional  Convention 
which  nominated  the  Hon.  Thomas  Bowles  for 
Congress,  and  in  whose  behalf  he  made  a  gal- 
lant and  successful  campaign.  Colonel  Mc- 
Whorter spent  the  winter  of  1871-72  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  on  the  editorial  staff  of  Gen.  Hor- 
ace Capron,  Commissioner  of  Agriculture.  He 
declined  the  position  of  Attorney  General  of 
Dakota  Territory,  and  in  June,  1872,  settled  in 
Chicago. 

Retiring  from  the  active  practice  of  law, 
he  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  and  a 
few  years  later  bought  a  farm  in  the  southern 
part  of  Cook  County,  to  which  he  moved  and 
devoted  his  time  to  the  raising  of  Hamble- 
tonian  trotting  horses  and  Short  Horn  cattle, 
owning  some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  stock 
in  the  State.  He  located  Jay  Gould's  extension 
of  the  Wabash  System,  through  which  he  be- 
came personally  acquainted  with  Gould,  A. .  L. 
Hopkins,  First  Vice-President  Solon  Humph- 
reys, and  many  other  prominent  railroad  men. 
He  was  a  Director  and  Vice-President  of  the  C. 
E.  &  W.  Ry.  Co.,  General  Manager  of  the  Chi- 
cago Fair  and  Trotting  Breeders'  Association, 
General  Manager  of  an  iron  car  company, 
President  of  the  Smith's  Steel  Car  Company, 
and  President  of  the  Peacock  Silver  Mining 
Company,  a  well  equipped  dividend-paying 
mine  of  Secora  County,  N.  M.  He  was  also  the 
projector  of  the  Waukesha  Beach  electric  line 
and  was  active  in  promoting  the  electric  line 
from  Milwaukee  to  Waukesha,  besides  being 
interested  in  many  manufacturing  enterprises, 
gold  and  copper  mines,  steamboat  companies, 
etc. 

Colonel  McWhorter  was  also  a  great  polit- 
ical student,  firm  and  reliable  in  the  Republican 
faith,  particularly  interested  and  active  in  na- 
tional affairs,  but  entirely  independent  of  of- 
fice or  political  favors,  having  twice  refused 
to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  as  a  candidate 
for  Congress  or  any  other  office.  He  is  a  man 
of  strong  moral  character,  never  has  used  to- 
bacco in  any  form  nor  liquor  as  a  beverage. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  a  Trustee  of 
the  Anti-Cigarette  League,  and  the  American 
Flag  Day  Association.  Socially  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the 
Union  Veteran  Legion,  and  the  Loyal  Legion. 
In  religion  he  was  a  Presbyterian,  attending 
the  Church  of  Dr.  Dwight  N.  Hillis.  A  man  of 
great  ambition  and  decision  of  character,  cour- 
ageous and  energetic,  he  was  an  exemplary 
citizen  whose  highest  business  ambition  was 
the  development  of  worthy  enterprises  and  a 
betterment  of  the  conditions  of  his  fellow  men. 

EDWARD  L.  McWILLIAMS. 
Edward  L.  McWilliams,  live-stock  agent,  Bal- 
timore &  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  Union  Stock 
Yards,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Turner,  111.,  July 
9,  1865,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and 
after  leaving  school,  commenced  work  at  the 


952 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Union  Stock  Yards  for  R.  S.  Gough,  Manager 
of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  still 
later  being  employed  by  Mr.  Gough  who  had 
accepted  the  agency  of  the  Mutual  Union  Tel- 
egraph Company,  remaining  in  each  place  one 
year.  In  August,  1882,  he  accepted  a  position 
with  H.  W.  Getz,  live-stock  agent  for  the  Bal- 
timore &  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  where  he 
remained  until  July  1,  1891,  when  Mr.  Getz 
having  been  promoted  to  the  local  agency,  Mr. 
McWilliams  was  appointed  his  successor,  which 
position  (1904)  he  still  retains.  His  long  serv- 
ice for  this  company  is  proof  that  he  is  the 
"right  man  in  the  right  place."  He  has  a 
host  of  friends  among  his  employers,  ship- 
pers and  his  associates.  He  was  married  in 
Iowa  City,  Sept.  24,  1896,  to  Miss  Alice  A. 
Close,  and  they  have  one  child. 

MARTIN  M'ERGANTHALER, 
Captain  Engine  No.  72,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Chicago,  May  17,  1852,  and 
educated  in  the  Mosley  public  school  and  a 
German  school.  After  leaving  school  he  worked 
in  a  barber  ship  in  the  Matteson  House,  black- 
ing boots;  later  learned  the  carpenters'  trade 
and  worked  at  that  until  he  joined  the  Fire 
Department,  January  18,  1875,  on  Engine  No. 
1;  was  transferred  to  Truck  4;  March  15,  1876, 
to  Engioe  2;  August  1,  1876,  to  Engine  8,  as 
pipeman;  promoted  to  Lieutenant  December 
31,  1884,  and  assigned  to  Engine  9;  promoted 
to  Captain,  December  31,  1889,  and  assigned  to 
Engine  47;  and  transferred  to  Engine  72,  Sep- 
tember 14,  1897,  where  (1904)  he  is  ready  for 
any  duty  that  falls  to  the  lot  of  a  brave  tireman. 

Captain  Merganthaler  was  present  at  the 
Cold  Storage  fire  of  July  10,  1893,  and  rescued 
his  driver  just  before  the  walls  of  the  building 
fell  out  on  Stony  Island  Avenue;  also  had  a 
close  call  at  the  last  World's  Fair  fire,  July  6, 
1894,  in  which  his  company,  having  been  caught 
between  the  Electricity  and  Mines  buildings, 
lost  nearly  all  their  hose,  but  by  joining  hands 
succeeded  in  rescuing  each  other  and  saving 
their  apparatus.  Except  for  the  foresight  of 
Captain  Gillespie,  of  Engine  72,  who  gave  the 
warning,  all  of  Company  47  would  have  per- 
ished. October  22,  1899,  in  a  fire  at  9138  Com- 
mercial Avenue,  the  members  of  Engine  No. 
72  were  caught,  having  two  lines  out.  Captain 
Merganthaler  was  on  the  roof  of  the  livery 
stable  when  Truckman  Rippey  called  to  him, 
and  he  crawled  out  on  his  hands  and  knees, 
thereby  saving  his  life  as  the  roof  caved  in 
immediately  after  his  escape.  The  company 
lost  their  hose  and  pipe. 

Captain  Merganthaler  was  married  in  Chi- 
cago, January  28,  1873,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Schrader.  and  ten  children — three  boys  and 
seven  girls — were  born  to  them.  The  seven 
girls  are  now  living,  and  are  named  Martha, 
Mamie,  Lillian,  Jnlia.  Josie.  Gertie  and  Cecilia. 

EDWARD  J.  MEYER. 

Edward  J.  Meyer,  merchant  and  Postmaster. 
DesPlaines,  Cook  County,  111.,  was  born  in 


New  York  in  1862,  of  mixed  German  and  Irish 
ancestry — his  father,  August  Meyer,  being  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  while  his  mother,  Katie  (Mul- 
len) Meyer,  was  born  in  Ireland.  Mr.  Meyer 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Des- 
Plaines, and  on  May  17,  1888,  was  married  to 
Augusta  Geils  at  Arlington  Heights.  They 
have  three  children:  E.  J.  Walter,  Myrtle  and 
Lighten.  Mr.  Meyer  has  been  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  for  a  number  of  years,  -and 
on  October  9,  1897,  was  appointed  Postmaster 
of  the  Village  of  DesPlaines;  has  also  been 
Treasurer  of  DesPlaines  since  1894. 

BRICE    F.    MILLER, 

Assistant  Engineer,  Engine  No.  42,  Chicago 
Fire  Department,  was  born  in  De  Pere,  Wis., 
June  25,  1867;  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  after  leaving  school  found  employment  in 
the  steam  forge  works  at  De  Pere,  and  later 
in  a  pail  factory.  He  next  became  a  sailor  on 
the  lakes  in  different  steamboats,  and  still 
later  a  brakeman  on  the  Wisconsin  Central 
Railroad,  also  on  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  Railroad,  and  tnen  for  eight  years 
was  engaged  in  steamboating  in  the  summer, 
and  in  the  winters  worked  for  the  Standard  Oil 
Company,  boiler  and  tank  making,  until  he 
joined  the  Fire  Department,  January  4,  1897, 
working  first  in  the  repair  shop,  and  as  As- 
sistant Engineer  of  Engine  No.  69,  February 
9,  1897;  and  was  transferred  to  Engine  42, 
April  15,  1897.  He  has  had  many  close  calls 
but  sustained  no  serious  injuries.  Mr.  Miller 
was  married  to  Miss  Effie  M.  Wheeler  in  Chi- 
cago, January  5,  1898. 

CHARLES  H.  MILLER. 

A  long  and  useful  life,  based  upon  high  and 
noble  principles  and  animated  by  kindly  im- 
pulses, which  has  been  faithfully  devoted  to 
industry  and  directed  to  the  discharge  of  every 
duty  and  resposibility,  may  justly  be  regard- 
ed as  a  successful  life,  without  question  of  pe- 
cuniary results.  If  a  fair  share  of  this  world's 
goods  fall  to  such  a  man,  how  much  more 
his  worth  is  determined  by  his  increased  ca- 
pacity of  good  and  cheer.  Under  such  a  search- 
light Mr.  Miller  may  be  pronounced  a  success- 
ful man  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word.  He 
has  held  honorable  positions,  has  faithfully 
done  his  duty  wherever  placed,  and  retains  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  he  was  born  June  9,  1829,  and 
where  he  was  educated  in  the  city  schools. 
When  he  became  his  own  master,  he  drifted 
to  the  West,  and  locating  in  Carroll  County, 
Ohio,  soon  found  a  standing  place  among  the 
bright  and  capable  young  men  of  that  region. 
For  two  years  he  filled  the  position  of  Deputy 
Clerk  of  the  County  Court  under  Clerk  W.  R. 
Lloyd.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
turned  his  attention  to  mercantile  activities, 
and  for  some  years  was  employed  as  a  clerk 
in  the  dry  goods  store  of  James  Huston,  at 
Carrollton,  Ohio,  and  later  in  a  store  at  Pitts- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


953 


burg.  In  1856  he  sought  out-of-doors  employ- 
ment, and  engaged  to  work  as  a  conductor  on 
the  line  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  In  this 
great  industry  he  developed  unexpected  abil- 
ity, and  his  worth  was  recognized  by  his  ap- 
pointment the  following  year  as  Freight  Agent 
for  the  road  at  Alliance,  Ohio.  In  1860  he  was 
made  train  despatcher  at  Crestline,  Ohio,  a 
position  he  held  for  eight  years.  Mr.  Miller 
came  to  Chicago,  March  5,  1868,  to  continue 
in  the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania  Company  as 
their  live-stock  agent  in  the  city,  and  in  this 
field  he  has  displayed  executive  abilities  of  a 
high  order.  He  is  still  with  the  company 
with  which  he  connected  himself  forty-five 
years  ago,  and  is  regarded  in  railroad  circles  as 
one  of  the  most  capable  men  in  the  service. 
Mr.  Miller  was  married  at  Carrollton,  Ohio, 
January  11,  1855,  to  Miss  Caroline  Jackson. 
Mrs.  Miller  is  an  accomplished  lady  of  many 
charms  and  graces,  and  has  become  the  mother 
of  four  children:  Ada,  Carrie,  Frank  and  Fan- 
nie. The  home  circle  is  an  endearing  spot, 
and  Mr.  Miller  finds  much  delight  in  his  domes- 
tic relations. 

CHARLES  S.  MILLER. 

Charles  S.  Miller,  Factory  Superintendent, 
River  View,  Cook  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Bal- 
timore, Mid.,  October  j.7,  1863,  of  German  de- 
scent, both  his  parents  (William  and  Mary 
Miller)  having  been  born  in  Germany  in  1824. 
After  acquiring  a  rudimentary  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  city,  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  entered  into  the  employment  of  the  Stieff 
Piano  Works,  remaining  five  years.  He  then 
went  to  New  York  and  was  in  the  employ  of 
Colby  &  Duncan  two  years,  Decker  &  Son  a 
year  and  a  half,  and  with  George  Woods  & 
Sons  (Boston)  for  a  short  time.  In  1889  he 
came  to  Chicago  and  spent  six  years  in  the  em- 
ployment of  the  W.  W.  Kimball  Company, 
piano  manufacturers;  then  went  to  Auburn,  N. 
Y.,  where  he  spent  a  year  with  Wegman  & 
Co.  Returning  to  Chicago,  on  January  1,  1897, 
he  assumed  the  position  of  General  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Schaeffer  Piano  Manufacturing 
Company,  where  he  has  ever  since  remained, 
and  is  credited  with  having  been  the  means  of 
more  than  doubling  the  output  of  the  company 
during  his  connection  with  it.  On  May  18, 
1887,  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah 
Pepper  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  He  is  an 
Independent  in  politics  and  zealously  devoted 
to  the  interests  of  his  calling. 

ROBERT  M.  MITCHELL. 
Robert  M,  Mitchell,  lawyer,  Chicago,  is  of 
mixed  blood,  his  father,  John  M.  Mitchell,  be- 
ing descended  from  two  generations  of  Irish 
ancestry,  residing  in  Virginia,  but  born  in 
Alabama,  while  his  mother  was  of  African  de- 
scent and  born  in  Virginia.  Mr.  Mitchell  him- 
self is  a  native  of  Alabama,  where  he  was  born 
August  10,  1854,  but  came  north  at  an  early 
age  and  was  educated  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 
April  18,  1878,  he  was  married  in  Chicago  to 


Amanda  Bass.  In  subsequent  years  he  held 
a  number  of  positions  of  trust,  including  Dep- 
uty Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the 
Northern  District  of  Illinois  for  four  years, 
and  Deputy  Clerk  of  the  Criminal  Court  for 
seven  years.  On  March  26,  1895,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Illinois  State  bar,  having  passed 
an  examination  before  the  Appellate  Court  of 
Chicago.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and, 
in  religion,  an  adherent  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith.  His  abilities  as  a  speaker  have  won 
for  him  a  prominent  position  not  only  at  the 
bar,  but  as  a  political  leader  as  well.  He  is 
now  Past  Supreme  Chancellor  of  the  Colored 
Knights  of  Pythias  of  the  World.  In  his  law 
practice  he  makes  a  specialty  of  personal  in- 
jury cases,  and  has  tried  some  of  the  most 
important  and  extensive  in  the  courts  of  Cook 
County.  He  makes  sure  the  preparation  of  his 
cases  before  going  into  court,  and  has  proved 
himself  a  successful  lawyer.  His  clients  are 
almost  invariably  of  the  white  race. 

FRANK  J.  MONTAGUE, 

Assistant  Engineer  on  Engine  No.  72,  Chicago 
Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago  April  20, 
1858;  was  educated  in  tne  Haven,  Jones  and 
Brown  public  schools,  and  after  leaving  school 
worked  for  Marshall  Field  &  Co.;  then  for 
Howard,  White  &  Crowell,  printers;  and  later, 
at  blacksmithing  for  T.  H.  Brown  and  others, 
and  later  for  himself  in  a  shop  left  by  his 
father.  He  then  worked  one  year  for  the  Con- 
solidated Ice  Machine  Company,  after  which 
he  joined  the  Fire  Department,  March  11,  1891, 
beginning  in  the  repair  shop.  After  being  ap- 
pointed assistant  engineer,  August  22,  1891, 
he  was  transferred  in  September,  1891,  to  En- 
gine 19;  and  to  Engine  63  (World's  Fair 
Grounds) ;  to  Engine  32,  December  1,  1900;  and 
to  Engine  72,  September  2,  1893,  where  he  still 
remains  ready  for  any  call.  He  has  had  many 
narrow  escapes  but  no  serious  injuries. 

Mr.  Montague  was  married  in  Chicago  Sep- 
tember 22,  1882,  to  Miss  Johanna  McGuire.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  them,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living. 

CHARLES    E.    MOORE. 

Maj.  Charles  E.  Moore,  veteran  Chicago  fire- 
man and  soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born 
in  Dublin,  Ireland,  April  12,  1821,  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Margaret  (O'Connor)  Moore.  In 
1848  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  contracting  and  building  business  and 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  In  1851 
he  was  elected  Alderman  of  the  Seventh  Ward. 
In  1854  Mr.  Moore  joined  one  of  the  pioneer 
organizations  of  the  Chicago  Volunteer  Fire 
Department  (the  Red-Jacket  Company  No.  4), 
of  which  he  became  foreman,  and  during  the 
same  year  made  a  trip,  as  the  representative 
of  the  city,  to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  to  purchase  a  hand 
fire  engine,  which  has  been  described  as  one 
of  the  finest  ever  brought  to  the  city. 

In  the  fall  of  1854  he  united  with  a  number 
of  his  countrymen  in  organizing  a  military 


954 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


company  known  as  the  "Shields  Guards" — 
named  in  honor  of  Gen.  James  Shields,  who 
had  won  distinction  in  the  Mexican  War — 
and  of  this  organization  Mr.  Moore  was  chosen 
Captain,  with  James  A.  Mulligan  as  First  Lieu- 
tenant. Promptly  after  the  firing  on  Fort  Sum- 
ter,  in  April,  1861,  Captain  Moore  was  one  of 
the  signers  of  a  call  puoushed  in  the  Chicago 
papers  for  a  rally  of  "All  Irishmen  in  favor 
of  forming  a  regiment  of  Irish  Volunteers  to 
sustain  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
in  and  through  the  present  war."  The  result 
of  this  patriotic  movement  was  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Twenty-third  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry (known  as  the  "Irish  Brigade"),  with 
former  Lieutenant  James  A.  Mulligan  as  Col- 
onel and  Mr.  Mloore  as  Major,  and  which,  after 
some  delay  on  account  of  the  quota  for  the 
State  under  the  first  call  being  already  full, 
was  finally  mustered  in  on  June  15,  1861.  A 
month  later  the  Twenty-third  was  under 
marching  orders  by  way  of  Quincy,  111,  to  St. 
Louis,  whence,  after  having  received  arms,  it 
went  to  Jefferson  City  and  later  took  part  in 
defense  of  Lexington,  Mo.,  during  the  nine 
days'  siege  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of 
that  place  by  the  superior  force  under  com- 
mand of  the  rebel  General  Price.  This  was  one 
of  the  most  noteworthy  events  of  the  war  in 
Missouri  and,  although  it  resulted  in  crippling 
the  Twenty-third  for  a  time,  it  was  finally  re- 
stored to  active  service,  and  during  the  last 
two  years  of  the  war  participated  in  some  of 
the  memorable  engagements  in  West  Virginia 
and  Virginia,  including  the  battle  of  Petersburg 
Gap  in  October,  1863,  of  Shepherdstown  and 
Maryland  Heights  (Md.)  in  July,  1864,  both  the 
battles  of  Winchester  (July  and  September, 
1864),  and  those  of  New  Creek,  Opequan  Creek, 
and  Hatcher's  Run.  In  the  first  battle  of  Win- 
chester (July  23-^-t,  1864),  Colonel  Mulligan  was 
fatally  wounded,  dying  July  26.  In  February, 
1864,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans  and, 
a  few  months  later,  was  consolidated  into  five 
companies,  which  served  to  the  close  of  the 
war,  taking  part  in  the  siege  of  Richmond  and 
being  present  at  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  Ap- 
pomattox. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Moore  traveled  over  Eng- 
land, Ireland  and  Scotland,  returning  to  Chi- 
cago in  1867,  when  he  began  the  study  of  law. 
In  1867  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  holding  the  position  four  years, 
when  he  was  made  Police  Justice,  and  was 
also  appointed  by  Mayor  Medill,  as  member 
of  the  Board  of  Health,  holding  the  position 
until  abolition  of  that  body. 

Major  Moore,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  hale  old 
app  of  eie;htv-four  years,  is  making  his  home 
with  a  daughter  at  230  Austin  Avenue,  Chi- 
cago, and  takes  especial  pleasure  in  relating  in- 
cidents connected  with  his  life  as  a  Union  sol- 
dier and  a  pioneer  fireman  of  Chicago. 

JAMES  S.  MORROW. 

James  S.  Morrow,  Superintendent  of  pack- 
ing-house of  Libby,  McNeill  &  Libby,  Union 


Stock  Yards,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Carthage, 
N.  Y.,  June  15,  1850,  attended  the  public  schools 
and  later  "Falley  Seminary,"  at  Fulton,  N.  Y., 
where  he  graduated  with  high  honors.  He 
engaged  with  his  father  in  the  tanning  busi- 
ness, remaining  five  years,  when  he  came  to 
Chicago  in  1874,  and  worked  for  the  Wilson 
Packing  Company  for  five  years;  then  went 
to  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  in  1880,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  until  1886, 
when  he  returned  to  Chicago.  He  then  entered 
the  employ  of  Libby,  McNeill  &  Libby,  as 
time-keeper,  later  being  employed  in  the  ship- 
ping department,  and  finally  as  foreman  of  the 
paint  and  label  department.  He  was  appointed 
assistant  superintendent  in  1898,  and  superin- 
tendent in  May,  1900,  which  position  he  still 
retains.  He  has  shown  by  his  close  attention 
to  business  and  kind,  pleasant  ways  with  his 
associates,  that  he  is  in  every  way  fitted  for 
the  responsible  position  which  he  occupies. 
Mr.  Morrow  was  married  in  Bellfort,  N.  Y., 
August  10,  1876,  to  Miss  Bessie  A.  Jones,  and 
six  children  have  blessed  their  union,  three  of 
whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Mary  E.,  Bessie 
R.  and  Arthur  L. 

CHARLES  DANIEL  MOYER. 

Grave  are  the  cares  devolving  upon  the  man 
who  is  called  practically  to  administer  the  af- 
fairs of  two  great  corporations.  To  fill  such 
a  position  successfully  there  must  be  a  com- 
bination of  traits  which  is  rarely  found.  To 
broad,  general  information  must  be  added  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  detail;  to  quick  percep- 
tion must  be  joined  conservative  judgment; 
and  with  a  mind  of  more  than  ordinary  caliber 
must  be  found  executive  ability  of  the  highest 
order.  When  this  combination  is  found,  we 
have  a  man  rarely  equipped  to  fill  posts  of  the 
gravest  responsibility.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  the  directors  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
and  Transit  Company,  of  Chicago,  as  well  as 
those  of  the  Chicago  Junction  Railway,  felt 
well  pleased  when  they  secured  the  services  of 
Charles  D.  Moyer  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
of  each  coporation. 

He  was  born  in  Freeburg,  Pa.,  October  26, 
1862,  and  received  his  early  education  at  the 
Freeburg  Academy  and  the  Franklin  and  Mar- 
shall College.  He  was  a  bright  pupil  with  a 
retentive  memory,  and  was  but  fifteen  years  old 
when  he  began  teaching  at  Freeburg.  After 
leaving  college  he  was  appointed  Superintend- 
ent of  the  City  Schools  at  Dewitt,  Iowa,  but 
resigned  the  position  at  the  end  of  two  years, 
to  accept  the  superintendency  of  schools  at 
Waterloo,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  for  one 
year.  Having  determined  to  adopt  the  law  as  a 
vocation,  'he  entered  Columbia  College  Law 
School,  New  York  City,  graduating  therefrom 
in  June,  1887.  For  six  years  he  practiced  his 
profession  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.  He  then  re- 
turned to  New  York  City  and  did  a  large 
amount  of  special  work  for  several  large  re- 
ceiverships of  corporations.  In  January,  1896, 
he  was  elected  a  Director,  as  well  as  Secretary 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


955 


and  Treasurer,  of  the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St. 
Louis  Railroad,  and  a  Director  of  the  Peoria  & 
Pekin  Union  Line.  All  these  positions  he  con- 
tinued to  hold,  discharging  their  duties  with 
fidelity  and  rare  executive  skill,  until  January, 

1899,  when    he    was   elected   Secretary   of   the 
Chicago  Junction  Railway,  becoming  Treasurer 
of  the  company  a  year  later.     On  January  17, 

1900,  he   was  chosen  Secretary  and   Treasurer 
of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and   Transit  Co. 

In  politics  Mr.  Moyer  is  a  Republican.  In 
private  life  he  is  affable,  generous  and  amiable. 
These  traits  have  won  for  him  many  friends, 
while  his  business  acumen  and  integrity  have 
commanded  universal  admiration  and  respect. 
He  was  married  on  October  30,  1890,  at  Mil- 
waukee, to  Miss  Francesca  Guthrie,  a  daughter 
of  George  Whitney  Guthrie,  Esq.  Three  children 
have  been  born  of  this  union,  one  of  whom  is 
deceased.  The  two  surviving  children  are 
Emma  Francesca  Guthrie  and  William  Guthrie. 
Mrs.  Moyer  is  a  lady  of  charming  personality 
and  has  attained  eminence  as  a  singer,  having 
scored  great  successes  in  Grand  Opera  in  Eu- 
rope, and  all  the  large  cities  of  this  country. 

GEORGE  MUIRHEAD. 

George  Muirhead,  Assessor,  Supervisor,  Rail- 
road Machinist  and  Superintendent,  was  born 
in  Sterlingshire,  Scotland,  May  15,  1834,  and 
educated  in  the  district  schools.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  learned  the  machinist  and  en- 
gineer's trade  in  the  city  of  Glasgow  and  re- 
mained there  until  he  came  to  America  in  1851. 
After  coming  to  America,  he  first  worked  in  the 
Good's  Machine  Shop,  Toronto,  Canada,  and 
later  for  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, one  and  one-half  years  at  Niagara  Falls. 
He  then  moved  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  re- 
mained with  the  same  company  until  1855.  He 
then  came  to  Chicago,  having  been  sent  for  by 
S.  F.  Allen,  Master  Mechanic  of  the  motive 
power  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, later  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Rail- 
road Company.  After  remaining  there  for  three 
years,  he  then  took  charge  of  the  Pittsburg  & 
Ft.  Wayne  Company's  Shops  until  October  22, 
1870.  He  was  then  appointed  Engineer  of  the 
Normal  School  at  Englewood,  where  he  re- 
mained seven  years.  In  1874  he  was  elected 
Assessor  of  his  township,  serving  five  succes- 
sive years,  and  afterwards  as  Supervisor  for 
three  years.  Since  that  time  he  has  attended 
to  his  buiiuing  and  real-estate  business. 

Mr.  Muirhead  was  married  to  Miss  Isabel 
Purdie  at  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  April  26,  1853, 
and  seven  children  were  born  to  them,  only  one 
of  whom  (Mrs.  John  Hough),  is  now  living. 
Mr.  Muirhead  is  one  of  the  pioneer  citizens  who 
has  executed  his  part  well  in  assisting  to  build 
up  Cook  County  and  the  Stock  Yards  interests, 
and  well  deserves  the  commendation  of  his  as- 
sociates. 

WILLIAM  MULLINS. 

William  Mullins,  Pioneer  Volunteer  Fireman, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Ire- 


land in  December,  1834,  educated  in  the  na- 
tional schools,  and  came  to  America  in  1849 
and  to  Chicago  in  1854.  He  worked  in  Miller's 
dry-dock  yard  in  1855,  in  July  of  the  same 
year  joined  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department,  and 
in  August,  1858,  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the 
Steamer  "Long  John,  No.  1."  Then  having 
resigned,  in  1861  he  went  on  "Liberty  No.  14," 
remaining  until  1864,  when  he  resigned  but 
returned  to  the  "Liberty"  in  1868.  rle  drove 
buggy  for  Chief  R.  A.  Williams  for  one  year, 
and  was  appointed  foreman  of  the  "Illinois," 
No.  15,  in  1869.  In  November,  1874,  he  organ- 
ized Engine  No.  27,  and  became  Captain  in 
1877,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Engine  4. 
In  1879  he  was  transferred  to  Engine  20,  and 
in  1881  detailed  as  calker;  later  was  sent  to 
Engine  27,  and  is  now  on  the  repair  list.  He 
was  married  in  Chicago,  in  1862,  and  has  six 
children. 

WILLIAM   H.    MUNROE. 

William  H.  Munroe,  live-stock  commission 
merchant,  Chicago,  was  born  at  Swansea,  Mass., 
July  30,  1845,  being  the  eldest  of  nineteen 
children.  His  father  moved  to  Brighton,  Mass., 
in  1856,  and  was  there  interested  in  the  cattle 
yard  at  that  place.  In  1860  the  ison  began 
going  to  the  Albany  Stock  Yards,  and  in  1869, 
to  Chicago.  On  Sunday  and  Monday  he  would 
be  in  Albany,  on  Tuesday  at  the  Brighton  Mar- 
ket, on  Wednesday  at  Buffalo,  and  on  Thursday 
and  Friday,  at  Chicago,  so  that  five  nights  out 
of  the  seven  were  spent  on  the  cars.  He  kept 
up  this  constant  travel  until  1883,  when  his 
health  began  to  fail.  His  doctor  told  him  "the 
human  system  could  not  outlast  a  railroad 
which  had  constant  repairing  going  on,"  and 
that  he  must  rest  up  for  repairs.  From  1869  to 
1883  he  made  Chicago  his  base  of  supplies, 
although  he  bought  many  cattle  in  Western 
markets  and  throughout  the  country,  often 
buying  more  than  100  car-loads  of  cattle  per 
day,  and  frequently  buying  and  shipping  over 
300  cars  per  week — thus  running  the  amount 
of  his  purchases  in  the  year  to  many  thousand 
cars.  These  heavy  shipments  were  used  to  sup- 
ply his  Boston,  New  York  and  export  demands. 

Mr.  Munroe  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss 
Emily  Hunter,  of  Albany,  where  he  resided  un- 
til 1887.  His  wife  and  seven  children  having 
died  during  that  time,  he  then  moved  to 
Brighton,  his  old  home,  and  in  1888  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ella  Young  of  Albany.  Four  beau- 
tiful daughters  are  the  result  of  this  union, 
and  Mr.  Munroe  with  improved  health  can 
be  found  at  his  pleasant  home  enjoying  his 
family  and  caring  for  his  large  landed  in- 
terests in  and  about  Boston.  Adjoining  his 
residence  is  that  of  his  father,  who  was  born 
February  20,  1819,  and  died  February  25,  1902. 
Aggressive  but  not  oppressive.  Mr.  Miunroe  has 
set  a  worthy  example  to  all  his  fellow-men. 

WILLIAM  WATKINS   MUNSELL, 
William   W.   Munsell,   Publisher  and   former 
Banker,  was  born  in  Rose,  Wayne  County,  N.  Y., 


956 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


October  25,  1850,  of  English-Welsh  descent,  the 
son  of  Gavin  Lawson  and  Lydia  (Watkins) 
Munsell.  He  traces  direct  lineage  from  Sir 
Philip  de-Maunsell,  an  associate  of  William  the 
Conqueror,  whom  he  accompanied  from  Nor- 
mandy and  from  whom  he  received  special 
titles  and  honors  after  the  establishment  of 
the  new  English  dynasty.  His  grandson,  Sir 
John  Maunsell,  was  constituted  Lord  Chief 
Justice  of  England  in  the  time  of  Henry  III. 
The  family  omitted  the  "a"  in  the  spelling  of 
the  name  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
and  in  1711  dropped  the  final  "1,"  which  has 
since  been  reinstated  by  the  American  descend- 
ants. The  first  of  the  family  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica located  in  the  eastern  part  of  Connecticut. 
Early  in  the  seventeenth  century  Jacob  Mun- 
sell, eldest  son  of  Thomas  Munsell,  who  was 
born  at  New  London,  Connecticut,  about  1690, 
came  to  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  and  his  genea- 
logical descendants,  to  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  included  Thomas  (1),  Jacob  (2),  Jacob 
(3),  Silas  (4),  Dorman  (5),  Gavin  Lawson  (6), 
and  William  Watkins  (7),  while  from  his 
mother  some  of  the  stanchest  Welsh  blood  was 
bequeathed  to  her  children. 

Mr.  Munsell  was  reared  on  a  farm,  the  an- 
cestral home  in  Central  New  York  having 
continued  a  family  heritage  from  1813  to  1893, 
at  which  time  the  death  of  his  father  occurred. 
He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
town,  later  attending  Leavenworth  Institute, 
Wolcott,  N.  Y.,  Griffith  Academy,  Springville, 
N.  Y.,  and  Falley  Seminary,  Fulton,  N.  Y., 
after  which  he  commenced  his  business 
career  when  nineteen  years  of  age.  He 
was  for  a  number  of  years  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  banking  business,  between  1878 
and  1893.  In  1874  he  became  interested  in  the 
publishing  business,  which  has  since  been  con- 
tinued without  interruption  and  which,  after 
1879,  was  conducted  in  the  name  of  W.  W.  Mun- 
sell &  Co.  and  Munsell  &  Co.,  until  1895,  when 
the  business  was  incorporated  as  the  Munsell 
Publishing  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Munsell  is 
the  President  and  Treasurer. 

October  4,  1876,  he  married  Florence  L.  Soule 
(who  died  May  19,  1880)  of  Savannah,  N.  Y., 
to  whom  two  sons  were  born,  Wilbert  W.,  now 
a  practicing  physician  at  Urbana,  111.,  and 
Frederick  S.,  an  agency  director  with  the  New 
York  Life  Insurance  Company,  and  at  present 
located  at  Tacoma  in  the  State  of  Washing- 
ton. July  12,  1882,  Mr.  Munsell  married  Miss 
Ida  May  Hamilton,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  who  is 
a  graduate  of  Syracuse  University.  Two  chil- 
dren have  blessed  this  union,  Fanny  H.,  a 
graduate  of  the  Calumet  High  School,  Chicago, 
and  Chicago  Art  Institute,  and  W.  Percy,  a 
promising  youth  of  thirteen  years.  The  home 
was  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  later  in  Evanston 
for  some  years  prior  to  1897,  when  Mr.  Munsell 
purchased  an  attractive  residence  property  in 
Auburn  Park  (Chicago),  where  the  family  now 
(1905)  resides. 


HUGH  M.  MURRAY, 

Captain  Engine  No.  46,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Chicago,  March  24,  1864, 
and  educated  at  the  Jones  school;  then  worked 
at  various  trades  until  May  24,  1888,  when  he 
joined  the  Hyde  Park  Fire  Department  as  pipe- 
man  on  Engine  2,  and  remained  until  Hyde 
Park  was  annexed  to  Chicago  on  June  29,  1889. 
He  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant,  May  9,  1891, 
and  assigned  to  Engine  46;  was  promoted  to 
Captain  July  27,  1897,  and  transferred  to  En- 
gine 80;  transferred  to  Engine  41,  Sept.  16, 
1897,  and  to  Engine  46,  August  1,  1898,  where 
(1904)  he  is  still  on  duty.  Captain  Murray 
was  married  in  Chicago,  April  23,  1890,  to  Eliza 
Byrnes,  and  four  children  have  been  born  to 
them:  Kittie,  John,  Frank,  and  Mary. 

WILLIAM   H.   MUSHAM. 

William  H.  Musham,  ex-Fire  Marshal,  was 
born  in  Chicago  February  9,  1839,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  parents;  was  educated  in  the  public 
school  and,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  com- 
menced to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  1855, 
while  an  apprentice-boy,  he  became  a  member 
of  the  Philadelphia  Hose  Company  No.  1,  of 
Chicago,  and  six  months  later  was  induced  to 
transfer  his  membership  to  the  Phoenix  No. 
8  Hand  Engine  Company,  remaining  with  it 
until  it  was  disbanded  by  the  organizing  of 
the  paid  Fire  Department  in  1858.  He  helped 
fight  the  first  big  fire  in  Chicago,  that  of  1857, 
at  Lake  and  Clark  Streets,  where  seven  firemen 
and  sixteen  others  lost  their  lives.  April  27, 
1861,  he  entered  the  paid  department  as  a  hose- 
man  attached  to  the  Little  Giant,  No  6,  so 
named  in  honor  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  June 
1,  1864,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Atlantic  No. 
3,  but  shortly  afterward  went  back  to  No.  6. 
While  serving  with  this  company  he  was 
severely  injured.  At  a  fire  in  a  commission 
house  on  South  Clark  Street,  in  June  1865, 
Musham  stood  between  two  firemen  when  they 
were  killed  instantly  by  falling  walls.  After 
that  he  went  to  Philadelphia  to  witness  the 
great  parade  of  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department. 
He  decided  to  remain  in  that  city  an-i,  while 
there,  became  a  member  of  the  famous  Fair- 
mount  Company.  Upon  his  return  to  Chicago 
he  was  at  once  appointed  a  pipeman  on  T.  B. 
Brown  Engine  No.  12,  and  in  August,  1868,  was 
transferred  to  the  Little  Giant  No.  6  and 
became  its  foreman. 

Marshal  Musham's  company  was  the  first  to 
begin  fighting  the  great  fire  of  1871.  He  ren- 
dered gallant  service  during  those  awful  days, 
and  on  March  1,  1872,  the  Board  of  Fire  Com- 
missioners recognized  his  work  by  his  promo- 
tion to  the  position  of  Third  Assistant  Marshal 
in  charge  of  the  West  Division  of  the  city.  In 
1877  he  was  put  in  charge  of  the  Second  Bat- 
talion in  the  downtown  district.  In  1880,  when 
Marshal  Swenie  was  made  Chief,  Musham  was 
appointed  First  Assistant  Fire  Marshal. 
Although  the  hero  of  countless  close  calls, 
Musham  has  never  had  a  bone  broken.  In 
1894,  at  the  S.  K.  Martin  lumber  yard  fire,  he 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


957 


was  swept  into  the  river  by  a  strong  wind. 
His  judgment  and  coolness  in  command  of  men 
at  fires  has  been  amply  demonstrated  on 
numerous  occasions,  and  his  foresight  and  care 
for  the  men  under  his  command  has  been  fre- 
quently shown. 

A  fire  in  which  Musham,  as  Acting  Chief 
commanded,  was  that  at  the  Manufacturers' 
Building  on  the  World's  Fair  Grounds,  in  Jack- 
son Park  on  January  4,  1894.  The  building  was 
saved,  but  the  battle  was  a  terrific  one,  the 
firemen  having  to  fight  the  fire,  from  the 
height  of  240  feet,  where  the  hose  had  been 
carried  under  Musham's  directions.  In  the  ex- 
citement of  the  time  Musham  and  Battalion 
Chief  Kenyon  were  both  supposed  to  be  lost. 
This  was  Musham's  most  brilliant  bit  of  fire- 
fighting.  The  deed  was  declared  the  best  dis- 
play of  scientific  fire-fighting  on  record,  and 
was  widely  heralded  at  the  time., 

At  the  great  Northwestern  Elevator  fire, 
August  5,  1897,  his  timely  order  saved  over  a 
score  of  men  from  death  in  the  explosion  that 
came  so  unexpectedly  to  everybody.  Musham 
was  first  assistant  at  that  time  and  had  com- 
mand at  the  danger  point  southwest  of  the 
elevator.  He  was  not  expecting  the  explosion, 
but  the  unnecessarily  dangerous  position  of 
the  nreboat  "Yosemite"  was  noted  by  him, 
and  the  order  given  to  move  farther  away 
from  a  wall  that  was  regarded  as  dangerous. 
The  sudden  explosion  that  followed,  when  the 
boat  had  moved  one  hundred  feet,  would  have 
caused  the  death  of  nearly  thirty  additional 
men  but  for  the  timely  and  fortunate  order. 
Musham  was  struck  on  the  head  by  a  beam, 
and  was  buried  under  a  pile  of  iron  sheeting 
and,  in  consequence,  was  incapacitated  for  duty 
for  two  weeks.  He  never  lost  a  man  under  his 
direct  command. 

Marshal  Musham  has  frequently  commanded 
detachments  of  the  Fire  Department  in  fighting 
fires  in  neighboring  cities,  which  were  threat- 
ened with  destruction  by  .fires  which  local 
forces  could  not  control.  Such  occasions 
occurred  in  Racine,  May  7,  1882;  at  Milwaukee, 
October  29,  1892;  at  Wheaton  and  at  Pine  Sta- 
tion, Ind. 

It  was  when  he  was  absent  from  the  city 
on  one  of  these  relief  expeditions,  that  the  late 
Chief  Swenie  gave  one  of  the  many  illustra- 
tions of  the  high  regard  in  which  he  held 
Musham.  It  had  been  reported  that  additional 
help  had  been  wired  for,  and  Swenie  was 
sought  to  deny  or  confirm  the  report.  He  was 
found  in  his  office  engaged  in  shifting  the 
plugs  in  the  switch  board,  which  indicated  the 
movement  of  the  companies  out  and  into  their 
stations.  He  was  told  of  the  receipt  of  the 
telegram  that  the  Mayor  had  asked  for  more 
help.  The  Chief  continued  to  shift  the  pegs, 
and  without  turning  around  said:  "Musham  is 
up  there,  and  he  has  not  asked  for  help. 
Whenever  help  is  needed,  he  will  say  so,  and 
until  he  'hollers,'  you  can  be  sure  that  it  is 
not  needed."  It  is  said  in  department  circles, 
that,  in  all  the  twenty  odd  years  that  Musham 


served  as  Assistant,  and  by  virtue  of  his  posi- 
tion was  in  command  many  times  before  arrival 
of  the  marshal,  no  order  was  ever  given  by 
Musham  that  was  not  ratified  by  the  chief  on 
the  latter's  arrival. 

This  confidence  in  his  judgment  has  been  for 
many  years  shared  by  the  general  public,  and 
the  grim-visaged,  alert  First  Assistant  Marshal 
had  been  looked  upon  as  the  natural  successor 
of  the  veteran  chief.  Upon  the  retirement  of 
Chief  Swenie,  June  24,  1901,  Musham  was  ap- 
pointed Chief  Fire  Marshal.  Loyal  to  his  duty 
as  a  public  servant,  and  demanding  of  all  others 
equal  fidelity,  even  where  life  itself  is  daily 
put  in  peril,  the  rugged  qualities  of  Marshal 
Musham's  character  but  go  to  show  that  he  is 
what  his  admirers  have  long  claimed  for  him 
— the  ideal  fire-fighter  and  commander  of  men. 

After  forty-eight  years  of  active  service  in 
the  volunteer  and  paid  Fire  Departments  of 
Chicago,  Chief  Musham  was  forced  to  retire  by 
politics  October  17,  1904. 

DANIEL  R.   MUSSER, 

Ex-Lieutenant,  Town  of  Lake  and  Chicago 
Police  (retired),  was  born  in  Reading,  Pa., 
December  2,  1842,  and  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  and  later  owned  one  himself 
for  three  years,  until  he  came  to  Chicago  April 
15,  1871.  Here  he  started  as  a  carpenter,  work- 
ing two  years;  was  employed  by  the  City 
Railway  Company  for  two  years  to  run  a  "Bob- 
tailed  Car"  on  Cottage  Grove  Avenue  to  Thirty- 
ninth  Street;  then  engaged  in  teaming  continu- 
ing in  this  line  until  he  joined  the  Town  of 
Lake  Police  force,  April  7,  1875,  as  patrolman, 
at  the  Stock  Yards  Station.  In  1878  he  was 
promoted  to  Patrol  Sergeant,  being  thus  em- 
ployed for  three  years;  was  promoted  to  Lieu- 
tenant in  1881  and  transferred  to  Englewood 
Station,  Sixty-third  Street  and  Wentworth 
Avenue,  remaining  four  years,  until  July,  1885. 
He  was  then  transferred  to  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  &  Transit  Company  at  Exchange  Build- 
ing until  January,  1887,  when  he  was  appointed 
Desk  Sergeant  at  the  Stock  Yards  Station,  and 
remained  in  that  position  until  after  the  an- 
nexation of  the  Town  of  Lake  to  Chicago 
(June,  1889).  In  August,  1889,  he  was  promoted 
to  Patrol  Sergeant,  remaining  two  weeks,  when 
he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant,  September, 
1889.  He  remained  in  this  position  until  July, 
1897,  when  he  was  pensioned  on  account  of  his 
over  twenty  years'  service.  He  has  always  been 
on  hand  wherever  duty  or  danger  has  called 
him.  Never  a  charge  was  preferred  against 
him  while  he  was  on  the  force. 

He  was  married  September  15,  1863,  at  Read- 
ing, Pa.,  to  Miss  Maria  Renninger,  and  ten 
children  (five  sons  and  five  daughters)  have 
been  the  fruit  of  this  union.  Mrs.  Musser 
passed  away  March  26,  1901. 

THEODORE  P.   NEWCOMER. 
Theodore   P.    Newcomer,   live-stock   commis- 
sion merchant,   Chicago,   was  born  on  a  farm 


958 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


near  Milton,  Northumberland  County,  Pa., 
January  14,  1831;  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  early  commenced  business 
as  clerk  in  a  store  in  his  native  town.  In 
1858  he  came  to  Forreston,  Ogle  County,  111., 
and  there  started  a  store  of  his  own,  by  strict 
attention  to  business,  obliging  manners  and 
honorable  dealings,  winning  success.  Desiring 
a  larger  field,  in  1864  he  removed  to  Shannon, 
in  Carroll  County,  and  there  opened  another 
store.  Prosperity  followed,  and  he  opened  a 
second  store  at  Chadwick,  a  neighboring  town. 
During  his  residence  at  Shannon,  he  bought  a 
farm  where,  in  connection  with  his  other  busi- 
ness, he  commenced  raising  live  stock  and 
shipping  it  to  Chicago.  In  1892  he  sold  out 
and  came  to  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago, 
where  he  was  introduced  to  James  M,  Doud  by 
his  son-in-law,  Richard  Fitzgerald,  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  Junction  Railway  Company, 
and  soon  a  new  commission  firm  appeared 
under  the  style  of  Doud  &  Newcomer,  which 
was  changed  to  the  Wood  &  Newcomer  Com- 
pany, November  1,  1896,  and  is  still  in  opera- 
tion. To  know  Mr.  Newcomer  is  to  know  a 
gentleman,  a  shrewd  business  man.,  whose 
kindly  face,  hearty  laugh  and  genial  ways  en- 
dear him  to  all  his  friends,  and  their  name  is 
legion.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Con- 
nelly, in  Pine  Grove,  Schuylkill  County,  Pa., 
in  1857,  and  two  children  have  blessed  their 
union. 

ANDREW  E.  NICHOLS, 

Assistant  Engineer,  Fourteenth  Street  Pumping 
Station,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Pecatonica,  111., 
January  2,  1862,  attended  the  district  schools  in 
Pecatonica  and  came  to  Chicago  in  November, 
1871,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools, 
and  later  a  business  college  for  two  winters. 
He  then  spent  two  seasons  as  fireman  on  the 
lakes,  and  one  season  as  oiler,  when  he  became 
first  assistant  engineer  on  a  lake  steamer.  In 
August,  1896,  he  took  the  civil  service  examina- 
tion and  secured  a  position  as  assistant  en- 
gineer at  the  Lake  View  Pumping  Station,  in 
September,  1897,  remaining  there  three  years. 
In  August,  1900,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Four- 
teenth Street  Station,  where  he  still  remains, 
ready  for  any  service  to  which  duty  calls  him. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  L.  Carey,  in 
Delavan,  Wis.,  in  August,  1887,  and  they  have 
one  daughter. 

REV.  G.  A.  NIEDERGESAESS. 
Rev.  G.  A.  Niedergesaess,  pastor  and  organ- 
izer of  tne  Evangelical  Church,  Blue  Island, 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1853,  the  son  of  August 
and  Dorothea  (Mahler)  Niedergesaess,  and  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country, 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching;  then  went  to 
Alexandria,  Egypt,  where  he  occupied  a  chair 
in  a  college  as  professor  of  the  French  and 
German  languages  and  Music.  During  his  stay 
in  Egypt  he  made  a  trip  to  the  Holy  Land, 
and,  in  1880,  came  to  America  on  the  same  ves- 
sel that  brought  the  celebrated  obelisk,  "Cleo- 


patra's Needle,"  from  Alexandria  to  New  York. 
After  coming  to  America  he  entered  the  Theo- 
logical College  of  the  Evangelical  Synod, 
located  at  Marthasville,  Mo.,  now  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  and  was  ordained  at  Milwaukee,  Wis. 
For  twelve  years  he  was  pastor  of  a  church  at 
Eitzen,  Minn.,  but  in  1893,  was  sent  to  Blue 
Island  by  the  Mission  Board  of  the  North  Illi- 
nois District  of  the  Evang.  Synod  of  North 
America,  and  here  organized  the  Evangelical 
Church  and  superintended  the  erection  of  the 
present  church  edifice.  His  pastorate  of  the 
church  at  Blue  Island  of  over  ten  years,  has 
been  very  successful. 

THE  DEUTSCHE  EVANGELISTIC  FRIE- 
DENS-CHURCH,  of  Blue  Island,  Cook  County, 
was  organized  with  a  membership  of  thirteen 
persons  in  June,  1893,  by  the  Mission  Board  of 
Northern  Illinois  District  of  the  Synod  of 
North  America,  and  placed  in  charge  of  the 
present  pastor,  Rev.  G.  A.  Niedergesaess.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year,  the  congregation  occupied  the 
old  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  edifice,  but  in 
1894,  bought  a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Gregory 
and  New  Streets,  and  there  erected  a  new 
church  building  at  a  cost  of  about  $10,000, 
which  was  dedicated  November  18,  1894.  In 
1900  a  parsonage,  costing  $2,300,  was  erected 
and  occupied  in  January,  1901.  The  church 
also  maintains  a  school,  where  German  is 
taught  on  Saturdays.  The  church  membership 
numbers  sixty-five  to  seventy.  A  larger  pro- 
portion of  families  are  connected  with  the 
church,  and  there  is  a  Ladies'  Society  of  eighty 
members,  a  Young  People's  Society  of  thirty- 
five,  and  a  Sunday  School  of  350  pupils  and 
fifteen  teachers.  The  present  church  officers 
are:  President,  Hans  Peetz;  Secretary,  J.  John 
Joens;  Treasurer,  F.  Witte;  Trustees,  George 
Meyer,  Charles  Wick  and  Herman  Koehler. 

FRANK  JOSEPH  NIGG, 

Lieutenant  of  Chicago  Fire  Insurance  Patrol, 
No.  5,  was  born  in  Chicago,  August  29,  1864,  and 
educated  in  the  Franklin  school.  After  leaving 
school  he  learned  the  brass-finishing  trade  at 
the  Union  Brass  works  in  1880,  remaining  there 
six  years,  when,  on  August  12,  1886,  he  joined 
the  Chicago  Fire  Department  on  Engine  No. 
32.  He  was  transferred  in  1887  to  Engine  27, 
and  later  to  Engine  55,  and  drove  for  Chief 
Gabriel  until  1892,  when,  on  June  1  of  that  year, 
he  joined  the  Fire  Insurance  Patrol,  being  as- 
signed to  Patrol  No.  1;  was  transferred  to  No. 
3  in  1893,  and  to  No.  1  in  1894;  promoted  to 
Lieutenant  November  1,  1896,  and  assigned  to 
Patrol  No.  5.  When  Captain  William  Bergman 
of  No.  5  was  killed,  February  4,  1900,  W.  E. 
Carney  was  appointed  his  successor  on  May  1st, 
following.  Mr.  Nigg  retained  his  position  as 
Lieutenant  of  Patrol  No.  5.  He  has  had  his 
share  of  narrow  escapes,  among  them  being 
one  at  the  fire  and  explosion  at  the  Northwest- 
ern Elevator,  on  August  5,  1897,  when  he  had 
a  leg  broken  and  was  severely  burned  on  th« 
head  and  back.  He  has  worked  at  all  the  fires 
ocurring  in  the  downtown  district  of  late  years, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


959 


excepting  when  laid  up  for  repairs,  but  is 
always  ready  for  any  service  where  duty  or 
danger  may  call.  He  married  Miss  Julia  Buck- 
ley in  Chicago,  March  11,  1887,  and  one  son, 
Frank  George  Nigg,  has  been  born  to  them. 

JOHN  J.  O'BRIEN. 

John  J.  O'Brien,  driver  on  Fire  Engine  23, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago. 
February  28,  1858,  and  educated  at  St.  Patrick's 
Academy  and  Skinner  school.  His  father,  Pat- 
rick O'Brien,  was  born  in  Ireland,  March  17, 
1804,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1835,  where  he 
died  October  12,  1879.  After  John  J.  O'Brien 
left  school,  he  worked  for  the  Protection  Life 
Insurance  Company  over  a  year,  and  later  as 
driver  of  a  team  for  Henry  W.  King  &  Com- 
pany and  others.  He  joined  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment April  4,  1882,  and  was  assigned  to  Engine 
12;  was  transferred  successively  to  Engines  15, 
7  and  17,  Chemical  No.  1,  and  to  Engine  24,  on 
August  4,  1883,  and  to  Engine  23,  April  5,  1890. 
Mr.  O'Brien  was  married  in  Chicago,  June  3, 

1886,  to  Mary   Doyle,  and   four  children  have 
been  born  to  them.    He  has  suffered  no  serious 
accident  since  he  joined  the  Department,  but 
has    always    been    ready    to    face    any    danger 
where  duty  calls. 

JOHN  O'CONNELL, 

Captain  Fire  Patrol  No.  4,  located  at  Union 
Stock  Yards,  was  born  in  Ireland,  March  17, 
1865,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools;  came 
to  America  and  Chicago  in  1879;  here  learned 
the  carriage-maker's  trade  with  T.  Scully,  253 
Wells  Street;  joined  the  Fire  Patrol,  June  15, 

1887,  and  was  assigned  to  No.  2,  as  blacksmith; 
was   promoted   to   Lieutenant   in   1892,  and   to 
Captain,    December   1,   1894,   when   he   was  as- 
signed   to    Patrol    No.    4,    Union    Stock   Yards. 
Mr.  O'Connell  had  many  narrow  escapes,  one 
occurring  when  he  was  going  to  a  fire  Novem- 
ber 6,  1896,  being  thrown  from  the  apparatus 
and  having  a  leg  broken. 

BENJAMIN  F.  O'CONNOR, 
Captain  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  3, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago. 
January  1,  1859,  was  educated  at  the  Kinzie 
public  school,  and  began  earning  his  own 
living  as  a  boot-black  and  newspaper  boy.  In 
1870  he  began  working  for  C.  H.  Reed,  then 
State's  Attorney,  remaining  some  years,  then 
drove  team  until  1883,  when  he  joined  the  Fire 
Department,  November  16,  becoming  Truckman 
on  Hook  and  Ladder  No.  6  ("Old  Skinner"), 
was  promoted  to  the  Lieutenancy  August,  1887, 
serving  on  Engine  4,  Chemical  2,  and  Engine 
42.  February  3,  1891,  he  was  promoted  to  Cap- 
tain, and  assigned  to  organize  Engine  Company 
No.  60;  was  transferred  to  Engine  32,  Novem- 
ber 30,  1891,  to  Engine  42,  July  1,  1893;  and 
July  24,  1896,  to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company 
No.  3,  which  position  (1904)  he  still  fills. 

At  the  burning  of  the  Northwestern  Elevator, 
August  5,  1897,  Captain  O'Connor  received  the 
order  from  Marshal  Musham,  through  Battalion 


Chief  Seyferlich,  to  move  the  Fire  Boat  "Yo- 
semite"  (Captain  Buckley)  out  of  the  way  of 
the  wall,  as  he  felt  certain  it  would  fall.  The 
boat  had  just  been  moved  one  hundred  feet 
south,  when  the  terrific  explosion  occurred. 
The  "Fire  Queen,"  No.  7  (Captain  Burroughs) 
was  hurrying  in  on  the  second  alarm,  and 
being  warned  by  the  act  of  the  "Yosemite," 
slowed  up  and  saved  herself  and  crew.  Had 
Musham  not  given  that  providential  order,  the 
death-roll  would  have  contained  about  fifty 
more  names,  and  swamped  both  of  the  fire- 
boats.  During  the  twenty  years  of  his  life  as 
a  fireman,  Captain  O'Connor  has  had  many 
narrow  escapes,  including  his  experience  at 
the  fire  at  the  Illinois  Can  Company,  No.  60-64 
Superior  Street,  where  this  Truck  Company 
won  honorable  mention  for  saving  about  thirty 
lives,  and  that  at  the  Berwin  Hotel,  248-250 
North  State  Street,  where  eighteen  lives  were 
saved,  three  being  lost. 

Captain  O'Connor  married  Miss  Mary  Braley, 
of  Chicago,  September  25,  1882,  and  five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them;  James  F.,  Mamie 
E.,  Martha,  Benjamin  F.  and  William.  In  his 
career  we  have  another  example  of  the  daring 
Chicago  fireman  who  was  never  known  to 
shrink  where  duty  called. 

JAMES  J.   O'CONNOR, 

Superintendent  City  of  Chicago  Pipe  Yards,  was 
born  in  French  Park,  Ireland,  July  25,  1855; 
came  to  America  in  1863  and  to  Chicago  in 
1865;  attended  the  St.  Patrick's,  Holy  Trinity 
and  Dearborn  public  schools,  and  after  leaving 
school  in  1870,  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  Company,  in  their 
general  office,  remaining  with  that  company 
fifteen  years.  For  two  years  he  worked  for 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Com- 
pany, for  the  Chicago  National  Bank  six 
months,  and,  in  1889,  commenced  work  for  the 
City  of  Chicago  as  bookkeeper  at  the  Pipe 
Yards.  In  1897  he  took  the  civil  service  ex- 
amination and  was  appointed  Superintendent 
of  the  Pipe  Yards,  which  important  position  he 
has  filled  with  much  credit  to  the  present  time. 

/ROBERT  P.  O'CONNOR, 

Captain,  Engine  Co.  No.  8,  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, was  born  at  Rockland,  Mass.,  March 
13,  1858;  came  to  Chicago  in  October,  1864, 
and  here  attended  the  Holden,  Washington  and 
Dore  Schools.  After  leaving  school  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  for  four 
years;  later  worked  in  the  Rolling  Mill,  and 
then  as  fireman  on  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  & 
Chicago  Railroad,  when  he  returned  to  the 
shoe  business;  then  was  engaged  as  a  con- 
ductor for  the  Chicago  City  Railway  Company 
for  one  year.  He  next  worked  on  the  Chicago 
River  docks,  and  then  spent  a  year  in  the 
shoe  business,  when  he  joined  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment, March  1,  1886,  as  pipeman  on  Engine  32; 
was  promoted  to  Lieutenant,  December  31,  1888; 
assigned  to  Engine  13  and  on  May  31,  1890, 
transferred  to  Engine  1;  was  promoted  to  Cap- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


tain  May  6,  1891,  and  organized  Engine  62,  at 
Kensington.  December  12,  1891,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Engine  28;  took  the  civil  service 
examination  for  first  class  Captain  in  Decem- 
ber, 1895, — the  first  that  was  held— was  pro- 
moted and  transferred  to  Engine  8,  July  1  ,1896, 
where  (1904)  he  still  remains. 

Captain  O'Connor  has  been  in  many  danger- 
ous positions.  At  the  Knight  &  Leonard's 
fire,  November  1,  1886,  where  several  patrol- 
men were  killed,  he  had  a  very  close  call  him- 
self. On  April  13,  1887,  at  the  J.  J.  McGrath 
fire,  he  was  on  the  fourth  floor  at  the  time 
of  the  explosion,  and  had  to  roll  down  the 
stairs  to  escape,  his  hands  and  face  being 
severely  burned.  At  the  McVicker  fire,  while 
working  on  the  fire-escape  in  the  west  alley, 
the  wall  parted  and  he  had  to  remain  until 
a  ladder  was  obtained  and  he,  and  his  Com- 
pany were  rescued.  At  the  fire  of  the  Palace 
Livery  Stables,  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Thirty-second  Street  and  Cottage  Grove 
Avenue,  December  15,  1898,  he  was  inside  work- 
ing on  the  second  floor.  In  changing  his  posi- 
tion the  center  of  the  building  collapsed  and 
Captain  O'Connor  called  to  his  men  and  Chief 
Mahoney  of  the  Tenth  Battalion  to  jump  down 
the  stairway  from  the  second  to  the  first  floor. 
Chief  Mahoney  and  one  fireman  fell  on  top  of 
the  Captain  but  all  were  saved.  Four  of  the 
firemen  were  killed  by  falling  walls  on  the 
outside  of  the  building  and  several  were  in- 
jured, including  two  of  Company  8.  Decem- 
ber 30,  1899,  at  Monroe  and  Franklin  Streets, 
there  was  another  close  call  for  the  brave  Cap- 
tain from  falling  walls.  After  hanging  on  to 
the  wall,  he  succeeded  in  climbing  to  the  next 
roof  and,  procuring  a  ladder,  assisted  in  rescu- 
ing three  fireman  of  his  own  Company.  These 
are  only  a  few  of  his  many  narrow  escapes, 
too  numerous  to  mention,  thus  showing  to  the 
people  of  Chicago  the  pluck  and  bravery  of  the 
firemen  who  risk  life  and  limb  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  City's  property. 

Captain  O'Connor  was  married  in  Chicago, 
November  3,  1878,  to  Miss  Maria  J.  Newton, 
and  three  children  have  been  born  to  them. 

JOHN  R.  O'DONNELL.  v 
John  R.  O'Donnell,  live-stock  commission 
merchant,  was  born  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  July 
4,  1871;  came  to  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1882 
and  attended  the  Cottage  Grove  and  Raymond 
schools.  After  leaving  school  in  1885,  he  went 
to  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  worked  for  his 
father,  Simon  O'Donnell,  remaining  in  his  em- 
ployment until  admitted  into  the  firm  of  Simon 
O'Donnell  &  Co.,  January  1,  1899.  Mr.  O'Donnell 
is  a  young  man  who  has  made  his  mark  among 
the  salesmen  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  and  is 
well  esteemed  by  his  friends  and  associates. 

PATRICK  O'DONNELL. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Coun- 
ty Limerick,  Ireland,  in  July,  1838,  and  educated 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  country.     In  1855 
he  emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Chi- 


cago, where  he  took  up  his  trade  as  a  horse- 
shoer,  being  the  first  man  to  shoe  horses  for 
the  West  Division  Railway  Company.  He  re- 
mained in  the  employ  of  this  company  twenty- 
six  years,  during  which  time  he  has  worked 
under  Superintendents  James  K.  Lake  and  J. 
R.  Jones,  and,  by  his  close  attention  to  duty, 
has  won  for  himself  the  confidence  of  the  offi- 
cers and  the  owners  of  the  railroads,  and  is 
highly  esteemed  by  his  friends  and  associates. 
He  is  one  of  the  good  old-time  pioneers  who 
have  accumulated  considerable  property.  He 
was  married  to  Bridget  O'Brien  in  Chicago,  in 
July,  1861,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  viz.:  Edward,  John,  Patrick,  Andrew, 
Frank,  Joseph,  Almira,  Hannah,  Irene  and  two 
others.  Mr.  O'Donnell  is  a  Catholic  in  religious 
faith  and  an  Independent  in  politics. 

SIMON  O'DONNELL. 

To  the  successful  efforts  of  no  one  man  can 
the  extraordinary  growth  of  Chicago's  live- 
stock business  be  attributed.  Yet  the  city  owes 
a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  pioneer  merchants 
in  this  line  of  trade  whose  hard  work,  unflag- 
ging energy  and  tireless  industry  laid  the  foun- 
dations for  what  is  now  the  great  Union  Stock 
Yards,  with  their  tens  of  thousands  of  em- 
ployes, their  multitude  of  separate  industries, 
their  ceaseless  activity  and  their  enormous 
business.  Among  these  early  traders  we  find 
the  name  of  Simon  O'Donnell,  who  has  been 
engaged  in  the  business  in  Chicago  and  other 
points  since  1863.  He  is  a  native  of  Lismore, 
County  Waterford,  Ireland,  where  he  was  born 
November  14,  1847.  When  he  was  but  two 
years  old  his  parents  emigrated  to  America, 
settling  in  New  York.  There  young  Simon 
grew  to  be  thirteen  years  of  age,  attending 
the  public  schools  for  a  time,  and  later  driv- 
ing cattle  around  the  old  "Bull's  Head"  on 
Forty-fourth  Street.  In  1861  he  came  to  Cham- 
paign County,  111.,  in  care  of  Hon.  J.  Frank 
Harris.  There  he  attended  school  during  the 
winter,  in  the  sumemr  working  upon  a  farm. 
In  the  summer  of  1863,  coming  to  Chicago,  he 
found  employment  in  the  old  Fort  Wayne 
Yards  on  Sixteenth  Street,  through  the  kind- 
ness of  Superintendent  Joseph  McPherson,  who 
found  him  a  place  with  Fawcett  and  Bankard, 
the  government  contractors  for  loading  and 
shipping  contract  cattle.  At  the  end  of  the 
Civil  War  in  1865,  he  left  this  firm  to  enter 
the  employ  of  Conger  Brothers,  at  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  tracks,  remaining  there 
six  months.  In  September,  1866,  his  old  friend, 
Joseph  McPherson,  opened  the  Communipaw 
Stock  Yards,  Jersey  City,  and  appointed  Mr. 
O'Donnell  Superintendent.  There  he  remained 
until  1871,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  S. 
W.  Allerton,  in  which  he  has  continued  ever 
since.  For  the  first  two  years  he  superintended 
that  gentleman's  yards  near  Jersey  City.  The 
next  year  he  spent  at  his  employer's  slaughter- 
ing establishment  on  the  Hackensack  River. 
From  1873  until  1881  he  served  as  cattle  sales- 
man. Previous  to  this,  however,  Mr.  Allerton 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


961 


commenced  exporting  beef  to  London,  and  he 
placed  his  trusted  employe  in  charge  of  the 
first  consignment,  on  March  4,  1876.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1882,  he  was  given  charge  of  Mr.  Aller- 
ton's  extensive  live-stock  interests  at  Chicago, 
his  office  being  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards.  About 
this  time  Mr.  O'Donnell  began  doing  live-stock 
commission  business  on  his  own  account, 
although  still  continuing  in  the  Allerton  em- 
ploy. On  New  Year's  Day,  1899,  he  was  made 
general  manager  of  the  Pennsylvania  Stock 
Yards  at  Pittsburg,  owned  by  Mr.  Allerton. 
There  he  buys  cattle  for  export  as  well  as  for 
all  other  purposes.  He  still  retains,  however, 
an  office  at  the  Chicago  Yards,  where  he  carries 
on  a  large  business  under  the  name  of  Simon 
O'Donnell  &  Co.  He  introduced  into  Pittsburg 
the  "Fat  Stock  Show,"  and  made  the  first  sale 
of  a  carload  of  prize  winning  steers  at  auction. 
This  proving  a  great  success,  many  similar 
ones  have  since  been  held.  As  may  be  seen, 
he  is  a  veteran  in  the  business,  having  seen 
well  nigh  phenomenal  changes  and  fluctuations 
in  both  the  New  \ork  and  Chicago  markets. 

Mr.  O'Donnell  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret 
Pearson,  of  Hudson  County,  N.  J.,  November  7, 
1877,  and  they  have  been  blessed  with  four 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living. 

THOMAS  TELFER  OLIVER,  M.  D. 

Some  centuries  ago  two  brothers  were  ban- 
ished for  political  reasons  from  Switzerland. 
They  made  their  home  in  Scotland,  and  from 
one  of  them  descended  the  immediate  ancestors 
of  the  venerable  physician  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  article,  and  who  has  long  been 
prominent  in  the  medical  circles  of  Chicago. 
His  parents,  Robert  and  Isabella  (Telfer)  Oli- 
ver, were  residents  of  Cromartyshire,  in  the 
north  of  Scotland,  at  the  time  of  his  birth, 
May  17,  1830.  He  was  one  of  a  large  family 
of  children,  and  when  he  was  seven  years  of 
age  his  parents  emigrated  to  the  New  World. 
They  spent  a  few  years  in  Quebec,  but  in  1847 
made  a  permanent  home  in  Ontario. 

It  was  in  Ontario  that  Dr.  Oliver  began 
his  study  of  medicine,  at  the  same  time  dis- 
playing much  aptitude  for  civil  and  mechanical 
engineering,  a  subject  that  awoke  much  in- 
terest in  his  mind  in  later  years.  Medicine 
and  engineering  seem  very  wide  apart,  and 
yet  it  is  the  same  keen,  analytical  mind  that 
delights  in  the  mysteries  of  science  and  the 
problems  of  healing.  He  took  up  the  study 
of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  N.  E.  Main- 
waring,  of  St.  George,  Ontario,  with  whom  he 
spent  two  years.  In  1856  he  went  to  Toronto, 
and  became  a  student  at  the  Rolph  Medical 
School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1858, 
with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  For 
some  time  following  this,  serious  ill-health  pre- 
vented his  giving  any  time  to  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  but  led  him  instead  to  devote 
much  time  to  his  other  favorite  study,  civil 
and  mechanical  engineering,  in  the  line  of  mill- 
'wright  work,  and  plans  for  engines  and  bridges. 
His  original  ability  and  thorough  understand- 


ing of  these  branches  were  shown  in  a  number 
of  useful  inventions,  and  throughout  his  career 
his  inventive  genius  has  supplied  him  with 
many  things  he  needed  in  his  work  along 
various  lines,  and  which  he  could  not  readily 
find. 

For  some  two  years  Dr.  Oliver  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Kansas,  but  came  to  Chicago  in  1875, 
where  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  he 
enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice,  and  won  an  envi- 
able reputation  as  an  able  practitioner.  For 
many  years  he  conducted  a  general  practice, 
but  later  devoted  his  time  and  attention  more 
particularly  to  family  practice,  and  chronic 
and  hereditary  diseases.  One  of  the  chief  ten- 
dencies which  mark  this  age  is  a  tendency 
towards  specializing.  A  man  should  not  dis- 
sipate his  energies  over  the  entire  field  of 
human  endeavor,  but  seek  some  branch  of  the 
business  for  which  he  is  specially  fitted,  and 
thus  reach  a  higher  pitch  of  excellence  than 
he  could  othewise  attain.  Just  as  the  stream 
limited  to  a  narrow  channel  flows  with  greater 
force  than  it  does  when  it  spreads  out  over 
the  broad  meadows,  so  a  man's  energies  shut 
up  within  narrow  lines  should  be  far  more 
effective.  Dr.  Oliver,  with  a  broad  general  in- 
formation and  a  profound  and  valuable  expe- 
rience in  every  department  of  medicine,  in  his 
later  years  gave  his  closest  attention  to  diseases 
of  the  lungs,  liver  and  kidneys,  in  which  he 
has  attained  marked  superiority.  In  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  as  in  engineering,  Dr.  Oliver 
has  manifested  the  same  originating  and  in- 
ventive disposition.  He  sees  no  operation  with- 
out proposing  to  himself  its  possible  improve- 
ment. Thus  he  has  advanced  steadily  and 
rapidly  along  his  chosen  profession  and  long 
since  secured  a  solid  footing  among  the  fore- 
most representatives  of  the  medical  science  in 
Chicago. 

Dr.  Oliver  was  married  in  1860,  and  has  had 
five  children,  whose  names — Anita,  Thomas 
Scott,  Ida  May,  Bruce  and  Grant, — betray  his 
admiration  for  chivalry  and  heroism,  a  part  of 
the  make-up  of  every  broad  minded  and  gen- 
erous man.  Possibly  his  remote  ancestry, 
which  is  undoubtedly  in  part  at  least  of  French 
derivation,  has  given  him  a  mark  of  geniality 
and  perfect  courtesy.  He  is  of  a  quiet  and 
modest  disposition,  and  has  an  independent 
and  self-reliant  nature  at  the  same  time,  and 
holds  the  unstinted  respect  of  all  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact. 

JOHN   F.  O'MALLEY, 

Captain  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  19, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago 
January  21,  1866,  educated  in  the  Washington 
and  Carpenter  public  schools,  and  after  leav- 
ing school  went  to  work  for  Field,  Letter  & 
Co.,  as  wagon  boy  for  one  year,  after  which 
he  was  employed  at  the  Rolling  Mills  for 
two  years,  and  later  for  Crane  &  Co.  (pipe-mill 
and  foundry)  for  three  years.  He  then  drove 
team  for  Gee  Bros,  until  he  joined  the  Fire 
Department,  April  2,  1886,  as  driver  on  Truck 


962 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


No.  10;  was  transferred  to  Engine  13,  as  pipe- 
man  in  March,  1887;  promoted  to  Lieutenant 
and  transferred  to  Engine  27,  June  1,  1890;  to 
Engine  20,  May  19,  1891;  and  to  Engine  13, 
December  9,  1893.  July  1,  1896,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  Captain,  and  assigned  to  Engine  30 
and  was  transferred  September  10,  1896,  to 
Truck  19  where  (1904)  he  still  remains  on  duty. 
In  common  with  other  firemen  Captain  O'Mal- 
ley  has  had  many  narrow  escapes,  but  never 
suffered  serious  injury.  He  was  in  command 
of  Truck  19  when  a  man  was  rescued  at  the 
fire  in  Brunges'  Vinegar  Factory,  Ann  Street, 
May  27,  1897,  and  when  fifteen  persons  were 
rescued  at  a  fire  at  201  West  Erie  Street,  Sep- 
tember 29,  1897.  He  is  always  to  be  found  at 
his  post  of  duty,  and  ready  for  any  emergency 
where  danger  threatens. 

CHARLES  W.  O'NEILL, 

Captain  No.  1,  Chicago  Fire  Insurance  Patrol, 
was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  November  30, 
1855,  was  brought  to  Chicago  when  six  months 
old  and  educated  at  the  Dore  school.  After 
leaving  school  he  worked  for  the  Academy  of 
Music  and  other  theaters,  as  stage  carpenter; 
then  joined  the  Fire  Insurance  Patrol,  January 
14,  1882,  and  was  assigned  to  Patrol  No.  2, 
as  private,  and  transferred  to  Patrol  No.  1, 
March  21,  1885,  on  account  of  six  members  of 
that  company  having  been  injured  at  the  Lang- 
ham  Hotel  fire.  He  was  promoted  to  Lieu- 
tenant January  1,  1886,  when  E.  T.  Shepherd 
was  appointed  Superintendent  on  account  of 
the  resignation  of  B.  B.  Bullwinkle;  was  pro- 
moted to  Captain  December  1,  1886,  and  re- 
mained on  duty  until  he  was  severely  injured 
in  the  gasoline  explosion  at  the  dye-house,  No. 
43  North  Clark  Street,  May  10,  1891;  his  head 
and  shoulders  were  there  badly  burned,  and 
he  was  rescued  by  Dick  Gillen,  Fire  Patrol 
Insurance  reporter,  at  a  great  risk  of  his  own 
life.  Several  of  the  firemen  were  disfigured 
for  life.  O'Neill  was  transferred  from  Company 
No.  1  to  No.  2,  located  at  216  South  Sangamon 
Street,  September  6,  1892,  but  while  discharg- 
ing the  duties  of  Acting  Superintendent,  has 
his  headquarters  at  the  commodious  house  of 
Patrol  No.  1,  on  Monroe  near  La  Salle  Street. 
Captain  O'Neill  was  married  on  the  25th  day 
of  December,  1880,  and  he  and  his  wife  have 
three  children.  He  has  been  on  duty  at  all 
of  the  large  fires  since  January  1882,  and  has 
had  many  narrow  escapes.  He  is  noted  for  his 
brave  deeds,  and  kind  actions  to  the  members 
of  the  Patrol,  and  by  them  held  in  great  esteem, 
having  the  good  will  of  his  superior  officers 
and  employers. 

JOHN  O'NEILL. 

John  O'Neill,  Superintendent  of  Track  Eleva- 
tion, Chicago,  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Mary 
Stirling  O'Neill,  born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  on  the 
third  day  of  December,  1832.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Belfast,  North  of  Ireland,  and  his 
mother  was  of  Scotch  decent.  They  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  about  the  year  1831,  and 


in  1834  the  family  removed  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  they  remained  until  1866.  John  enjoyed 
good  educational  advantages  and,  after  com- 
pleting his  preliminary  studies  became  a  stu- 
dent at  Westminster  College  at  New  Wilming- 
ton, Mercer  County,  Pa.,  where  he  finished  his 
studies  in  1856  at  the  age  of  twenty-four.  Dur- 
ing the  next  ten  years  he  had  a  great  variety 
of  experiences,  including  travel  and  service 
in  the  army,  of  which  only  brief  mention  can 
here  be  made. 

After  leaving  college  he  went  to  Iowa  and 
during  the  winter  of  1856-57  taught  school  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  Henry  County.  In  the  spring 
of  1857  he  went  to  St.  Joe,  Missouri,  where  he 
was  employed  by  John  Severns,  Engineer  of 
Construction  on  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe  Rail- 
road, then  in  course  of  construction,  but  did 
not  remain  long  at  this  place.  Being  of  a 
roving  disposition,  and  hearing  of  an  expedi- 
tion about  to  leave  Kansas  City  under  the 
famous  "Kit  Carson,"  for  New  Mexico  and 
Western  points,  he  joined  them  on  a  tour 
through  New  Mexico  and  Colorado  to  Utah 
Territory,  there  becoming  connected  with  the 
United  States  Army  as  Scout  and  Guide  for 
Major  Lind's  Command,  to  Fort  Hall,  in  Wash- 
ington Territory,  which  was  especially  charged 
to  guard  and  protect  emigrants  on  their  way 
to  California.  He  assisted  in  the  burial  of  the 
bones  of  those  who  were  murdered  in  the 
famous  Mountain  Meadow  Massacre  in  1857, 
two  years  after  it  happened.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  War  he  returned  to  the  East  with 
the  soldiers  from  Utah,  under  Col.  Philip  St. 
George  Cook,  and  after  a  short  stay  at  home, 
went  to  Washington  and  reported  to  Col.  Clark, 
who  was  assigned  as  Chief  Commissary  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  On  his  arrival  in  Wash- 
ington, Col.  Clark  placed  him  in  charge  of  the 
receiving  and  caring  for  commissary  stores,  at 
the  Sixth  Street  Wharf,  at  entrance  into  Wash- 
ington by  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  the 
only  railroad  over  which  the  Army  then  en- 
camped around  Washington  City  could  receive 
supplies.  On  February  27,  1862,  he  was  sent 
to  Fortress  Monroe  to  report  to  Col.  John  McL. 
Taylor,  Commissary,  and  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  receiving  of  supplies  at  that  point  for 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  it  being  the  inten- 
tion of  General  McClellan  to  make  this  the 
base  of  operations  against  Richmond.  The 
first  troops  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  ar- 
rived here  on  the  5th  of  Apr.il,  following;  he 
was  therefore  one  of  the  first  sent  from  Wash- 
ington. He  served  with  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac until  Richmond  was  taken,  when  he  re- 
signed and  returned  to  his  home  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

When  his  father's  family  removed  to  Chi- 
cago in  June,  1866,  Mr.  O'Neill  accompanied 
them  and  has  since  made  Chicago  his  home. 
Here  he  became  associated  with  Mr.  David 
Goodwillie,  under  the  firm  name  of  David  Good- 
willie  &  Co.,  engaging  in  the  planing  mill  busi- 
ness and  the  manufacturing  of  sash,  doors  and 
blinds.  At  the  end  of  one  year  Mr.  Goodwillie 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


963 


withdrew,  and  Mr.  O'Neill  and  his  brother  Louis 
organized  the  North  Side  Planing  Mill  Com- 
pany, which  was  conducted  with  marked  suc- 
cess until  the  year  1881,  when  they  sold  their 
plant  to  Messrs.  Campbell  Bros.  Mr.  O'Neill 
then  retired  from  active  business  with  an  ample 
competence. 

For  many  years  Mr.  O'Neill  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  political  affairs  and  has  been 
called  to  numerous  positions  of  trust.  He  was 
appointed  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  un- 
der the  administration  of  Mayor  H.  D.  Colvin; 
was  elected  County  Commissioner  in  1880,  serv- 
ing for  three  years;  was  appointed  one  of 
the  State  House  Commissioners  to  finish  the 
State  House  at  Springfield,  by  Governor  John 
M.  Hamilton,  in  1883.  He  has  been  five  times 
elected  Alderman  from  the  Thirty-fourth  Ward 
on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  served  in  the 
City  Council  from  September,  1889,  to  March 
28,  1897,  when  he  resigned  his  seat  to  accept 
the  position  of  "Expert  on  Track  Elevation," 
in  which  position  he  served  without  compen- 
sation until  the  election  of  Mayor  Harrison, 
by  whom  he  was  appointed  to  the  office  under 
salary. 

In  matters  of  religion  Mr.  O'Neill  holds  lib- 
eral views,  and  in  this,  as  in  all  other  matters, 
thinks  for  himself  and  seeks  to  follow  the 
prompting  of  an  enlightened  conscience.  In 
his  varied  relations  throughout  life  he  has 
maintained  a  high  character,  and  has  been,  and 
is  known  not  only  as  an  enterprising  citizen 
and  successful  business  man,  but  also  as  a  high- 
minded  gentleman.  He  has  rare  personal  and 
social  qualities,  is  fond  of  good  fellowship,  and 
is  strongly  attached  to  his  friends.  In  stature 
he  is  five  feet,  nine  and  one-half  inches, 
weighs  208  pounds,  has  a  commanding  presence, 
a  pleasing  address  and  a  ready  command  of 
language.  He  has  the  courage  of  his  convic- 
tions and  is  never  swayed  from  that  which  he 
believes  to  be  right.  It  is  owing  to  this  trait 
in  his  character,  that  he  has  been  so  successful 
in  his  long,  continuous  and  persistent  fight  for 
the  elimination  of  deadly  grade  crossings  by 
the  elevation  of  the  road-bed  and  tracks  of 
railroads  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the 
City  of  Chicago.  In  this  field  he  has  been  very 
successful,  notwithstanding  the  great  opposition 
at  first  brought  to  bear  against  him,  on  account 
of  the  enormous  expense  to  the  railroads,  and 
its  seeming  impracticability;  but  in  the  face 
of  opposition  and  abuse,  keeping  his  eyes  to  the 
front,  he  has  never  wavered,  but  kept  up  his 
stubborn  and  persistent  fight  until  every  ob- 
stacle was  overcome  and  track  elevation  for 
the  elimination  of  grade  crossings  in  the  City 
of  Chicago  has  become  an  assured  fact.  He 
made  the  first  Aldermanic  canvass  in  the  year 
1889  with  this  object  in  view,  and  in  his  last 
report  the  Expert  on  Track  Elevation  reports 
to  Mayor  Harrison  for  1900,  as  follows: 

"We  are  highly  gratified  at  the  wonderful 
progress  that  has  been  made  in  the  elevation 
of  the  road-bed  and  tracks  of  the  several  rail- 
way and  railroad  companies  having  their  ter- 


minals within  the  corporate  limits  of  tne  City 
of  Chicago,  since  the  first  agitation  of  the  ques- 
tion in  the  year  1890  and  the  commencement  of 
the  first  work  in  the  year  1892.  From  May  23, 
1892,  to  January  1,  1901,  291.88  miles  of  rail- 
road tracks  have  been  elevated  and  213  grade 
crossings  eliminated  by  subways,  and  fifty-one 
joint  subways  have  also  been  constructed,  thir- 
ty-seven street  crossings  have  been  discon- 
tinued by  elevation  and  vacation.  The  work 
has  cost  the  railroad  companies  an  estimated 
amount  of  $17,405,000.  Ordinances  have  been 
passed,  and  accepted  by  the  railroad  com- 
panies, for  the  elevation  of  232.9  miles  more  of 
railroad  tracks;  when  this  work  is  completed 
there  will  be  88  more  street  crossings  relieved 
by  subways,  and  71  crossings  by  joint  subways; 
six  grade  crossings  will  be  diverted  into  the 
subways  and  17  grade  crossings  discontinued 
by  the  elevation  and  vacation  at  an  aditional 
estimated  cost  to  the  .  railroad  companies  of 
$8,583,000— making  the  total  expenditure,  when 
the  work  is  completed,  $25,988,000.  This  work 
since  its  commencement,  has  given  employment 
on  an  average  annually  to  about  20,000  men." 

ROLLIN  B.  ORGAN. 

This  distinguished  citizen,  whose  name  is  as 
familiar  as  a  household  word  in  railroad  cir- 
cles throughout  the  American  continent,  has 
been  identified,  with  but  an  occasional  interrup- 
tion, with  the  commercial  development  of  the 
city  for  thirty-five  years.  He  is  yet  in  life's 
prime,  having  been  born  at  Washington,  Iowa, 
July  19,  1844.  He  received  a  liberal  education, 
graduating  from  the  college  in  that  city  and  af- 
terwards beginning  the  study  of  law.  In  1862 
he  laid  aside  his  text-books  to  enter  the  navy, 
preferring  that  to  the  military  arm  of  the  serv- 
ice. He  received  his  discharge  in  1864,  and 
in  1866  came  to  Chicago.  His  first  employ- 
ment was  with  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and 
Transit  Company,  in  the  shipping  department. 
The  promptitude,  efficiency  and  executive  ca- 
pacity which  he  displayed  soon  led  to  his  pro- 
motion to  the  post  of  yard  master,  which  he 
filled  for  four  years.  Next,  on  the  recommend- 
ation of  the  Stock  Yards  Company,  he  was 
made  stock  agent  for  the  Leavenworth,  Law- 
rence &  Galveston  (now  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe)  Railroad  Company,  at  Coffeyville, 
Kans.  He  remained  there  but  two  years,  re- 
turning to  Chicago  to  accept  a  similar  position 
with  the  Michigan  Central  at  the  Union  Yards. 
Two  years  later  his  services  as  stock  agent 
were  secured  by  the  Great  Western  of  Canada, 
with  which  company  he  remained  for  four 
years,  then  being  appointed  to  the  same  posi- 
tion for  the  consolidated  Great  Western  &  Can- 
ada Southern  lines.  Four  years  later,  upon  the 
amalgamation  of  the  Grand  Trunk  and  Great 
Western,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Nickel 
Plate  Company.  For  a  time  he  represented 
this  line  at  the  Stock  Yards,  but  it  was  not 
long  before  the  directorate  realized  that  the 
position,  in  which  his  long  experience  could  be 
most  advantageously  utilized,  was  that  of  con- 


964 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


tracting  agent  for  the  freight  department,  mak- 
ing him  representative  of  all  the  fast  freight 
lines  running  over  the  Nickel  Plate  Road. 

To  the  discharge  of  the  grave,  and  sometimes 
perplexing  duties  which  attach  to  this  re- 
sponsible post  which  he  yet  fills,  Mr.  Organ 
brought  the  same  qualities  which  have  distin- 
guished him  from  youth — a  keen  intellect,  quick 
perception,  sound  judgment,  unfailing  discre- 
tion and  scrupulous  honor.  He  is  a  Democrat 
and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  his  party's  suc- 
cess, being  among  its  active  workers  and  hold- 
ing a  high  position  in  its  councils.  In  1898  he 
consented  to  accept  the  empty  honor  of  a 
nomination  for  Congress  in  that  Republican 
stronghold,  the  First  Illinois  District.  His  de- 
feat was  certain,  yet  he  succeeded  in  reducing 
the  plurality  of  his  opponent,  Hon.  J.  R.  Mann, 
from  28,000  to  16,000.  In  1900  he  was  his  party's 
nominee,  by  acclamation,  for  the  Presidency  of 
the  Board  of  County  Commissioners,  but  went 
down  before  the  wave  which  again  carried  the 
Republicans  into  power.  He  is  a  thorough 
going  sportsman  and  has  done  much,  both  by 
suggestion  and  assistance,  in  the  enforcement 
of  legislation  for  the  protection  and  preserva- 
tion of  game  and  fish.  He  has  been  three 
times  President  of  the  Illinois  State  Sportsman 
Association,  and  had  repeatedly  served  upon  its 
Board  of  Directors.  He  is  a  Mason  of  high 
rank,  being  a  member  of  Chicago  Chapter,  R. 
A.  M.;  of  the  Chevalier  Bayard  Commandery, 
K.  T.;  and  one  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  Mr.  Organ  was  married  at  Washington, 
Iowa,  October  30,  1875,  to  Miss  Ida  A.  Hall. 

JOHN  ORR. 

John  Orr,  ex-Captain  Liberty  Fire  Engine, 
Town  of  Lake  Fire  Department,  yard  master 
and  foreman  sheep-dipping  division,  Union 
Stock  Yards,  Chicago,  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  October  21,  1844;  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  at  five  years  old  went  with  his 
parents  to  Wisconsin.  After  leaving  school  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Third  Wisconsin 
Infantry  on  December  21,  1862,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  as  a  private,  August  18,  1865.  He 
then  came  to  Chicago  and  went  to  Work  for 
the  Union  Stock  Yard  &  Transit  Company,  as 
yard  man,  and  was  promoted  to  yard  master; 
was  also  Captain  of  Engine  Liberty  at  the  Stock 
Yards  for  twelve  years  (1874-86),  while  at  the 
same  time  acting  as  division  yard  master  for 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company.  From 
1886  to  1895  he  trailed  sheep  from  Oregon  and 
Idaho  into  Nebraska,  when  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  worked  in  the  sheep  division  at  the  Stock 
Yards  until  he  was  appointed  foreman  of  the 
sheep  dipping  division,  where  he  is  located  at 
the  present  time. 

ADAM  ORTSEIFEN. 

To  perform  well  the  duty  nearest  at  hand,  to 
bring1  to  bear  upon  one's  immediate  task  all 
one's  faculties,  mental  and  physical  alike,  and 
to  regulate  one's  life  by  the  requirements  of  the 
code  of  morality  and  honor — these  are  the  true 


stepping  stones  to  success.  The  vicissitudes  of 
circumstance  may,  and  often  do,  necessitate 
changes,  more  or  less  abrupt,  in  one's  business 
pursuits;  but  energy,  fidelity  and  perseverance 
are  sure  to  win  in  the  end.  To  demonstrate 
the  truth  of  these  assertions,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  tell  the  story  of  the  life  of  Adam 
Ortseifen,  one  of  Chicago's  wealthy  brewers 
and  honored  and  influential  citizens. 

Mir.  Ortseifen  is  a  native  of  the  City  of  Mont- 
abaur,  in  the  Province  of  Nassau,  Germany, 
where  he  was  born  December  2,  1854.  His 
father's  name  was  Christian,  and  his  mother, 
before  marriage,  was  Annie  Roth.  After  pass- 
ing through  the  public  schools,  he  entered 
Montabaur  College,  graduating  in  the  depart- 
ments of  business  and  architecture  with  high 
honor.  For  a  time  he  was  employed  in  an 
architect's  office  at  "Limburg-on-the-Lahn," 
preparing  plans  for  the  remodeling  of  the 
Bishop's  palace,  and  later  in  the  office  of  the 
government  architects  at  Montabaur.  In  1873 
he  came  to  America,  reaching  Chicago  on  March 
3d,  of  that  year.  For  a  few  months  he  worked 
in  the  office  of  an  architect  on  Milwaukee  Ave- 
nue, and  then  engaged  in  the  sign  painting 
business,  on  North  Clark  Street,  devoting  his 
evenings  to  study  in  the  Art  School,  then  lo- 
cated at  State  and  Monroe  Streets.  He  soon  re- 
moved to  a  better  location  at  State  and  Sev- 
enteenth Streets,  where  he  had  a  large,  well- 
paying  shop.  He  did  a  large  business  in  paint- 
ing signs  for  brewers,  and  it  was  while  painting 
a  large  picture  of  "Germania,"  in  a  hall,  in  1877, 
that  he  first  met  Mr.  McAvoy.  Not  long  after- 
ward he  was  employed  by  the  McAvoy  Brewing 
Company  to  devote  himself  exclusively  to  the 
conduct  of  their  sign-painting  business.  After 
two  years,  however,  the  company  decided  to 
abandon  painting  its  own  signs,  and  Mr.  Ort- 
seifen was  assigned  to  new  duties.  Quick  of 
perception  and  ready  of  execution,  faithful  and 
ambitious,  he  mastered  details  with  remark- 
able facility.  He  was  given  the  agency  for 
the  South  Side,  and  his  industry  and  capacity 
soon  led  to  his  being  made  agent  for  the  entire 
city.  Then  followed  his  promotion  to  the  po- 
sition of  manager,  and  in  1892  he  was  elected 
to  the  Vice-Presidency  of  the  company,  and 
October,  1902,  to  the  Presidency  of  the  McAvoy 
and  Wacker  &  Birk  Brewing  and  Malting  Com- 
pany, which  he  still  holds. 

In  1899  Mr.  Ortseifen  was  elected  City  Treas- 
urer on  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  has  never 
either  held  or  sought  any  other  office.  He 
is  Secretary  of  the  Chicago-Milwaukee  Brewers' 
Association,  and  prominent  in  many  of  the 
German  societies  of  the  city. 

In  Masonry  Mr.  Ortseifen  has  attained  the 
highest  rank.  He  was  made  a  Master  Mason 
in  1890,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Oriental  Con- 
sistory of  the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish 
Rite.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  In  1879 
he  married  Miss  Josephine  Kruger,  of  Chicago. 
Their  four  children  are  named  Adolph  J., 
George,  Josephine,  and  Margaret. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


965 


JOSEPH  OSHER. 

Joseph  Osher,  live-stock  buyer  and  packer, 
was  born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  January  15,  1837, 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  After 
leaving  school  he  went  to  Burtalo,  N.  Y.,  in 
!So3  and  worked  for  "French  Frank"  as 
butcher.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1859  to  the 
Ft.  Wayne  Stock  Yards,  feeding  and  taking 
care  of  live-stock  for  Joseph  MoPherson,  Super- 
intendent. He  bought  hogs  for  S.  W.  Allerton 
in  1862,  and  owned  an  interest  in  the  Aller- 
ton Packing  Company  until  its  sale  to  the  Eng- 
lish syndicate.  Later  he  bought  hogs  for 
Thomas  Wells  for  two  years,  and  then  for  the 
English  Syndicate  and  later  for  the  Interna- 
tional Packing  Company  up  to  1899.  Mr.  Osher 
was  married  to  Miss  Laura  Bridgman,  in  Chi- 
cago, in  1862,  and  two  children  blessed  their 
union.  Mrs.  Osher  died  August  19,  1878,  and  in 
September,  1887,  Mr.  Osner  married  Miss  Ellen 
Cooley,  of  Chicago,  who  is  now  deceased.  Here 
we  have  an  old  timer  who  has  done  his  part 
towards  promoting  the  interests  of  the  Union 
Stock  Yards  of  Chicago. 

JOSEPH  EDWARD  OTIS. 

Joseph  E.  Otis  (deceased),  son  of  Joseph  and 
Nancy  (Billings)  Otis,  was  born  in  Berlin,  Erie 
County,  Ohio,  April  30,  1830.  His  education, 
other  than  that  obtained  by  his  contact  with 
people  and  his  extensive  travels  in  later  life, 
was  received  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  town  and  in  a  three  years'  academic 
course  in  the  Huron  Institute,  at  Milan,  Ohio. 
In  1851,  just  after  reaching  his  majority,  he 
was  appointed  Postmaster  at  Berlin,  serving  in 
this  capacity  until  1855,  when  he  accepted  a 
position  as  cashier  of  the  Milan  Bank  at  a 
salary  of  $600  a  year.  A  short  time  later  he 
bought  a  half  interest  in  the  institution,  and 
continued  to  be  actively  connected  with  it  until 
1862,  when  the  business  was  brought  to  a  close. 
Through  the  vicissitudes  of  the  banking  busi- 
ness a  couple  of  vessels  on  the  Great  Lakes 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  firm  in  1860, 
and  in  July  of  that  year  Mr.  Otis  came  to  Chi- 
cago to  look  after  them.  They  were  principally 
used  in  shipping  grain  from  Chicago  to  Buf- 
falo and  .Oswego,  N.  Y.,  bringing  back  coal 
from  Erie,  Pa.,  and  from  Cleveland,  Ohio.  At 
this  time  the  prices  for  carrying  wheat  from 
Chicago  to  Buffalo  were  very  high  and  the 
business  profitable.  The  return  trips,  when 
coal  was  carried,  were  invariably  successful, 
cargoes  being  bought  at  Erie  and  Cleveland 
and  being  sold  in  Chicago  at  a  good  profit. 
One  of  the  partners  in  the  business  died  in 
1864,  and  in  the  settlement  of  the  firm's  af- 
fairs the  vessels  were  sold. 

Mr.  Otis  then  began  his  investments  in  Chi- 
cago real  estate,  generally  purchasing  vacant 
central  property  and  subsequently  improving 
it.  Tnese  investments  were,  without  exception, 
fortunate,  because  of  his  foresight  in  the  esti- 
mation of  present  and  prospective  values,  and 
he  stood  among  the  most  conservative  real-es- 
tate owners  of  Chicago.  His  interests  in  Chi- 


cago, however,  were  not  entirely  confined  to 
real-estate  matters.  In  1868,  in  connection  with 
Matthew  Laflin,  John  V.  Farwell,  P.  Will- 
ard,  James  Woodworth  and  others,  he  assisted 
in  the  organization  of  the  Chicago  Fire  In- 
surance Company.  The  company  was  char- 
tered under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
with  a  paid-in  capital  of  $100,000,  and  he  was 
chosen  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
holding  this  position  for  three  years.  Mr. 
Otis  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  from  the  Second  Ward  in  the  spring 
of  1870,  and  during  his  term  of  two  years, 
served  on  the  Finance  Committee  and  the  Com- 
mittee on  Streets  and  Alleys  in  the  South 
Division.  Although  elected  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  he  was  not  a  partisan  in  the  strict  sense 
of  that  term,  especially  in  municipal  affairs. 

In  his  late  years  Mr.  Otis  had  been  retired 
from  active  business,  spending  much  of  his  time 
abroad.  He  was  always  an  extensive  traveler, 
visited  most  of  the  civilized  countries  of  the 
Eastern  Continent,  the  winter  of  1888  having 
been  spent  in  Egypt  studying  the  country  and 
its  interesting  antiquities,  and  in  1894  he  made 
a  trip  around  the  world.  He  was  particularly 
interested  in  Cuba,  and  made  an  extensive  study 
of  the  industries  of  the  island  and  the  condi- 
tions under  which  they  exist.  He  made  two 
trips  through  that  country,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1898  was  at  Key  West,  on  his  return  from 
a  trip  through  some  of  the  adjacent  West  In- 
dian islands,  at  the  time  the  battleship  Maine 
was  destroyed. 

Mr.  Otis'  wife  was  Miss  Ellen  Marie  Taylor, 
a  daughter  of  Judge  S.  F.  and  Judith  (Kel- 
logg) Taylor,  of  Milan,  Ohio.  Four  children 
survive:  Joseph  E.,  Jr.,  Ralph  C.,  Mrs.  J.  E. 
Jenkins  and  Mrs.  H.  W.  Buckingham. 

Mr.  Otis  died  March  7,  1902,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years,  after  an  illness  of  nearly  a 
year,  during  which  he  was  able  to  spend  but 
little  time  at  his  place  of  business. 

MISS  ELLEN  PAGE. 

Miss  Ellen  Page,  Arlington  Heights,  111.,  was 
born  in  Elk  Grove,  Cook  County,  111.,  May  11, 
1841.  Her  parents,  Frederick  W.  and  Selenda 
(Noyes)  Page,  were  both  natives  of  New 
Hampshire — the  former  born  March  13,  1813, 
and  the  latter,  December  27,  1811.  Both  Mr. 
Page's  grandfather  and  father  (each  named 
John)  were  natives  of  the  Granite  State.  The 
father  was  elected  United  States  Senator  in 
1836  to  succeed  Gov.  Isaac  Hill,  resigned,  and 
in  1839,  was  chosen  to  succeed  Hill  in  the  gov- 
ernorship, remaining  in  office  until  1842.  Fred- 
erick W.  Page  came  to  Cook  County,  111.,  in 
1834,  locating  in  Elk  Grove  Township,  where 
he  became  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  1.000  acres. 
Two  years  after  his  arrival  in  Cook  County, 
he  returned  to  New  Hampshire  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Selenda  Noyes,  and  returned  to 
Illinois  by  wagon,  the  journey  requiring  six 
weeks.  In  December,  1883.  he  removed  to  Ar- 
lington Heights,  where  he  died  April  9,  1886. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Page  had  eight  children:  John 


966 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


C.,  born  June  21,  1837,  died  April  12,  1898; 
Sarah  E.,  born  December  13,  1838,  died  June  20, 
1895;  Ellen,  born  May  11,  1841;  Hannah  L., 
born  June  28,  1844;  Hiram,  born  July  1,  1846; 
Fred  W.,  Jr.,  born  February  5,  1849,  died  Octo- 
ber 14,  1872;  Martha  A.;  born  April  27,  1851; 
George  R.,  born  June  20,  1853,  died  March  2 
1885. 

POTTER  PALMER. 

It  was  a  goodly  heritage  of  courage,  indus- 
try, integrity  and  ability  that  Potter  Palmer 
owed  to  his  forefathers  who  were  of  the  best 
New  England  stock.  They  had  played  their 
part  in  the  starting  of  the  young  colonies;  in 
their  fight  for  freedom  and  their  firm  establish- 
ment. To  their  children  and  their  children's 
children,  they  transmitted  full  measure  of  that 
strength  and  enterprise  which  has  placed  this 
country  where  it  is  today— in  the  forefront  of 
civilized  peoples. 

Potter  Palmer,  born  in  Albany  County,  N.  Y., 
May  20,  1826,  was  descended  from  two  distin- 
guished colonial  families  whose  combined 
names  he  bore,  the  Potters  and  the  Palmers, 
'me  Palmer  family  was  descended  from  Wal- 
ter Palmer,  a  companion  of  John  Endicott 
when  he  came  to  America.  Walter  Palmer 
settled  at  Wequetequock,  Conn.,  near  Stoning- 
ton,  where  the  Palmer  family  reunions  are  held 
to  this  day.  Mr.  Palmer's  ancestors  established 
themselves  at  an  early  day  in  New  Bedford, 
and  were  among  its  most  notable  citizens.  They 
felt  the  charm  of  the  sea  and  were  engaged 
in  foreign  commerce,  but  the  loss  of  several 
members  of  the  family  in  one  year  at  sea,  so 
shocked  them  that  one  branch  decided  to  re- 
move far  from  its  influence,  and  early  in  the 
nineteenth  century  went  to  Albany  County, 
New  York,  where  they  became  prominent  mem- 
uers  of  a  prosperous  community.  Here  (later) 
the  son,  Benjamin  Palmer,  owned  four  stock 
farms,  and  here  he  married  Rebecca  Potter  of 
equally  well  Known  colonial  ancestry. 

Potter  Palmer  was  the  fourth  son  and  grew 
up  in  the  shadow  of  the  Catskills,  and  their 
vast,  lonely  spaces  left  an  indelible  impression 
on  his  mind,  which  probably  did  much  to 
strengthen  his  predilection  for  a  very  different 
life.  The  silence  and  monotony  of  the  country 
was  distasteful  to  him  all  through  life.  The  city 
called  him,  and  he  seemed  instinctively  to  feel 
that  its  busy  streets  offered  him  the  oppor- 
tunity for  action  that  would  give  development 
to  his  powers.  When  he  was  seventeen  years 
of  age,  having  acquired  a  good  education,  he 
left  home  to  learn  to  be  a  merchant,  his  father 
promising  to  give  him  capital  with  which  to 
start  in  business  when  he  had  gained  experi- 
ence. His  first  start  was  as  a  clerk  in  a  coun- 
try store,  postofflce  and  bank  at  Durham,  New 
York.  Here  his  extraordinary  abilities  were  so 
swiftly  demonstrated  that  he  was,  after  two 
years,  placed  in  charge  of  the  establishment. 
In  the  light  of  later  years  the  record  of  his 
early  ability  is  most  interesting  and  signifi- 
cant, for  never  was  a  man's  success  due  more 
to  his  own  native  ability  and  less  to  outward 


circumstances.  Nothing  came  to  him  by  chance. 
He  reaped  only  where  he  sowed.  Industry  and 
thrift  soon  enabled  him  to  start  a  dry-goods 
store  at  Oneida,  which  later  he  disposed  of  to 
open  a  larger  one  at  Lockport.  But  he  was 
dissatisfied  with  the  stagnancy  of  small  towns 
and  sought  larger  opportunities  for  his  efforts. 
He  hesitated  between  New  York  City  and  the 
great  and  rapidly  developing  West,  which  of- 
fered a  most  attractive  field. 

In  1852  Mr.  Palmer  visited  Chicago,  which 
was  then  showing  its  great  promise  and  draw- 
ing men  of  enterprise  and  ability  from  the 
older  sections  of  the  country.  The  Chicago 
of  that  day,  which  was  reached  by  the  Erie 
Canal,  stage  routes  or  limited  sections  of  rail- 
road, was  a  pretty  town  with  broad  streets,  and 
homelike  houses  set  in  shady  gardens,  where 
lived  and  moved  a  society  of  unusually  agree- 
able and  cultivated  people.  While  the  block- 
house and  fort,  which  shortly  before  had 
marked  the  most  north-westerly  point  held 
by  the  Government  against  the  Indians,  were 
still  central  features,  Chicago  was  already 
marked  out  as  a  great  railroad  center  and 
held  a  commanding  position  on  the  great  lakes. 
The  fertile  Northwest  and  Southwest  were  just 
being  opened  up,  rich  wheat  fields  showing 
their  promise,  and  the  future  success  of  the 
city  was  beyond  question.  Nevertheless,  St. 
Louis  was  still  the  undoubted  commercial  cen- 
ter of  the  West,  while  Chicago's  experiences 
with  inflated  railway  and  realty  values,  the 
recent  ravages  of  cholera,  had  disheartened 
those  chiefly  interested  in  the  young  city.  This 
state  of  public  sentiment  should  be  especially 
noted,  for  nothing  was  more  indicative  of  the 
peculiar  caliber  of  Mr.  Palmer's  mind  than  that 
he  could  come  to  a  community  at  a  trying  mo- 
ment of  discouragement,  and,  looking  out  and 
beyond,  with  that  clear,  unerring  vision  of  his, 
see  the  real  future  of  the  city  of  his.  adoption. 
This  self-reliance  and  faith  in  his  own  judg- 
ment was  the  keynote  of  his  character. 

While  this  young  visitor  was  infected  with 
belief  in  the  future  of  Chicago,  the  latter  was 
inhospitable  enough  to  infect  him  with  some- 
thing less  desirable,  and  its  future  merchant 
prince  was  prostrated  by  an  attack  of  cholera, 
then  raging,  through  which  he  was  carefully 
nursed  by  friends. 

Captivated  by  the  young  and  prosperous  city, 
he  decided  to  locate  in  it.  He  returned  to  the 
East,  sold  his  business  in  Lockport,  purchased 
a  stock  of  goods  in  New  York,  reinforced  his 
own  capital  by  the  addition  thereto  given  him 
by  his  father,  and  established  the  business 
through  which  the  name  of  Potter  Palmer  be- 
came known  all  over  the  Northwest,  and  the 
business  has  ever  since  retained  the  leading 
position  in  which  he  placed  it  at  the  begin- 
ning. His  establishment  was  on  Lake  Street, 
then  the  principal  business  street  of  the  city. 
The  new  methods  inaugurated  by  the  brilliant 
young  merchant  were  destined  to  completely 
revolutionize  retail  trade  the  world  over.  They 
included  extensive  advertising,  an  attractive 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


967 


display  of  goods,  and  a  hitherto  unheard  of  lib- 
erality and  courtesy  towards  the  public,  which 
altogether  removed  the  then  mistrustful  atti- 
tude of  the  customer  towards  the  merchant. 
Mr.  Palmer,  from  the  first,  wished  it  understood 
that  his  name  stood  for  fair  and  generous  deal- 
ing, that  he  intended  his  customers  should  be 
satisfied  and  receive  full  value  for  their  money, 
and  what  has  now  become  the  usage  of  all  the 
world  was  evolved  from  this  vigorous  young 
brain.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  he  origin- 
ated the  idea,  and  was  the  first  retail  merchant 
in  the  world  to  make  a  practice  of  permtiting  a 
customer  to  return  a  purchase  and  receive  in 
exchange  other  goods  or  the  money  itself  at  the 
customer's  option,  and  was  the  first  merchant 
to  send  goods  out,  subject  to  approval,  to  the 
homes  of  customers.  He  was  the  first  to  dis- 
play particular  lines  of  goods  on  a  particular 
day  and  to  establish  the  bargain  sales.  Though 
welcomed  by  the  public,  these  methods  were 
opposed  by  his  business  competitors,  who  were, 
however,  all  forced  to  follow  his  example  and, 
ultimately,  to  acknowledge  his  wisdom. 

Such  was  the  success  of  the  new  stand  taken 
that  it  spread  universally.  The  head  of  the 
firm  of  Macy  &  Company,  that  large  and  suc- 
cessful New  York  house,  acknowledged  to  Mr. 
Palmer  later  that  he  had  sent  a  special  agent 
to  Chicago  to  study  his  new  methods,  and  had 
approved  and  adopted  them.  Once  introduced 
these  methods  became  general  in  New  York, 
as  they  had  already  become  in  Chicago,  and 
thence  they  spread  to  the  Bon  Marche,  in  Paris, 
and  became  universal  throughout  the  world  of 
commerce.  Through  the  new  methods  he  intro- 
duced, his  business  prospered  so  remarkably 
that  he  distanced  all  competitors,  and,  at  the 
end  of  ten  years,  was  universally  known  as 
the  proprietor  of  the  largest  leading  mercantile 
business  in  the  Northwest. 

It  is  notable,  also,  that  Mr.  Palmer  never 
had  a  business  partner — that  his  success  came 
entirely  through  his  own  efforts.  During  his 
entire  career  he  was  noted  for  his  unflinching 
energy,  which  was  directed  by  his  wonderful 
perceptive  faculty  and  his  notable  power  of 
organization;  and  these  qualities,  added  to  his 
just  and  generous  dealing  with  the  public, 
brought  him  the  success  which  he  achieved  in 
so  many  different  directions.  His  remarkable 
success,  however,  was  attained  at  the  cost  of  his 
health,  which  temporarily  failed,  and  by  his 
physician's  advice,  when  only  forty-one  years 
old,  he  decided  to  give  up  active  business  for 
rest  and  travel.  While  it  meant  much  for  this 
comparatively  young  man  to  hand  over  to 
others  the  results  of  his  own  efforts,  yet  he 
bravely  faced  the  inevitable,  and  with  swift 
decision  made  his  arrangements.  The  age  of 
stock  companies  not  yet  having  come,  he  de- 
cided to  sell  out  his  business.  He  showed  his 
keen  knowledge  of  human  character  by  select- 
ing two  young  men  comparatively  little  known 
at  that  time,  Marshall  Field  and  Levi  Z.  Leiter, 
whose  subsequent  success  justified  his  judg- 
ment, and  he  aided  them  to  acquire  all  he 


turned  over  to  them,  by  leaving  with  them  for 
several  years  his  name,  part  of  his  capital  and 
his  credit,  until  their  own  resources  enabled 
them  to  control  the  business. 

After  two  or  three  years  of  rest  and  travel, 
Mr.  Palmer  returned  to  Chicago  with  renewed 
strength.  Debarred  by  ill-health  from  one  field 
of  activity,  he  could  not  remain  quiescent,  but 
speedily  became  pre-eminent  in  another  less 
exacting  but  more  important  department,  for 
he  now  decided  to  invest  in  real-estate  the 
millions  of  which  he  was  then  possessed.  These 
investments  led  in  the  end  to  his  becoming  the 
most  forceful,  formative  influence,  and  the 
greatest  leader  in  the  up-building  of  the  city. 
More  than  any  other  man,  he  molded  and 
shaped  the  Chicago  of  today,  because  his  sound 
judgment,  aided  by  his  clear-sighted  prevision 
of  what  the  city's  future  was  destined  to  be, 
enabled  him  to  assume  leadership  when  doubt 
as  to  the  future  made  others  hesitate. 

His  principal  achievement  at  this  time  was 
changing  the  entire  channel  of  the  retail  busi- 
ness of  the  city  from  Lake  Street,  which  ran 
east  and  west,  to  State  Street,  running  north 
and  south.  Such  an  enterprise  has  never  before 
been  attempted  and  carried  out  in  any  large 
city  by  one  man.  Having  convinced  himself, 
-after  careful  thought,  that  State  Street,  and 
not  Lake  Street,  was  the  logical  business 
thoroughfare  of  the  city,  Mr.  Palmer  under- 
took the  great  work.  State  Street  was  then 
a  narrow,  ugly  route,  ill-paved,  ill-drained  and 
bordered  by  unsightly,  irregular  structures,  but 
he  purchased  about  a  mile  of  frontage  on  this 
street,  and,  in  less  than  four  years,  after  in- 
credible difficulties  with  less  liberal  and  enlight- 
ened property  owners  and  the  City  Council,  he 
had  accomplished  his  object.  State  Street  was 
widened  twenty  feet  for  its  entire  length.  The 
unerring  character  of  Mr.  Palmer's  judgment  is 
illustrated  by  the  development  of  this  plan, 
and  his  first  purchase  of  property  on  State 
Street  is,  today,  the  site  of  the  palatial  home 
of  the  greatest  retail  dry-goods  business  the 
world  has  ever  known — the  one  which  he  him- 
self originally  established. 

On  the  newly  broadened,  well-paved  thor- 
oughfare, he  erected,  one  after  the  other,  the 
finest  commercial  buildings  Chicago  had  yet 
seen,  much  in  advance  of  its  needs  of  the  mo- 
ment, into  which  the  Lake  Street  merchants 
moved  as  fast  as  they  were  completed;  and  for 
this  wide,  commercial  highway  Chicago  gives 
credit  to  the  foresight  and  energy  of  one 
citizen. 

So  interwoven  were  the  fate  and  fortunes  of 
the  man  and  his  adopted  city,  that,  when  the 
great  fire  of  1871  swept  Chicago  it  seemed  at 
first  as  if  both  had  been  ruined.  But  the  story 
of  the  rise  of  both  from  the  crushing  blow  is 
one  of  the  romances  of  modern,  industrial  life. 
The  long  years  of  his  successful  integrity  bore 
their  fruit  when  the  Connecticut  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company  made  to  Mr.  Palmer  the 
largest  loan,  $1,700,000.  that  it  had,  until  that 
time,  made  to  an  individual.  With  this  he 


g68 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


started  on  the  task,  for  the  third  time  in  his 
life,  of  building  up  a  great  estate.  But  this 
time  he  had  an  especial  incentive;  for  in  1871 
he  had  married  Miss  Bertha  Honore,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Mr.  Henry  H.  Honore,  a  promi- 
nent capitalist  and  real-estate  holder  of  Chi- 
cago. Of  this  union  there  were  two  sons, 
Honore  and  Potter,  both  of  whom  are  living 
in  Chicago  and  have  attained  prominence  there. 

His  work  as  South  Park  Commissioner,  in 
opening  the  South  Park  and  Boulevards,  will  be 
a  lasting  monument  to  his  taste  and  far-seeing 
wisdom.  But,  perhaps  the  chief  achievement 
to  be  identified  with  this  era  of  his  life,  is  the 
opening  up  of  the  waste  lands  north  of  Chicago 
Avenue  and  east  of  Rush  Street,  and  turning 
these  sand  dunes  and  swamps  into  the  now 
beautiful  Lake  Shore  Drive  district,  in  the  cen- 
ter of  which  he  placed  his  own  splendid  home, 
facing  the  lake,  looking  toward  Lincoln  Park 
to  the  north  and  the  city  harbor  to  the  south. 
Here  he  established  himself  and  his  family, 
now  consisting  of  his  wife  and  two  sons,  and 
spent  those  last  full  years  of  harvest  and  frui- 
tion which  should  crown  a  life  of  such  high  en- 
deavor, where  honor,  justice  and  consideration 
for  others  went  hand  in  hand  with  an  extraor- 
dinary ability,  energy  and  success.  During  his 
long  years  in  Chicago  there  were  few  projects 
for  the  improvement  of  the  city,  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  her  industrial,  artistic,  literary 
and  social  life,  in  which  Mr.  Palmer  was  not 
actively  interested.  He  was  an  incorporator 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  an  early  man- 
ager of  the  Chicago  Library  Association,  one  of 
the  first  subscribers  to  the  Chicago's  May  festi- 
vals, one  of  the  three  creators  of  the  Chicago 
Interstate  Industrial  Exposition,  and  Vice-Pres- 
ident and  a  Director  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition.  In  all  these  varied  objects  and  in- 
terests his  wife  was  his  most  sympathetic  and 
able  assistant. 

Though  he  was  always  keenly  interested  in 
public  questions,  and  took  an  active  part  in 
them  when  it  was  to  the  interests  of  his  adopt- 
ed city,  Mr.  Palmer  did  not  care  for  the  distinc- 
tion which  comes  from  public  office.  In  1870 
he  declined  a  position  in  President  Grant's 
Cabinet,  when  the  latter  offered  him  the  port- 
folio of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  This  is 
only  •  one  of  the  many  times  Mr.  Palmer  de- 
clined public  recognition  of  his  great  abilities. 
No  man  ever  worked  more  for  the  joy  of  work- 
ing, and  less  for  self-aggrandizement.  In  his 
own  home  Mr.  Palmer  was  the  most  affable  and 
cordial  of  hosts,  he  and  his  wife  dispensing  a 
generous  and  memorable  hospitality,  entertain- 
ing all  the  distinguished  visitors  to  Chicago. 
Under  their  roof  is  gathered  one  of  the  finest 
collections  of  pictures,  jades  and  objects  of  art 
in  the  country,  a  collection  which  has  always 
been  most  liberally  thrown  open  to  the  public. 
Here  on  May  4,  1902,  the  end  came  to  an  hon- 
orable and  distinguished  career.  In  the  death 
of  Potter  Palmer  Chicago  lost  her  foremost  citi- 
zen, one  who  always  stood  for  the  highest  in 
civic  and  social  life. 


In  order  to  a  just  appreciation  of  Mr.  Pal- 
mer's mental  equipment,  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  he  achieved  large  success  in  fields 
of  wholly  dissimilar  endeavor,  and  that  his 
later  essay  began  after  he  had  closed  a  success- 
ful career  as  a  merchant,  when  he  was  forty- 
three  years  old;  and  that,  if  he  had  previously 
highly  developed  his  capacity  for  administra- 
tion, he  now  had  to  arouse  his  constructive 
ability  and  study  deeply  the  practical  questions 
of  urban  development,  and  the  scientific  prob- 
lems of  building  construction,  that  he  might 
know  what  production  to  demand  from  his 
architects. 

The  originality,  vigor,  balance  and  profound 
grasp  of  Mr.  Palmer's  intellect  command  re- 
spect, and  yet  these  were  not  all  the  man. 
Throughout  his  career  in  every  relation  there 
shone  forth  the  light  that  comes  from  justness, 
generosity,  truth,  high  sense  of  honor,  proper 
respect  for  self  and  a  sensitive  thoughtfulness 
for  others.  In  Mr.  Palmer  were  united  great 
mental  capacity  and  much  beauty  of  character 
In  all  his  life  the  luster  of  his  good  name  was 
never  tarnished  by  any  suggestion  of  the  em- 
ployment of  unworthy  methods  to  reach  any 
result. 

FREDERICK   D.   PARKER, 

Chief  Engineer,  Lake  View  Pumping  Works, 
Chicago,  was  born  in  Brandon,  Vt.,  November 
25,  1854,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
He  came  to  Chicago  in  June,  1864,  was  locomo- 
tive engineer  for  the  Michigan  Central  Rail- 
road Company,  and  later  for  the  Wabash  Rail- 
road Company  until  he  was  appointed  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  Lake  View  Pumping  Works, 
May,  1886,  being  transferred  to  the  Springfield 
Avenue  Station  May  22,  1901,  which  position 
he  continues  to  fill  with  great  credit  to  himself. 
He  has  always  been  ready  to  accept  any  im- 
provement that  might  be  brought  out  for  the 
benefit  of  the  increasing  demand  of  the  Water 
Service  of  Chicago.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  Lynch,  in  Michigan  City,  Ind.,  Octo- 
ber 9,  1880,  and  three  children  -have  blessed 
their  union,  two  of  whom  are  now  living. 

PERCY   L.   PARKES. 

Percy  L.  Parkes,  typewriter,  Exchange  Build- 
ing, Union  Stock  Yards,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
February  18,  1876,  and  educated  in  the  public 
and  North  Side  high  schools.  After  leaving 
school  he  entered  the  employ  of  Baker,  Dawson 
&  Co.,  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  as  typewriter, 
which  position  he  still  occupies.  Mr.  Parkes's 
mother,  who  is  the  widow  of  John  C.  Parkes, 
residing  at  No.  135  Seminary  Avenue,  is  a 
daughter  of  Archibald  Clybourne,  who  has  the 
distinction  of  being  the  man  who  started  the 
meat  industry  of  Chicago,  which  has  assumed 
such  gigantic  proportions,  as  shown  by  the 
chapter  on  the  "Union  Stock  Yards"  in  another 
part  of  this  volume. 

FRANCIS  LOUIS  PASDELOUP. 

The  name  Pasdeloup  is  one  long  well  known 
in  the  political  history  of  France,  as  well  as  in 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


969 


the  world  of  music.  The  great-grandfather  of 
Mr.  Francis  L.  Pasdeloup  held  an  office  of  honor 
and  distinction  under  Napoleon,  and,  upon  the 
downfall  of  the  Napoleonic  dynasty,  with  others 
of  his  family,  was  forced  to  seek  safety  in  self- 
imposed  exile.  They  found  an  asylum  in  Bel- 
gium, in  which  country  they  remained  until 
the  revolution  of  1830,  when  they  removed  to 
The  Hague,  but  later  returned  to  France.  One 
of  the  first  cousins  of  Mr.  Pasdeloup's  father 
was  the  famous,  French  musician,  Jules  Eti- 
enne  Pasdeloup,  frequently  called  "the  master 
of  symphonic  harmony,"  who  organized  and 
directed  the  famous  Pasdeloup  concerts  given 
in  Paris  not  many  years  ago.  Mr.  Pasdeloup's 
paternal  grandfather  married  Melle  Catherine 
Chaegnea,  whose  birthplace  was  Scheverungen, 
Holland,  while  his  maternal  grandparents  were 
named  Schrivers,  both  husband  and  his  wife 
Christine,  being  natives  of  Holland.  His  fath- 
er, whose  name  was  Francis  M.  C.,  was  born  in 
Brussels,  Belgium,  and  his  mother,  Christine 
Louise,  in  Holland.  The  elder  Mr.  Pasdeloup 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1854,  and  engaged 
in  the  business  of  examining  titles  and  pre- 
paring abstracts.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Williams  and  Pasdeloup,  and  died  in 
1872.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  Republican 
politics,  and  was  a  recognized  leader  in  French. 
Dutch  and  Belgian  society  clubs.  Francis  L. 
Pasdeloup  is  a  Chicagoan  by  birth,  having 
first  seen  the  light  in  this  city  on  December  4. 
1866.  He  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  both  city  and  State 
politics. 

For  several  years  he  has  held  the  office  of 
Chief  Deputy  County  Clerk,  which  (1904)  he 
still  occupies. 

He  was  married  in  Chicago  on  June  30,  1896, 
to  Miss  Donna  A.  Jensen.  They  have  one  child: 
a  daughter,  named  for  her  mother,  Donna 
Louise. 

FRANK  D.  PATTERSON. 
The  late  Mr.  F.  D.  Patterson,  with  his  broth- 
er, also  now  deceased,  were  for  many  years 
successfully  engaged  in  the  -  live-stock  commis- 
sion business  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  whose 
success  they,  in  common  with  other  dealers 
of  enterprise  and  probity,  did  much  to  upbuild. 
Frank  D.  was  born  in  Nunda,  McHenry  County, 
111.,  on  April  4,  1844,  and  received  a  liberal 
education,  being  sent  by  his  father  to  the  Uni- 
versity at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.  At  the  outbreak 
of  the  rebellion  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Fif- 
teenth Illinois  Infantry,  and  through  gallant 
service  rose  to  the  rank  of  Captain.  He  took 
part  in  many  important  engagements,  among 
them  being  the  hotly  contested  battle  of  Shi- 
loh,  and  the  sieges  of  Corinth,  Vicksburg,  and 
Natchez.  For  several  years  after  the  war  his 
occupations,  as  well  as  his  places  of  residence, 
were  various.  He  was  a  miller  and  live-stock 
dealer  at  Barreville,  111.,  and  subsequently  built 
a  bridge  across  the  Fox  River  at  Burton.  He 
was  a  great  traveler,  having  made  many  trips 


to  Europe  and  visiting  Asia  and  Africa,  as  well 
as  various  parts  of  his  own  beloved  country 
and  Mexico.  In  1872  he  came  to  Chicago  to 
reside,  and  immediately  engaged  in  the  live- 
stock commission  business  in  connection  with 
his  brother,  A.  C.  Patterson,  and  S.  Frank  Hall, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Hall,  Patterson  &  Co., 
which  was  changed  to  Patterson  Brothers  & 
Company  in  1880.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  A.  C. 
Patterson,  on  May  30,  1895,  the  firm  became 
Patterson,  Starrett  and  Company. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  married  to  Maria  L.  Shav- 
er, September  8,  1864,  and  was  the  father  of 
four  children:  C.  Earl;  Mrs.  J.  M.  Selleck,  of 
California;  and  the  Misses  Mary  L.  and  Minnie 
F.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  a  high  Mason,  a  Noble  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  and  a  Knight  Templar  of  the 
Woodstock  Commandery.  He  died  September 
18,  1899.  In  no  relation  of  life  was  he  found 
wanting;  as  a  husband  and  father,  loving  and 
indulgent;  as  a  friend  faithful  and  sympa- 
thetic; as  a  man,  upright  and  true. 

JOHN  PATTERSON. 

For  nearly  forty-five  years  Mr.  John  Patter- 
son has  devoted  his  time  and  energy  to  trading 
in  live  stock.  From  a  small  beginning,  in  the 
'fifties,  his  trade  has  enlarged  until  he  is  now 
recognized  as  one  of  the  successful  dealers  at 
the  Union  Stock  Yards.  It  is  pleasant  to  recite 
the  successes  of  men,  who,  like  him,  have  hewed 
out  their  way  to  success,  and  are  in  the  best 
and  truest  sense  of  that  much  abused  term, 
self-made  men.  He  was  born  near  Waynes- 
burg,  Pa.,  November  4,  1833.  He  was  a  young 
man  of  twenty-two  years  when  he  first  came  to 
Illinois,  in  1855,  and  found  employment  during 
his  first  winter  feeding  cattle  at  one  dollar  per 
day.  For  a  year  he  was  engaged  in  breaking 
the  prairie  soil  with  an  ox-team,  and  then 
bought  a  ditching  machine  which  he  operated 
with  more  or  less  profit  for  another  year.  Hav- 
ing sold  out  this  business  he  opened  a  general 
store,  but  at  the  end  of  twelve  months  disposed 
of  that  also,  and  in  1858  began  the  buying  of 
live  stock,  which  he  shipped  to  Chicago  and 
from  there  to  Buffalo,  Albany  and  New  York. 
This  business  he  carried  on  for  sixteen  years, 
residing  from  1860  to  1874  at  Monmouth.  In 
the  year  last  named  he  came  to  Chicago,  and 
for  the  first  three  years  of  his  life  here  placed 
his  business  in  the  hands  of  brokers,  namely: 
Nichols  &  Adams,  and  Martin  Brothers.  In 
1877  he  established  the  firm  of  Patterson,  Byers 
&  Co.  This  co-partnership  continued  for  ten 
years,  when  it  was  dissolved  by  mutual  con- 
sent, and  in  1890  Mr.  Patterson  admitted  his 
son  to  partnership  with  him,  the  firm  name  be- 
coming John  Patterson  &  Son,  which  still 
(1904)  is  in  existence  carrying  on  a  successful 
business  at  the  Yards.  Mr.  Patterson  has  seen 
many  changes,  both  in  the  extent  of  that  field 
of  industry  which  he  chose  for  his  life-work 
and  in  the  business  methods  employed  in  its 
conduct.  When  he  first  began  shipping  cattle 


970 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


to  Chicago,  commission  firms  were  unknown 
and  money  was  scarce.  He  purchased  his  stock 
on  credit  and  paid  for  it  upon  his  return  home. 
On  February  14,  1860,  Mr.  Patterson  was  mar- 
ried, at  Monmouth,  111.,  to  Miss  Evaline  Ho- 
man.  Of  their  six  children  three  are  yet  living. 

WILLIAM  G.  PATTISON, 

Vice-President  of  the  Bohart  Live  Stock  Com- 
mission Company  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards, 
Chicago,  and  one  of  the  better  known  stock 
men  of  the  day,  is  now  in  the  prime  of  life, 
and  well  does  he  know  how  to  push  business  to 
the  utmost  with  profit  to  himself  and  eatisi  ac- 
tion to  those  with  whom  he  deals. 

Mr.  Pattison  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Indi- 
anola,  Vermilion  County,  111.,  March  11,  1844. 
and  when  he  was  a  babe  of  two  months  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Higginsport,  Brown 
County,  Ohio,  where  they  remained  for  the  en- 
suing twelve  years.  There  Mr.  Pattison  very 
largely  acquired  his  education,  as  he  did  not 
attend  school  much  after  the  return  of  his  par- 
ents to  Vermilion  county,  111.  Until  1863  he 
devoted  himself  to  work  on  his  father's  farm. 
In  1863  he  began  buying  and  shipping  live  stock 
to  H.  H.  Conover,  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards. 
Chicago.  Three  years  later  his  growing  abili- 
ties as  a  stockman  were  recognized  by  his  call 
to  Chicago  to  take  the  position  of  hog  salesman 
for  Conover  &  Hall.  With  this  firm  he  spent 
the  ensuing  fourteen  years,  and  then  entered 
into  a  partnership  with  Hiram  Holmes  under 
the  name  of  Holmes  &  Pattison,  an  organiza- 
tion that  continued  in  business  for  sixteen 
years.  On  its  dissolution  he  joined  the  Bohart 
Live  Stock  Commission  Company,  and  buying 
an  interest  in  the  firm,  was  elected  its  Vice- 
President,  a  position  which  (1904)  he  still  oc- 
cupies. 

Mr.  Pattison  was  married,  in  Osage,  Kansas, 
September  14,  1871,  to  Miss  Mary  S.  Bryant, 
and  of  this  union  have  been  born  four  children 
three  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Pattison  is  a 
genial  and  courteous  gentleman,  with  an  envi- 
able reputation  as  a  salesman  of  the  strictest 
integrity  and  of  business  abilities  of  a  high 
order. 

JOSEPH  C.  PAZEN, 

Late  Second  Assistant  Fire  Marshal,  Chicago 
Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Germany,  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1844,  came  to  Chicago  in  1854,  where 
he  worked  at  the  painting  business  from  1856 
to  1857,  and  in  1859  was  employed  by  George  H. 
Brooke,  a  candy  manufacturer.  In  1862  he  en- 
listed in  Company  E,  Sixty-fifth  Illinois  Infan- 
try, and  was  honorably  discharged  in  1865.  He 
was  then  employed  by  P.  L.  Garrity,  a  candy 
manufacturer,  until  1867,  when,  on  September 
16,  he  joined  the  Fire  Department,  being  as- 
signed on  Engine  No.  12,  and  later  promoted 
to  Lieutenant  on  the  same  Engine,  where  he 
remained  until  June  1,  1872,  when  he  was  pro- 
moted to  Captain  of  Hook  and  Ladder  Com- 
pany No.  1.  He  received  subsequent  transfers 
as  follows:  to  Engine  23,  in  1874;  transferred 


to  Hook  &  Ladder  Company  8,  and  to  Hook  & 
Ladder  Company  4  in  1878;  was  elected  acting 
Chief  of  First  Battalion,  October  3,  1885,  in 
place  of  D.  B.  Kenyon,  who  died  from  injuries 
received  at  the  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Monroe 
Streets,  October  25,  1884;  was  made  Chief  of 
the  Fourth  Battalion  on  the  first  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1885,  and  on  April  30,  1891,  promoted 
to  Third  Assistant  Marshal,  with  headquarters 
at  4000  Dearborn  Street.  On  July  1,  1901,  he 
was  promoted  to  Second  Assistant  Marshal. 
That  Mr.  Pazen  has  been  a  brave  and  effi- 
cient officer  is  fully  proven  by  his  rapid  ad- 
vancement, and  he  has  ever  been  ready  to 
answer  the  call  for  duty,  acting  promptly  and 
courageously. 

ALLEN  S.  PECK. 

Allen  S.  Peck,  Fire  Insurance  Adjuster,  was 
born  in  Wallingford,  Conn.,  April  9,  1830,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
State.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  on  a 
farm  for  a  time  and  later  learned  a  trade;  then 
going  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  in  September,  1848. 
he  worked  at  his  trade  there  until  1852,  when 
he  went  into  the  fire  insurance  business,  in 
which  he  remained  until  1865.  He  then  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  continued  in  the  same  line 
as  a  surveyor  and  solicitor.  In  1868  he  entered 
upon  the  business  of  adjusting  fire  losses  under 
salary,  and  in  1874  introduced  independent  ad- 
justing, in  which  he  has  continued  ever  since, 
being  now  associated  with  Mr.  C.  Magill  &  Com- 
pany, 189  La  Salle  Street,  Chicago. 

FERDINAND  W.  PECK. 
Ferdinand  W.  Peck,  though  younger  by  elev- 
en years  than  the  city  of  Chicago,  belongs  to 
the  first  generation  of  her  native  born  citizens. 
He  was  a  son  of  Mr.  Philip  F.  W.  Peck  and 
Mary  Kent  (Wythe)  Peck,  early  residents  of 
Chicago,  where  he  was  born  on  the  15th  of 
July,  1848,  on  the  family  homestead,  which  oc- 
cupied the  lot  where  the  Grand  Pacific  hotel 
now  stands.  He  applied  himself  to  the  means 
of  education  which  the  liberality  and  enlight- 
ened foresight  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of 
Chicago  had  so  abundantly  provided  and  so 
munificently  endowed.  Passing  through  the 
grades  of  the  public  schools,  he  graduated  from 
the  High  School,  the  Chicago  University  and 
the  Union  College  of  Law,  and,  thus  liberally 
and  professionally  educated,  he  obtained  ad- 
mission to  the  bar,  and  for  several  years  en 
gaged  in  practice  in  Chicago.  In  the  meantime 
his  father,  who  was  a  pioneer  and  merchant  in 
Chicago,  had  died,  leaving  an  estate,  consist- 
ing in  great  part  of  lands  and  buildings,  the 
care  of  which,  under  the  changed  conditions 
which  the  great  fire  of  1871  produced,  was 
sufficient  to  tax  his  powers  and  fully  occupy 
his  time.  He  therefore  abandoned  further  pur- 
suit of  the  law  as  a  professional  occupation, 
and  gave  himself  to  the  care  of  his  property  in- 
terests, thus  gaining  opportunity  to  devote  him- 
self to  the  cultivation  of  such  lines  of  effort  as 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


971 


his  well  trained  mind  and  fine  spiritual  and 
intellectual  qualities  fitted  him  to  pursue. 
While  not  an  artist,  he  is  a  lover  of  art;  his 
mind  has  a  constructive  quality,  which,  with 
sympathy  with  human  needs  and  enthusiasm 
for  the  uplifting  and  ennobling  the  standard  of 
life  among  the  masses  of  the  people,  calls  him 
to  undertake  enterprises  of  "pith  and  magni- 
tude," for  the  education  of  the  people,  for  in- 
spiring them  with  higher  ideals  of  life,  and 
leading  them  from  the  indulgence  of  degrading 
passions,  through  the  ministries  of  the  "diviner 
arts,"  to  higher  planes  of  living  and  of  enjoy- 
ment. This  type  of  mind  is  not  often  found 
amid  the  rush  and  competition  of  life  in  our 
great  cities.  To  its  possession  in  well  devel- 
oped proportions  by  so  many  of  the  well-to-do 
young  men  of  Chicago,  whose  names  will  read- 
ily occur  to  the  observant  student  of  her  inner 
life,  is  due  in  great  part  the  aesthetic  character 
which  Chicago  has  taken  on,  despite  her  un- 
wonted devotion  to  the  more  sordid  pursuits 
of  her  gigantic  enterprises. 

The  estimate  which  is  here  made  of  Mr. 
Peck's  character  and  inclinations  will  not  ap- 
pear extravagant  or  fulsome,  when  the  posi- 
tions which  he  has  filled  or  now  holds  by  the 
selection  of  his  contemporaries  are  considered. 
Some  of  these  are:  the  Presidency  of  the  Chi- 
cago Athenaeum,  and  of  the  Auditorium  As- 
sociation; the  Vice-Presidency  of  the  Illinois 
Humane  Society;  the  Presidency  of  the  Board 
of  Education  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and 
of  the  Union  League  Club;  and,  by  no  means 
least,  the  Vice-Presidency  of  the  World's  Col- 
umbian Exposition,  with  a  seat  in  its  board 
of  reference  and  control,  on  its  Executive  Com- 
mittee, its  Committee  of  Legislation,  its  Spe- 
cial Committee  on  Ceremonies,  and  the  chair- 
manship of  its  Finance  Committee. 

On  the  22nd  day  of  July,  1898,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  McKinley,  Commissioner 
General  to  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1900.  Enter- 
ing upon  his  duties,  he  gathered  about  him  a 
corps  of  able  assistants  who,  under  his  person- 
al supervision  and  able  directions,  brought  to- 
gether a  representation  of  the  industries  and 
resources  of  .the  United  States  in  manufactures, 
arts  and  sciences.  Limitation  of  time  and 
space  brought  many  problems  to  be  solved  and 
difficulties  to  be  overcome,  but  through  per- 
fect organization,  combined  with  activity,  intel- 
ligence and  unfaltering  application,  the  success 
achieved  reflects  great  credit  upon  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  and  satisfaction 
to  those  instrumental  in  its  achievement.  Sure- 
ly such  honors  and  responsibilities  are  not 
heaped  upon  one  deemed  unworthy  or  unsuited 
to  bear  them. 

It  is  probable  that  the  success  of  the  Opera 
Festival  held  in  1885,  of  which  Mr.  Peck  was 
President,  and  which  gave  to  the  people  of  Chi- 
cago and  to  throngs  of  the  best  people  of  other 
cities  the  finest  musical  and  dramatic  enter- 
tainment that  has  ever  been  offered  to  an 
American  audience,  paved  the  way  for,  and 


made  possible,  the  crowning  work  of  his  life, 
thus  far.  This  was  the  construction  of  the 
Chicago  Auditorium,  which  had  been  the  con- 
ception of  his  active  brain  and  his  waking 
dream  for  some  years,  but  seemed  beyond  the 
reach  of  accomplishment.  The  Opera  Festival 
showed  to  the  far-seeing  citizens  the  utility  of 
such  exhibitions  of  high  art,  and  the  need  of 
a  suitable  place  for  their  production  with  all 
the  splendor  of  which  they  are  capable,  and 
accessible  to  numbers  that  might  make  the  cost 
and  labor  involved  in  their  presentation  re- 
munerative. In  the  spring  of  1886  Mr.  Peck 
laid  before  the  Commercial  Club  of  Chicago 
at  one  of  its  monthly  banquets,  in  a  compre- 
hensive address,  the  considerations  that  had 
led  him  to  believe  his  project  a  feasible  one. 
These  stimulated  those  already  interested  in 
carrying  out  the  enterprise.  The  Chicago  Audi- 
torium Association  was  formed,  and  Mr.  Peck 
was  unanimously  chosen  President,  while  the 
list  of  officers  and  directors  represented  the 
wealth,  the  enterprise  and  the  taste  of  the  city. 
A  central  site  between  Michigan  and  Wabash 
Avenues  was  secured.  The  stock  was  sub- 
scribed for,  and  distributed  among,  three  hun- 
dred subscribers. 

The  first  object  sought  was  to  provide  an 
audience  room  of  sufficient  capacity  to  accommo- 
date the  largest  convention  that  would  ever 
be  likely  to  assemble  in  Chicago,  such  as  the 
National  Nominating  Conventions,  and  that 
would  be  serviceable  for  the  uses  of  musical 
entertainments  and  dramatic  representations  of 
the  greatest  moment.  It  should  be  colossal  in 
size,  solid  in  structure,  elegant  in  proportions, 
and  chastely  ornate  in  decoration.  Its  leading 
aims  should  be  utility,  public  convenience  and 
education  in  art.  At  the  same  time  the  inter- 
ests of  investors  should  be  protected  in  the 
assurance  of  a  moderate  revenue,  from  rentals 
of  the  grand'  hall  and  subsidiary  rooms,  togeth- 
er with  a  mammoth  hotel,  capable  of  sheltering 
and  caring  for,  in  suitable  style  of  comfort  an.l 
luxury,  the  multitudes  that  would  be  attracted 
to  the  unrivaled  hall. 

The  genius  of  the  world  has  exhausted  itself 
in  devising  and  erecting  architectural  edifices. 
The  Parthenon  in  the  age  of  Pericles,  glorious 
in  all  adornments  of  art  wrought  by  the  chisel 
of  Phidias  and  the  brush  of  Praxiteles,  was  a 
temple  of  heathen  worship;  the  mighty  walls 
of  the  Coliseum  were  raised  to  furnish  an  arena 
for  gladiatorial  brutality.  Mediaeval  archi- 
tects reared  the  clustered  columns  and  vaulted 
arches  of  Gothic  cathedrals  to  woo  men  to 
pious  aspirations;  the  chaste  lines  and  sculp- 
tured walls  of  the  "Nouvelle  Opera"  were 
raised  as  a  temple  of  music  and  dramatic  art. 
Each  had,  or  has,  its  beauties  and  special  use; 
"but  it  remained  for  the  genius  of  Chicago  to 
conceive,  and  its  enterprise  to  provide  by  pri- 
vate munificence,  a  structure  as  perfect  as  any 
in  substantial  utility  both  as  a  gathering  place 
of  the  multitude  and  a  temple  of  all  the  arts 
— the  perfection  of  architectural  genius.  It  is 


972 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


more  capacious  than  the  Albert  Hall  of  South 
Kensington;  more  substantial  than  the  New 
Opera  of  Paris;  chaste,  solid  and  sublime. 
Upon  its  completion  the  stockholders  caused 
to  be  placed  in  the  main  foyer  of  the  Audi- 
torium a  bronze  bust  of  Mr.  Peck,  upon  the 
granite  pedestal  of  which  they  caused  to  be 
inscribed:  "A  tribute  to  the  founder  of  this 
structure,  from  the  stockholders  of  the  Audi- 
torium Association,  in  recognition  of  his  serv- 
ices as  their  President,  in  behalf  of  the  citizens 
of  Chicago,  1889." 

The  executive  qualities  and  high  financial 
skill  inherent  in  Mr.  Peck  have  been  tested  in 
his  conduct  as  chairman  of  the  Finance  Com- 
mittee of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
which  was  charged  with  the  intricate  business 
relations  of  the  great  enterprise.  It  was  a  stu- 
pendous undertaking.  The  unstinted  outlay 
necessitated  by  the  preparation  of  Jackson  Park 
as  its  site,  the  erection  of  its  unrivaled  build- 
ings, the  installment  of  its  exhibits  gathered 
from  all  quarters  of  the  globe,  the  preparations 
for  the  accommodation  of  its  more  than  twenty 
million  visitors,  raised  doubts  in  many  minds 
whether  it  might  not  prove  a  financial  failure. 
Yet,  with  conditions  favoring  a  liberal  patron 
age,  its  finances,  under  the  watchful  eye  and 
skillful  management  of  its  committee  of 
finance,  were  so  prudently  and  wisely  admin- 
istered, that  every  pecuniary  obligation  was 
met,  its  large  indebtedness  discharged,  and  an 
unlocked  for  surplus  left  to  be  distributed 
among  stockholders.  A  trust  involving  the  ex- 
penditure of  over  twenty  million  dollars  was 
one  calculated  to  test  the  mettle  of  the  boldest 
of  financiers. 

Mr.  Peck,  with  all  his  manifold  labors  and 
weighty  responsibilities,  finds  time  to  indulge 
the  amenities  of  life.  He  has  been  a  wide  trav- 
eler and  is  a  devotee  of  music.  His  family 
consists  of  a  charming  wife  and  six  children 
— four  sons  and  two  daughters.  His  city  home 
is  a  handsome,  new  residence  at  No.  1826  Mich- 
igan Avenue,  while  he  has  a  summer  villa  at 
Oconomowoc,  Wis.,  where  he  enjoys  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  Commodore  of  the  Wisconsin 
Yacht  Club. 

Mr.  Peck  has  not  yet  reached  the  zenith  of 
adult  life.  He  has  already  erected  a  monu- 
ment which  will  elevate  his  name  to  enduring 
fame.  What  the  future  may  have  in  store  for 
him  can  only  be  conjectured  from  the  already 
splendid  triumphs  of  his  refined  and  versatile 
genius. 

ALBERT   PEPIN, 

Lieutenant  of  Chicago  Fire  Insurance  Patrol 
No.  2,  was  born  in  Quebec,  Canada,  January  10. 
1852;  came  to  Chicago  in  1860,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Scammon  School.  After  leaving 
school  in  1866  he  moved  to  Jefferson  County. 
111.,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm,  remaining 
there  until  1873,  when  he  returned  to  Chicago 
and  worked  at  box-making  for  Cook  &  Pitt. 
September  9,  1880,  he  joined  the  Chicago  Fire 
Department  on  Engine  No.  10;  was  transferred 


to  Engine  No.  1,  and  from  there  to  truck  No. 
3.  Having  resigned  his  place  in  the  Fire  De- 
partment, July  31,  1889,  he  entered  the  employ 
of  C.  T.  Orr  &  Co.  as  salesman,  but  on  December 
6,  1891,  joined  the  Fire  Patrol,  being  assigned 
to  Patrol  No.  2;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant 
November  1,  1897,  and  assigned  to  Patrol  No 
6,  later  being  transferred  to  Patrol  No.  2, 
where  (1904)  he  is  still  on  duty.  He  has  had 
no  serious  injuries  but  many  narrow  escapes. 
He  was  married  in  Chicago,  July  2,  1890,  to 
Miss  Katharine  Ford,  and  one  daughter  has 
blessed  their  union.  Lieutenant  Pepin  is  an 
all  round  man,  always  ready  to  respond  to  ev- 
ery call  of  duty,  whether  the  danger  is  great 
or  small. 

JENCKES  DAVID  PERKINS. 
Jenckes  David  Perkins,  an  old  and  noted  rail 
road  builder  and  train-master,  was  born  in 
Oriskany,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  February  17. 
1823.  and  though  advanced  in  years,  bears  him- 
self with  the  vitality  of  middle  age.  His  par- 
ents, David  and  Elmira  (Stacy)  Perkins,  were 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Oneida  County, 
and  there  their  children  were  reared  and  edu- 
cated. Jenckes  D.  Perkins  acquired  his  educa 
tion  in  the  Oriskany  village  schools,  and  began 
what  has  .since  proved  a  very  successful  busi- 
ness career  by  driving  piles  for  the  old  Erie 
Railroad,  along  the  Susquehanna  River  in  1841. 
The  following  year  he  began  an  apprenticeship 
at  bridge  building  and  railroad  carpentering 
and  joining.  For  a  time  he  was  with  Rogers 
Brothers,  State  Carpenters,  but  finished  his 
trade  with  his  father  as  millwright  and  joiner. 
In  1845  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  in  1846  began  work  for  the 
old  Syracuse  &  Utica  Railroad,  of  which  John 
Wilkinson  was  President.  In  1851  the  com- 
pany gave  him  a  vacation  and  sent  him  to  Chi- 
cago. Here  he  was  solicited  by  John  Turner, 
the  President  of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union 
Railroad  Company,  to  enter  the  service  of  that 
road.  Mr.  Perkins  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  do 
this  without  first  obtaining  the  consent  of  Mr. 
Wilkinson,  as  he  felt  under  obligation  to  him 
for  many  favors.  The  agreement  was  made 
that  if  the  Syracuse  &  Utica  should  call  for 
him,  he  would  return,  as  Mr.  Wilkinson  pro- 
nounced him  the  best  man  on  the  road.  Mr. 
Perkins  entered  the  service  of  the  new  rail- 
road in  1851,  and  at  once  demonstrated  his 
value  in  laying,  at  Fox  River  switch,  the  first 
T-rails  ever  put  down  west  of  the  Lakes.  These 
were  laid  at  the  junction  of  the  old  Fox  River 
and  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroads, 
two  miles  east  of  Elgin.  Mr.  Perkins  prepared 
the  patterns  for  forging  the  tools,  as  none  were 
to  be  found  in  the  country,  and  the  rails  them- 
selves had  to  be  imported  from  England,  there 
being  no  rolling  mills  in  the  United  States  at 
that  time.  The  proposition  to  substitute  the 
T-rail  for  the  strap  rail  then  in  use  on  the 
Galena  Road,  met  with  much  opposition  among 
the  directors  on  account  of  its  greater  cost, 
the  opposition  being  led  by  Walter  Newberry, 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


973 


then  a  large  stockholder.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
Directors  held  in  the  little  frame  depot  build- 
ing at  the  corner  of  Canal  and  Kinzie  Streets, 
where  the  road  began  (the  river  not  having 
been  bridged  at  that  time).  President  Turner 
urged  the  change,  while  the  opposition  of  Mr 
Newberry  and  others  vanished,  as  a  not  un- 
common accident  at  the  time  happened  to  a 
train  just  coming  in  with  freight  from  Elgin. 
Right  in  front  of  the  depot  a  strap-rail  sprang, 
and,  forming  a  snake-head,  penetrating  the  floor 
of  the  caboose  passed  up  through  the  roof. 
The  train  men  pried  the  lower  end  of  the  rail 
loose,  and  tied  a  red  flag  to  the  upper  end  as  a 
signal  of  danger  to  the  directors. 

This  practical  illustration  of  the  beauties  of 
the  strap-rail  was  sufficient,  and  the  change 
was  ordered.  Mr.  Perkins  took  charge  of  a 
gang  of  men  and,  as  soon  as  the  first  cargo  of 
rails  arrived,  began  the  reconstruction  of  the 
road  at  Elgin,  and  another  great  step  forward 
was  taken  in  the  history  of  Chicago.  For  two 
years  he  had  charge  of  the  reconstruction  of 
the  road,  and  was  then  put  in  charge  of  the 
docks  and  tracks  inside  of  Chicago.  Later  still 
he  was  made  station  master  at  the  little  frame 
station  on  the  West  Side;  and,  when  the  com- 
pany built  a  pontoon  bridge  at  Kinzie  Street 
he  was  put  in  charge  of  it.  The  depot  was 
moved  to  about  its  present  site  and  all  the 
trains  ran  over  the  bridge.  In  1854  he  was 
transferred  to  the  West  Side  Lumber  District 
as  Freight  Agent  and  train-master  for  West 
Chicago.  In  1864  he  was  made  train-master  at 
the  Wells  Street  depot.  His  first  vacation  was 
had  in  1861,  when  he  had  a  respite  of  two 
weeks  after  a  term  of  ten  years  of  continuous 
and  unremitting  activity  for  the  company. 

Mr.  Perkins  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the 
same  railroad  system,  through  all  its  varying 
fortunes  and  transformations  to  the  present 
time;  and  it  is  a  source  of  just  pride  to  him, 
and  of  commendation  from  the  officials  of  the 
company,  that,  during  all  these  years,  until 
his  honorable  retirement  with  pay  by  President 
Hughitt,  after  the  World's  Fair,  he  has  never 
omitted  preparing,  signing  and  submitting  his 
monthly  pay-roll  for  all  the  men  under  him. 
When  the  new  depot  at  Wells  Street  was  thrown 
open  to  the  public,  Mr.  Perkins  took  charge  ot 
all  the  trains  entering  it,  then  being  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Passenger  Service  from  the  de- 
pot. After  the  World's  Fair  he  was  retired 
from  active  service  with  a  splendid  record  and 
full  pay,  but  continues  to  give  his  department 
the  benefit  of  his  long  experience. 

Mr.  Perkins  is  a  life-long  Mason,  belonging 
to  Cleveland  Lodge,  No.  211,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He 
was  married,  April  22,  1844,  at  Oriskany,  N, 
Y.,  to  Miss  Phoebe  Jane  Wiggins,  by  whom  he 
has  had  two  children:  William  Francis,  who  is 
an  engineer  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  having  his  home  in  Chicago,  and  a 
daughter,  Martha  Maria.  Mr.  Perkins  has  a 
host  of  friends  who  love  him  for  his  excellent 
qualities  of  heart  and  brain,  and  who  hope  that 


he  may  be  spared  for  years  to  come,  as  prom- 
ised by  his  athletic  frame  and  energetic  man- 
hood. 

HOLLY  R.   PERRINE. 

Holly  R.  Perrine  is  a  live-stock  commission 
merchant  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago, 
and  has  won  his  enviable  position  as  the  result 
of  pluck,  push  and  energy  in  boundless  meas- 
ure— qualities  that  go  far  to  make  up  a  worthy 
associate  of  the  ambitious  and  successful  busi- 
ness man  of  the  present  day.  Mr.  Perrine  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Oregon,  Ogle  County,  111.. 
January  1,  1850,  where  he  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  school,  taught  in  his  earlier 
years  in  a  log  house,  so  near  was  his  birth- 
place in  those  days  to  the  frontier.  He  re- 
mained on  the  farm  until  he  became  of  age. 
and  then  struck  out  for  himself.  In  the  spring 
of  1874  he  went  to  Nebraska,  where  he  spent 
some  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1876  Mr.  Per- 
rine came  to  Chicago  and  engaged  in  business 
at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  speculating  in  stock, 
cattle  and  feeders,  a  line  which  he  has  followed 
without  a  break  to  the  present  time.  For  two 
years  he  was  the  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of 
Perrine  &  Bortell,  and  for  about  a  year  was 
associated  with  the  N.  Wagner  under  the  firm 
name  of  H.  R.  Perrine  &  Company.  During 
several  summers  he  traveled  through  Nebraska 
and  Iowa  for  Wagner  Brothers,  and  for  Abner 
Piatt  &  Company.  Later  still  Samuel  Ayers 
was  a  partner  with  him  in  the  firm  of  H.  R. 
Perrine,  and  to  this  firm  was  admitted  Andrew 
J.  Weaver  at  a  still  later  date.  Mr.  Perrine 
went  to  Ogle  County  in  1896,  to  look  after  real- 
estate  investments  which  required  his  close  at- 
tention, and  for  the  ensuing  three  years  made 
his  home  there,  still  retaining  his  Chicago  in- 
terests. In  1899,  having  closed  out  his  real- 
estate  interests  in  Ogle  County,  he  resumed  his 
residence  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Perrine  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Nellie  M.  Hogan  in  Lincoln,  Neb.. 
August  19,  1884.  He  has  won  and  retained 
a  host  of  friends  by  his  pleasant  and  genial 
manner,  his  strict  integrity  and  thorough  mas- 
tery of  his  business. 

MRS.  ELIZA  PETER. 

Mrs.  Eliza  Peter  (widow  of  John  Peter)  was 
born  in  Franklin  County,  N.  Y.,  the  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Mary  Rich;  came  to  Illinois  in 
1852,  locating  in  Wheeling  Township,  Cook 
County,  and  the  same  year  married  John  Lytle. 
Five  years  later  the  family  removed  to  Arling- 
ton Heights,  and  built  a  house  on  Myrtle  Ave- 
nue, where  Mr.  Lytle  died  in  1859,  aged  thirty- 
two.  In  1863  she  was  married  a  second  time 
to  John  Peter,  who  died  in  1876.  Mrs.  Peter 
had  one  daughter  by  her  first  marriage,  Emma 
Lytle,  who  was  married  in  1880  to  Edward 
Ransom,  a  business  man  of  Chicago.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

CHARLES   O.   PETERSON, 
Lieutenant   Hook   &   Ladder   Company  No.    21, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Stock- 


974 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


holm,  Sweden,  February  9,  1861,  came  with  his 
parents  to  America  in  1869,  and,  after  reaching 
Chicago,  attended  the  Pearson  and  Franklin 
public  schools.  After  leaving  school  he  worked 
as  bell-boy  at  the  Palmer  House,  then  engaged 
in  the  printing  business  with  McDonald  &  Com- 
pany for  three  years;  later  was  employed  suc- 
cessively as  grocery  clerk,  as  steamfitter  with 
Baker  &  Smith,  and  as  teamster  for  the  Ameri- 
can Express  Company  until  October  25,  18*86, 
when  he  joined  the  Fire  Department,  as  pipe- 
man  on  Engine  14.  In  1891  he  was  transferred 
to  Truck  No.  3;  was  acting  Lieutenant  on  En- 
gine 4  during  the  World's  Fair  in  1893;  was 
transferred  to  Truck  3,  November  15,  1893; 
promoted  to  Lieutenant,  December  31,  1893,  and 
assigned  to  Truck  1,  remaining  two  years;  then 
to  Truck  21,  January  10,  1896;  to  Engine  78. 
July  15,  1896;  to  Truck  21  December  31,  1896, 
and  to  Engine  56,  April  10,  1900.  In  1904  he 
is  serving  as  Lieutenant  of  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company  21.  Lieutenant  Peterson  has  suf- 
fered numerous  casualties;  fell  two  stories  to 
the  basement  at  32  Scott  Street,  in  October, 
1887;  had  his  foot  cut  in  two  with  an  axe,  and 
was  laid  up  for  six  months  at  Armour's  Ele- 
vator, Goose  Island,  in  1894;  had  his  left  arm 
broken  at  Southport  and  Lincoln  Avenue  about 
1900  while  responding  to  an  alarm  of  fire;  be- 
sides many  others,  but  is  still  in  the  service 
ready  for  any  call  of  duty.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Ida  Steele  in  Chicago,  December  25. 
1890,  and  one  son  has  blessed  their  union. 

PETER  S.  PETERSON. 
Peter  S.  Peterson,  naturalist,  public  bene 
factor  and  man  of  affairs,  was  born  June  15, 
1830,  in  Nobbelof,  Sweden.  At  eleven  years  of 
age  he  began  work  on  a  nobleman's  estate  which 
adjoined  the  old  homestead  of  his  family.  This 
employment  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  enter 
upon  the  study  of  horticulture,  which  he  pur- 
sued enthusiastically,  obtaining,  even  as  a  boy. 
a  broad  knowledge  of  the  calling  which  he  fol- 
lowed so  successfully  in  later  years.  When  he 
had  finished  his  apprenticeship  on  this  estate 
he  accepted  a  place  on  another  estate  near  Lund, 
where  he  continued  his  botanical  studies.  Later 
he  spent  three  years  at  Hamburg  and  Erfurt, 
Germany,  and  at  Ghent,  Belgium — three  cities 
widely  known  throughout  the  world  for  intelli- 
gence and  progressiveness  in  the  conduct  of 
horticultural  pursuits.  When  twenty-one  years 
of  age  he  came  to  America,  locating  first  in 
Toronto,  Canada.  His  intelligence  and  general 
knowledge  soon  made  it  apparent  to  him  that 
greater  opportunities  for  advancement  were  to 
be  found  in  the  United  States,  and  he  went  to 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  then  as  now  one  of  the  great 
centers  of  the  nursery  interests  of  the  coun- 
try. When  he  reached  Rochester  he  had  but 
$1.25  in  his  pocket,  and  his  first  employment 
there  was  remunerative  only  to  the  extent  of 
eight  dollars  per  month.  Within  three  years 
he  had  learned  the  English  language,  had  mas 
tered  details  of  the  business  with  which  he  was 


connected,  and  was  earning  a  salary  of  $100 
a  month — in  those  Jays  a  much  more  munificent 
compensation  than  it  would  be  considered  now- 
a-days.  Tempted  by  the  wonderful  gold  dis- 
coveries of  the  Pacific  coast,  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1854  sailing  from  New  York  and  reach- 
ing San  Francisco  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  He  did  not  find  California  to  his  lik- 
ing, and  before  the  end  of  the  year,  came  east 
to  Chicago. 

For  a  year  or  two  thereafter  he  was  employed 
in  the  business  to  which  he  had  been  trained; 
but,  in  1856,  established  the  Rose  Hill  Nursery 
and  thus  laid  the  foundation  of  his  fortune.  He 
first  rented  a  small  tract  of  land,  but  the  next 
year  purchased  ten  acres  of  woodland,  to  which 
additions  have  been  made  from  time  to  time 
until  the  nursery  now  covers  nearly  five  hun- 
dred acres.  In  the  early  years  of  his  business 
experience  here  he  had  to  resort  to  many  expe- 
dients to  carry  out  his  plans,  support  his  family, 
and  meet  other  demands  upon  him.  While 
waiting  for  the  seed  which  he  had  planted  to 
grow,  he  would  go  to  the  forests  and  get  native 
trees  for  planting,  and,  in  the  intervals,  when 
not  thus  employed  he  chopped  wood,  made  hay. 
worked  for  his  neighbors  and  labored  in  every 
way  with  tireless  energy  to  meet  necessary  ex- 
penses, while  his  nursery  was  developing  into  a 
paying  property.  The  wonderful  energy  and 
great  force  of  character  which  he  displayed 
throughout  these  years  is  witnessed  by  the  fact 
that  he  not  only  largely  educated  the  people  of 
Chicago  up  to  the  planting  of  trees  in  private 
grounds,  but  brought  about  the  planting  of  trees 
in  parks  and  boulevards,  seven-eighths  of  which 
were  either  grown  in  his  nursery  or  removed 
from  their  native  forest  homes.  To  him  belongs 
the  distinction  of  being  the  first  man  in  America 
to  institute  and  prosecute  the  business  of  trans- 
planting large  trees,  thus  giving  to  parks  and 
private  grounds,  in  a  comparatively  short  space 
of  time,  the  beauty  which  comes  to  them  only 
after  many  years  when  trees  have  to  be  grown 
from  small  beginnings.  More  beautiful  and 
more  grateful  to  the  eye  than  polished  shaft  or 
mausoleum,  these  noble  trees  and  shrubs,  in 
living  green,  stand  as  a  monument  to  testify 
that  his  strenuous  life  was  not  lived  in  vain. 
His  love  for  flowers,  trees  and  plants  has  made 
his  life  work  a  congenial  one.  It  was  this  pas- 
sion that  gave  him  his  unbounded  admiration 
for  the  great  Swedish  naturalist  Linnaeus,  the 
originator  of  systematic  botanical  classification. 
This  admiration  for  the  distinguished  Swede 
caused  Mr.  Peterson  to  become  the  originator 
and  prime  mover  in  the  movement  which  re 
suited  in  the  erection  of  the  monument  to  Lin- 
naeus which  now  stands  in  Lincoln  Park,  and 
he  was  the  chief  contributor  to  the  fund  with 
which  this  monument  was  erected.  He  also  pre 
sented  a  bas-relief  statue  of  Linnaeus,  of  heroic 
size,  to  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago. 

As  his  wealth  increased  his  heart  turned  with 
increasing  love  and  generous  purpose  towards 
his  native  land.  During  the  World's  Columbian 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


975 


Exposition  he  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing 
a  permanent  Industrial  Museum  of  all  the 
world's  tools,  and  as  a  result  there  stands  now 
in  Stockholm,  Sweden,  a  permanent  exhibit  of 
"Arts  and  Crafts."  He  sent  hundreds  of  copies 
of  the  little  book,  "Black  Beauty,"  to  be  given 
to  Swedish  children,  and  also  established  and 
founded  in  his  native  land  an  asylum  for  im- 
beciles, providing  that  the  inmates  might  have  a 
fresh-air  summer  home  in  the  country.  Each 
year  he  also  sent  more  than  one  thousand 
crowns  to  be  distributed  to  the  poor  of  the 
parish  in  which  he  was  brought  up.  His  ac- 
complishments and  his  generosity  caused  King 
Oscar  of  Sweden  in  the  year  1893  to  make  him 
a  knight  of  the  Vasa  Order, — an  honor  conferred 
only  on  civilians  who  bring  honor  and  distinc- 
tion to  their  native  land. 

When  Mr.  Peterson  arrived  in  the  United 
States  the  slavery  question  was  the  burning 
issue  in  American  politics.  T»ie  to  his  noble 
instincts  and  his  belief  in  freedom  for  all  man- 
kind, he  allied  himself  with  the  opponents  of 
slavery,  and  in  the  campaign  of  1860  was  stan- 
dard-bearer for  the  "Chicago  Wide  Awakes,"  an 
organization  which  rendered  memorable  serv- 
ices in  the  campaign  for  the  election  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  He  always  remembered  with 
pride  a  visit  which  the  club  made  to  the  home 
of  Mr.  Lincoln  at  Springfield,  and  the  droll  man- 
ner in  which  the  great  emancipator  asked  if  "all 
Swedes  were  as  tall  as  he."  As  he  stood  six 
feet  three,  it  is  not  strange  that  he  should  have 
attracted  attention  as  the  standard  bearer  of 
this  historic  organization. 

In  1897  Mr.  Peterson  was  one  of  the  Trustees 
of  the  town  of  Jefferson,  his  associates  being 
William  P.  Gray  and  Clark  Roberts.  He  was 
President  of  the  Lincoln  Avenue  and  Niles  Cen- 
ter toll  road,  which  now  belongs  to  the  city  of 
Chicago,  and  the  excellent  public  roads  and 
bridges  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home,  are 
largely  due  to  his  energy  and  private  contribu- 
tions. Mr.  Peterson  was  married  in  1865,  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Gage,  of  Boston,  Mass.  Though 
confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church  and  a  com- 
municant of  that  church  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Bowmanville 
Congregational  Church  from  the  day  of  its  or- 
ganization, and  did  much  to  aid  in  building  it 
up.  His  death  occurred  January  19,  1903.  His 
widow  survives  and  his  son,  William  A.  Peter- 
son, is  his  successor  in  the  conduct  of  the  busi- 
ness which  he  established. 

PHILIP   PETRIE, 

Assistant  Engineer,  Pumping  Station,  Central 
Park  Avenue,  West  Chicago,  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago, November  16,  1862,  the  son  of  Charles  S. 
Petrie,  also  a  native  of  Chicago,  born  in  1840. 
The  latter  held  the  office  of  Secretary  of  the 
City  Fire  Department  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  December,  1900.  Philip 
Petrie  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
city,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  machinist 
He  steadily  worked  his  way  up,  studying  the 


various  branches  of  his  calling  and  perfecting 
himself  in  all  the  details  of  his  work  until  he 
attained  the  proficiency  which  secured  for  him 
the  position  he  now  occupies.  His  record  in 
this  position  has  been  eminently  satisfactory, 
as  is  attested  by  his  length  of  service,  he  hav- 
ing been  in  the  employ  of  the  city  since  June  7 
1892.  His  ability  and  thorough  knowledge  of 
his  profession  in  all  its  details,  combined  with 
his  honorable  business  methods,  have  been  the 
chief  elements  of  his  success;  and  as  he  is  still 
a  young  man,  there  are  yet  higher  possibilities 
for  him  in  the  future.  Mr.  Petrie  has  become 
well  known  to  a  large  circle  of  friends,  by  all 
of  whom  he  is  held  in  high  esteem.  He  is  a 
valued  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  is 
deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  order, 
doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  interests, 
and  carrying  out  in  his  life  the  excellent  prin- 
ciples which  it  inculcates.  He  took  the  degree 
of  Master  Mason  in  1895,  in  D.  C.  Cregier  Lodge, 
No.  643,  was  exalted  to  Royal  Arch  Mason  in 
Corinthian  Chapter,  No.  69,  in  1896,  and  created 
a  Knight  Templar  in  St.  Bernard  Commandery, 
No.  35,  in  the  same  year.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Large,  in  Chicago,  on  December 
7,  1887,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  named 
Gertrude  Marion. 

GEORGE  ALBERT  PHILBRICK. 
For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  Mr. 
George  A.  Philbrick  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  social,  commercial  and  public 
interests  of  the  town  of  Cicero.  The  family  to 
which  he  belongs  is  of  English  origin,  the  name 
being  generally  spelled  Philbrique  in  Great  Brit- 
ain, from  the  Norman  ancestor,  De  Philbrique, 
who  fought  at  Hastings,  with  William  the  Con- 
queror in  1066.  In  both  England  and  the  United 
States  the  Philbricks  have  belonged  to  the  intel- 
ligent, conservative,  middle  class  which,  among 
Anglo-Saxons,  stands  as  a  bulwark  between 
kingly  or  class  encroachment,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  fanatical  intolerance  on  the  other.  The 
founder  of  the  American  branch  of  the  family 
was  Thomas  Philbrick,  a  shipmaster,  who  emi- 
grated from  the  mother  country  to  the  colonies 
about  1630,  coming  from  Lincolnshire  and  set- 
tling in  Watertown,  Massachusetts.  Some 
twenty  years  later  he  removed  to  Hampton, 
New  Hampshire,  whither  two  of  his  sons  had 
already  preceded  him.  There  he  resided  until 
his  death  in  1667,  his  wife  Elizabeth  having 
passed  away  in  1663.  Between  Thomas  and 
George  A.  Philbrick  have  intervened  six  gener- 
ations. James  Philbrick,  the  eldest  son  of 
Thomas,  married  Ann,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Roberts.  Their  son,  also  named  James,  and  a 
captain  in  the  militia,  and  his  wife,  Hannah 
Perkins,  were  the  great-great-great-grandparents 
of  George  A.  Philbrick.  Following  down  the 
line  of  descent,  the  next  in  order  was  Deacon 
Joseph,  who  was  the  husband  of  Elizabeth  Per- 
kins. In  the  next  generation  are  James  and 
Tabitha  (Dow)  Philbrick,  from  whom  was  born 
David,  who  married  Jane  Marston.  David's  son. 


976 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Simon,  and  his  wife,  whose  name  before  mar- 
riage was  Lovica  Young,  were  the  parents  of 
the  distinguished  gentleman  whose  name  ap- 
pears at  the  head  of  this  brief  biographical 
sketch. 

Simon  Philbrick  was  born  in  Ossipee,  N.  H., 
in  1801.  There  he  learned  his  trade — that  of  a 
carpenter — and  there  he  married  and  passed  his 
early  manhood.  From  Ossipee  he  removed  to 
Corinna,  Maine,  where  he  bought  land  and 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  as  a  farmer. 
He  was  a  man  of  strong  conviction,  earnest 
faith  and  devoted  piety.  His  integrity  was  pro- 
verbial and  his  life  without  blame.  His  relig- 
ious faith  was  that  of  the  Free-Will  Baptist  de- 
nomination, and,  according  to  his  means,  he  con- 
tributed liberally  to  the  cause  of  religion.  His 
house  was  a  sort  of  hostelry  for  clergymen 
who  were  always  warmly  welcomed  and  hos- 
pitably entertained.  His  neighbors,  one  and  all. 
respected  and  loved  him,  esteeming  him  for  his 
high  moral  worth,  and  being  attracted  to  him 
by  his  amiable  traits  of  mind  and  character. 
He  lived  to  be  seventy-five  years  old,  entering 
into  his  reward  on  June  19,  1876.  His  widow, 
Lovica,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent,  survived 
him  until  1888,  when  she,  too,  fell  asleep  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two  years.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simon  Phil- 
brick:  Jacob,  George  A.  and  John  W.  Jacob 
was  a  farmer,  and  lived  at  Corinna,  Maine.  He 
died  in  June,  1898.  John  W.  died  there  while 
yet  comparatively  young,  from  small-pox,  con- 
tracted from  a  woman  for  whom,  with  charac- 
teristic unselfishness,  he  had  performed  a  serv- 
ice upon  a  railway  train. 

George  A.  Philbrick  was  born  at  Corinna, 
Maine,  January  28,  1832,  and  received  his  early 
scholastic  education  at  the  district  schools  and 
at  the  academies  of  Corinna  and  Fox  Croft. 
He  had  scarcely  reached  the  age  of  twenty, 
when  he  began  the  profession  of  a  teacher,  in 
which  he  was  destined  in  after  years  to  achieve 
such  distinguished  success.  For  two  years  he 
taught  in  schools  in  his  native  State,  and  for 
the  same  length  of  time  in  Delaware  and  Mary- 
land. In  1857  he  came  West,  and  for  seven 
years  taught  in  Illinois — one  year  in  Adams 
County,  and  six  as  principal  at  Hamilton,  in 
Hancock  County.  In  1864  he  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  bookkeeper  for  Gafford  &  Company,  then 
a  well  known  firm  of  Iowa  pork-packers,  and 
in  1865  came  to  Chicago.  During  1868-69  he 
taught  school  in  that  portion  of  Cicero  which  is 
now  included  within  the  Chicago  city  limits, 
during  a  portion  of  the  time  filling  the  office 
of  Town  Clerk.  From  that  time  until  the  pres- 
ent he  has  been  one  of  Cicero's  most  influential 
citizens.  His  service  as  Town  Clerk  extended 
over  a  period  of  four  and  a  half  years;  and 
from  April,  1874,  until  April,  1904,  he  was 
Treasurer  of  the  School  Board.  During  his 
incumbency  in  the  last  named  office,  Mr.  Phil- 
brick  has  seen  great  changes  in  the  town  which 
he  has  so  long  and  so  faithfully  served.  Cicero, 
even  in  its  present  circumscribed  area,  is  noted 


for  the  intelligence,  wealth  and  public  spirit 
of  its  citizens,  who  are  determined  that  their 
schools  shall  be  second  to  none  in  the  State. 
For  the  fiscal  year  ending  April  1,  1902,  the  ex- 
penditure on  this  account  was  $301,319.60,  and 
for  the  twelve  months  expiring  April  1,  1902, 
the  receipts  were  $352,363.94..  Mr.  Philbrick 
is,  and  has  been  School  Treasurer  for  thirty 
years  past  for  the  Town  of  Cicero,  and,  in 
April,  1904,  was  again  appointed  for  another 
term  of  two  years,  which,  when  completed,  will 
make  a  continuous  term  of  thirty-two  years. 
As  Treasurer  he  has  received  and  paid  out  over 
$6,000,000. 

Investiture  with  office  of  public  responsibil- 
ity and  trust  is,  however,  but  one  of  many  ways 
in  which  his  fellow-citizens  have  attested  their 
faith  in  his  keen  intelligence,  his  sound  busi- 
ness sense  and  his  unquestionable  integrity. 
Upon  the  organization  of  the  Cicero  Building 
and  Loan  Association,  in  1886,  Mr.  Philbrick 
was  elected  a  director.  For  four  years  he  was 
the  Company's  Treasurer,  and  was  its  Secre- 
tary from  1891  until  1901,  when  he  resigned. 
He  is  a  man  of  rare  mental  endowment,  his 
perspicacity  and  memory  being  particularly  re- 
markable. At  the  time  of  the  great  Chicago 
holocaust  of  1871,  he  was  invested  with  many 
financial  responsibilities  of  weighty  and  intri- 
cate character,  and  during  the  months  which 
followed  that  great  disaster,  these  qualities 
were  exemplified  in  a  notable  degree.  At  that 
time  he  was  Town  Clerk  and  ex-officio  Secre- 
tary of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Cicero,  Sec- 
retary of  the  Chicago  Asphalt  Company,  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer  of  the  Chicago  and  Joliet 
Gravel  Company,  Secretary  of  the  Town,  Treas- 
urer and  Supervisor,  and  Secretary  of  the  Union 
Park  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Chicago.  In  all 
these  various  capacities  he  was  the  principal 
keeper  of  accounts,  and  in  the  fateful  blaze  of 
October  in  that  memorable  year,  more  than 
$1,500,000  evidences  of  indebtedness,  in  the 
form  of  books  of  original  entry  and  negotiable 
or  assignable  documents,  which  had  been  under 
his  care,  were  destroyed.  Yet  so  accurate  was 
his  recollection  that  he  was  able  to  name  both 
debtors  and  the  amounts  of  their  obligations, 
and,  while  there  were  necessarily  many  uncol- 
lectable  accounts,  in  no  case  was  the  accuracy  of 
his  statement  of  the  same,  from  memory,  seri- 
ously or  successfully  disputed.  This  may  be 
fairly  called  a  triumph  of  "mind  over  matter," 
and  its  parallel  can  scarcely  be  met  in  the  com- 
mercial annals  of  any  city  in  the  world. 

On  October  25,  1855,  he  married  Mary  Hinds 
Stevens,  of  Dover,  Maine,  whose  parents  were 
Nathaniel  M.  Stevens  and  Betsy  Hinds.  One 
daughter,  Mary  A.,  has  been  born  of  the  union, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Oliver  W.  Marble,  an  archi- 
tect of  Sandusky,  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Philbrick 
are  firm  believers  in  Christian  Science,  the 
former  being  an  ardent  and  constant  student 
of  the  tenets  and  teachings  of  that  creed.  Mrs. 
Philbrick  is  also  an  earnest  worker  in  the 
cause  of  temperance,  and  enjoys  the  distinction 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


977 


of  having  been  one  of  three  ladies  who  pre- 
vented the  introduction  of  the  saloon  into  Aus- 
tin. Mr.  Philbrick  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and 
a  Knight  Templar.  He  was  first  initiated  into 
Masonic  Fraternity  in  Penobscot  Lodge,  at  Dex- 
ter, Maine,  in  1855.  For  ten  years  he  was  con- 
nected with  Union  Park  Lodge  of  Chicago,  and 
is  at  present  a  member  of  Cicero  Chapter,  No. 
180,  R.  A.  M.,  and  of  Siloam  Commandery.  He 
was  Treasurer  of  Cicero  Chapter  from  1878  to 
1903. 

THOMAS  G.  PIHLFELDT, 
Assistant  City  Bridge  Engineer,  was  born  in 
Vadsoe,  Norway,  October  11,  1858,  attended  a 
private  school  in  Norway  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  attended  the  Polytechnic  High  School 
at  Hanover,  Germany,  for  two  years,  when  he 
entered  the  Royal  Polytechnic  Institute,  at 
Dresden,  Germany,  graduating  there  in  1879. 
He  came  to  America  and  arrived  in  Chicago 
August  25,  1879.  For  the  first  two  years  he 
worked  at  different  jobs  in  machine  shops,  etc.; 
in  1881  was  employed  as  draughtsman  for  sev- 
eral Chicago  firms,  including  the  F.  C.  Austin 
Manufacturing  Company;  entered  the  map  de- 
partment in  the  City  Hall  in  1889,  remaining 
until  1892;  and  from  May,  1892,  to  June,  1893, 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  A.  Gottleib  &  Co.  He 
then  returned  to  the  map  department,  remain- 
ing there  until  February,  1894,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  the  bridge  department  as 
draughtsman,  until  1897,  then  being  placed  in 
charge  of  the  office  as  principal  assistant  to  the 
City  Bridge  Engineer,  where  he  still  remains. 
He  passed  the  civil  service  examination,  as 
structural  iron  designer,  in  April,  1899.  Mr. 
Pihlfeldt,  among  many  other  works,  designed 
the  entire  roof  structure  of  the  Sixty-eighth 
Street  Pumping  Station,  and  Central  Park  Ave- 
nue and  Springfield  Pumping  Stations;  the 
Carter  H.  Harrison  Crib  (the  finest  on  the 
lakes) ;  the  Northwestern  Elevated  Viaduct  at 
Wells  Street;  Fullerton  Avenue  and  Diversey 
Avenue  bridges;  Thirty-ninth  and  Halsted 
Street  Viaduct;  the  roof  of  one  of  the  finest 
engine-houses  in  the  West,  located  at  Wash- 
ington Street  and  Michigan  Avenue;  also  the 
roof  of  the  Municipal  Electric  plant  at  Harri- 
son and  Halsted  Streets.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Erica  Lehman,  in  Chicago,  September  12, 
1885,  and  two  children  have  been  born  of  this 
union. 

GEORGE  PITON, 

Captain  of  Fire  Insurance  Patrol,  No.  3,  was 
born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  February  14,  1860; 
came  to  Chicago  in  1864,  where  he  attended  the 
Christian  Brothers'  School,  and  after  leaving 
school  drove  teams  and  carriages  for  thirteen 
years.  January  3,  1885,  he  joined  the  Fire  In- 
surance Patrol,  No.  1,  remaining  there  until 
March  21,  following,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  Patrol  No.  2  as  driver.  May  11,  1889,  he  was 
again  transferred  to  Patrol  No.  1,  as  driver,  and 
has  the  record  of  being  the  first  patrol  driver 
to  be  promoted  to  Lieutenant,  as  he  was  Aug- 


ust 17,  1894,  being  then  assigned  to  Patrol  No. 
3.  He  as  promoted  to  Captain  January  1, 
1897. 

The  closest  call  Captain  Piton  has  had  was 
at  107  Madison  Street,  the  Salisbury  &  Cline 
and  Knight  &  Leonard  fire,  when  he  was  the 
first  man  out  of  the  building,  the  remainder  of 
the  patrol  boys  being  caught  while  spreading 
tarpaulin  over  the  boxes.  A.  Papineau  was 
killed  within  six  feet  of  Captain  Piton.  Cap- 
tain Piton  has  the  reputation  of  having  served 
as  driver  the  longest  time  of  any  patrolman  in 
the  service.  He  is  a  great  lover  of  dogs  and 
horses,  is  an  athlete,  and  Patrol  No.  3  has  the 
only  gymnasium  of  any  Patrol  or  Fire  Com- 
pany in  Chicago.  Their  time  from  the  bed  to 
street  is  4  1-2  seconds,  and  they  have  made  the 
fastest  time  running  to  a  fire  on  record.  Cap- 
tain Piton  was  married  in  Chicago,  May  18, 
1886,  to  Miss  Edna  Baloff,  and  they  have  one 
daughter. 

CHARLES  PLEWA. 

Charles  Plewa,  East  Side,  South  Chicago,  is 
the  Superintendent  of  the  Columbia  Malting 
Company  and  Elevator,  which  was  put  in  oper- 
ation in  1898  with  a  capacity  of  a  million  bush- 
els. The  elevator  is  equipped  with  the  most 
modern  outfit  for  handling,  making  and  stor- 
ing malt.  In  1900  the  company  began  the  con- 
struction of  an  addition  to  the  building,  which 
has  doubled  its  capacity.  About  twenty-eight 
men  are  employed  here  in  the  manufacture  of 
malt,  which  finds  a  market  in  the  East  and  in 
the  South.  Charles  Plewa  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  this  country  in  1887.  Be- 
fore leaving  his  native  land  he  had  learned  the 
brewer  trade,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Independent  Company  until  1899.  Mr.  Plewa 
was  married  in  1889  to  Miss  Emma  Emanuel,  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
one  daughter,  Clara,  who  was  born  December 
16,  1891. 

JOHN   F.   PLUMMEK. 

John  F.  Plummer,  a  prominent  and  represen- 
tative stockman  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chi- 
cago, has  attained  his  present  enviable  stand- 
ing by  the  closest  attention  to  every  detail  of 
his  business,  whether  it  related  to  his  employ- 
er's interest  and  profit  or  concerned  the  com- 
fort and  satisfaction  of  his  patrons.  Courteous 
to  all,  genial  and  open  in  his  manner  and  exact 
and  systematic  in  all  his  business  transactions, 
he  is  well  known  and  highly  respected  for  his 
many  good  qualities  and  manly  character. 

Mr.  Plummer  was  born  July  20,  1855,  on  a 
farm  about  two  miles  from  Leesburg,  Ind.. 
where  he  was  reared  and  educated,  finishing 
his  schooling  in  the  Normal  School  at  Val- 
paraiso, Ind.  His  paternal  grandparents,  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Harvey)  Plummer,  as  well  as 
his  mother's  parents,  Fielding  and  Elizabeth 
(Miller)  Luttrell,  were  all  born  in  South  Caro- 
lina. Eli  Plummer,  his  father,  was  a  native 
of  Union  County,  Ind.,  and  his  mother,  Mary 
Luttrell,  of  Fairfield  County,  Ohio.  The  Plum- 


978 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


mer  family  still  owns  and  occupies  the  farm 
in  Kosciusko  County,  Ind.,  where  John  F.  was 
born,  and  which  was  secured  on  a  Government 
deed  in  1836. 

John  F.  Plummer  was  early  recognized  as  a 
man  of  character  and  probity,  as  well  as  intel- 
ligence and  reliability,  and  when  he  left  school 
and  came  home  to  take  his  part  in  the  work  of 
his  community,  was  made  Justice  of  the  Peace 
at  Leesburg,  a  position  he  held  for  fourteen 
years.  At  the  same  time  he  was  engaged  in 
farming,  and  early  drifted  into  the  cattle  busi- 
ness, buying  and  shippiing  stock  to  Chicago. 
It  was  a  business  for  which  he  had  a  natural 
fitness,  and  which  gradually  became  his  sole 
employment.  In  1894  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
to  form  a  connection  with  the  firm  of  Root, 
Norton  &  Company,  going  on  the  road  for  them 
some  three  years,  and  in  1897  becoming  their 
salesman  at  the  Stock  Yards.  The  following 
year  he  became  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the 
Lowry  Commission  Company,  which  gave  place, 
August  1,  1899,  to  the  corporation  of  the 
Archey,  Son  &  Plummer  Company,  with  Mr. 
Plummer  in  the  same  position.  Mr.  Plummer 
is  now  (1904)  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  J. 
F.  Plummer  &  Co. 

Mr.  Plummer  was  united  in  marriage,  April 
24,  1877,  to  Miss  Amanda  Long,  and  of  this 
union  there  have  been  four  children,  two  of 
whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Radol  L.  and 
Othelia. 

SAMUEL  POOLE, 

Engineer  of  Engine  No.  27,  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, was  born  in  Hamilton,  Canada,  on 
December  29,  1858.  His  father,  Samuel  Poole, 
was  a  native  of  Birmingham,  England,  and  his 
mother,  Mary  (English)  Poole,  was  born  in 
Ireland. 

Engineer  Poole  is  a  self-educated  man.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  1864,  and  worked  for  Wai- 
worth,  Twohig  &  Furse,  the  Crane  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  and  Haxton  Steamfitting  Com- 
pany, as  steam-fitter,  and  thirteen  years  for 
Isaac  I.  Eaton  &  Company  on  steamboat  work. 
He  then  carried  on  a  shop  of  his  own  for  steam- 
fitting;  later  worked  for  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion and  also  for  Kerns  and  Crane,  refitting 
City  Hall.  He  joined  the  Fire  Department  Oc- 
tober 26,  1886,  and  worked  on  Fire-Boat  "Gey- 
ser," steam-fitting;  later  fitted  up  Hook  &  Lad- 
der house  No.  3,  and  was  then  transferred  to 
Engine  40,  as  assistant  Engineer;  went  out 
of  business  in  July  14,  1888,  but  returned  July 
12,  1890,  when  he  fitted  up  Engines  3  and  28; 
also  Trucks  8  and  11,  Engine  5,  Trucks  2,  18 
Engine  51;  on  December  7,  1894,  was  sent  to 
Engine  14  as  acting  Engineer;  in  1897  was 
transferred  to  Engine  4  as  Engineer  and  then 
went  wherever  ordered,  repairing  heaters;  is 
now  Engineer  on  No.  27  by  promotion.  An- 
other brave  fireman  who  is  always  ready  to 
respond  to  the  call  of  the  fire  alarm. 

ROGERS  PORTER. 
Rogers  Porter  (deceased)  was  born  in  Frome, 


Somersetshire,  England,  November  26,  1844,  and 
died  in  Chicago  July  29,  1902.  The  years  which 
lie  between  these  two  dates  furnish  the  life  his- 
tory of  one  of  earth's  noblemen,  and,  were  the 
events  of  his  life  chronicled,  the  resulting  story 
would  prove  of  marvelous  interest  and  charm 
to  the  general  reader.  Twenty-eight  years  of 
Mr.  Porter's  existence  were  spent  on  foreign 
soil.  He  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  traveling  ex- 
tensively during  this  period,  visiting  the  Orient 
and  traveling  overland  across  the  continent  of 
South  America,  while  all  parts  of  Europe  were 
alike  familiar  to  him.  It  was  not  until  the 
year  1872  that  Mr.  Porter  reached  America, 
but  he  at  once  found  employment  in  the  office 
of  the  Western  Department  of  the  Phoenix  In- 
surance Company  of  Hartford,  at  Cincinnati, 
where  he  remained  twelve  months.  Chicago's 
fame  as  a  busy,  bustling  city  reached  his  ears 
and  he  journeyed  thither  in  search  of  fortune. 
When  he  arrived  at  the  Western  metropolis,  he 
secured  a  position  in  the  local  agency  of  the 
same  Insurance  Company  under  the  manage- 
ment of  James  Ayers.  His  zeal  and  interest 
in  the  work  at  once  caused  the  concern  to 
realize  the  sterling  worth  of  Mr.  Porter,  and 
larger  fields  of  usefulness  were  soon  opened  to 
him.  On  August  26,  1880,  Mr.  Porter  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Millie  C.  Long  of  Lewis- 
ton,  Pa.,  and  this  union  was  regarded  by  all  his 
friends  as  a  most  fortunate  event  in  his  life. 
To  Mr.  Porter  and  his  wife  one  son  was  born, 
Arthur  Rogers  Porter. 

Having  gained  much  practical  experience  as  a 
fire  underwriter,  it  was  expected  that  Mr.  Por- 
ter would  soon  be  found  in  the  front  rank  among 
insurance  men,  and  his  friends  were  not  at  all 
surprised  when,  in  1888,  he  was  offered  a  posi- 
tion with  the  Western  Department  of  the  Ger- 
man-American Company,  being  soon  promoted 
to  the  office  of  Assistant  Manager,  which  he 
occupied  until  the  time  of  his  death.  Having 
secured  recognition  from  the  business  world, 
Mr.  Porter  could  afford  to  enter  the  social 
arena,  and  he  became  a  member  of  the  Union 
League,  and  the  Athletic  and  Midlothian  Clubs, 
where,  as  in  business  life,  his  value  as  a  pub- 
lic-spirited citizen  was  not  slow  in  becoming 
recognized.  Mr.  Porter  possessed  broad  and  lib- 
eral views  along  many  lines,  so  that  it  was  for 
him  an  easy  task  to  win  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  all  those  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact. In  manner  and  deportment  he  was  quiet 
and  somewhat  reserved,  though  possessed  of  a 
courtesy  never  failing  and  a  temperament  al- 
ways genial.  Though  hampered  to  a  certain 
e'xtent  by  a  rather  frail  physique,  he  seldom 
complained,  but  labored  ever  with  a  zeal  un- 
ceasing in  its  intensity.  No  duty,  no  trial, 
seemed  too  great  to  overcome,  while  his  loy- 
alty to  all  obligations,  and  his  candor  and  up- 
rightness, added  to  his  richly  endowed  mental- 
ity, made  him  welcome  everywhere.  Along  in- 
surance lines  his  worth  and  value  were  fully 
recognized.  That  Mr.  Porter  contributed  much 
toward  the  success  of  his  individual  company, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


979 


all  acknowledge  with  pride,  and  his  professional 
brethren  will  long  hold  his  memory  sacred. 
With  regard  to  his  political  tendencies,  Mr. 
Porter  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party,  but 
he  was  by  no  means  what  is  termed  a  poli- 
tician. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  denom- 
ination, and,  when  he  died,  it  was  said  of  him 
that  he  "had  lived  a  pure  and  useful  life,  and 
had  possessed  a  conscience  void  of  offense  to- 
ward God  and  his  fellow-men" — a  verdict  the 
world  is  slow  to  bestow. 

On  July  29th,  1902,  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  came  the  summons  which  no  one  can 
ever  disregard,  and  Mr.  Porter's  spirit  left  the 
mortal  frame  slumbering  within  the  chamber 
of  his  late  residence,  No.  3417  South  Park  Av- 
enue, while  the  soul  returned  to  God  who 
gave  it.  And  thus  passed  away  a  truly  good 
man — a  man  whose  capacity  for  friendship  had 
been  large,  and  who  thus  had  left  many  persons 
to  regret  his  departure.  The  wife  of  his  youth 
still  survives  Mr.  Porter.  The  son,  Arthur,  is 
finishing  his  education  at  Cornell  University, 
and  for  the  time-being  the  home  is  somewhat 
broken  up.  But  it  is  characteristic  of  humanity 
to  dream  of  reunion,  of  eternal  peace  and 
rest  where  home  ties  ne'er  can  be  broken  again, 
and  that  intuitive  desire  causes  one  to  think  of 
meeting  in  the  "Great  Beyond,"  where  home  life 
can  never  be  disturbed,  for  no  death  can  enter 
Heaven. 

M.  W.  POWELL. 

M.  W.  Powell,  manufacturer  and  contractor, 
Chicago,  veteran  fireman  and  late  Colonel  Sixth 
Regiment  Illinois  National  Guard,  was  born  at 
Ebensburg,  Pa.,  September  13,  1831,  the  son  of 
David  and  Mary  (Morgan)  Powell,  his  father 
being  a  stock  farmer  and  of  Welsh  ancestry, 
while  his  mother  was  of  English  descent. 

Mr.  Powell  lived  on  the  farm  until  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  in  the  meantime  attending 
the  public  school  in  his  native  State.  In  1850 
he  came  to  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  here,  for  a 
time,  availed  himself  of  the  advantages  of  a 
night  school.  The  following  winter  after  his 
arrival  in  Chicago,  he  went  to  Arkansas  and  en- 
gaged in  rafting  lumber  on  the  Red  River.  This 
course  he  followed  for  several  years,  going 
South  each  winter  and  returning  to  Chicago  in 
the  spring,  where  he  spent  the  summer  months. 
Here  he  became  associated  with  B.  F.  Barrett 
in  learning  the  roofing  business,  with  whom  he 
remained  during  the  summer  for  four  years, 
receiving  an  increase  of  salary  each  succeeding 
year.  He  then  spent  some  time  as  mate  on 
board  a  steamer  plying  between  St.  Louis  and 
New  Orleans,  but  returning  to  Chicago  in  the 
spring  of  1856  entered  into  partnership  with  a 
Mr.  Mansfield  in  the  roofing  business.  A  year 
later  he  succeeded  in  consolidating  the  firm  of 
Powell  &  Mansfield  with  that  of  his  former  em- 
ployer, Mr.  Barrett,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Barrett,  Powell  &  Company,  which  continued  in 
the  roofing  business  for  ten  or  twelve  years. 
At  the  end  of  this  period  Mr.  Powell  organized 


the  M.  W.  Powell  Roofing  Company,  of  which  he 
has  been  President  and  Business  Manager  ever 
since.  He  is  also  associated  with  two  other 
companies,  including  the  Powell-West  Paving 
Company  and  the  Peacock  Coal  Company,  being 
President  of  both.  The  first  named  company  is 
engaged  in  cement  and  asphalt  side-walk  and 
street-paving,  and  the  latter  in  the  coal  and  oil 
business,  operating  mines  and  wells  in  Ohio. 
For  some  fifty-six  years  Colonel  Powell  has  been 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  roofing  material. 
He  is  a  strong  believer  in  asphalt  as  the  only 
suitable  paving  material  for  the  city  of  Chicago. 
Colonel  Powell  was  prominently  identified  with 
the  Chicago  Fire  Department  at  an  early  day, 
for  fifteen  years  being  connected  successively 
with  the  Volunteer  and  the  Paid  Department, 
and  for  all  but  six  months  of  this  time  being  an 
officer  in  the  service.  He  organized  the  La 
Fayette  Fire  Company,  No.  4,  of  which  he  was 
foreman  for  seven  and  a  half  years  and  engineer 
for  seven  years.  At  the  present  time  he  is  one 
of  the  two  surviving  Engineers  of  the  old  Volun- 
teer Department,  and  one  of  the  four  Captains 
still  living.  Among  his  most  valued  mementoes 
of  this  period  are  a  silver  cup  and  trumpet  and 
a  gold  badge  given  him  by  the  companies  in 
which  he  held  office. 

During  the  Spanish-American  War  Colonel 
Powell  organized  a  provisional  regiment  for  that 
conflict,  but  it  was  not  called  into  actual  serv- 
ice. He  is  a  member  of  the  Builders'  Club  and 
the  Chicago  Builders'  Exchange;  is  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason,  and,  for  over  forty  years, 
a  member  of  the  Occidental  Consistory.  Other 
organizations  of  the  fraternity  with  which  he  is 
associated  include  Cleveland  Lodge,  No.  211; 
Washington  Chapter,  No.  28,  and  as  a  charter 
member  of  the  Chicago  Comandery,  No.  19,  K.  T. 

Colonel  Powell  was  married  November  3, 
1855,  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  to  Elizabeth  Prit- 
chard,  formerly  of  the  city  of  Milwaukee,  and 
they  have  had  four  children:  Charles,  who  died 
in  infancy;  George  H.,  who  died  in  1902;  Emma 
and  Lillian. 

As  a  business  man,  Colonel  Powell  has  had  an 
active  and  strenuous  career,  and  by  stalwart 
energy  and  intelligent,  well-directed  enterprise 
has  achieved  success  while  maintaining  a  clean 
business  record.  During  his  long  connection 
with  the  roofing  business  he  has  taken  out  a 
number  of  patents  which  have  proved  of  great 
value. 

SAMUEL  E.  POWERS. 

Captain  Samuel  E.  Powers,  City  Time-keeper, 
Chicago,  with  the  official  position  of  city  yard- 
man, was  born  in  Chicago,  July  31,  1838,  anJ 
educated  in  his  native  place.  His  father,  Wil- 
liam R.  Powers,  was  born  in  Meadville,  Pa. 
and  his  mother,  Melissa  (Perry)  Powers,  in 
Malone,  N.  Y.  His  grandparents,  Samuel  and 
Katie  (Swailes)  Powers,  and  his  great-grand- 
parents, Alexander  and  Katie  (McDonald)  Pow- 
ers, were  all  natives  of  Ireland.  Ebenezer  and 
Sarah  (Campbell)  Perry,  his  maternal  grand- 
parents, were  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County, 


g8o 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


N.  Y.,  and  his  great-grandparents,  Ebenezer  and 
Sarah  (Loughson)  Perry,  were  natives  of  Scot- 
land. Captain  Powers'  parents  came  to  America 
in  1834  and  1835,  the  mother  coming  at  the 
earlier  date  and  locating  at  St.  Charles,  Kane 
County,  111.,  where  they  were  married  in  June, 
1837.  They  became  the  parents  of  a  family  of 
five  children,  of  whom  Samuel  E.  was  the  first 
born;  Julia  married  Col.  Charles  O.  Goodrich,  of 
St.  Charles,  who  was  an  officer  of  the  Eleventh 
Illinois  Cavalry  during  the  Civil  War.  They 
now  reside  near  Pine  River  Agency,  Neb.,  and  at 
the  time  of  an  uprising  of  the  Indians,  she 
made  a  famous  ride  by  night  to  Ainsworth,  a 
distance  of  sixty-five  miles,  and  the  nearest 
point  where  troops  could  be  called  for,  to  arouse 
the  country  to  the  danger  of  the  outbreak.  The 
Colonel,  with  about  150  ranchmen,  held  the  Indi- 
ans at  bay  until  the  arrival  of  troops.  In  this 
ride  Mrs.  Goodrich  carried  an  infant  in  her 
arms  and  a  boy  of  seven  years  strapped  to  her 
horse.  She  is  still  living,  and  for  this  heroic 
act,  the  State  Legislature  in  1900  voted  to  pre- 
sent her  a  substantial  gift  in  recognition  of  her 
services  at  a  cost  of  $160.  The  daughter  Hattie 
married  George  Lewis,  a  mechanic  in  Philadel- 
phia. William  Rankin  still  resides  unmarried 
at  the  old  home.  One  child  died  from  influenza. 
The  father  died  in  1886  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  and  the  mother  in  1891  in  her 
eighty-seventh  year.  The  elder  Powers  was  a 
contractor,  and  built  the  first  bridge  across  Fox 
River,  at  St.  Charles,  and  the  first  dam  at 
Geneva.  He  constructed  the  first  thirty  miles 
of  the  old  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad, 
now  a  part  of  the  Northwestern,  and  for  many 
years  followed  the  contracting  business. 

Captain  Samuel  E.  Powers  received  a  limited 
education,  and  early  engaged  in  business  for 
himself,  his  first  engagement  being  with  the 
Butler  &  Hunt  Paper  Company,  of  Chicago,  in 
1848,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the  outbreak 
of  the  rebellion,  when,  on  July  15,  1862,  he  en- 
listed in  the  Seventy-fourth  Illinois  Infantry, 
being  enrolled  as  a  member  of  Company  B.  He 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Crabb 
Orchard,  McMinnville,  Nashville,  Stone  River, 
and  Murfreesborough,  at  the  latter  losing  an 
eye.  Here  he  was  promoted  to  a  lieutenancy, 
and  at  the  battle  of  Franklin  won  his  captaincy 
September  1,  1864,  he  resigned  from  the  service 
on  account  of  disability.  In  1870  he  entered 
into  the  fancy  wood  and  veneer  trade,  which 
proved  disastrous. 

Captain  Powers  was  married,  December  19. 
1863,  to  Emma  I.  Lynd,  of  St.  Charles,  111.,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  two  children:  Frankie. 
born  April  25,  1865,  and  Hattie,  born  February 
13,  1868.  The  latter  married  A.  B.  Fagan  ,and 
has  a  family  of  three  children:  Julia,  Ellen  and 
Samuel  Arthur. 

JOHN  J.  PRENDERGAST, 

Captain  on  Engine  No.  54,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Youghal,  County  Cork,  Ire- 
land, June  29,  1857,  and  educated  in  Mount 


Mellery  Seminary,  County  Waterford.  After 
leaving  school  in  1871,  he  went  to  sea  with  his 
father,  and  served  from  apprenticeship  as  a 
seaman  to  master  on  the  ocean  and  lakes.  He 
came  to  America  in  1876,  but  returned  to  his 
native  place  in  Ireland,  in  1878,  and  married 
Miss  Margaret  Corcoran.  He  came  to  America 
in  April,  1884,  and  followed  the  lakes  on  the 
schooner  John  M.  Hutchinson,  and  later  on  the 
schooner  George  M.  Case,  which  was  ship- 
wrecked on  Lake  Erie,  October  14,  1886.  Mr. 
Prendergast  and  another  man  were  all  that 
were  saved  of  a  crew  of  eight,  after  spending 
six  and  a  half  hours  in  the  water.  He  came  to 
Chicago  and  joined  the  Fire  Department  June 
26,  1887,  on  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  4, 
Town  of  Lake.  October  1,  1887,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  3, 
Town  of  Lake;  July  11,  1888,  to  Engine  No.  7, 
Town  of  Lake,  and  in  April,  1899,  was  promoted 
to  the  captaincy  on  Engine  No.  7,  so  remaining 
until  annexation  to  the  city  of  Chicago,  when 
the  number  of  the  engine  was  changed  to  54 
where  he  is  still  on  duty,  serving  with  charac- 
teristic promptness  and  fidelity.  He  has  had 
many  narrow  escapes  while  sailing  and  at  fires 
At  a  fire  at  Seventy-first  Street  and  Cottage 
Grove  Avenue,  he  rescued  William  Calmann, 
who  was  hanging  by 'a  single  wire  in  the  court- 
way,  with  the  assistance  of  Pipeman  Kasmann. 
pulling  Calmann  through  the  window  after  he 
let  go  the  wire.  Captain  Prendergast  was  mar- 
ried, in  Youghal,  Ireland,  October  6,  1878,  to 
Miss  Margaret  Corcoran,  and  eight  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  six  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

WILLIAM  PRENTISS. 

William  Prentiss,  ex-State's  Attorney,  lawyer 
and  politician,  was  born  in  Davenport,  Iowa, 
September  19,  1848,  and,  during  his  infancy,  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Schuyler  County,  111. 
whence  the  family  shortly  afterwards  removed 
to  Vermont,  Fulton  County,  where  the  father, 
who  was  a  physician,  died  in  1854.  In  1860  the 
mother  married  James  Mantey,  a  farmer  at 
McDonough  County,  111.,  and,  upon  the  farm  of 
his  step-father,  Mr.  Prentiss  soon  became  famil- 
iar with  all  the  duties  and  labor  of  the  fields 
through  the  summer  months,  while  attending 
the  district  school  in  the  winter  season.  He 
subsequently  continued  his  education  in  a  sem- 
inary at  Abingdon,  111.,  in  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Normal,  and  at  Knox  College,  Gales- 
burg,  but  before  graduation,  his  health  having 
failed  him,  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  his  col- 
lege course. 

In  1850  Mr.  Prentiss  removed  to  Minnesota 
for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  remaining  in  that 
State  for  seven  years.  He  there  entered  a  tract 
of  government  land,  which  he  transformed  into 
a  good  farm,  and  in  connection  with  his  farm- 
ing operations  while  in  Minnesota,  also  taught 
school  and  was  Superintendent  of  Schools  in 
Cottonwood  County  for  three  years.  He  began 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Daniel 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


981 


Buck,  of  Mankato,  now  a  member  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Minnesota.  In  1878  he  returned 
to  Macomb,  111.,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
the  same  year  was  elected  State's  Attorney  for 
McDonough  County  to  fill  a  vacancy.  In  1880 
he  was  elected  Mayor  of  Macomb,  being  the  only 
Democrat  elected  to  that  office  in  more  than 
twenty  years — that  city  being  the  Republican 
stronghold  of  the  county.  In  1885,  after  an  ex- 
perience of  only  seven  years  at  the  bar,  he  was 
the  choice  of  the  legal  fraternity  of  McDonough 
County,  without  regard  to  party,  for  Circuit 
Judge,  and  received  the  nomination  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic judicial  convention  at  a  time  when  a  bill 
was  pending  in  the  Legislature  providing  for  an 
increase  in  the  number  of  Circuit  Judges.  The 
act  failed  to  pass  in  the  Lower  House  by  a  few 
votes,  and  Mr.  Prentiss  consequently  failed  of 
election  to  the  position  which  he  would  undoubt- 
edly have  received  had  the  law  passed,  as  his 
district  was  strongly  Democratic.  As  advocate 
or  counsel  he  was  retained  on  one  side  or  the 
other  of  nearly  all  the  important  cases  tried  in 
the  courts  of  McDonough  County,  and  also  had 
a  large  clientage  in  adjoining  counties. 

Seeking  a  broader  field  of  labor,  Mr.  Prentiss 
came  to  Chicago  in  1891,  and  almost  immedi- 
ately came  into  prominence  as  a  leader  of  the 
Democratic  party  in  this  city.  In  1895,  he  re- 
ceived the  nomination  for  Circuit  Judge  of  Cook 
County,  but  a  Republican  tidal  wave  swept  the 
district  that  year  and  he  was  defeated,  as  he 
was  again  in  1897,  when  once  more  a  candidate. 
In  1896  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
National  Convention,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  the  campaign  of  that  year.  He  is  very  pop- 
ular in  Democratic  ranks  and  highly  esteemed 
by  many  of  the  leaders  of  the  party. 

Mr.  Prentiss  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1876, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Helen  McCaughey  of  Fulton 
County,  111.,  and  to  them  were  born  three  sons 
The  eldest,  James  Manley,  was  drowned  in  1893 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  while  boating  on 
Lake  Michigan.  He  was  accompanied  by  a 
young  lady,  whose  life  he  saved  at  the  sacrifice 
of  his  own.  The  other  sons,  Jackson  McCaughey 
and  William,  are  attending  school.  Mr.  Prentiss 
is  a  man  of  genial  temperament,  of  gentlemanly 
deportment  and  cordial  disposition,  and  his  so- 
cial qualities  render  him  a  favorite  among  all 
classes  with  whom  he  is  brought  in  contact. 

THEODORE  L.  PRESCOTT, 
Telegraph  Operator,  was  born  October  21,  1839, 
the  son  of  Wright  and  Panther  Prescott,  and 
received  his  education  in  Canadaigua,  N.  Y.  In 
September,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Twelfth  Reg- 
iment, Iowa  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  the  greater  part  of  this  time  being 
under  command  of  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman.  Mr 
Prescott  is  a  Protestant  in  religious  faith,  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  a  telegraph  operator 
by  occupation.  He  was  married  in  Chicago,  in 
1868,  to  Lizzie  Edwards,  and  has  six  children, 
viz.:  Edward  L.,  Victor,  Harry,  Charles,  Eva 
and  Birdie. 


PETER  PRICE, 

Postoffice  Printer,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  July  17,  1846.  His  paternal  great- 
grandfather, William  Price,  was  a  native  of 
Wales  and  his  maternal  great-grandfather, 
Michael  Rittenburg,  of  Germany.  His  paternal 
grandparents  were  William  Price,  born  in 
Wales,  and  Sarah  Hale,  born  in  England;  his 
maternal  grandparents  were  Michael  Ritten- 
burg, of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  Abigail  Cody 
Sprague,  of  Massachusetts.  His  father  was  Jo- 
seph Price,  and  his  mother,  Sarah  Rittenburg, 
the  former  born  in  Gloucestershire,  England, 
and  the  latter  in  Farmington,  N.  Y. 

Peter  Price  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Cleveland.  After  leaving  school  he  enlisted 
in  Cleveland,  October  8,  1863,  as  a  private  in 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  served  gallantly 
in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  he  partici- 
pated in  all  the  campaigns  of  his  regiment  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  mustered  out  and 
honorably  discharged  from  service  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  July  9,  1865.  He  came  to  Chicago 
early  in  April,  1882,  and  entered  the  service  of 
the  United  States  Government  at  the  Chicago 
Postoffice,  on  the  first  day  of  February,  1894, 
where  he  still  remains.  He  was  promoted  by 
appointment,  to  the  position  of  Postoffice 
Printer,  March  1,  1896,  which  he  has  continued 
to  fill  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  officials 
and  his  associates  up  to  the  present  time.  He 
was  married  to  Almeda  Westcott,  in  New  York 
City,  February  17,  1874. 

JAMES  K.  PUMPELLY. 

A  progressive  age,  by  bringing  the  wondrous 
discoveries  of  science  more  and  more  intimately 
into  men's  daily  lives,  has  multiplied  wants  and 
correspondingly  stimulated  a  constantly  grow- 
ing demand  for  new  inventions.  He  who  can 
furnish  a  new  appliance  which  will  successfully 
meet  even  one  of  these  constantly  multiplying 
wants,  has  earned  for  himself  a  claim  upon  the 
gratitude  of  an  exacting  generation.  It  is  in 
connection  with  such  a  discovery  that  the  name 
of  Pumpelly  has  become  familiar  to  both  the 
scientific  and  commercial  worlds.  As  the  in- 
ventor of  the  storage  battery  which  bears  his 
name,  he  has  not  only  won  fame  and  fortune 
for  himself,  but  has  proved  himself  a  public 
benefactor.  James  K.  Pumpelly  was  born  at 
Oswego,  Tioga  County,  N.  Y.,  April  25,  1837. 
After  graduating  from  Yale  University,  in  1857, 
he  spent  several  months  in  European  travel,  re- 
turning to  this  country  in  the  winter  of  1858. 
The  next  two  and  a  half  years  he  spent  at  Fond 
Ju  Lac,  Wis.,  attending  to  his  father's  landed 
interests  in  that  State,  and  in  July,  1861,  he  re- 
cruited a  company  for  the  Thirty-third  Wiscon- 
sin Volunteers,  being  chosen  and  commissioned 
its  First  Lieutenant.  He  served  with  gallantry 
and  distinction  for  two  years,  but  in  1863  ill 
health  compelled  him  to  tender  his  resignation. 
Returning  to  Fond  du  Lac  he  resumed  the  man- 
agement of  his  father's  property,  remaining 


982 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


there  until  1885,  when  he  came  to  Chicago. 
Meanwhile  he  had  invented  an  electrical  storage 
battery,  on  which  he  held  patents  of  very  con- 
siderable value.  His  chief  object  in  coming  to 
Chicago  was  to  organize  a  company  for  its 
manufacture  and  sale.  This  he  effected  in  1886. 
The  name  of  the  concern  was  the  Pumpelly 
Storage  Battery  and  Motor  Company,  of  which 
he  was  the  Vice-President.  This  company  man- 
ufactured the  first  storage  battery  ever  made  in 
the  West  for  commercial  use.  For  three  years 
an  up-hill  fight  was  made,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  a  dissolution  was  deemed  best,  and 
was  effected. 

Mr.  Pumpelly,  however,  was  not  discouraged. 
He  secured  new  patents,  covering  improvements 
in  his  original  device  and  succeeded  in  organiz- 
ing the  Pumpelly-Sorley  Storage  Battery  Com- 
pany, Joseph  Cummings  being  President,  Mr. 
Pumpelly  Vice-President,  and  B.  B.  Arnold,  man- 
ager. After  two  years  of  success  this  company 
disposed  of  its  patents  and  business  to  the 
Electric  Storage  Battery  Company,  of  Philadel- 
phia, for  $100,000,  the  inventor  being  given  a 
remunerative  -position,  which  he  continued  to 
fill  for  two  years,  when  he  left  the  employ  of 
tire  company  to  become  manager  of  the  Crofton 
Storage  Battery  Company,  of  Chicago,  at  the 
same  time  filling  the  office  of  Vice-President. 
On  the  death  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Williams,  the 
President,  the  company  went  into  liquidation 
and  its  affairs  were  wound  up.  Mr.  Pumpelly 
obtained  title'  to  the  patents  under  which  it  had 
operated,  and  began  the  manufacture  of  stor- 
age batteries  on  his  own  account,  in  which  line 
of  business  he  is  still  engaged.  Lightness,  en- 
durance and  moderate  cost  are  the  ends  which 
the  inventor  has  kept  steadily  in  view,  and  his 
success  is  shown  by  the  adaptability  of  his  bat- 
tery to  the  propulsion  of  the  electric  motocycle. 
Mrs.  Pumpelly's  maiden  name  was  Eliza  W. 
Beall,  to  whom  Mr.  Pumpelly  was  married  at 
Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  September  17,  1861.  Their 
only  child — a  son — is  deceased. 

JOHN  A.  REAGAN. 

John  A.  Reagan,  Superintendent  of  the  Mer- 
rett  Elevator,  Chicago,  was  born  at  Pottstown, 
Pa.,  in  1872,  and  married  in  1898.  Fraternallv 
he  is  a  Mason  of  high  standing  and  a  member  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  The  Merrett  Elevator  was 
erected  on  the  Calumet  River,  at  Ninety-eighth 
Street,  in  1900,  and  Mr.  Reagan  assumed  the 
position  of  Superintendent  when  it  was  opened. 
It  has  a  storage  capacity  of  650,000  bushels,  and, 
with  its  four  rising  legs,  is  capable  of  unloading 
one  hundred  car-loads  of  grain  per  day,  and  is 
fitted  to  load  either  lake  vessels  in  the  river  or 
cars  on  the  track.  Its  machinery  is  of  the 
most  modern  variety,  both  as  to  cleaners  and 
clippers,  as  well  as  its  steam-power  furnished 
by  four  boilers  of  650  horse-power.  The  con- 
cern furnishes  employnient  to  eighteen  men. 
Previous  to  his  connection  with  the  Merrett  El- 
evator, Mr.  Reagan  was  foreman  of  the  Calumet 
Elevator  for  six  years,  and,  at  a  still  earlier 


date,  was  engaged  in  the  grain  and  feed  busi- 
ness in  Philadelphia. 

WILLIAM  H.  REED, 

Assistant  Engineer  of  Engine  74,  Chicago  Fire 
Department,  was  born  in  Ottawa,  111.,  September 
19,  1867,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Ottawa  and  Chicago.  After  leaving  school  he 
went  to  work  for  his  father,  who  was  engineer 
at  the  E.  P.  Wilce  &  Co.  planing  mill,  for  eight 
years.  He  then  joined  the  Fire  Department, 
working  in  the  repair  shop  until  June  5,  1891, 
when  he  took  charge  of  Engine  46,  January  12, 
1895,  was  transferred  to  Engine  74,  and  still 
remains  as  Assistant  Engineer.  Has  always 
been  ready  for  any  duty  that  may  arise,  and 
has  never  been  injured  at  the  fires  he  has  at- 
tended. 

Mr.  Reed  was  married  in  Chicago,  July  24, 
1893,  to  Miss  Jennie  Sypole,  and  two  children 
have  blessed  their  union. 

ARTHUR  D.  REHM. 

Arthur  D.  Rehm  was  born  in  Chicago,  Janu- 
ary 10,  1870,  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Mary  Rehm, 
who  were  natives  of  Alsace,  France,  and  Beaver 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  respectively.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents, Jacob  and  Salome  Rehm,  and  his 
maternal  grandparents,  Albert  and  Ann  Son- 
timer,  were  all  born  in  Germany.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  has  a  military  record  to  which 
he  can  point  with  pride,  having  served  during 
the  Spanish-American  War.  For  one  year  and 
a  iday  he  was  Second  Lieutenant  of  Company 
F,  Second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  during 
three  months  of  which  time  the  regiment  was 
on  duty  in  Cuba.  He  was  then  Captain  and 
Inspector  of  the  Rifle  Practice  from  July  15, 
1899,  until  July  1,  1900,  and  appointed  Captain 
and  Adjutant  of  the  Second  Regiment  Illinois 
National  Guard,  July  1,  1900,  to  date  of  issue 
on  Col.  J.  E.  Stuart's  staff.  Mr.  Rehm  is  a 
Republican  and  is  in  the  fire  insurance  busi- 
ness, having  an  office  at  92  LaSalle  St.  He  was 
married  in  Chicago,  June  16,  1896,  to  Miss  Chris 
tina  M.  Lobstein,  and  two  children — Ionia  J. 
and  George  Andrew — have  blessed  their  union. 

ARTHUR  ROWLEY  REYNOLDS. 

Arthur  Rowley  Reynolds,  M.  D.,  Commis- 
sioner of  Health  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  has  so 
discharged  the  important  duties  of  that  respon- 
sible position  that  his  name  has  become  familiar 
to  all  students  of  city  government  the  world 
over.  Dr.  Reynolds  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
Meaford,  County  Grey,  Ontario,  Canada,  July 
21,  1854.  James  and  Sarah  (Wilkinson)  Reyn- 
olds, were  both  born,  educated  and  married  in 
the  city  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  emigrated  to 
Quebec  in  1842.  They  lived  five  years  at  Pic- 
ton,  Ontario,  but  removed  to  Meaford  in  1847. 
Dr.  Reynolds'  father  is  still  living  in  Toronto, 
and  vigorous  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 

Dr.  Reynolds  acquired  his  early  education  in 
the  country  schools  and  in  the  high  school  at 
Owen  Sound.  When  he  was  sufficiently  pre- 
pared he  matriculated  at  the  University  of  To- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


983 


ronto,  and  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine. 
After  two  terms  spent  in  that  University,  the 
young  student  took  his  third  year  at  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1876,  and  immediately  set  up  his 
practice  at  Orion,  Mich.,  in  association  with  his 
two  brothers,  both  of  whom  were  well  estab- 
lished practitioners  at  that  point.  In  1882  he 
came  to  Chicago,  where  he  soon  won  a  stand- 
ing among  the  more  capable  and  reliable  mem- 
bers of  the  profession,  taking  much  interest  in 
sanitary  and  health  questions. 

The  appointment  of  Dr.  Reynolds  as  Commis- 
sioner of  the  Health  Department  of  Chicago,  in 
April,  1893,  met  with  the  very  general  approval 
of  the  profession,  and  his  capable  administra- 
tion of  the  duties  of  the  office  have  won  the  pub- 
lic favor.  Under  a  change  of  party  he  was 
rotated  out  of  office,  but  in  1897  Mayor  Harrison 
recalled  him  to  the  position  which  he  had  so 
ably  held  under  the  Mayor's  father.  Since  his 
first  appointment  to  this  office  Dr.  Reynolds 
has  given  much  thought  and  study  to  every 
subject  that  touches  the  health  of  the  city,  and 
in  many  most  important  respects  the  Depart- 
ment of  Health  of  the  city  of  Chicago  is  now 
without  a  rival  in  the  world.  It  has  closely 
supervised  the  water  supply,  and  at  the  first 
evidence  of  any  dangerous  contamination  of  the 
drinking  water,  at  once  sounds  the  alarm;  it  has 
fought  a  vigilant  fight  with  the  ghouls  who 
would  sell  impure  and  tainted  milk  to  the  peo- 
ple; its  eye  is  on  the  ice,  the  fruit  and  other 
food  supplies;  it  has  worked  steadily  for  the 
suppression  of  the  smoke  nuisance,  and  has 
accomplished  much,  though  hindered  by  inade- 
quate laws  on  the  subject;  its  vigilant  enforce- 
ment of  vaccination  has  kept  down  small-pox 
and  prevented  it  from  becoming  a  scourge;  its 
officers  have  done  valuable  service  in  the  home 
and  in  the  school;  it  has  advocated  a  system  of 
free  baths  that  is  proving  a  great  boon  to  the 
poor.  Chicago  is  now  the  healthiest  large  city 
in  the  world,  and  its  Department  of  Health  is 
frequently  commended,  not  only  in  the  medical 
and  sanitary  publications  of  our  own  land,  but 
in  those  of  other  countries  as  well,  very  much 
of  the  credit  of  this  improved  order  being  laid 
directly  at  the  door  of  Dr.  Reynolds. 

Dr.  Reynolds  belongs  to  the  American  Med- 
ical Association,  the  Illinois  State  Medical  So- 
ciety, the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  the  American 
Public  Health  Association,  the  Sanitary  Insti- 
tute, of  Great  Britain,  and  writes  much  for 
medical  and  sanitary  publications. 

DANIEL  P.  RICE, 

Engineer  on  Engine  37  (Fire-Boat  "Illinois"), 
was  born  in  Chicago,  August  9,  1854,  educated  in 
the  Dearborn  and  Ogden  public  schools,  and  af- 
ter leaving  school  went  on  the  tug-boat  "S.  G. 
Chase"  one  season,  the  next  season  taking  a 
place  on  the  original  tug  "Ameritta  Mosher," 
and  later  serving  on  the  tugs  "J.  L.  Higgie," 
"Protection,"  and  "J.  H.  Hackley."  He  was  then 
employed  on  the  propeller  "Cuba"  of  the  Com- 


mercial Line,  Buffalo,  and  later  on  propeller 
"Colorado,"  then  on  tugs  "J.  H.  Hackley,"  "W. 
H.  Wolff"  and  "Black  Ball  No.  2,"  until  he 
joined  the  Fire  Department  in  December,  1884, 
on  Engine  10.  He  was  transferred  to  Engine  14. 
and  later  to  Engine  37  (Fire-Boat  "Alpha"), 
September,  1885;  to  Fire-Boat  "W.  H.  Alley"  in 
1886;  to  Engine  41  (Fire-Boat  "Geyser")  in 
1890;  and  to  Engine  37  (Fire-Boat  "Illinois") 
in  1898,  and  is  still  there  ready  for  any  emer- 
gency. Mr.  Rice  has  had  many  narrow  escapes 
but  has  never  suffered  any  serious  injuries.  The 
propeller  "Cuba,"  upon  which  he  was  employed 
in  1880,  while  crossing  Saginaw  Bay  in  a  heavy 
sea,  broke  the  10-inch  discharge  pipe  under  two 
feet  of  water.  While  being  lowered  over  the 
side  with  a  rop"e,  he  was  hit  on  the  head  with 
a  plug  and  badly  injured,  but  came  out  all  right 
and  received  honorable  mention  by  the  owners 
of  the  boat.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie 
Snartman,  December  4,  1886,  and  six  children 
have  blessed  their  union,  five  of  whom  are 
living. 

WILLIAM  H.  RICE, 

It  is  a  pleasant  task  for  the  historian  to 
chronicle  a  career  which  has  been  distinguished 
by  patriotism,  by  faithful  attention  to  duty  as  a 
subordinate,  and  by  a  steady  use  of  life's  lad- 
der until  crowned  by  success.  Such  is  the  life- 
story  of  Mr.  William  H.  Rice,  one  of  the  fore- 
most and  most  prosperous  live-stock  commission 
merchants  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards.  He  is  a 
farmer's  son  and  was  born  near  Frederick, 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  on  March  17,  1846.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  left  home  to  begin  the  world 
for  himself.  His  first  commercial  experience 
was  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Frederick.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  he  was  made  a  pay- 
master's clerk  at  Springfield,  111.  This  position 
he  filled  for  three  years,  when,  having  reached 
the  age  of  eighteen,  he  resolved  to  carry  out  his 
long  cherished  desire  to  enter  the  army.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  aided  in  recruiting  Company  K, 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-seventh  Illinois 
Infantry.  Notwithstanding  his  extreme  youth 
he  was  elected  Lieutenant  of  the  company.  The 
regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland, and  served  with  gallantry  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  After  being  mustered  out  of 
service  he  embarked  in  mercantile  business,  at 
the  same  time  buying  live  stock  and  shipping 
it  to  Chicago.  In  1886  he  came  to  Chicago,  and. 
for  the  first  three  years  after  his  arrival,  trav- 
eled and  collected  for  the  J.  H.  Campbell  Com- 
mission Company,  subsequently  being  in  the 
employ  of  the  Lee  &  Maxwell  Company  for  a 
like  period.  Since  1891  Chicago  has  been  his 
place  of  residence.  In  1892  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  Thomas  J.,  and  George 
W.  Nixon,  the  name  of  the  firm  being  Rice 
Brothers  &  Nixon.  On  July  1,  1899,  Mr.  Nixon 
retired,  and  since  then  the  Rice  Brothers  have 
carried  on  business  successfully  together.  He 
is  endowed  by  nature  with  many  traits  which 
win  friends,  being  affable,  generous  and  courte- 
ous. 


984 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Sarah  M.  Brunk 
to  whom  he  was  married  at  Rushville,  111.,  on 
October  12,  1863.  Four  of  their  five  children  are 
yet  living,  a  son,  Thomas  J.,  having  died  in 
infancy.  The  eldest  daughter,  Delia  C.,  married 
I.  W.  Moore,  a  Chicago  grocer;  Laura  I.  married 
Dr.  J.  R.  McDougall;  Oscar  A.  is  cashier  and 
office  man,  and  Charles  R.  is  a  salesman — both 
brothers  being  in  the  employ  of  Rice  Brothers 
In  politics,  Mr.  Kice  is  a  true  Republican,  and 
is  a  member  of  Columbia  Post,  No.  706,  G.  A.  R. 

ALEXANDER  M.  RICKEY, 
Engineer,  Engine  82,  Chicago  Fire' Department, 
was  born  in  Brockville,  Canada,  November  24, 
1860;  came  to  Chicago  with  his  parents  in  June. 
1863,  and  attended  the  Hayes,  Kfng  and  Skinner 
schools.  After  leaving  school,  he  learned  and 
worked  at  the  machinist's  trade  until  he  joined 
the  Fire  Department,  December  21,  1890.  He 
was  employed  at  the  repair  shop  for  a  time,  and 
was  assigned  to  Engine  62,  when  it  was  organ- 
ized, May  14,  1891;  was  transferred  to  Engine 
55,  December  6,  1892;  to  Engine  42,  February  I, 
1897;  and  to  Engine  82,  April  15,  1897.  He  has 
never  been  hurt,  and  is  always  ready  to  respond 
to  all  calls  to  duty.  He  was  married  in  Lanark. 
111.,  November  19,  1884,  to  Miss  Laura  P.  Crot- 
zer,  and  two  children  have  blessed  this  union. 

ALFRED   G.   RITER, 

Assistant  Bridge  and  Steamboat  Engineer,  was 
born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  September  28, 1864;  came 
to  Chicago  in  1871  with  the  Relief  Expedition 
from  St.  Louis,  and  attended  the  Wells  public 
school  and  West  Division  High  Schools,  gradu- 
ating in  1880.  After  leaving  school  he  went 
west  for  the  Delaware  Bridge  Company,  Decem- 
ber 2,  1880;  then  returned  to  Chicago  and 
worked  for  A.  Gottlieb  until  March  5, 1885,  when 
he  went  into  the  City  Engineer's  office,  and 
worked  for  the  Sanitary  District  for  one  year. 
Here  he  held  different  positions  from  assistant 
draughtsman  to  the  City  Bridge  Department, 
and  for  some  time  Assistant  Structural  Engi- 
neer in  connection  with  the  Division  of  Archi- 
tecture, during  which  he  prepared  plans  for  the 
Boulevard  Connecting  Tunnel  for  lake  front 
and  the  downtown  street  subway.  Mr.  Riter 
was  married  to  Miss  Sophia  D.  Vetter,  in  Chi- 
cago, November  20,  1889.  One  child  was  born 
to  them,  but  is  deceased. 

JAMES  H.  ROACH, 

Assistant  Engineer,  Sixty-eighth  Street  Pump- 
ing Station,  was  born  in  Piedmont,  W.  Va., 
October  30,  1863,  and  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  After  leaving  school  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship in  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad 
shops  at  Piedmont,  remaining  there  four  years, 
when  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  worked  for 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company  for 
one  year;  later  was  employed  by  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  Railroad  Company  one  year 
and  by  the  Illinois  Steel  Company  for  three 
years.  Then  he  was  employed  by  the  Wabash 


Railroad  Company  for  eight  months,  and  by  the 
Standard  Oil  Company  at  Irondale,  on  engines 
and  at  machine  shops,  for  three  years;  by  the 
Union  Rolling  Mills,  at  Bridgeport,  for  three 
years,  and  at  the  Seventy-third  Street  Pumping 
Station  for  eighteen  months.  He  was  connected 
for  a  time  with  the  Chicago,  Lake  Shore  &  West- 
ern Railroad  Company,  and  later  as  Gang  Fore- 
man, until  1897,  when  he  returned  to  Seventy- 
third  Street  Pumping  Station  as  Chief  Engi- 
neer; then,  having  taken  an  examination  for 
promotion  from  the  fourth  to  fifth  grade,  was 
assigned  to  Sixty-eighth  Street  Pumping  Sta- 
tion, January  8,  1901,  as  Assistant  Engineer. 

CHARLES  O.  ROBINSON. 
This  gentleman,  a  son  of  the  late  lamented 
Joseph  M.  Robinson,  whom  he  has  emulated  in 
activity,  sound  sense,  integrity  and  geniality  of 
disposition,  is  one  of  the  prominent,  prosperous 
live-stock  commission  merchants  doing  business 
at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago.  He  was 
born  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  May  6,  1862,  and  at- 
tended the  public  and  private  schools  of  that 
city  until  1875,  when  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  at 
once  entered  the  employment  of  his  father's 
firm,  J.  M.  Robinson  &  Company.  Shortly  after 
his  father's  death  this  house  was  temporarily 
succeeded  by  Charles  O.  Robinson  &  Co.,  which, 
on  September  13,  1886,  was  changed  to  Clay, 
Robinson  &  Co.  This  concern  is  still  engaged 
in  business,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
successful  houses  in  its  line  in  the  West.  On 
November  17,  1886,  Mr.  Robinson  was  married 
to  Miss  Minnie  Muller,  of  Chicago.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Robinson  have  been  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  both  their  children. 

HERBERT  E.  ROBINSON. 
Herbert  E.  Robinson  was  born  in  Marshall, 
Michigan,  Dec.  2,  1865;  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  and  after  leaving  school,  was 
employed  at  Detroit  on  the  electrical  works 
controlled  by  the  Michigan  Bell  Telephone  Com- 
pany. Coming  to  Chicago,  September  25,  1884, 
be  was  employed  by  the  Chicago  Telephone 
Company  until  April  11,  1887,  then  by  the  Calu- 
met Publishing  Company,  in  South  Chicago, 
until  April  11,  1889.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Minnie  Forsberg,  in  Chicago,  November  10,  1890. 
and  two  children  have  been  born  to  them. 

JOSEPH  M.  ROBINSON. 
Joseph  M.  Robinson  (deceased),  pioneer  cat- 
tle-dealer and  live-stock  commission  merchant, 
was  born  at  Washington  Court  House,  Fayette 
County,  Ohio,  March  15,  1824,  educated  in  the 
district  school,  and,  after  leaving  school,  drove 
cattle  from  Ohio  to  Philadelphia  and  New  York, 
walking  both  ways,  and,  later,  in  company  with 
David  Selzer,  drove  cattle  from  different  parts 
of  Illinois  to  New  York  on  foot;  also  took  two 
droves  of  cattle  from  west  of  the  Mississippi 
to  New  York  in  the  same  way,  the  trip  occupying 
108  days.  He  next  engaged  in  the  pork-packing 
business  at  Burlington,  Iowa;  also  devoted  his 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


985 


attention  to  feeding  and  raising  live  stock.  In 
1874  he  came  to  Chicago  and  organized  the  firm 
of  J.  M.  Robinson  &  Company  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards.  This  firm,  at  his  death,  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Charles  O.  Robinson  &  Co.,  and  on 
September  13,  1886,  the  firm  of  Clay,  Robinson 
&  Co.  succeeded  to  the  business  of  J.  M.  Robin- 
son &  Co.  and  Charles  O.  Robinson  &  Co.  Joseph 
M.  Robinson  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  J. 
Jones,  of  Wilmington,  Ohio,  and  eight  children 
were  born  to  them,  of  whom  four  are  now  liv- 
ing. Mr.  Robinson  passed  away  at  his  resi- 
dence, 3161  Wabash  Avenue,  Chicago,  July  21, 
1886,  a  few  days  after  having  made  a  visit  to 
the  plains  of  Kansas.  He  was  a  very  active 
and  energetic  man,  and  his  loss  was  widely  felt. 

DANIEL  E.  ROOT. 

Daniel  E.  Root  (deceased),  whose  varied  ca- 
reer as  soldier,  live-stock  dealer  and  Cook 
County  Commissioner,  displayed  many  qualities 
and  business  ability  of  a  high  order,  was  born 
in  Baltimore,  Md.,  July  5,  1837,  where  he  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
When  only  nineteen  years  of  age  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor  of  the  State  book- 
keeper of  Tobacco  Warehouse,  No.  5,  and  very 
acceptably  discharged  the  duties  of  that  position 
until  1857,  when  he  resigned  and  went  to  Kan- 
sas. He  was  in  that  State  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War  .and  very  promptly  volunteered  for 
service  in  the  Union  Army  as  a  member  of  the 
Eighth  Kansas  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  proved 
to  be  an  energetic  and  capable  soldier,  and, 
though  nominated  and  elected  as  both  Captain 
and  First  Lieutenant,  refused  to  accept  either 
office,  preferring  to  continue  in  the  ranks 
through  the  war.  At  the  termination  of  the  war, 
Mr.  Root  was  mustered  out  of  service,  and 
selling  his  Kansas  land  at  a  good  figure,  in  1866, 
removed  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  buying  and  selling  stock,  shipping  to 
the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  becoming  thorough- 
ly familiar  with  the  business.  In  1874  he  came 
to  Chicago  to  sell  hogs  for  Samuel  Coffman,  N. 
B.  Ream  and  Cyrus  Allen,  who  had  formed  a 
partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  Coffman, 
Ream  &  Allen.  In  1879  Mr.  Root  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Winsted,  Allen  &  Root,  from 
which  he  retired  three  years  later,  to  sell  hogs 
for  Parmalee,  Hanna  &  Scott,  with  whom  he 
continued  for  ten  years.  Then  the  firm  of  Root, 
Norton  &  Company  was  organized,  which  gave 
way  to  the  Root-Lowry  Commission  Company, 
a  corporation  which  was  continued  until  the 
first  of  the  year  1898,  when  Mr.  Root  sold  his  in- 
terest to  the  Archey,  Son  &  Plummer  Company, 
and  since  that  time  has  devoted  himself  to 
other  extensive  and  profitable  interests. 

Mr.  Root  was  married  May  1,  1872,  to  Miss 
Martha  C.  Cooper,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa.  In 
1892  he  was  elected  a  County  Commissioner, 
and  rendered  faithful  service  on  the  Board,  but 
declined  re-election.  He  was  a  pleasant  and 
affable  gentleman,  respected  by  his  business 


associates  and  all  with  whom  he  has  any  deal 
ings.     Mr.  Root  died  December  25,  1900. 

DWIGHT  D.  ROOT. 

Dwight  D.  Root,  lawyer,  Chicago,  was  born  in 
Bennington,  Mich.,  June  1,  1858,  the  son  of  Ros- 
well  Holton  and  Lucinda  (Vaughn)  Root.  Mr. 
Root  began  life  on  his  father's  farm,  of  which 
he  retains  fond  recollections.  His  father,  Ros 
well  Holton  Root,  was  the  son  of  Remembrance 
Root,  of  Belchertown,  Mass.,  and  a  member  of 
the  Root  family  who  were  early  immigrants  to 
this  region  from  England.  His  mother,  Lucinda 
(Vaughn)  Root,  was  born  at  Birmingham. 
Mich.,  of  "Jersey  Dutch"  descent,  her  ancestors 
having  come  from  Holland  to  New  Jersey  at  an 
early  day.  Mr.  Root,  however,  regards  the  mat- 
ter of  nationality  as  a  localism  or  provincialism, 
rather  than  a  truism  of  universal  application, 
and  as  not  to  be  accepted  as  superior  to  those 
evidences  of  integrity  which  are  always  at  par. 
and  which  may  exist  in  any  people.  Mr.  Root 
was  educated  in  the  high  schools  of  Owosso  and 
Corunna,  Mich.,  at  the  Normal  School  at  Ypsil- 
anti  and  the  University  at  Ann  Arbor,  graduat- 
ing from  the  law  department  of  the  latter  in 
1880,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  during 
the  same  year.  After  being  associated  for  some 
time  with  J.  C.  and  B.  C.  Wood,  attorneys  at 
Jackson,  Mich.,  in  1882  he  opened  an  office  and 
began  practice  there  alone,  remaining  until 
1893,  when  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
has  been  continuously  engaged  in  practice  ever 
since. 

In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Root  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  was  elected  City  Attorney  of  Jackson 
Mich.,  in  1887,  for  two  years.  He  is  not  a  seeker 
for  office  or  political  advancement,  preferring  to 
devote  his  attention  to  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession.  He  is  a  member  of  various  fra- 
ternal orders,  and  seeks  the  largest  enjoyment 
of  social  life  in  a  quiet  way.  While  he  has 
freely  attended  various  churches,  he  has  never 
become  a  member  of  any  religious  demonina- 
tion,  believing  that  no  sect  has  a  monopoly  of 
True  Religion,  and  that  its  essential  qualities 
cannot  be  hemmed  in  by  or  restricted  to  any  set 
formula,  creed  or  ceremony. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  RUGER. 
William  Henry  Ruger,  ex-Assistant  Superin- 
tendent of  Mails,  and  ex-Senator,  was  born  in 
Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  August  15,  1841,  came  to  Chi- 
cago with  his  parents,  Harmon  B.  and  Caroline 
Ruger,  in  1847,  and  attended  the  Wilder,  Dear 
born,  Jones  and  Scammon  public  schools,  and 
the  West  Division  High  School.  He  enlisted 
in  the  United  States  Navy,  September  2,  1861. 
and  was  assigned  to  the  United  States  Steamer 
"Essex,"  commanded  by  Commodore  W.  D.  Por- 
ter, serving  as  Surgeon's  Steward  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  being  honorably  discharged  in  Oc- 
tober, 1865.  Steward  Ruger  was  in  all  the  bat- 
tles of  the  "Essex"  from  Fort  Henry  to  New 
Orleans,  including  the  running  of  the  blockade 
at  Island  No.  10,  at  Vicksburg,  and  at  Port 


986 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Hudson,  and  was  on  board  when  the  rebel  ram 
"Arkansas"  was  captured.  He  entered  the  Chi- 
cago Postoffice  as  clerk  under  Postmaster  J.  L. 
Scripps,  in  1865,  and  was  gradually  promoted 
until  he  received  an  appointment  as  Assistant 
Superintendent  of  Mails  under  Captain  M.  J. 
McGrath,  (then  Superintendent),  serving  in 
that  capacity  for  eight  years,  and  until  he  was 
elected  State  Senator  on  the  "Independent"  tick- 
et, from  the  Fifth  District,  in  1882,  and  it  was 
by  his  vote,  during  the  session  of  1885,  after 
several  weeks  of  balloting,  that  General  John  A. 
Logan  was  re-elected  to  the  United  States  Sen- 
ate. Being  an  "Independent,"  his  vote  was 
much  sought  after  by  the  other  candidates,  but 
"Hank"  (as  his  friends  familiarly  call  him) 
was  true  to  his  old  comrade  and  friend,  John 
A.  Logan,  resisting  all  overtures  from  the  other 
side,  financially  or  otherwise.  The  district 
where  he  was  elected  was  Democratic  by  3,000, 
but  Senator  Ruger  overcame  that  number  and 
carried  it  by  931  majority.  While  a  member  of 
the  State  Senate  in  the  State  Convention  of 
1884  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Republican 
National  Convention  of  that  year  which  nomin- 
ated James  G.  Elaine  for  President  and  John  A. 
Logan  for  Vice-President. 

Mr.  Ruger's  father,  Harmon  B.  Ruger,  was 
the  first  "Captain  of  the  Watch"  (as  it  was 
called  instead  of  "Captain  of  Police"),  being 
chosen  in  1849  when  there  were  only  fourteen 
policemen  on  duty,  and  when  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment Assistant-Chief,  C.  S.  Petrie's  father,  was 
a  policeman.  Captain  H.  B.  Ruger  was  bailiff 
in  the  United  States  Court  for  forty-six  years, 
and  until  his  death  in  February,  1896.  W.  H. 
Ruger  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Boden,  in  Chi- 
cago in  1867,  and  of  five  children  born  to  this 
union,  two — Harmon  and  Earl — are  now  living. 

EBEN  FITCH  RUNYAN. 
Eben  F.  Runyan  was  born  in  Butler,  Wayne 
County,  N.  Y.,  December  3,  1831,  and  nearly 
twenty  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  the  East, 
where  he  secured  his  education.  In  the  mean- 
time he  worked  as  a  clerk  in  a  store,  or  doing 
any  sort  of  labor  which  might  aid  in  elevating 
him  intellectually  and  financially.  In  the  year 
1850  Mr.  Runyan  decided  to  make  his  home 
in  the  West,  finally  locating  in  McHenry  County, 
111.,  where  for  three  years  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing operations  during  the  summer  months,  teach- 
ing school  each  winter.  The  study  of  law  had 
always  possessed  a  certain  amount  of  fascina- 
tion for  him,  and  so  diligently  did  he  engage  in 
this,  his  favorite  pursuit,  that  on  May  16,  1855, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  Bar.  Removing 
to  Chicago  soon  after,  he  began  the  practice  of 
law,  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Brown 
&  Runyan,  this  partnership  continuing  for  a 
period  of  three  years  or  more.  In  the  year 
1860,  the  relationship  between  his  former  part- 
ners and  himself  having  been  dissolved,  Mr. 
Runyan  entered  into  partnership  with  D.  J. 
Avery,  a  brother-in-law,  and  Mr.  Comstock,  a 
former  law  student.  In  1860  he  was  married 


to  Miss  Flora  R.  Avery,  of  Waukegan,  111.  From 
this  time  on  the  young  man  made  rapid  strides 
towards  that  success  for  which  he  was  ever 
striving.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  in  1864,  and  in  1871  and 
1872  was  President  of  the  Board.  In  1876  he 
was  made  one  of  the  West  Park  Commissioners, 
and  assisted  in  selecting  the  sites  for  all  the 
West-side  parks.  Notwithstanding  the  various 
outside  matters  demanding  his  attention,  Mr. 
Runyan  devoted  his  time  and  talents  principally 
to  his  law  practice,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  he  became  one  of  the  most  successful 
practitioners  in  the  city.  During  the  more 
than  forty  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  bar 
he  probably  tried  more  cases  than  any  other 
Chicago  lawyer  now  living.  As  a  trial  lawyer 
he  possessed  ability  of  a  high  order.  He  was 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  clients,  appear- 
ing to  make  their  cases  his  own.  He  was  a 
fluent  speaker,  and  his  long  and  varied  experi- 
ence together  with  ability  of  a  high  order,  be- 
came factors  in  winning  many  a  difficult  case. 
He  was  twice  nominated  for  the  position  of 
Judge.  The  firm  was  again  changed,  and  Mr. 
Runyan  had  the  pleasure  of  taking  his  son, 
Eben  F.  Runyan,  Jr.,  into  partnership,  with  new 
offices  located  in  the  Ashland  Block. 

No  matter  how  busy  the  man,  or  how  neces- 
sary his  personality  in  the  social  or  professional 
life  of  a  city,  Death  appears  to  claim  any  vic- 
tim he  may  choose,  and  the  successful  lawyer 
was  no  exception  to  this  rule.  Bright's  disease 
attacked  him,  and  after  an  illness  which  con- 
fined him  to  his  bed  less  than  two  weeks,  Mr. 
Runyan  passed  away  February  6,  1899.  The 
funeral  services  were  held  at  the  Fourth  Bap- 
tist Church,  Ashland  Avenue  and  West  Monroe 
Street,  and  the  interment  was  at  Rosehill.  His 
numerous  clients  feel  that  none  can  supply  the 
place  of  the  man  so  faithful  to  their  interests, 
the  family  circle  is  incomplete,  and  the  city 
has  lost  a  shining  example  of  what  industry 
and  hard  study  can  produce.  Indeed  Chicago  is 
the  poorer  by  the  death  of  Eben  F.  Runyan, 
lawyer  and  gentleman. 

FREDERICK  J.  RAPPAL. 

Few  of  Chicago's  successful  business  men 
have  had  a  career  more  varied  or  more  full  of 
incident  that  Mr.  Frederick  J.  Rappal,  who  for 
more  than  eighteen  years  has  been  a  prominent 
and  prosperous  dealer  in  live  stock  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards.  He  is  a  native  of  Alsace-Loraine, 
having  been  born  in  Strasburg,  December  14, 
1837.  His  parents  brought  him  with  them  to 
America  when  he  was  a  lad  of  seven  years, 
the  family  settling  at  Joliet,  Illinois.  There  • 
young  Frederick  attended  school  for  a  time,  but 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  his  roaming  disposition 
and  fondness  for  adventure  led  him  to  become 
a  driver  for  Dan  Rice's  Circus,  and  in  this 
capacity  he  continued  for  several  years.  In 
1857  he  opened  a  grocery  store  at  Joliet,  but 
three  years  later  he  was  one  of  the  first  to 
succumb  to  the  "Pike's  Peak  fever,"  and  re- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


987 


mained  in  Colorado  until  1861.  After  return- 
ing home  he  and  his  brother  Michael  did  some 
business  in  the  way  of  buying  horses  for  the 
army,  but  the  venture  did  not  prove  profitable, 
and  Frederick  J.  became  a  toll-gate  keeper  on 
what  was  then  known  as  the  Chicago  street 
plank  road. 

To  a  man  of  his  temperament  this  proved  a 
very  dull  life,  and  in  1865  Mr.  Rappal  began 
shipping  cattle  to  the  Fort  Wayne  Stock  Yards, 
Chicago.  In  1872  he  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  Phoenix  Distilling  Company  of  Joliet, 
which,  in  addition  to  the  making  of  high  wines, 
daily  fed  several  hundred  head  of  range  cattle. 
In  addition  to  his  interest  to  the  distillery  he 
opened  a  meat  market  in  conjunction  with  his 
two  brothers-in-law,  J.  C.  and  P.  P.  Adler.  In 
1876  he  bought  out  their  interests  and  greatly 
enlarged  the  business — a  wholesale  and  four  re 
tail  establishments.  For  several  years  he  sup- 
plied the  Illinois  State  Penitentiary  with  cattle 
and  hogs  under  contract,  and  served  three 
terms  on  the  Will  County  Board  of  Supervisors, 
representing  the  City  of  Joliet  in  that  body 
from  1876  to  1880.  In  1881,  in  partnership  with 
Mr.  Samuel  Holderman,  of  Morris,  he  purchased 
the  Pluto,  Clyde  and  Copper  Belt  Silver  and  Cop- 
per Mines,  at  Marysvale,  Piute  County,  Utah. 
They  have  disposed  of  a  portion  of  their  inter- 
ests, but  still  retain  the  Clyde.  In  the  spring 
of  1882,  he  went  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming  Ter- 
ritory, taking  with  him  his  sons,  Lawrence  L. 
and  Frederick  J.,  Jr.,  where  they  were  associ- 
ated in  receiving  and  shipping  whole  train  loads 
of  cattle  bought  from  ranchmen  in  Wyoming 
and  Colorado.  Gregory,  Cooley  &  Company,  of 
the  Chicago  Yards,  were  his  agents. 

Mr.  Rappal  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
Chicago  live-stock  market,  having  bought  cattle 
there,  at  intervals  since  1866,  for  shipment  east, 
and  on  his  return  from  Wyoming  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  the  city.  On  January  1, 
1883,  he  founded  the  firm  of  Rappal,  Sons  & 
Evans.  The  retirement  of  Mr.  Evans  the  follow- 
ing year  left  the  firm  name  Rappal,  Sons  & 
Company,  and  on  the  admission  of  Mr.  A.  D. 
Lamb  in  1886,  the  firm  name  was  changed  to 
Rappal,  Lamb  &  Company.  Mr.  Rappal,  Sr., 
and  Mr.  Lamb  withdrawing  in  1896,  a  re-organi- 
zation followed,  the  firm  becoming  Rappal 
Brothers  &  Company,  composed  of  Mr.  Rappal's 
four  sons,  Lawrence,  Frederick,  Jr.,  John  and 
Symon.  Mr.  F.  J.  Rappal,  Sr.,  associated  him- 
self that  year  with  Clay,  Robinson  &  Company, 
but  in  1899  again  entered  into  partnership  with 
his  sons,  the  firm  name  remaining  Rappal 
Brothers  &  Company,  with  offices  at  113-115-117 
Exchange  Building,  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chi- 
cago. 

Mr.  Rappal  was  married  at  Joliet  November 
13,  1856,  to  Margaret  Adler,  and  to  them  were 
born  twelve  children,  eleven  of  whom  are  still 
living:  Lawrence  L.,  Frederick  J.,  Jr.,  John  H., 
"Veronica,  Symon  P.,  Louise,  Angle,  Therese. 
Helene,  Lucille  and  Georgine.  Veronica  is  the 
wife  of  W.  H.  Lennon  of  Joliet,  Louise  is  Mrs. 


John  Clare  of  that  city,  Helene  married  Paul 
A.  Hazard  and  resides  in  New  York,  and  Lucille 
is  Mrs.  Harry  T.  Bigelow  of  Chicago. 

CHESTER  B.  RUSHMORE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Spring- 
ville,  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  April  10,  1824,  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  and  later  went 
to  Springville  Academy.  After  leaving  the 
Academy  in  September,  1843,  he  came  to  Lacon, 
111.,  where  he  taught  school  for  four  years,  then 
bought  a  farm  at  Wenona,  111.,  and  renamed 
there  ten  years.  He  then  sold  out  and  bought 
a  farm  at  Mendota,  111.,  where  he  remained  un- 
til the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  in  1861.  In 
September,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  private  in  Ford's 
Cavalry  at  Ottawa,  111.,  and  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Corinth  and  other  important  engage- 
ments. He  was  detailed  at  Grant's  headquarters 
in  1862,  and  on  account  of  the  loss  of  his  index 
finger,  obtained  his  discharge  in  1863,  when  he 
engaged  in  the  cotton  business;  then  coming 
north  to  Mendota  in  1864,  he  remained  there  un- 
til he  sold  his  farm,  when  he  moved  to  Chicago 
in  1865,  engaging  in  the  brick  business  for  eight 
years.  He  then  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  In'di- 
ana  at  $7.50  per  acre,  a  part  of  which  he  after- 
wards sold  at  $125  per  acre,  to  be  used  for 
Track  Elevation  purposes.  Mr.  Rushmore  was 
married  at  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  September  3, 
1843,  to  Miss  Clara  P.  Graves,  and  eight  children 
have  blessed  their  union,  six  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

H.  HENRY  RUSSEL. 

H.  Henry  Russel,  farmer,  Wheeling,  Cook 
County,  111.,  was  born  in  Wheeling  Township, 
March  29,  1853,  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Elk  Grove  Township  and  at  Arling- 
ton Heights.  His  parents,  Henry  and  Mary 
(Schilling)  Russel,  were  natives  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  Cook  County,  111.,  in  1849,  and 
located  on  the  farm  of  Hiram  Hulett,  one  mile 
east  of  Arlington  Heights.  Here  the  elder  Rus- 
sel built  a  house  in  1855.  He  and  his  son  John 
still  reside  in  the  vicinity  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  On  January  25,  1877,  the  latter  was 
married  to  Caroline  Katz,  and  eight  children 
have  been  the  fruit  of  this  union:  John  H., 
Henry  C.,  Caroline,  Emma,  William,  Edward; 
Bertha  and  Minnie.  In  reilgious  belief  Mr. 
Russel  is  a  Lutheran,  and  in  politics  a  Republi- 
can. He  has  pursued  the  vocation  of  a  farmer, 
but  held  the  office  of  Town  Collector  during 
1896-97. 

GEORGE    M.    SARGENT. 

George  Myrick  Sargent,  manufacturer,  Chi- 
cago and  Evanston,  111.,  was  born  in  Sedgwick, 
Me.,  March  29,  1830,  the  son  of  Benjamin 
Choate  and  Susannah  (Cole)  Sargent,  being 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eleven  children 
of  whom  six  are  (January,  1904)  still  living. 
The  family  name  has  had  more  than  thirty 
different  forms  of  spelling  at  different  periods 
and  in  different  countries,  beginning,  as  it  is 
believed,  in  Normandy  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  twelfth  century,  with  the  name  "Serviens," 


988 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


and  after  undergoing  various  transformations 
in  the  intervening  centuries,  has  taken  on  its 
present  form.  The  founder  of  the  family  in 
America  was  William  Sargent,  who  was  born 
in  Northampton,  England,  in  1602,  and  came 
to  Charlestown,  Ma.ss.,  in  1638,  from  whom  Mr. 
George  M.  Sargent  is  sixth  in  line  of  descent. 
Heads  of  various  other  branches  of  the  family 
on  the  maternal  side  came  to  Plymouth  Col- 
ony in  the  days  of  Pilgrim  immigration,  some 
of  them  coming  on  the  "Mayflower"  in  1620, 
and  their  descendants  took  part  in  most  of  the 
colonial  wars,  including  King  Philip's  War, 
and  later  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  the 
War  of  1812  and  the  Mexican  War.  The  chil- 
dren of  Benjamin  C.  and  Susannah  Sargent 
were:  Benjamin  Cleaves,  born  June  12,  1808, 
died  in  infancy;  Wyer  Groves,  born  June  24, 
1810;  John  Oliver,  born  December  18,  1812; 
Sarah  Jane,  born  February  2,  1815;  William 
Haskell,  born  February  4,  1818;  Lucius  Bolles, 
\born  January  18,  1«820;  Thomas  Cole,  born 
November  6,  1821;  Albion  Keith  Parris,  born 
October  24,  1823;  Mary  Merrill,  born  June  4, 
1826;  Jasper  Newton,  born  January  6,  1828; 
and  George  Myrick.  The  five  last-named,  with 
William  Haskell,  are  still  surviving. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm,  meanwhile  attending  the 
common  schools  in  his  native  State  until  eigh- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  entered  in  the  em- 
ployment of  his  brother,  Wyer  G.,  as  clerk  in 
his  store  at  Sedgwick  (now  Sargentville),  Me. 
Here  he  remained  four  or  five  years,  during 
part  of  the  time  serving  as  the  first  Postmaster 
of  that  place;  later  removed  to  Boston,  Mass, 
where  for  the  next  four  years  he  was  employe.! 
as  clerk  by  J.  N.  Dennison  &  Co.  Then,  re- 
turning to  Sedgwick,  Me.,  he  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  brother  under  the  firm  name 
of  W.  G.  Sargent  &  Brother,  continuing  four 
years.  Retiring  from  this  partnership,  he  next 
engaged  in  the  ship-chandlery  business  in  Bos- 
ton with  his  brother-in-law,  Joseph  J.  Durham, 
the  firm  taking  the  name  of  Durham  &  Sar- 
gent. In  1861  Mr.  Sargent  went  to  New  York, 
where  he  formed  a  partnership  in  the  same 
line  of  business  with  Robert  H.  Thayer  (firm 
name  Thayer  &  Sargent),  remaining  until 
about  1870.  Oh  account  of  the  sturdy  political 
position  of  the  members  of  this  firm  during 
the  Civil  War  period,  their  place  of  business 
became  known  as  "The.  Black  Republican 
Store." 

Coming  west  in  1870,  Mr.  Sargent  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  Malleable  Iron  Works  at 
Moline,  111.,  with  which  he  remained  three 
years,  the  concern  first  being  known  by  the 
firm  name  of  Hill,  HealJ  &  Sargent,  but  later 
being  incorporated  as  the  Moline  Malleable 
Iron  Works.  Having  severed  his  connection 
with  the  Iron-Works  enterprise  at  Moline  in 
1873,  he  removed  to  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where 
for  three  years  he  was  connected  with  the  Des 
Moines  Scale  Comany  in  the  manufacture  of 
farmers'  scales.  Then,  in  1876,  coming  to  the 


city  of  Chicago,  he  established  there  the  first 
manufactory  in  the  United  States  for  the  ex- 
clusive manufacture  of  the  brake-shoes  for 
railway  cars  under  the  firm  name  of  George  M. 
Sargent  &  Co.  In  1877  the  concern  was  re- 
organized as  a  stock  company,  known  as  the 
Congdon  Brake-Shoe  Company.  The  business 
grew  rapidly  and,  in  1893,  a  new  corporation 
was  formed  under  the  name  of  the  Sargent 
Company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $250,000,  Mr. 
Sargent  being  its  President.  Later  the  stock 
was  increased  to  $500,000,  the  plant  being  lo- 
cated at  Fifty-ninth  and  Wallace  Streets,  Chi- 
cago, and  covering  an  area  of  about  five  acres. 
P'urnaces  for  the  manufacture  of  steel  castings 
were  erected,  the  output  consisting  chiefly  of 
brake-shoes  and  railroad  couplers.  The  busi- 
ness grew  so  rapidly  that  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  increase  the  facilities  for  the  produc- 
tion of  cast-iron  brake-shoes,  and  a  new  plant 
was  erected  at  Chicago  Heights,  covering  an 
area  of  ten  acres,  the  plant  at  Fifty-ninth 
Street  being  thereafter  devoted  to  the  manu- 
facture of  couplers  and  knuckles  almost  exclu- 
sively for  railroads.  In  1901  the  plant  at  Chi- 
cago Heights  was  sold  to  the  American  Brake- 
Shoe  &  Foundry  Comany,  and  the  steel  plant 
at  Fifty-ninth  Street  to  the  American  Steel 
Foundries,  the  former  representing  a  capital 
stock  of  $4,500,000,  Mr.  Sargent  is  still  a  Di- 
rector in  the  first  named  company,  but  not  in 
active  business.  His  son,  William  Durham 
Sargent,  who  promoted  its  organization,  was 
its  first  President,  remaining  until  January, 
1904,  when  he  resigned,  and  is  now  Second 
Vice-President  of  the  American  Steel  Found- 
ries (representing  a  capital  of  $40,000,000),  in 
charge  of  the  operating  department. 

Mr.  George  M.  Sargent  is  a  Director  of  the 
Railway  Appliances  Company  of  which  his  son, 
George  H.,  is  the  Vice-President.  Other  busi- 
ness enterprises  with  which  he  has  been  con- 
nected include  the  "Live  Poultry  Transporta- 
tion Company,"  of  which  he  was  President  for 
some  years,  and  the  Vessel-Owners'  Associa- 
tion, of  which 'he  was  a  director  while  in  New 
York.  It  was  through  the  efforts  of  a  com- 
mittee of  the  latter  association,  of  which  Mr. 
Sargent  was  a  member,  that  the  builders  of 
the  East  River  Bridge  were  induced  to  increase 
the  elevation  of  that  structure  from  120  feet, 
as  originally  projected,  to  135  feet.  His  prom- 
inence as  a  business  man  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  in  1901  he  was  elected  Vice-President 
for  Illinois-  of  the  National  Association  of 
Manufacturers  of  the  United  States,  and.  at  the 
present  time,  is  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Commerce  of  the  National  Business  League. 

Mr.  Sargent  was  married  at  Winterport,  Me., 
September  15,  1858,  to  Helen  Maria  Durham 
who  was  born  in  Freedom,  Me..  February  15, 
1834,  the  daughter  of  William  and  Emily  Dur- 
ham, and  they  have  had  four  children:  Emily 
Helen,  born  October  3,  1860,  died  aged  eleven 
months:  William  Durham,  born  in  Lynn. 
Mass.,  June  16,  1863;  George  Hamlin,  born  in 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


989 


Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  October  5,  1865,  and  Annie 
Gushing,  born  in  Marlboro,  N.  H.,  November 
27,  1870.  William  Durham  Sargent  married, 
February  14,  1899,  May  Alene  Partridge, 
daughter  of  C.  W.  Partridge;  Annie  C.  mar- 
ried, September  19,  1895,  Henry  K.  Gilbert  of 
Chicago;  and  George  Hamlin  married,  Janu- 
ary 12,  1904,  Elizabeth  H.  Pittman  of  Detroit, 
Mich. 

In  religious  belief  Mr.  George  M.  Sargent 
is  a  Methodist  and  in  politics  a  Republican. 
For  two  terms  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Evanston  Board  of  Trustees,  and  is  a  member 
of  various  fraternal  and  social  organizations 
including  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  Blue  Lodge 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Evanston  Chapter  and  Com- 
mandery  K.  T.,  Evanston;  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
Medina  Temple;  Union  League  Club,  Chicago; 
Country  Club  and  Evanston  Club,  Evanston; 
besides  the  Evanston,  Glen  View  and  St.  Aug- 
ustine Golf  Clubs.  For  several  years  he  was 
President  of  the  Society  of  Sons  of  Maine, 
Chicago,  and  is  present  Vice-President  of  the 
New  England  Society.  After  a  long  and  con- 
spicuously successful  business  career,  Mr.  Sar- 
gent, with  his  faithful  and  devoted  wife,  is 
spending  the  evening  of  his  days  in  their  de- 
lightful home  in  Evanston,  practically  retired 
from  active  business,  though  still  retaining  his 
official  connection  with  the  manufacturing  en- 
terprise in  which  he  has  been  financially  inter- 
ested and  an  important  factor  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century. 

JOHN    D.    SAYRE. 

John  D.  Sayre,  Superintendent  of  the  Iron- 
dale  Elevator,  Chicago,  was  born  in  the  State 
of  New  Jersey,  October  3,  1853,  the  son  of 
Jeremiah  and  Sarah  (Walker)  Sayre,  his  par- 
ents removing  to  Illinois  in  1861,  where  they 
engaged  in  farming.  They  had  a  family  of 
four  sons  and  four  daughters,  the  sons  being 
Aaron,  Lewis,  Volney,  John  D.  One  of  the 
daughters  was  named  Sarah.  The  father  died 
in  1897,  but  the  mother  is  still  living.  Mr. 
Sayre  has  been  in  the  grain  and  elevator  busi- 
ness for  thirty-five  years,  in  that  time  seeing 
its  development  through  its  most  important 
stages.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  found 
employment  in  a  grain  house  at  Maroa,  111., 
where  he  remained  two  years,  when  he  came  to 
Chicago  and  became  connected  with  the  old 
Iowa  Elevator,  which  then  stood  at  the  Lake 
Street  bridge.  By  gradual  promotion  he  was 
advanced  through  the  positions  of  weighman 
and  foreman  to  that  of  superintendent,  in 
which  capacity  he  was  connected  with  Messrs. 
Munger,  Wheeler  &  Company,  for  some  twenty- 
three  years,  and  with  Bartlett  &  Frazier  at  the 
Calumet  Elevator  five  and  a  half  years. 

The  Irondale  Elevator,  with  which  Mr.  Sayre 
is  now  connected,  is  constructed  entirely  of 
steel,  being  the  first  building  of  this  kind 
erected  in  Cook  County.  It  is  equipped  with 
the  latest  improvements  in  the  way  of  clippers 
and  cleaners  of  grain,  has  a  capacity  for  hand- 


ling 100,000  bushels  daily,  and  is  run  by  four 
boilers  which  combined  have  700-horse  power. 
It  is  owned  by  the  J.  Rosenbaum  Grain  Com- 
pany and  furnishes  employment  to  some  twen- 
ty-five men.  Mr.  Sayre's  qualifications  for  the 
position  which  he  occupies  is  attested  by  his 
long  and  continuous  employment  in  his  pres- 
ent capacity.  He  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss 
Nora  Gilmanstine,  of  Chicago,  and  of  this  mar- 
riage nine  children  have  been  born,  of  whom 
William,  John  D.,  Lewis,  Robert,  Mary  and 
Nora  are  living.  The  three  others  died  in  in- 
fancy or  early  youth.  Mrs.  Sayre  died  March 

8,  1897.     Mr.  Sayre  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  a  highly  respected  citizen. 

CHARLES  E.  SCHARLAU. 
Charles  Ernest  Scharlau  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Pomerania,  on  the  Baltic,  May  23,  1845, 
his  parents  being  farmers.  With  his  parents 
he  came  to  this  country  in  1851,  and  settled  in 
Chicago,  having  lived  continuously  in  the 
Fourteenth  Ward  since  1856.  He  attended  the 
Franklin  public  school  until  twelve  years  of 
age,  when  he  applied  himself  to  learning  the 
trade  of  a  gilder,  becoming  in  time  foreman 
of  Rando  &  Co.'s  establishment.  In  1862,  when 
seventeen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
G,  Fifty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  re- 
enlisted  as  a  "Veteran"  at  Lynnville,  Tenn.,  in 
December,  1863.  He  served  at  the  front  in  the 
Sixteenth  Army  Corps  under  General  R.  J. 
Oglesby,  and  in  the  Fifteenth  Corps  under 
Major-General  John  A.  Logan.  He  was  with 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  on  Sherman's  fa- 
mous March  to  the  Sea,  and  was  injured  May 

9,  1864,   in  the  passage  of  Ostanola  River,  at 
the  battle  of  Resaca.     He  was  in  the  battle  of 
Bentonville,  N.  C.,  the  last  battle  of  the  war. 
marched  with  General  Sherman's  Army  to  the 
sea,  and  was  in  the  grand  review  at  Washing- 
ton,  May  23,  1865,   and  received  his  discharge 
in    June,   1865.      He    returned    to    Chicago   and 
resumed  work  at  his  trade  for  the  ensuing  ten 
years. 

In  1870  Mr.  Scharlau  was  appointed  Deputy 
Sheriff  by  Sheriff  Tim.  Bradley,  remaining  in 
this  position  four  years,  after  which  he  served 
as  Deputy  County  Collector  under  County  Col- 
lector Louis  Huck,  and  was  Deputy  Assessor 
for  West  Chicago  under  Assessor  Pleasant  An- 
sick.  When  Jacob  Rehm  was  Chief  of  Police 
and  Charles  Rehm  Chief  of  Detectives,  Mr. 
Scharlau  accepted  a  position  in  the  Detective 
force,  but  soon  resigned.  In  1891  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Mayor  Washburn  General  Inspector 
in  the  Board  of  Public  Works,  and  held  that 
position  until  the  end  of  Mr.  Washburn's  term. 
In  1868  he  was  a  delegate  in  the  Republican 
County  Convention,  and  was  offered  but  de- 
clined the  nomination  for  Supervisor  of  the  old 
Twelfth  Ward,  now  the  Fourteenth.  Since  1868 
he  has  been  Central  Committeeman  and  dele- 
gate to  various  State,  County  and  City  Con- 
ventions. In  1874  he  became  a  candidate  for 
the  State  Legislature  and  was  defeated.  In 


990 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1880  he  was  again  a  candidate,  running 
against  S.  D.  Mieroslowski,  and  out  of  this  elec- 
tion the  celebrated  Scharlau-Mieroslowski  con- 
test arose.  The  ballots,  after  three  counts, 
showed  a  majority  of  50  for  Scharlau,  but  upon 
being  taken  to  Springfield  the  Committee  on 
Elections  declared  Mieroslowski  elected  by  a 
majority  of  43.  In  1882  there  were  rival  Sen- 
atorial conventions  in  the  District,  and  Schar- 
lau was  the  nominee  of  the  Fourteenth  Ward 
wing,  but  declined  in  favor  of  William  E. 
Mason.  In  1884  he  was  nominated  and  elected 
to  the  House  of  Representatives  by  the  largest 
majority  ever  received  by  a  candidate  in  the 
District,  defeating  August  Wendel,  a  prominent 
and  popular  German.  He  was  re-nominated  for 
the  House  by  acclamation  on  September  29, 
1886,  and  re-elected.  While  in  the  House  he 
secured  the  passage  of  the  Park  Bill,  allowing 
an  additional  tax  of  half  a  mill  for  park  im- 
provements. He  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Labor  and  Industrial  Affairs,  and  a 
firm  friend  of  the  Convict  Labor  Bill,  and  was 
also  a  member  of  other  important  committees. 
In  his  later  years  he  gave  his  attention  to  the 
practice  of  law.  Fraternally  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen;  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd-Fellows;  Court  Jef- 
ferson Lodge  of  the  Foresters;  Winfield  Scott 
Post,  No.  445,  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic;  of  Cregier  Lodge  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
a  member,  and  for  three  terms  President  of  the 
Fifty-seventh  Illinois  Veteran  Volunteer  As- 
sociation. He  is  also  a  member  of  John  G. 
Whittier  Council,  No.  612,  National  Union, 
Humboldt  Park  Council,  No.  75,  Royal  League. 

Mr.  Scharlau  was  married,  March  5,  1870,  to 
Miss  Martha  E.  Mugler,  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  has  two  married  daughters  and  one  son, 
Charles  E.  Scharlau,  Jr.  Mrs.  Scharlau  died 
April  19,  1898,  having  been  in  ill-health  for 
over  five  years.  On  May  1,  1901,  Mr.  Scharlau 
was  married  to  Miss  Helen  Michel.  His  decease 
occurred  March  23,  1903.  His  widow,  Mrs. 
Helen  (Michel)  Scharlau,  survives  him. 

Mr.  Scharlau's  father  was  killed  by  highway- 
men on  Milwaukee  Avenue,  between  Chicago 
and  Jefferson,  October  5,  1874,  but  his  mother 
survived  her  husband  many  years  and  reside.l 
on  the  old  homestead,  No.  36  Will  Street,  Chi- 
cago, until  past  eighty  years  of  age. 

CHRISTIAN  SCHIMMELS. 
Chicago  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  its  fire- 
fighters which  it  can  never  pay.  The  rapid 
growth  of  the  city  and  its  rush  in  building  has 
created  conditions  very  favorable  to  extensive 
and  frequent  conflagrations.  Perhaps  it  is  this 
difficult  situation  that  has  called  forth  the 
genius  of  the  men  connected  with  the  Chicago 
Fire  Department  and  has  helped  to  make  it  the 
wonder  of  the  world.  Such  it  is,  and  this 
splendid  reputation  of  the  Department  is  not 
a  little  due  to  men  like  the  veteran  Captain  of 
Engine  Company,  No.  25,  whose  name  heads 
this  article.  Captain  Schimmels  was  born  the 


llth  day  of  May,  1845,  in  the  family  home- 
stead, standing  at  that  time  in  a  quiet  subur- 
ban portion  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  No.  53 
South  Desplaines  Street.  At  that  time  ther-? 
were  only  16,000  people  in  the  city,  and  but 
little  dream  of  its  future  greatness  as  a  city 
of  two  million  inhabitants.  Young  Christian 
was  educated  in  both  English  and  German,  and 
when  young  was  set  to  work  as  a  carpenter,  in 
which  trade  his  father  had  been  a  pioneer  in 
the  city.  His  father  died  in  1877,  after  having 
led  a  long  and  honorable  career  as  an  extensive 
builder;  and  his  mother  passed  to  her  reward 
two  years  later.  Captain  Schimmels  was  mar- 
ried in  Chicago,  in  January,  1863,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Hasser,  who  died  in  1885,  leaving 
two  children,  Lena  and  Jacob  J. 

Peter  Schimmels,  an  older  brother  of  Chris- 
tian, was  connected  with  the  Fire  Department 
as  foreman  of  the  Tempest  Hose  Company,  No. 
1,  then  located  at  Washington  and  Clinton 
Streets,  where  truck  No.  2  has  its  present  quar- 
ters. He  placed  Christian  on  the  Tempest  Hose 
service,  September  25,  1864,  and  the  following 
year  resigned  his  own  position  to  go  to  Helena, 
Mont.,  where  he  died  in  1888.  Christian  Schim- 
mels has  found  the  fire  field  thoroughly  con- 
genial, and  has  rapidly  risen  to  important  po- 
sitions. May  20,  1869,  he  became  the  Captain 
of  Engine  Company,  No.  5,  and  September  21, 
1874,  was  made  Captain  of  Engine  Company 
No.  25,  a  position  which  he  has  retained  up 
to  the  present  time.  During  these  many  years 
he  has  displayed  such  energy,  daring  and  mas- 
terly ability  in  fighting  fire  under  every  cir- 
cumstance of  danger  and  death,  that  his  name 
has  become  familiar  the  world  over,  and  is  en- 
deared to  the  business  heart  of  Chicago.  His 
numerous  friends  assembled  to  do  him  honor 
in  Apollo  Hall,  September  25,  1889,  and  marked 
the  expiration  of  his  twenty-fifth  year  as  City 
Fireman,  with  the  presentation  of  a  gold  fire- 
badge.which  bore  in  its  center  a  $500  diamond. 

Captain  Schimmels  was  married  May  11,  1895, 
on  his  fiftieth  birthday,  to  Miss  Nettie  Bean, 
a  native  of  Boston.  During  his  long  and  active 
career  in  connection  with  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment, though  he  has  always  been  in  the  thick 
of  the  fight,  he  has  never  been  seriously  in- 
jured, and  has  lost  but  very  few  days  on  ac- 
count of  sickness.  Some  four  years  ago  he 
took  his  longest  furlough,  being  absent  from 
the  service  about  two  weeks.  He  presents 
a  hale  and  hearty  appearance,  and  says  that  he 
is  good  for  thirty-five  years  more  of  active 
duty.  Through  his  long  connection  with  the 
Fire  Department  Captain  Schimmels  has  a 
'complete  record  of  its  services,  and  since  1869 
has  kept  a  record  of  every  alarm  of  fire,  as  to 
the  time,  box  and  every  detail.  He  has  served 
under  every  Chief  who  has  been  in  office  since 
the  organization  of  a  paid  Fire  Department. 
U.  P.  Harris,  the  first,  has  had  for  his  succes- 
sors, R.  A.  Williams,  M.  Benner,  D.  J.  Swenie, 
W.  H.  Musham,  and  the  present  Fire  Marhsal. 
J.  Campion.  For  forty-one  years  Mr.  Schim- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


991 


mels  was  a  fireman;  for  thirty-five  years  he  has 
been  Captain,  and  for  thirty  years  has  been 
in  command  of  the  same  company.  Still  a 
young  man,  he  can  do  his  laps  with  the  best 
of  the  men  in  his  command,  and  "where  duty 
calls,  there  you  will  find  him."  In  local  politics 
he  takes  little  interest,  and  votes  for  what  he 
believes  to  be  the  best  for  the  city  at  the  time. 
Chicago  is  proud  of  Captain  Schimmels  and 
his  faithful  associates. 

NICHOLAS   SCHMITT, 

Former  Superintendent  Alton  Elevator,  Chica- 
go, now  Superintendent  of  the  Keith  Elevator, 
at  Halsted  Street,  and  the  South  Branch  of  the 
Chicago  River,  was  born  in  Germany,  the  son  of 
Jacob  and  Margaret  (Miller)  Schmitt,  who 
came  to  America  in  1865,  and  settled  in  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.,  where  they  reared  a  family  of 
six  sons:  Peter,  Nicholas,  Matthias,  John,  Al- 
bert and  Christ — all  of  whom  are  now  living. 
The  mother  died  in  1896,  aged  sixty-nine  years, 
and  the  father  in  1903,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
one  years.  Beginning  as  a  laborer  with  George 
A.  Seaverns,  at  the  old  Clark  Street  ware- 
house in  1878,  Mr.  Schmitt  worked  up  through 
various  positions  as  weighman,  foreman,  etc., 
until  he  became  Superintendent  of  the  Col- 
umbia Elevator,  at  Robey  Street  and  Blue  Isl- 
and Avenue,  where  he  spent  several  years. 
From  1891  to  1897  Mr.  Schmitt  and  George 
Phillips,  the  "Corn  King"  of  Chicago,  were 
side-partners  as  weighmen.  In  November,  1900, 
Mr.  Schmitt  became  Superintendent  of  the 
Alton  Elevator,  as  successor  to  his  brother 
Peter  Schmitt,  who  was  transferred  in  a  sim- 
ilar capacity  to  Davenport,  Iowa.  The  Alton 
Elevator  A  was  erected  in  1879  with  a  storage 
capacity  of  1,200,000  bushels  and  is  capable  of 
receiving  one  hundred  car-loads  and  discharg- 
ing 120,000  bushels  daily.  Elevator  B,  erected 
in  1886-87,  has  a  capacity  of  600,000  bushels 
and  is  practically  an  annex  to  Elevator  A,  be- 
ing under  the  same  management.  The  Alton 
Elevator  was  sold  out  in  1904,  and  Mr.  Schmitt 
is  now  in  charge  of  the  Keith  Elevator. 

Mr.  Schmitt  was  married  in  1880  to  Miss 
Mary  Jane  Coulson,  and  they  have  had  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  children:  Joseph  George,  Mary 
Alice,  David  Lee,  Margaret,  John  Frederick, 
Thomas  Christian  and  George  M. — all  living. 
They  have  received  the  advantages  of  a  good 
education,  the  older  ones  graduating  from  the 
schools  which  they  attended.  Mr.  Schmitt  is 
a  Republican  is  politics,  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum  and  a  communicant  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 

FRANK   SCHRAMM. 

Frank  Schram,  florist,  Wheeling,  111.,  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  in  1871,  the  son  of 
Frank  Schramm,  Sr.,  also  of  German  birth. 
In  1896,  in  company  with  his  brother,  he  start- 
ed a  greenhouse  and  floral  garden  at  Elk 
Grove,  near  Schnell's  Grove,  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Indian  Village,  where  they  make  a  spe- 


cialty of  growing  violets  and  carnations.  He 
was  married  in  1897  to  Rhoda  May  Schnell  of 
Elk  Grove. 

HENRY    M.    SCHREIBER. 

Henry  M.  Schreiber,  of  the  firm  of  Schreiber 
Brothers,  hardware  merchants,  Blue  Island, 
111.,  was  born  in  Blue  Island  in  1869,  the  son 
of  August  and  Minnie  Schreiber,  who  were 
natives  of  Germany.  The  father  came  to  Blue 
Island  a  single  man,  there  married  and  be- 
came one  of  the  first  settlers,  erecting  a  house 
on  the  corner  of  Western  Avenue  and  Jones 
Street.  He  was  one  of  the  early  business  men 
of  the  place,  being  engaged  there  in  the  hard- 
ware trade  during  the  whole  of  his  active  life, 
covering  a  period  of  over  fifty  years.  He  died 
March  18,  1883,  and  his  wife  March  17,  1881. 
leaving  five  children,  viz.:  William,  engaged  in 
the  real-estate  business  in  Blue  Island;  Lizzie, 
now  Mrs.  Shimmel,  of  Chicago;  Minnie,  at 
home;  Philip  A.,  of  the  firm  of  Schreiber 
Brothers,  and  Henry  M:,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  and  partner  of  his  brother  Philip  A. 
Henry  M.  was  reared  and  educated  in  Blue 
Island,  and  with  his  brother  succeeded  to  the 
business  established  by  his  father  more  than 
fifty  years  ago.  The  first  building  erected  by 
the  senior  Mr.  Schreiber  was  a  frame,  while  the 
present  building,  erected  in  1882,  with  addi- 
tions since  made  to  it,  is  a  two-story  and  base- 
ment structure,  46x80  feet.  The  firm  of 
Schreiber  Brothers  was  organized  after  the 
father's  death  in  1883,  the  new  firm  making 
the  additions  to  the  building. 

Henry  M.  Schreiber  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  has  been  active  in  public  affairs;  in 
1891  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Constable,  in 
1896  became  Superintendent  of  Public  Works 
for  the  city  of  Blue  Island,  and  in  1897  was 
appointed  Deputy  Sheriff,  retaining  this  posi- 
tion up  to  date.  Mr.  Schreiber  was  married  in 
Blue  Island  in  October,  1883,  to  Catharine  A. 
Sippel,  born  in  Blue  Island,  the  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Sippel,  and  member  of  a 
pioneer  family.  Two  children  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schreiber — Elvira  and  June. 
Mr.  Schreiber  is  a  member  of  the  Liederkranz 
and  the  Blue  Island  Fire  Department;  is  also 
an  Odd  Fellow  and  Knight  of  Pythias. 

HOWARD  H.  SCHRIVER. 
Howard  H.  Schriver,  pipeman  on  Engine  73, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  December  11,  1867,  and  educated 
at  the  public  schools.  After  leaving  school  he 
went  to  work  successively'  at  Stanley  Win- 
jet's  cigar  factory,  the  Peter's  Buggy  Com- 
pany, at  Flannegan's  bolt  works,  and  for 
the  Wassels  Fire  Clay  Company.  In  1883 
he  went  to  Shelby,  Oceana  County,  Mich , 
and  there  worked  on  a  farm  and  later  for  the 
Hinckley  &  Young  stove  works.  He  came  to 
Chicago  May  29,  1887,  and  worked  for  T.  P. 
Murray,  hardware  dealer,  Thirty-fijfth  Street 
and  Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  and  later  for  the 


992 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Cook  Storage  Company,  Cottage  Grove  Ave- 
nue, and  for  M.  Wilson  as  a  painter  for 
five  and  a  half  years.  He  joined  the  Chicago 
Fire  Department,  February  22,  1896,  being  as- 
signed to  Engine  73,  and  is  now  pipeman.  He 
has  had  many  narrow  escapes,  but  is  always 
ready  to  respond  when  duty  calls. 

HENRY  C.  SCHROEDER, 

Captain  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  12, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  the  son  of  Thedas 
and  Mary  (Miller)  Schroeder — both  natives  of 
Germany — was  born  in  Germany  December  6, 
'  1850,  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  ar- 
riving at  Chicago,  May  12,  1869,  where  he  was 
employed  at  surveying  by  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific Railroad,  and  later  in  the  lumber  yards 
of  Kelly,  Lowe  &  Company.  He  joined  the 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  January  29,  1883, 
on  Engine  3;  later,  was  transferred  to  Truck 
1;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant  and  assigned 
to  Truck  6,  January  3,  1887;  transferred  to 
Truck  14,  December  31,  1888;  promoted  to 
'Captain  and  transferred  to  Truck  11,  Sep- 
tember 15,  1890;  to  Truck  14,  October  21,  1891; 
and  to  Truck  12,  May  1,  1892,  where  he  may 
now  be  found  ready  for  any  emergency.  Like 
many  other  firemen  he  has  had  many  narrow 
escapes.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  Hack, 
in  Chicago,  April  12,  1882,  and  three  children 
were  born  to  them,  viz.:  Herman,  William  and 
Charles.  Mrs.  Schroeder  died  January  4,  1895, 
and  on  May  12,  1895,  Mr.  Schroeder  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Louisa  Beinson  as  his  second  wife. 

WILLIAM  H.  SCHUBERT. 
William  H.  Schubert,  pipeman  on  Engine  55, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
March  30,  1871,  was  educated  at  the  Wells  pub- 
lic school,  and  after  leaving  school  worked  for 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad 
Company  for  one  year;  was  foreman  for  J.  A. 
Rice  &  Co.  (window  glass  dealers)  for  two 
years;  then  police  telegraph-operator  at  head- 
quarters, and  later,  was  the  first  man  to  secure 
from  the  civil  service  commission  an  order  for 
appointment  in  the  Fire  Department.  October 
8,  1895,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as  Truckman 
on  Truck  8;  was  transferred  to  Engine  No.  11, 
May  4,  1896,  as  Chief  Musham's  driver;  was 
at  the  Tosetti  fire,  and  at  the  time  of  the  ex- 
plosion happened  to  be  in  the  street,  thus  es- 
caping without  injury.  He  was  at  the  North- 
western Elevator  fire,  August  7,  1897,  when 
he  went  to  the  home  of  Chief  Musham  and 
brought  him  in  answer  to  the  second  alarm. 
After  giving  the  Chief  his  coat  and  hat,  in 
about  two  minutes  the  explosion  occurred,  and 
a  plate  of  glass  two  feet  square  fell  and  went 
through  the  buggy.  Schubert's  arm  was  on  the 
buggy  only  two  inches  from  where  the  glass 
struck  it.  The  horse  jumped,  knocked  him 
down  and  trampled  on  him,  but  he  got  up  and 
caught  the  animal  near  the  river  bank.  By 
the  concussion  he  lost  his  speech  and  sense  of 
smell  for  five  days.  Chief  Swenie's  driver, 


Thomas  Monihan,  was  killed  by  the  same  ex- 
plosion. Mr.  Schubert  remained  driver  for 
Chief  Musham  until  transferred  to  Truck  21, 
May  1,  1898;  was  transferred  to  Truck  19,  May 
30,  1889;  and  to  Engine  55,  as  driver,  May  1, 
1900.  His  father,  August  L.  Schubert,  is  Cap- 
tain of  Engine  43,  and  William  Schubert,  an 
uncle,  is  Lieutenant  on  Engine  33,  each  hav- 
ing been  employed  in  the  Fire  Departmet  twen- 
ty-eight years.  Mr.  Schubert  was  married  in 
Chicago,  July  5,  1895,  to  Miss  Georgiana  Mc- 
Culloch,  and  three  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  two  of  whom  are  living. 

MICHAEL  SCHWEISTHAL. 
Michael  Schweisthal,  broker  and  ex-Presi- 
dent Board  of  Election  Commissioners,  was 
born  in  Merzig,  Germany,  October  11,  1844. 
came  to  Chicago,  arriving  July  2,  1847,  and  was 
educated  in  the  Franklin  school  and  St.  Mary's 
University.  After  leaving  the  university,  he 
worked  for  the  McCormick  Reaper  and  Har- 
vester Company,  and  later  with  C.  C  Parks  & 
Co.,  bankers,  remaining  there  three  years: 
then  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Second  Na- 
tional Bank  as  receiving  and  paying  teller  and 
cashier  for  ten  years,  and  later  with  the  Mer- 
chants' Savings,  Loan  &  Trust  Company  Bank 
for  nine  years,  when  he  accepted  the  position 
of  cashier  of  the  International  Bank,  where  he 
served  faithfully  for  eight  years.  He  was 
then  chosen  cashier  of  the  Fort  Dearborn  Na- 
tional Bank,  remaining  one  year,  after  which 
he  went  into  business  for  himself,  as  banker, 
for  two  and  a  half  years.  Mr.  Schweisthal  was 
elected  President  of  the  Board  of  Election  Com- 
missioners, serving  for  three  years  in  that  ca- 
pacity. In  1886  he  was  a  candidate  for  the 
office  of  County  Treasurer  and  ran  10,000 
ahead  of  his  ticket,  but  by  the  landslide  of 
that  year  was  defeated.  Later  he  went  into 
business  as  a  loan  broker  and  accountant.  Mr. 
Schweisthal  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  JU. 
Kilduff,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  July  12,  1883,  and 
five  children  have  blessed  their  union,  three 
of  whom  are  now  living.  In  the  person  of 
Mr.  Schweisthal  we  have  another  pioneer  who 
has'  done  his  part  towards  the  upbuilding  of 
the  city  of  Chicago  and  its  business  interests, 
and  who  has  won  many  friends  by  his  kind 
and  genial  temperament,  and  his  fidelity  to  the 
trusts  reposed  in  him. 

ELWIN    D.    SCOTT. 

Elwin  D.  Scott,  insurance  agent  and  dealer 
in  real  estate,  DesPlaines,  111.,  was  born  in 
Somerset,  Vt.,  August  2,  1849,  the  son  of  Enos 
and  Elizabeth  (Upton)  Scott,  who  removed  to 
Maine  Township,  Cook  County,  111.,  in  1852, 
and  engaged  in  farming.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Alpheus  Scott,  was  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut, born  in  1790,  and  his  maternal  grand- 
father, Jedediah  Upton,  born  in  the  same  State 
in  1793.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  edu- 
cated at  DesPlaines  and  followed  the  business 
of  farming  until  1882,  when  he  removed  to  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


993 


town  of  DesPlaines  and  engaged  in  the  agri- 
cultural machine  business.  At  the  present 
time  he  is  in  the  insurance  arid  real-estate 
business,  also  manages  a  cider  and  sorghum 
mill.  On  June  28,  1876,  he  was  married  in 
the  city  of  Chicago  to  Ella  Webster,  and  has 
two  daughters — Mary  S.  and  Cornelia  A.  Mr. 
Scott  held  the  office  of  Road  Commissioner 
some  nine  years,  and,  from  1892  to  1896,  was 
Village  Trustee  of  the  town  of  DesPlaines.  In 
religious  faith  he  is  a  Congregationalist  and 
politically  an  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party. 

HENRY    C.    SENNE. 

Henry  C.  Senne,  Supervisor,  Maine  Town- 
ship, Cook  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Germany, 
October  26,  1826,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mariah 
(Muller)  Senne,  who  were  both  natives  of  the 
"Fatherland."  In  1845  Mr.  Senne  emigrated 
to  America,  arriving  in  Chicago  July  16.  The 
next  four  years  he  spent  in  that  vicinity,  work- 
ing upon  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  at  fifty 
cents  a  day,  during  the  summer,  and  at  his 
trade  of  tailor,  in  the  fall.  In  October,  1849, 
he  removed  to  Elk  Grove,  where  he  spent  the 
next  fifteen  years  in  farming  and  mercantile 
business.  During  his  stay  at  Elk  Grove  he  also 
served  as  Constable,  Justice  of  the  Peace  and 
Commissioner  of  Highways.  At  the  close  of  this 
period  (1861)  he  removed  to  Des  Plaines,  his 
present  residence,  where  he  filled  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  sixteen  years  (1862-78); 
was  also  elected  Supervisior  in  1866,  remaining 
in  office  until  1870.  The  latter  year  he  was 
elected  a  Representative  in  the  Twenty-seventh 
General  Assembly  for  the  Ssventh  District, 
and  re-elected  in  1872,  both  times  as  a  Repub- 
publican.  Other  offices  held  by  him  include 
those  of  County  Commissioner,  1876-85;  Presi- 
dent of  the  County  Board,  1887-90,  and  Super- 
visor of  Maine  Township,  1896  to  1901.  He  has 
also  served  as  School  Director  since  1875,  and 
was  President  of  the  Board  from  the  date  of 
its  organization  until  1898;  has  also  been  (and 
still  is)  Secretary  of  the  DesPlaines  and  Cook 
County  Farmers'  Mutual  Insurance  Company 
since  1875.  For  eight  years  past  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  banking  business,  in  a  private 
way.  To  give  an  idea  of  the  business  ability 
and  the  systematic  manner  in  which  he  attends 
to  his  matters,  public  as  well  as  private,  he 
has  in  his  possession  the  County  Board  pro- 
ceedings from  1866  to  December,  1901,  some- 
thing that  no  other  individual  in  the  County 
has.  Mr.  Senne  was  married  in  Elk  Grove 
Township  August  22,  1848,  to  Miss  Dorothea 
Linneman,  and  they  have  had  eight  children: 
Henry  W.  (who  died  in  1870,  aged  twenty-one 
years),  William  H.,  Mary,  Louise,  George,  Min- 
nie and  Sophie.  In  religious  belief  Mr.  Senne 
is  a  Lutheran  and  in  politics  a  Republican. 

PATRICK    JOSEPH    SEXTON. 
Patrick    J.    Sexton    (deceased)    was   born    in 
County   Cavan,    Ireland,    October   13,    1843,   the 
son  of  John  and  Susan   (O'Dowd)   Sexton.    His 


father,  who  was  a  farmer  in  his  native  country, 
came  to  America  with  his  family  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  the  son 
Patrick  J.,  being  then  a  child.  When  the  latter 
had  reached  the  age  of  twelve  or  thirteen 
years,  his  father  having  died,  the  mother  re- 
moved with  her  family  to  Cincinnati,  where 
the  son  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
and,  having  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  in 
1865  went  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder. 
After  the  fire  of  1871  he  came  to  Chicago  and 
at  once  engaged  in  assisting  to  rebuild  the 
burned  city,  here  making  his  home  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  Many  of  the  more  important  build- 
ings of  the  city,  previous  to  the  era  of  the  sky- 
scrapers, were  erected  by  him,  notably  Plym- 
outh church,  the  Court  House  and  City  Hall, 
the  County  Hospital,  etc.  About  1893,  having 
for  a  time  been  engaged  in  brick  manufacture 
he  organized  and  put  in  operation  one  of  the 
most  extensive  manufacturing  corporations  in 
this  line  in  the  country — The  Chicago  Brick 
Company,  located  at  Thirty-ninth  Street  and 
Western  Avenue,  of  which  he  was  President 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Sexton  never  held  any  public  office,  but 
was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Government  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War,  and  when  the  Confederate 
cavalry  leader,  Col.  John  Morgan,  made  his  raid 
through  bouthern  Ohio,  he  enlisted  in  an 
emergency  company  at  Cincinnati  for  the  pur- 
suit of  the  guerrilla  leader.  In  religious  be- 
lief he  was  a  Catholic  and  in  his  political 
(associations  an  adharent  of  the  Democratic 
party.  Mainly  self-educated,  Mr.  Sexton  was 
well  informed  not  only  on  public  affairs  and 
current  events  of  the  day,  but  in  history  and 
general  literature,  especially  as  represented  in 
standard  authors.  He  was  an  extensive  trav- 
eler, and  was  especially  well-informed  on 
foreign  affairs,  having  visited  Europe  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  times.  Of  genial  personality 
and  engaging  manners,  he  enjoyed  a  wide  pop- 
ularity among  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

On  June  2,  1880,  Mr.  Sexton  was  married  at 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  to  Anna  Long,  and  of  this 
union  were  born  one  daughter  and  three  sons, 
of  whom  the  daughter  and  one  son  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  sons  still  living  are  Thomas 
O'Dowd  and  Patrick  J. — the  former  now  the 
President  of  the  Chicago  Brick  Company,  hav- 
ing succeeded  his  father  in  that  office.  Thomas 
O'Dowd  Sexton  is  a  resident  of  Waukegan. 

The  death  of  Patrick  J.  Sexton,  Sr.,  occurred 
October  28,  1903,  at  1340  Michigan  Avenue, 
Chicago,  which  had  been  his  home  for  more 
than  twenty  years. 

ARTHUR  SEYFERLICH, 

Captain  Engine  21,  Chicago  Fire  Department, 
was  born  in  Chicago,  February  23,  1868,  was 
educated  in  the  Jones  school,  and  leaving  school 
in  1880,  worked  at  th«  upholstering  trade  for 
Harner  &  Schoen,  until  he  joined  the  Fire  De- 
partment September  28,  1891.  He  was  first 


994 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


employed  on  Engine  40,  and  later  transferred 
to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  6;  was  pro- 
moted to  Lieutenant,  July  17,  1897,  and  trans- 
ferred to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  15,  and 
to  Engine  10;  in  1904  is  serving  as  Captain  on 
Engine  21.  Captain  Seyferlich  has  been  con- 
nected with  many  rescues,  and  has  had  many 
narrow  escapes.  December  11,  1894,  about  rt 
P.  M.,  the  officers  of  his  Company  were  noti- 
fied that  the  grip  had  broken  and  a  Milwaukee 
Avenue  car  had  dashed  into  a  Madison  Street 
car  and  Ogden  Avenue  trailer,  setting  the  car 
on  fire.  The  company  hurried  to  the  rescue  of 
the  passengers,  and  by  removing  the  side  of 
the  car,  rescued  from  twenty  to  thirty  passen- 
gers, two  of  the  passengers,  however,  being 
taken  out  dead.  In  October,  1895,  Hook  and 
Ladder  Company  No.  6  was  run  into  by  a 
Grand  Avenue  car  and  the  truck  turned  end 
for  end,  but  Seyferlich  stuck  to  his  place 
at  the  tiller,  although  severely  injured.  On 
May  24,  1900,  at  the  fire  at  Irwin  Brothers, 
on  Clark  Street,  the  fumes  of  ammonia  were 
so  strong  that  about  thirty  firemen  were  nearly 
overcome,  and  Lieutenant  Seyferlich  was  re- 
duced to  a  state  of  unconsciousness  for  ten  and 
a  half  hours.  This  was  considered  a  very 
close  call,  but  he  was  at  work  the  next  day. 

CHARLES  F.  SEYFERLICH, 
Chief  of  Second  Battalion,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Chicago  September  29,  1850. 
After  reaching  maturity  he  worked  for  a  time 
for  Becker  &  Kopsel,  trunk  manufacturers,  and 
for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  as 
a  machinist  for  ten  years.  He  joined  the  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department  in  1877  as  a  member  of 
Truck  No.  1;  in  1881  was  made  Lieutenant  and 
assigned  to  Truck  No.  8,  being  afterwards  trans- 
ferred to  Truck  5,  but  later  returned  to  Truck 
No.  1.  In  1882  a  special  fire  company  was 
organized  to  protect  the  large  plant  of  the  sugar 
refinery  on  Taylor  Street,  and  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  Chief  Swenie,  Seyferlich  was 
placed  in  charge.  Returning  to  the  City  De- 
partment, he  served  on  Truck  No.  9,  and  again 
on  Truck  1,  where  he  was  promoted  to  Captain 
in  1887.  He  was  next  elevated  to  a  battalion 
commandership  in  1894,  and,  on  the  death  of 
Pat  O'Malley,  became  Chief  of  the  Second  Bat- 
talion. Chief  Seyferlich  is  always  to  be  found 
in  places  of  danger  when  duty  calls,  has  had 
many  narrow  escapes,  and  has  effected  many 
rescues.  On  August  5,  1897,  he  received  the 
order  from  Marshall  Musham  at  the  Northwest- 
ern Elevator  fire  to  have  the  fire-boat 
"Yosemite"  move  one  hundred  feet  south  and 
the  tug  "Mosher"  to  keep  out  of  the  bay,  which 
order,  being  promptly  executed,  was  the  means 
of  saving  about  fifty  lives,  together  with  the 
fire-boats  "Yosemite,"  "Fire  Queen"  and 
"Mosher,"  as  the  walls  fell  within  five  min- 
utes after  the  order  was  given.  Chief  Seyfer- 
lich was  married  in  Chicago,  February  5,  1878, 
to  Miss  Annie  Meyer,  of  Manitowoc,  Wis.,  and 
twelve  children  have  been  born  to  them,  of 
whom  seven  are  now  living. 


EDWARD  T.  SHEPHERD. 

Edward  T.  Shepherd,  Superintendent  Fire  In- 
surance Patrol,  Chicago,  has  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  been  identified  with  the 
Fire  Insurance  Patrol  of  Chicago,  and  during 
this  long  period  of  self-denying,  faithful  serv- 
ice his  reputation  for  bravery  and  skill  has 
steadily  grpwn,  while  he  has  brought  this 
branch  of  the  service  to  a  degree  of  perfection 
in  discipline  and  efficiency  unsurpassed  in  any 
city  of  the  world.  A  somewhat  extended  ac- 
count of  the  early  history  and  work  of  the 
patrol  has  been  given  in  the  biographical  sketch 
of  the  late  Benjamin  B.  Bullwinkle,  its  orig- 
inator and,  for  many  years,  its  successful  head. 
Under  Mr.  Shepherd's  superintendency  it  has 
been  very  considerably  enlarged  and  its  use- 
fulness greatly  increased. 

Superintendent  Shepherd  is  yet  in  life's 
prime,  having  been  born  in  the  city  of  New 
York  on  May  11,  1850.  November  1,  1875,  he 
became  associated  with  the  Chicago  Fire  In- 
surance Patrol,  and  on  January  1,  1886,  was 
made  its  Superintendent.  He  has  succeeded  in 
establishing  the  most  cordial  relations  between 
that  body  and  the  Chicago  Fire  Department, 
and  enjoys  the  warm  personal  friendship  and 
unreserved  confidence  of  his  Chief.  During  his 
administration  the  number  of  companies  has 
been  increased  from  two  to  eight,  with  a  mem- 
bership of  seventy-three  officers  and  men,  and 
the  housing  and  equipment  have  been  made 
nearly  perfect.  Several  thousand  calls  are  an- 
swered every  year,  where  hundreds  constituted 
the  limit  some  twenty-odd  years  ago,  while 
the  amount  saved  by  the  prompt,  energetic,  dar- 
ing action  of  officers  and  men  runs  up  into  the 
millions.  The  fire  underwriters  who  support 
the  organization  financially  are  naturally  the 
chief  gainers  in  the  saving  of  losses  on  insured 
property,  yet  hundreds  of  uninsured  owners  are 
also  among  the  beneficiaries  of  the  system. 
Nor  are  the  men  less  ready  to  hazard  life  and 
limb  for  the  saving  of  human  life  than  for  the 
preservation  of  property. 

Among  Superintendent  Shepherd's  many 
hair-breadth  escapes  perhaps  the  most  remark- 
able and  thrilling  occurred  at  the  Langham 
Hotel  holocaust,  on  the  night  of  March  21,  1885. 
He  was  standing  with  the  men  of  Company  No. 
1  on  the  roof  of  an  adjoining  two-story  brick 
building,  when  one  of  the  hotel  walls  fell  in 
upon  and  entombed  them.  At  first  it  was  sup- 
posed that  not  a  man  had  escaped  death,  and 
for  hours  the  gallant  fellows  endured  the  agony 
resulting  from  fractured  bones,  suffocation  and 
the  intolerable  heat  engendered  by  the  great 
mass  of  red-hot  bricks  lying  above  them.  Then 
came  the  seeming  danger  of  drowning  from  the 
torrents  of  water  which  for  hours  the  firemen 
found  it  necessary  to  turn  upon  what  was 
believed  to  be  their  tomb  before  the  actual  work 
of  rescue  could  begin.  Two  dead  bodies  were 
taken  out,  but  the  other  victims,  while  at  first 
showing  but  few  signs  of  life,  ultimately  re- 
covered. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


995 


Superintendent  Shepherd  was  married  in 
Chicago,  May  23,  1881,  to  Miss  Jane  W.  Mil- 
ton, and  eight  children,  four  boys  and  four 
girls,  have  been  born  to  them,  viz:  Milton  E., 
Gertrude  M.,  Charles  H.,  Stella  F.,  Roy  E.,  Willa 
J.,  Ross  S.  and  Edna  E. 

JOHN  B.   SHERMAN. 

John  B.  Sherman  (deceased),  banker,  live- 
stock dealer  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the 
town  of  Beckman,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  Jan- 
uary 15,  1825;  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  began  his 
business  life  as  clerk  in  a  country  store  at  a 
salary  of  fifty  dollars  per  annum.  In  1849  he 
went  to  California  to  engage  in  mining,  in  1850 
returning  to  Dutchess  County  with  a  few  thou- 
sand dollars,  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year 
bought  a  farm  in  Kendall  County,  111.,  to  which 
he  removed;  but  soon  after  came  to  Chicago, 
where  for  a  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  com- 
mission business  on  Kinzie  Street  as  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Black  &  Sherman.  In  1855  he 
leased  the  old  "Bull's  Head"  Yards,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  West  Madison  Street  and  Ogden  Avenue, 
and  a  year  later  the  Myrick  Yards  at  Cottage 
Grove  Avenue  and  Twenty-ninth  Street,  and 
may  with  propriety  be  called  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  live-stock  trade  in  Chicago.  The 
"Bull's  Head"  plant  was  abandoned  at  the  ex- 
piration of  the  lease.  As  the  city's  trade  in 
live-stock  grew,  the  number  of  yards  increased 
until  there  were  four,  one  on  the  West  Side 
and  three  on  the  South  Side.  The  disadvantages 
resulting  from  this  system  suggested  to  Mr. 
Sherman  and  others  the  desirability  of  cen- 
tralization, which  resulted  in  the  founding  of 
the  Union  Stock  Yards,  in  the  inception  and 
organization  of  which  Mr.  Sherman  played  an 
important  part. 

By  this  time,  having  accumulated  what  he 
considered  a  competence,  he  thought  to  retire, 
and,  having  purchased  a  home  at  Poughkeepsie, 
N.  Y.,  returned  to  the  East.  The  need  of  a 
head  for  the  new  stock  yards  induced  him  to 
return,  when  he  became  general  manager  of  the 
yards,  being  virtually  given  entire  control  of 
the  plant.  In  after  years  he  was  again  and 
again  called  to  fill  the  offices  of  Vice-President 
and  President  until,  after  his  last  re-election, 
he  positively  refused  longer  to  continue  as  the 
executive  head  of  the  corporation. 

One  of  the  most  pronounced  features  of  his 
administration  was  his  close  relation  to  his  sub- 
ordinates. Absolutely  just,  yet  quickly  sympa- 
thetic with  them  alike  in  their  joys  and  their 
sorrows,  he  readily  won  their  confidence  and 
their  esteem.  It  was  a  part  of  his  policy  to 
encourage  the  building  of  their  own  homes  by 
employes  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 
yards,  and  he  repeatedly  extended  to  them 
financial  help  to  that  end.  At  their  funerals 
he  was  always  present,  and  when  the  head  of 
the  house  was  called  away,  it  was  his  wont, 
when  practicable,  to  give  one  of  the  older  minor 


children  of  the  deceased  parent  employment 
at  an  adult's  pay,  that  the  support  and  self- 
respect  of  the  household  might  be  preserved. 
Strikes  among  his  workmen  were  unknown,  and 
it  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that,  while  he  was  the 
direct  personal  representative  of  capital  aggre- 
gating many  millions,  and  faithfully  guarded 
its  interests,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for 
wage-workers,  in  times  of  labor  troubles,  to 
select  him  as  their  representative  upon  a  board 
of  arbitration.  Usually  suave  and  disposed  to 
be  concessive,  yet  no  man  knew  better  how  to 
say  "No"  when  duty  required  it,  and  to  say  it 
with  emphatic  decision.  He  was  never  known 
to  speculate,  or  to  make  use,  for  personal  gain, 
of  any  knowledge  derived  through  his  official 
position.  His  charities  were  liberal  and  fre- 
quent, yet  bestowed  without  ostentation,  and 
many  old-time  Chicago  pastors  can  recall  his 
numerous  non-sectarian  benefactions.  Though 
deeply  interested  in  public  affairs,  the  only 
office  he  was  ever  induced  to  accept  was  that 
of  South  Park  Commissioner.  The  South  Side 
parks  were  his  pride  and  joy,  and  he  has  been 
sometimes  called  the  father  of  the  system. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Ophelia  Cram,  to  whom  he  was  united 
at  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  November  14,  1848,  and  two 
sons  and  a  daughter  were  born  of  this  mar- 
riage. The  first  Mrs.  Sherman  died  on  March 
5,  1894,  and  on  September  25,  1895,  he  married 
Miss  Catherine  Nosson.  Mr.  Sherman  died  at 
his  home  February  25,  1902. 

RICHARD  E.  SHERMAN. 

Genius  is  given  to  but  few,  but  where  it  burns 
its  flame  cannot  be  extinguished  by  unfavorable 
surroundings.  One  who  is  born  to  invent  can- 
not be  turned  aside  by  the  monotonous  routine 
of  daily  toil.  He  will  yet  find  the  realization  of 
his  cherished  ideals.  These  remarks  apply 
with  peculiar  aptitude  to  Mr.  Richard  E.  Sher- 
man, whose  numerous  electrical  inventions  have 
brought  him  prominently  before  both  the  scien- 
tific world  and  the  general  public.  He  is  a 
native  Chicagoan,  having  been  born  here  July 
19,  1858,  and  graduated  from  the  public  schools. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  dry-goods  boxes,  and  continued  in 
that  business  for  thirteen  years.  The  follow- 
ing three  years  he  spent  in  Kansas  handling 
oil,  but  this  pursuit  proving  unsatisfactory,  he 
returned  to  Chicago  and  again  began  making 
boxes.  In  1896  he  discontinued  this  business  to 
accept  a  position  in  the  Cook  County  Map  De- 
partment. Despite  the  exacting  nature  of  hia 
business  cares  and  clerical  duties,  Mr.  Sherman 
has  found  time  for  the  pursuit  of  his  favorite 
study  of  electricity  and  for  devising  numerous 
useful  inventions,  many  of  which  are  now 
in  practical  use.  Among  the  best-known  of 
these  are  the  following:  An  improvement 
in  underground  trolley  subways,  now  in  use 
on  the  Broadway  electric  line  in  New  York 
City;  an  electric  mail-carrier;  the  Sherman 
umbrella,  and  electric  horse  starter,  in  use 


996 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


on  several  American  race  tracks;  and  a  plan 
for  an  electric  tower,  which  was  adopted  by 
the  exposition  authorities  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
and  at  Glasgow,  Scotland.  In  1879  Mr.  Sherman 
married  Miss  Mary  A.  Morris,  a  Chicago  lady, 
and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with  three 
children. 

ANDREW  SHILLINGLAW. 
The   successful   career   of   Mr.   Andrew   Shil- 
linglaw  (now  deceased)  illustrates  the  possibil- 
ities which  lie  open  to  brains,  perseverance  and 
push.     Without    the    adventitious    aid    of    for- 
tune or  influence,  he  steadily  worked  his  way 
up  the  ladder  from   the  bottom  round  to  the 
high  position  which,  in  his  later  years,  he  held 
in   the   mercantile   world,   having   filled   many 
minor  posts  with  distinguished  ability.     He  is, 
in   the  full    sense  of  the   word,   a   Chicagoan, 
having  been  born  here  on  May  23,  1856,  edu- 
cated at  the  Foster  public  school,  and  practi- 
cally spent  his  business  life  here.     His  family 
was  not   in  affluent  circumstances,   and  while 
yet  a  school  boy  he  sold  papers  upon  the  streets. 
After  leaving  school  he  went  to  Rockford,  where 
he   worked  at  various  occupations  until  1871. 
when  he  returned  to  Chicago  to  enter  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company. 
In  1876,  there  being  a  demand  for  "construc- 
tion men"  in  Indian  Territory,  he  went  thither, 
but  remained  only  one  year.     On  his  return  he 
again  entered  the  Western  Union  service,  but 
later  abandoned  it  for  that  of  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Company,  remaining  with  the  latter  con- 
cern  until    offered   the   agency   for   the    Soutn 
Water  Street  district  by  the  Bankers  and  Mer- 
chants'  Telegraph   Company.     In   1879   he   en- 
tered the  employ  of  Armour  &  Company  as  a 
telegraph  operator,  but  his  knowledge  of  elec- 
tricity and  practical  skill  in  its  application  soon 
led  to   his  being  transferred  to  the  electrical 
department,  and  it  was  chiefly  through  his  per- 
sistent advocacy    of   the   idea   that   Mr.   P.   D. 
Armour   was   induced   to   try   an   experimental 
introduction  into  his  plant  of  electricity  as  a 
motive  power.    The  first  trial  was  made  in  1888, 
when  it  was  applied  to  the  operation  of  a  "stuff- 
ing" machine.     In  1892  it  was  tested  for  haul- 
ing freight  around   the  house,   one  eighty-five 
horse-power  generator  being  installed  and  the 
equipment  consisting  of  two  motor  cars  and  a 
few  trailers.     The  track  was  of  narrow-gauge 
(three  feet),  and  the  cars  were  built  with  a 
view  to  running  under  low  bridges  and  around 
short  curves.  The  trailers  had  a  carrying  capac- 
ity of  1,500  to  2,000  pounds  each,  and  were  so 
constructed    as    to    be    available    for  trucking 
around  the  house  when  not  in  use  on  the  tracks. 
The  average  amount  hauled  per  day  was  300,000 
pounds,  an  insignificant    showing    when    com- 
pared with  the  enormous  records  of  today.  The 
saving  in  expense  soon  became  apparent,  and 
the   system   was    rapidly    enlarged.     While   in 
charge  of  the  fire  alarm  system  at  the  Armour 
plant,  Mr.  Shillinglaw  also  originated  the  pres- 
ent admirable  system  of  a  combination  of  water 


and  fire  alarm  service.  In  1893  he  resigned  his 
position  to  enter  the  firm  of  C.  E.  Woodruff, 
dealer  in  electric  and  mill  supplies,  from  which 
he  withdrew  the  following  year  to  purchase  an 
interest  in  the  Bradford  Belting  Company,  of 
Cincinnati.  This  he  retained  until  Mr.  Brad- 
ford's death  in  1896,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
electrical  and  steam-fitting  business  alone, 
which  he  successfully  carried  on  several  years. 
Mr.  Shillinglaw  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  B.  Moffat,  who  died  in  1889,  leaving 
one  daughter.  Later  he  was  united  to  Miss 
Agnes  Paterson,  who  still  survives.  Mr.  Shil- 
linglaw died  February  10,  1901,  very  suddenly, 
leaving  a  widow,  two  sons  and  a  daughter. 

GEORGE  M.  SHIPPY, 

Captain  of  Police,  South  Chicago,  was  born  in 
Chicago  June  24,  1854,  and  attended  the  Jones, 
Foster  and  Douglas  public  schools  (graduating 
at  the  latter),  and  then  took  a  business  course 
at  Allen's  Academy.  After  leaving  the  academy 
he  joined  the  Fire  Department  August  23,  1876; 
was  promoted  to  Lieutenant  February  2,  1879, 
to  Captain  December  24,.  1884,  and  transferred 
to  Engine  21.  He  resigned  in  1886  and  engaged 
in  business  until  he  was  appointed  Police  Pa- 
trolman by  Chief  Ebersold,  serving  under  Cap- 
tain Buckley  at  Harrison  Street  Station,  and 
later  as  Desk  Sergeant  at  the  Stanton  Avenue 
and  the  Twenty-second  Street  Stations  for  one 
and  a  half  years,  and  then  as  Minute  Clerk  for 
Judge  Driggs  and  Deputy  Clerk  under  Circuit 
Clerk  Henry  Best;  later  acted  as  condemnation 
record  writer  for  all  the  suits  brought  by  the 
•'Alley  L"  Railroad  Company. 

During  the  administration  of  Mayor  Wash- 
burne,  on  June  19,  1891,  Mr.  Shippy  was  ap- 
pointed Lieutenant  at  the  Harrison  Street 
Police  Station;  was  promoted  to  Captain  Octo- 
ber 5,  1891;  and  transferred  to  Woodlawn  Sta- 
tion April,  1892;  was  Captain  of  Police  at  the 
opening  of  the  World's  Fair  and  had  charge  of 
the  escort  for  Mayor  C.  H.  Harrison,  Sr.,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  visit  of  Princess  Eulalia,  of 
Spain,  to  Chicago.  A  squad  of  twenty-five  police- 
men was  chosen  from  700  patrolmen,  each  of 
them  ranging  in  height  from  six  feet  one  and  a 
half  inches  up,  Captain  Shippy  being  the  short- 
est man  of  the  squad.  He  resigned  in  July, 
1893,  and  again  went  into  business  for  himself, 
but  was  returned  to  the  Woodlawn  Station  un- 
der Mayor  Swift,  and  transferred  to  the  Stock 
Yards  Station  by  C.  H.  Harrison,  Jr.,  remain- 
ing for  one  and  a  half  years.  He  took  the  civil  • 
service  examination  on  November  30,  1898,  and 
was  transferred  to  South  Chicago  Station,  and 
in  1904  is  serving  as  Police  Inspector.  During 
the  labor  strike  on  April  29,  1900,  he  was  sent 
to  the  Des  Plaines  Street  Station  by  his  honor, 
Carter  H.  Harrison,  to  assist  the  old  veteran, 
John  D.  Shea,  in  suppressing  the  assaults. 

Captain  Shippy's  father,  Richard,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Police  Department  from  1857  to  1877, 
and  was  the  first  member  of  the  Lake  Street 
Squad  (now  Central  Detail).  He  came  from 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


997 


Utica,  N.  Y.,  to  Chicago  in  1846,  and  was  mar- 
ried at  the  Matteson  House  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Smith  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Captain  Shippy,  the  son  of  Richard,  married 
Miss  Sadie  Randall  in  Lee  County,  111.,  October 

27,  1879,  and  four  children  have  been  born  of 
this  union,  two  of  whom  are  now  living. 

CHARLES  SIGWALT. 

Charles  Sigwalt,  President  of  Board  of  Vil- 
lage Trustees,  Arlington  Heights,  111.,  was  born 
in  Alsace,  France  (now  Germany),  December 

28,  1839,  the  son  of  John  and  Barbara  Sigwalt, 
who   were   natives  of   the  same   Province.     In 
1862  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  I, 
Eighty-eighth   Illinois  Infantry,  and  served  in 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  participating  in 
the  battles  of  Perryville,  Stone  River,  Chicka- 
mauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville. 
Lost   Mountain,  Gulp's   Farm,   Kenesaw   Moun- 
tain, Dallas,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  and  the  siege 
of   Atlanta,    Jonesboro,    Spring   Hill,    Franklin, 
Nashville  and  other  engagements  in  which  his 
command  took  part.     He  held  the  positions  of 
Corporal,  Orderly  Sergeant,  and  was  finally  pro- 
moted  to    Second    Lieutenant,   and   was    never 
absent    from    his    command   during  his  three 
years'  service,  being  mustered  out  at  the  close 
of  the  war  in  1865.     He  has  pursued  the  occu- 
pation of  a  bookkeeper  for  a  number  of  years; 
was   Town   Clerk,    1885-89;    Postmaster   of   his 
home  town  for  four  years  under  the  administra- 
tion of  President  Cleveland;    President  of  the 
Village  Board  of  Trustees  for   the  past  eight 
years;    a   member  of  the  Board   of  Education 
continuously  for  nineteen  years  up  to  1898,  the 
latter   year   elected   Justice  of  the  Peace.     He 
was  Master  of  Palatine  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
for  six  years,  and  Master  under  dispensation  of 
Humboldt   Park   Lodge;    is   also  a  member  of 
Palatine  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  No.  102.     Mr.  Sig- 
walt was  married  in  the  city  of  Chicago  in  1874 
to  Elizabeth  Bleimehl,  and  has  two  children — 
Lillian  and  John  C. 

JOHN  P.  SIMON, 

Engineer  on  Engine  No.  23,  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, was  born  in  Chicago  January  18, 
1868,  and  educated  in  the  St.  Paul  parochial 
school.  Later  he  worked  as  a  machinist  for  the 
United  States  Rolling  Stock  Company,  and  as 
brakeman  and  fireman  for  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railroad  Company.  He  joined 
the  Chicago  Fire  Department  November  2,  1891, 
serving  as  a  substitute  on  Engine  64;  was  a 
candidate  on  Engine  28,  and  accepted,  later  be- 
ing transferred  to  Engine  2,  and  then  to  Engine 
7.  He  was  promoted  to  Engineer  July  2,  1894, 
and  assigned  to  Engine  72,  and  transferred  July 
1,  1896,  to  Engine  23.  Mr.  Simon  was  married 
in  Chicago  October  21,  1890,  to  Margaret  Smith, 
and  five  children  have  been  born  to  them,  one 
of  whom  is  deceased. 

VICTOR  W.   SINCERE. 
Victor  W.  Sincere,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Louis- 


ville, Ky.,  February  22,  1876,  the  son  of  Emil 
Sincere,  a  veteran  of  the  Hungarian  Revolution 
of  1842,  and  also  of  the  American  Civil  War  of 
1561.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  the  University  of  Chicago,  of  which 
last  he  is  a  graduate.  In  1897  he  entered  the 
law  office  of  Edward  T.  Cahill,  where  he  re- 
mained until  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Reed  &  Sincere.  This  firm  has  been,  and  still 
is,  identified  with  several  notable  cases  con- 
cerning the  civil  service  law.  Mr.  Sincere  is  a 
prominent  musician  of  Chicago,  having  taken  a 
leading  part  in  the  organization  of  many  of  her 
societies;  is  also  an  ex-athlete  of  considerable 
note  among  the  Western  Colleges.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican. 

FRANK  D.  SKIFF. 

Frank  D.  Skiff,  soldier,  author  and  scenic 
artist,  Chicago,  was  born  at  Windham,  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  April  27,  1841,  and  at  nine  years 
of  age  removed  with  his  father  to  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  where  the  elder  Skiff  became  a  leading 
merchant.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War  Frank  D.  enlisted  in  the  three  months' 
service,  after  which  he  re-enlisted  and  served 
two  years  with  honor  and  distinction;  was  a 
member  of  the  famous  Fremont  Body  Guard 
under  Major  Zazonyi  ,and  participated  in  the 
gallant  charge  of  the  "Old  Guard"  at  Spring- 
field, Mo.  Mr.  Skiff  has  won  fame  as  one  of  the 
best  scenic  artists  of  the  country;  has  painted 
scenery  in  all  the  theaters  of  our  city,  besides 
numerous  theaters  and  opera-houses  elsewhere 
throughout  the  United  States.  He  began  his 
successful  career  as  an  artist  under  Hiram 
Powers,  the  famous  sculptor,  who  was  a  great 
friend  of  the  family.  His  first  work  was  with 
Powers,  when  the  latter  painted  his  celebrated 
"Infernal  Regions"  in  the  Old  Western  Mus- 
eum at  Cincinnati.  He  afterwards  accompanied 
Powers  to  Italy,  remaining  there  two  years.  At 
the  close  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  engaged  in 
sketching  for  "Harper's  Weekly"  and  Frank 
Leslie's  papers,  sketching  on  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  for  a  year  prior  to  its  completion.  He 
was  present  when  Governor  Stanford,  of  Cali- 
fornia, drove  the  "golden  spike"  at  "Promon- 
tory Point,"  which  connected  the  Union  and 
Central  Pacific  Roads.  Mr.  Skiff  has  resided  in 
Chicago  since  1867;  was  appointed  a  Deputy 
Collector  of  Customs  under  the  Harrison  ad- 
ministration, and  placed  in  charge  of  the  Barge 
Office,  which  position  he  held  for  some  time,  but 
finally  resigned  to  embark  in  other  business. 
He  is  a  member  of  Farragut  Post,  No.  602,  G. 
A.  R.,  and  is  a  writer  of  no  small  repute,  having 
written  several  plays  of  dramatic  merit;  is  also 
the  author  of  a  new  historical  play  entitled 
"ILLINOIS,"  an  epoch  story  founded  upon  the 
early  history  and  incidents  of  Fort  Dearborn, 
including  the  massacre  of  1812.  This  play  has 
the  endorsement  and  cordial  approval  of  Mr. 
Fernando  Jones  and  many  other  men  of  note, 
who  are  loud  in  its  praise,  and  who  predict 
great  success  for  the  production,  which  is  to  be 


998 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


brought  about  with  characteristic  scenic  effect 
in  the  near  future.  Mr.  Skiff  can  be  found  at 
No.  128  South  Clark  Street,  Room  8,  where  he 
is  always  pleased  to  meet  both  old  and  new 
acquaintance  alike. 

HENRY   SLATER. 

Henry  Slater,  live-stock  buyer,  Union  StocK 
Yards,  was  born  in  Sussex,  England,  April  5, 
1841,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Ann  (Crossley) 
Slater.  Henry  Slater,  Sr.,  born  in  Sussex,  Eng- 
land, in  1810,  came  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1851, 
and  to  Chicago  in  October,  1855,  and  here  be- 
gan killing  cattle  for  Tobey  &  Booth  at  their 
packing-house  on  what  is  now  Eighteenth 
Street,  in  1856  sarting  in  business  for  himself 
manufacturing  soap,  glue,  and  rendering  lard 
in  the  first  house  built  south  of  Archer  Ave- 
nue between  Stewart  Avenue  and  Halsted 
Street.  He  sold  out  to  Philip  Dyckman  in  1867, 
and  kept  a  market  until  1870,  but  died  in  May, 
1873. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  with  his 
parents  to  Albany  in  1851  and  to  Chicago  in 
1855;  worked  in  Tobey  &  Booth's  packing-house 
one  season,  and  then  commenced  butchering  for 
S.  Spencer,  corner  of  Adams  and  State  Streets. 
In  1860  Mr.  Spencer  kept  a  meat-market  where 
the  Fair  Department  Store  now  stands.  Later 
Mr.  Slater  worked  for  C.  P.  Albee,  76  State 
Street,  and  for  Wustum  &  Brothers,  corner 
State  and  Eighteenth  Streets,  remaining  untfl 
1870.  He  then  went  to  Kansas  City  and  St. 
Louis  for  W.  T.  Keenan  &  Co.,  and  subsequently 
worked  for  Nichols  &  Adams  and  for  Conover  & 
Hall  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards.  In  1873  he  took 
to  the  house  of  Fowler  &  Brothers  the  first 
drove  of  hogs  killed  by  them,  and  remained  with 
the  firm  five  years;  also  bought  hogs  for  B.  F. 
Murphy  &  Co.  for  three  years,  for  W.  H.  Silber- 
horn  &  Co.  three  years,  and  later  for  Morell  & 
Co.  He  then  went  into  the  butchering  business 
for  himself,  remaining  about  two  years,  when 
he  engaged  in  buying  hogs  for  the  North  Pack- 
ing Company  for  nine  years;  at  present  (1904) 
is  buying  for  H.  F.  Googins. 

GEORGE  B.  SMITH. 

George  R  Smith,  Superintendent  of  carriage 
and  repair  work  for  Union  Stock  Yards  & 
Transit  Company,  was  born  in  Chatham,  Can- 
ada, September  25,  1867,  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  After  leaving  school  he  served 
three  years  as  an  apprentice  at  $2.50  per  week, 
being  engaged  in  carriage  building,  after  which 
he  went  to  Thamesville,  Canada,  remaining 
there  two  years.  Returning  to  Chatham,  he 
worked  one  and  a  half  years  at  his  trade,  then 
leased  a  hotel  at  Dresden,  Canada,  and  a  year 
later  went  to  Port  Huron,  Mich.,  tending  bar 
nine  months,  when  he  returned  to  Chatham 
and  worked  there  until  his  marriage  to 
Miss  Alta  Banning,  October  6,  1891.  One 
child  has  blessed  this  union.  After  marriage  he 
spent  one  year  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  working 
for  James  Cunningham  &  Co.,  carriage  builders, 


and  then  returning  to  Chatham,  worked  for  R. 
Millner;  in  January,  1892,  came  to  Chicago,  and 
on  March  17th  commenced  work  as  helper  in 
the  carriage  shop  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
Company,  staying  there  until  the  company  re- 
moved to  its  present  location  in  October,  1893. 
When  John  Olmstead,  Superintendent  of  the 
shop,  died  in  April,  1895,  as  the  result  of  an 
accident,  Mr.  Smith  was  appointed  in  his  place, 
remaining  until  February,  1899,  when  the  firm 
of  Croxon  &  Smith  having  been  formed,  they 
leased  the  shops  from  the  company  for  ten 
months.  F.  T.  Croxon  retired  from  the  firm  Jan- 
uary 1,  1900,  G.  B.  Smith  succeeding  him,  where 
he  is  now  ready  to  attend  to  the  many  calls 
made  upon  him.  Having  commenced  at  the 
foot  of  the  ladder,  he  has  now  nearly  reached 
the  top,  and  is  running  one  of  the  best  lines 
of  business  on  the  South  Side,  turning  out  very 
fine  work,  including  breaking  carts  which  have 
a  world-wide  reputation.  He  has  filled  orders 
from  New  York  and  other  Eastern  cities;  also 
from  London,  Liverpool,  Belgium  and  many 
other  foreign  countries.  He  is  a  member  of 
Mizpah  Lodge,  No.  768;  Blue  Lodge,  Delta  Chap- 
ter, No.  191;  Spartacus,  No.  240,  Knights  of 
Pythias;  and  Apollo  Temple  of  Maccabees,  Uni- 
formed Rank  Division  3.  This  young  man  is  an 
example  of  what  close  attention  to  business  will 
do,  and  the  success  which  attends  it. 

JULIAN   E.    SMITH. 

Julian  E.  Smith,  Superintendent  of  Motive 
Power  for  Messrs.  Armour  &  Company,  was 
born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  January  19,  1862,  and 
attended  both  the  public  and  law  schools,  but 
because  of  ill-health  left  school  to  make  a  trip 
on  an  Ohio  River  steamer,  of  which  his  father 
was  engineer.  He  took  an  interest  in  the  pro- 
fession, and  adopted  it,  despite  the  objections 
of  his  father  and  other  relatives  to  his  follow- 
ing engineering  for  a  livelihood.  He  was 
tutored  by  an  ex-chief  engineer  of  the  United 
States  Navy,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  se- 
cured a  license  as  assistant  engineer,  and  at 
twenty-five  obtained  a  chief  engineer's  license, 
becoming  Supervising  Engineer  of  the  Unit- 
ed Magdalena  Steam  Navigation  Company,  at 
Barranquilla,  United  States  of  Colombia,  South 
America.  In  1889  he  returned  to  the  United 
States,  and,  on  August  8,  1889,  married  Miss 
Annie  B.  Mercer,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  One  son 
has  been  born  to  them.  Mr.  Smith  installed  the 
machinery  in  the  first  two  electric  railway 
plants  that  operated  west  of  the  Allegheny 
Mountains,  viz:  The  Pleasant  Valley  Power  Sta- 
tion, at  Allegheny,  and  the  station  of  the  Du- 
quesne  Traction  Company  at  Pittsburg.  In 
November,  1892,  he  came  to  Chicago  and  in 
February,  1893,  accepted  the  position  as  Master 
Mechanic  for  Armour  &  Company,  Chicago,  and 
subsequently  was  appointed  to  the  position  of 
Superintendent  of  Motive  Power,  with  super- 
vision over  the  mechanical  work  of  the  entire 
Armour  interests. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


999 


JOHN  H.  SPENGLER, 

Assistant  City  Engineer  for  Chicago,  was  born 
in  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  January  23,  1866;  attended 
the  public  and  parochial  schools,  and  entered 
Lehigh  University  in  3882,  graduating  as  Civil 
Engineer  in  1886.  He  first  worked  for  the  Le- 
high Valley  Railroad  and  Coal  Company,  of 
Wilkes-Barre,  Pa.;  then  came  to  Chicago  March 
6,  1887,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company  on  their 
terminals,  remaining  until  December  15,  1888. 
On  January  2,  1889,  he  became  Assistant  Engi- 
neer, in  charge  of  tunnels  and  underground 
construction,  for  the  Artesian  Water  Company, 
of  Memphis  Tenn.,  but  resigned  this  position  in 
May,  1890,  to  become  Assistant  Engineer  in  the 
Sanitary  District  of  Chicago;  resigned  the  lat- 
ter in  April,  1891,  and  returned  to  Memphis  for 
the  Artesian  Water  Company,  finally  becoming 
Assistant  Engineer  for  the  extension  of  their 
tunnel  system.  Again  on  August  15,  1892,  he 
resigned  his  position  at  Memphis  to  accept  that 
of  Assistant  Engineer  for  the  Sanitary  District 
of  Chicago,  but  resigning  this  on  September  1, 
1895,  became  Assistant  Engineer  of  the  City  of 
Chicago  in  charge  of  one  of  the  sections  of  the 
new  land  and  lake  tunnel  system.  May  15,  1897, 
he  was  appointed  Assistant  City  Engineer,  in 
general  charge  of  the  division  of  all  the  tunnel, 
crib  and  pumping  station  construction,  where 
he  still  remains.  He  has  shown  by  his  close 
attention  to  all  the  details  of  his  work  that  he 
is  well  fitted  for  this  important  position.  Mr. 
Spengler  is  a  member  of  the  Western  Society  of 
Engineers,  and  the  Chicago  Academy  of 
Sciences.  He  married  Miss  Rose  Cunningham 
in  Chicago  June  26,  1895,  and  two  children  have 
blessed  their  union. 

EDWARD  R.   SPIES, 

Engineer  of  Engine  56,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Chicago  October  5,  1865; 
graduated  from  the  Lincoln  school,  and  after 
leaving  school  worked  for  Godfrey  &  Clark, 
paper  manufacturers;  then  for  Davis  &  Fair- 
lamb,  dealers  in  creamery  supplies;  later  for 
Felix  &  Marston,  and  the  Adams  &  Westlake 
Company,  until  he  joined  the  Fire  Department 
June  15,  1891,  beginning  in  the  repair  shop. 
Later  he  was  assigned  to  Engine  No.  14,  and 
then  to  Engine  40;  was  promoted  to  Engineer 
December  7,  1894,  and  transferred  to  Engine 
8;  then  to  Engine  72  October  9,  1897;  trans- 
ferred to  Engine  Company  No.  56  February 
1,  1901,  where  he  still  remains  ready  for  any 
call  at  the  risk  of  life  or  limb.  Mr.  Spies  was 
married  to  Miss  Augusta  L.  Glander  in  Chi- 
cago June  16,  1888,  and  two  children  have  been 
born  to  them,  viz:  Jessie  G.  and  Edw.  C.  Spies. 

JOHN  A.  SPOOR. 

To  be  endowed  with  a  keen  insight  into 
future  contingencies,  as  well  as  a  ready  grasp 
of  affairs;  to  perceive  at  once  the  right  thing  to 
do  and,  at  the  same  time,  know  how  to  do 
it;  to  be  capable  of  directing,  both  in  general 


and  in  detail,  the  vast  and  momentous  inter- 
ests of  giant  corporations — these  are  faculties 
possessed  by  few  among  millions,  and  he  who 
has  them  is  not  permitted  to  sit  apart  and  pass 
his  days  in  drudgery  and  obscurity.  The  neces- 
sity or  expediency  of  circumstances  finds  them 
out  and  elevates  them  to  the  position  for  which 
nature  has  fitted  them.  Thus  has  it  been  with 
John  A.  Spoor,  President  of  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  &  Transit  Company  and  of  the  Chicago 
Junction  Railway. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Spoor  was  well  and  fav- 
orably known  to  the  railway  world  as  the  effi- 
cient General  Manager  of  the  Wagner  Palace 
Car  Company,  and,  on  the  organization  of  the 
Chicago  Junction  Railway  Company,  was  elect- 
ed to  its  presidency.  This  is  a  unique  but  im- 
portant line,  running  from  Whiting,  Ind.,  to 
Blue  Island,  111.,  and  from  McCook  to  Frank- 
lin— its  total  length  being  twenty-five  miles.  It 
is  a  consolidation  of  the  Chicago,  Hammond  & 
Western  and  the  Chicago  &  Indiana  State  Line 
Companies,  and  leases  various  systems  having 
a  trackage  aggregating  101  miles.  The  Stock 
Yards  branch  runs  from  Chappell,  and  is  ten 
miles  in  length.  The  company  owns  more  than 
300  miles  of  main  track  and  sidings,  of  which 
150  are  in  and  around  the  packing-house  dis- 
trict, every  road  entering  Chicago  connecting 
directly  with  the  Yards  over  this  line.  On 
January  17,  1900,  Mr.  Spoor  was  also  elected 
President  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit 
Company,  succeeding  the  late  Mr.  John  B.  Sher- 
man, who  declined  to  serve  after  re-election. 
Mr.  Spoor  was  also  President  of  the  Interna- 
tional Live  Stock  Exposition,  which  opened  at 
Dexter  Park  Amphitheater,  December  1,  1900, 
and  is  a  director  in  the  National  Live  Stock 
Bank,  as  he  was  qf  the  Union  National  previous 
to  its  consolidation  with  the  First  National, 
when  he  was  re-elected  to  the  directorate  of  the 
new  organization. 

Mr.  Spoor  was  married  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  on 
February  12,  1888,  to  Miss  Frances  A.  Samuel, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  named  Caryl  Rus- 
sell. 

JOHN   CAMPBELL  SPRAY,   M.  D. 

Dr.  John  Campbell  Spray  was  born  Septem- 
ber 21,  1845,  in  Bridgeport,  Ind.,  a  son  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  (Owen)  Spray,  both  members  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  The  father,  who  was 
a  merchant  in  Bridgeport,  died  of  cholera  in 
1854.  Dr.  Spray  comes  of  old  Revolutionary 
stock,  his  great-grandfather  being  Col.  John 
Campbell,  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  was  a 
noted  buccaneer  on  whose  head  a  price  was 
placed,  and  who  became  a  Colonel  in  the  Amer- 
ican Army  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Dr.  Spray  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Indiana,  and  at  Earlham  Col- 
lege, a  Quaker  institution  near  Richmond,  Ind. 
After  leaving  college  he  entered  the  office  of 
Drs.  L.  &  C.  H.  Abbott,  of  Indianapolis,  where 
he  studied  medicine  for  three  years  In  1869 
he  came  to  Chicago  and  took  UD  the  study  of 
general  medicine  and  surgery  in  the  Bennett 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Medical  College,  from  wnich  he  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1870.  He  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  but,  seeking  a  wider  range 
of  knowledge,  he  later  entered  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  Northwestern  University  and 
there  continued  his  studies.  His  office  and 
library  were  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  1871, 
after  which  he  spent  the  following  year  in  New 
York  City  in  hospital  practice. 

Returning  to  Chicago  he  again  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the 
spring  of  1873.  He  continued  in  general  prac- 
tice from  that  time  until  January,  1878,  when 
he  assumed  the  duties  of  Medical  Director  of 
the  Cook  County  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  the 
Cook  County  Almshouse,  and  the  obstetrical 
and  general  hospitals,  his  appointment  having 
been  confirmed  by  the  Board  of  County  Com- 
missioners in  the  fall  of  1877.  He  retained  his 
position  until  September  1,  1882,  when  he  was 
made  Superintendent  of  the  Insane  Asylum. 
In  1884,  owing  to  the  changes  in  the  political 
complexion  of  the  Board,  he  was  not  re-ap- 
pointed, but  the  year  following  was  again  in- 
stalled as  chief  officer  of  the  institution,  con- 
tinuing to  serve  in  this  position  until  1889. 
After  ten  years  of  honest,  faithful  service,  he 
retired  from  public  life  and  has  since  given  his 
time  and  attention  to  his  private  practice. 

While  he  does  not  make  a  specialty  of  in- 
sane cases,  on  account  of  his  long  experience, 
and  thorough  knowledge  on  the  subject  of  in- 
sanity, he  is  frequently  called  upon  for  expert 
testimony  in  courts  where  questions  of  mental 
responsibility  arise.  Socially  Dr.  Spray  is  a 
member  of  Blair  Lodge  and  Washington  Chap- 
ter, A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the  Oriental  Consistory, 
A.  A.  S.  R.,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  Thir- 
ty-second degree,  and  of  the  Medinah  Temple 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  belongs  to  only  one 
club,  the  White  Chapel.  He  is  associated  with 
various  Chicago  and  Cook  County  Medical 
Societies.  Dr.  Spray  was  married  in  New 
York  August  28,  1872,  to  Mary  A., 
daughter  of  Dr.  Robert  A.  Gunn,  an  eminent 
physician  who  came  from  Scotland.  To  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Spray  have  been  born  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  survive.  The  Doctor  is  a  man  of 
great  persistence,  varied  ability  and  untiring 
activity,  who  commands  success  where  others 
might  fail. 

MASON  L.  STAPLES. 

Mason  L.  Staples,  farmer  and  Township 
Supervisor,  Palatine,  Cook  County,  111.,  was 
born  at  Palatine  in  1854  and  educated  in  his 
native  village.  His  father,  Lyman  Staples,  was 
a  native  of  Bennington,  Vt.,  where  he  was  born 
October  23,  1816,  and  in  1840  located  with  his 
wife,  Mary  Staples  (born  September  21,  1820), 
in  Palatine  Township,  Cook  County.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  first  married  to  Claren- 
tine  E.  Watters,  and  on  April  5,  1889,  to  Alice  E. 
Lambert.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  was 
Road  Commissioner  from  189z  to  1895,  and  was 
Supervisor  from  1899  to  1902. 


HENRY    S.    STEBBINS. 

The  high  reward  to  be  obtained  in  character 
and  influence  through  a  life  of  industry  and 
probity,  guided,  and  regulated  by  a  sense  of 
Christian  obligation,  is  illustrated  in  the  career 
of  the  late  Henry  S.  Stebbins.  A  native  of  New 
York,  he  was  born  at  Gowanda,  Cattaraugus 
County,  November  16,  1835,  the  son  of  uaniel 
and  Asenath  (Henry)  Stebbins.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  schools  and  academy 
of  his  native  town  and  graduated  from  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  13, 
1854,  where  he  received  a  degree  of  honor  for 
his  excellent  attainments  in  mathematics. 
After  leaving  the  Normal  School  he  engaged 
in  teaching  for  several  terms  in  the  Sherburne 
Union  and  the  Owego  Academies,  later  being 
appointed  one  of  the  School  Commissioners  of 
Erie  County,  an  office  which  he  filled  for  six 
years,  when  he  began  the  publication  of  county 
maps.  He  lived  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  for  several 
years,  where  he  was  proprietor  of  a  wholesale 
and  retail  bookstore.  In  1878  Mr.  Stebbins  re- 
moved to  Chicago  and  engaged  in  the  map  pub- 
lishing business  for  about  thirteen  years. 

March  20,  1861,  at  Lowville,  N.  Y.,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  L.  Phillips. 
In  1891  he  retired  from  active  business  anJ 
thereafter  spent  much  time  in  traveling  in  the 
United  States,  Mexico  and  Europe,  and  many 
valuable  articles  from  his  pen,  on  the  scenes 
and  incidents  of  his  travels,  gained  a  wide  cir- 
culation. Among  some  of  his  letters  deserving 
special  mention  were  those  from  various  parts 
of  Europe,  Egypt  and  the  Holy  Land,  many  of 
them  being  published  in  the  "London  Times." 
"Chicago  Inter-Ocean,"  the  European  edition  of 
the  "New  York  Herald,"  and  other  papers. 

In  political  opinion  Mr.  Stebbins  was  a 
stanch  Republican,  although  not  an  active  par- 
tisan. Shortly  after  removing  to  Chicago,  he 
united  with  the  Plymouth  Congregational 
Church  and  became  an  active  and  devoted  mem- 
ber. June  22,  1898,  this  worthy  man  succumbed 
to  disease,  and  in  accordance  with  his  previous 
wish,  his  remains  were  laid  to  rest  by  the  side 
of  his  father  and  mother  in  the  beautiful  cem- 
etery overlooking  his  native  village. 

Mr.  Stebbins'  example,  his  sympathy  and  his 
active  support  were  always  on  the  side  of  hu- 
manity, and  his  efforts  were  all  toward  elevat- 
ing the  human  race.  He  was  a  refined  and 
high-minded  gentleman,  dignified  and  pleasing 
in  his  bearing,  interesting  in  his  conversation, 
and  his  manners  always  presenting  a  nature 
radiant  with  pleasantry.  He  was  a  friend 
highly  prized  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  his  life 
was  one  of  beneficence  to  the  church,  of  inspir- 
ation and  help  to  the  community  and  of  con- 
sideration and  charity  to  the  poor.  A  man  of 
domestic  tastes,  he  was  never  happier  than 
when  by  his  fireside  with  his  affectionate  and 
estimable  wife,. who  still  survives  him. 

PHILIP    STEELE, 
Assistant    Engineer,    West    Side    Pumping   Sta- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1001 


tion,  was  born  in  Johnson,  Vt,  June  19,  1865, 
attended  the  public  schools  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  old,  and  the  High  School  at  Concord,  N. 
H.,  for  four  years,  graduating  from  the  latter 
on  his  twentieth  birthday,  June  19,  1885.  Com- 
ing to  Champaign,  111.,  in  1885,  he  took  a  course 
in  mechanical  engineering  at  the  University  of 
Illinois,  graduating  there  June  9,  1889,  then 
came  to  Chicago,  June  20,  following,  arriving 
at  8  o'clock,  a.  m.,  and,  at  10  o'clock  the  same 
day,  commenced  work  for  the  Walter  A.  Wood 
Harvesting  Machinery  Company,  as  expert  on 
harvesting  machinery.  During  the  summer  he 
traveled  through  Illinois,  returning  to  Chicago 
in  November,  1889,  when  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Bouton  Foundry  Company  as  machinist, 
engineer,  draughtsman  and  architectural  iron 
estimator,  later  taking  charge  of  their  pur- 
chasing and  shipping  departments  until  June 
20, 1891.  Through  the  recommendation  of  Presi- 
dent Bradley  of  the  Bouton  Foundry  Company, 
he  obtained  a  position  with  the  Safety  Car 
Heating  &  Lighting  Company,  of  New  York, 
having  charge  of  all  their  business  west  of  the 
Ohio  River,  and  erecting  several  plants  in  Chi- 
cago and  other  cities  for  the  Pintsch  System 
of  lighting  cars.  On  January  15,  1893,  Mr. 
Steele  returned  to  the  employ  of  the  Bouton 
Foundry  Company  as  city  salesman,  remaining 
until  they  retired  from  business  in  July,  1893. 
During  the  next  two  years  he  was  in  different 
lines  of  business  until  August  25,  1895,  when 
the  Civil  Service  Law  went  into  effect  in  Chi- 
cago, and  he  was  the  first  engineer  to  file  an 
application  under  that  law,  taking  examina- 
tions as  they  came  along;  was  appointed  en- 
gineer at  the  Hyde  Park  Police  Station,  Decem- 
ber 23,  1895;  became  assistant  engineer  at  the 
Seventieth  Street  Sewage  Pumping  Station, 
September  1,  1896;  took  the  promotional  civil 
service  examination  October  6,  1896,  standing 
third  on  the  list,  and  was  transferred  to  Ful- 
lerton  Avenue  Pumping  Station,  November  6, 
1896,  remaining  until  October  2,  1897,  when  he 
was  promoted  assistant  engineer  of  the  West 
Side  Pumping  Works,  where  he  still  remains 
ready  for  any  duty  that  may  devolve  upon  him. 
Mr.  Steele  is  a  member  of  the  Columbian 
Knights,  Oriental  Lodge  No.  44,  which  is  the 
third  largest  lodge  in  the  order.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Hattie  A.  Morrison,  in  Urbana, 
111.,  February  11,  1891,  and  one  daughter  named 
Phyllis  has  blessed  this  union. 

PETER  STELLMANN. 

Peter  Stellmann  (deceased),  a  prominent  cit- 
izen of  Orchard  Place,  Cook  County,  111.,  and 
late  Postmaster  of  that  village,  was  born  near 
Hanover,  Germany,  August  13,  1840,  the  young- 
est child  of  Peter  Stellmann,  Sr.,  and  at  six 
years  of  age  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
America,  the  family  first  settling  in  DuPage 
County,  whence  two  years  later  they  removed  to 
Cook  County,  which  remained  the  home  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Here  he  was  reared  to  manhood  in  the  usual 


manner  of  farmers'  lads,  acquiring  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  grammar  schools  and  re- 
maining with  his  parents  until  he  attained  his 
majority.  In  1863  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Gollner,  who  had  been  in  this  country 
but  a  short  time,  and  the  young  couple  began 
life  on  a  farm  in  Maine  Township.  Of  this 
union  there  were  five  children:  Emma,  John, 
William,  Louise  and  Charles.  Mr.  Stellmann's 
second  wife  was  Miss  Minnie  Kade,  and  three 
children  were  born  to  them:  Fred,  Fredericka 
and  Minnie. 

In  his  political  opinions  Mr.  Stellmann  was 
a  consistent  and  zealous  Republican,  and,  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  he  held  the  office  of 
Postmaster  at  Orchard  Place,  which  he  had  oc- 
cupied for  five  years.  He  was  also  the  owner 
of  a  98-acre  farm,  but  for  the  previous  ten 
years  had  been  a  resident  of  the  village  of 
Orchard  Place,  where  he  had  conducted  a  gen- 
eral store  and  saloon.  In  his  religious  belief 
he  was  an  Evangelical  Lutheran,  and  main- 
tained a  reputation  for  integrity,  courtesy  and 
fair-dealing  in  his  business  and  social  rela- 
tions, treating  rich  and  poor  alike.  Mr.  Stell- 
mann's death  occurred  July  15,  1901. 

JAMES  STEWART, 

Assistant-Engineer,  West  Side  Pumping  Works, 
Ashland  Avenue  and  Twenty-second  Street, 
Chicago,  born  in  Manchester,  England,  Nov., 
30,  1842,  was  educated  at  a  local  academy,  and 
after  leaving  the  academy,  served  his  time  as 
an  apprentice  with  William  Fairburn  &  Son, 
Manchester,  remaining  with  them  several 
years.  In  1864  he  came  to  this  country  on  a 
sailing-vessel,  the  voyage  consuming  eighteen 
'days.  After  his  arrival  on  April  4th,  he  went 
to  work  for  the  Morgan  Iron  Works,  later  being 
employed  at  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  and  then  at 
Stover's  Machinery  Works,  New  York,  working 
on  the  Gun-boat  "Tullahoma"  until  the  boat 
was  ready  for  service.  Later  he  went  to  Water- 
bury,  Conn.,  and  there  worked  in  a  machine 
shop  for  a  time,  when  he  returned  to  England, 
arriving  there  on  New  Year's  Day,  1866.  Re- 
turning to  New  York,  April  18,  1867,  he  worked 
for  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  for 
seven  years,  part  of  the  time  as  foreman,  and 
on  February  20,  1874,  went  to  the  Quintard 
Iron  Works,  New  York,  and  built  the  engine 
for  the  Gun-boat  "Alliance,"  which  was  taken 
to  Virginia  and  placed  on  board  the  boat  by 
him;  returned  to  New  York,  August  5,  1875, 
and  January  12,  1876,  came  to  Chicago  and  in 
the  employ  of  the  Quintard  Iron  Works,  con- 
structed the  two  engines  for  the  West  Side 
Water  Works.  The  engines  were  started  run- 
ning in  November,  1876,  Mr.  Stewart  being  ap- 
pointed assistant-engineer  and  promoted  to 
chief  engineer  in  1889,  remaining  in  this  posi- 
tion until  May  1,  1894.  On  July  1,  1896,  under 
civil  service  rules,  he  was  appointed  Inspector 
of  Machinery  for  the  Sewerage  Department, 
continuing  in  this  position  until  July,  1897.  in 
October,  1897,  he  was  certified  as  Assistant-En- 


IOO2 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


gineer  by  the  Civil  Service  Commission,  and 
assigned  *to  the  North  Side  Water  Works;  De- 
cember 11,  1897,  was  transferred  to  the  West 
Side  Pumping  Works,  Ashland  Avenue  and 
Twenty-second  Street,  where  he  still  remains. 
Mr.  Stewart  has  shown  during  his  long  con- 
tinued service  his  fitness  for  the  position  which 
he  occupies,  and  which  he  has  filled  with  credit, 
evincing  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  busi- 
ness. He  was  married  at  Green  Point,  Long 
Island,  on  March  2,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Hill, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  five  children. 

LEWIS    W.    STONE. 

Lewis  W.  Stone,  pioneer  real-estate  owner 
and  capitalist,  was  born  in  Orford,  N.  H.,  No- 
vember 4,  1816.  Education  was  regarded  as 
being  one  of  the  unattainable  (and  by  no 
means  indispensable)  aims  of  life.  According- 
ly Lewis  worked  upon  the  farm  with  his  father 
almost  from  his  infancy,  attended  school  for 
six  months  in  the  year  during  his  early  boy- 
hood, and  three  months  annually  after  he  had 
gained  sufficient  strength  to  do  the  work  of  a 
youth.  About  the  time  of  attaining  his  major- 
ity, with  characteristic  New  England  ambition, 
he  sought  a  new  field  of  labor.  He  secured  em- 
ployment at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  in  one  year,  out 
of  a  compensation  of  ten  dollars  a  month  and 
board,  had  saved  one  hundred  dollars,  which 
he  had  loaned  out  upon  interest.  At  the  end 
of  the  second  year  he  had  become  a  capitalist 
in  a  small  way,  and  might  have  followed  his 
policy  of  accumulation  still  further  had  he  not 
been  summoned  home  because  of  his  father's 
failing  health.  To  few  of  its  early  pioneers 
does  the  present  City  of  Chicago  owe  more  than 
to  the  hardy  descendants  of  the  Pilgrim  fathers 
who,  in  1620,  on  a  cold  December  day,  planted 
the  standard  of  personal  liberty  on  one  of  the 
bare  precipices  of  the  New  England  coast.  The 
children  of  these  men,  whose  brains  were 
ceaselessly  active  and  whose  sinews  have  been 
hardened  by  a  victorious  conflict  with  both 
rugged  nature  and  the  Aborigines,  have  never 
failed  to  infuse  new  ideas,  fresh  energy  and 
unflinching  courage  into  each  community  in 
which  they  have  taken  up  their  residence. 

It  is  from  such  stock  that  Lewis  W.  Stone" 
traces  his  descent.  His  father  was  Abijah 
Stone,  a  native  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  one  of 
whose  progenitors,  Gregory  Stone,  emigrated 
to  this  country  from  Somersetshire,  England, 
in  1634.  His  mother  was  Mehitabel  Gage,  also 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  subsequent  to 
her  marriage,  lived  with  her  husband  upon  a 
hill-side  farm  in  New  Hampshire,  where  a 
scanty  soil  renders  severe  toil  necessary  to  ex- 
istence, and  where  energy  is  inhaled  in  the 
mountain  air.  On  the  slopes  of  the  White 
Mountains,  boys  in  those  days  learned  to  work 
before  they  had  emerged  from  childhood,  and 
young  Stone  formed  no  exception  to  the  rule. 
In  1845,  having  grown  dissatisfied  with  the 
business  outlook  at  home,  Mr.  Stone  started 
upon  a  prospecting  tour,  traveling  as  far  west  as 


Illinois.  Being  favorably  impressed  with  the 
natural  advantages  of  the  country  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  present  city  of  Elgin,  he  determined 
to  emigrate  thither.  With  this  end  in  view 
he  retraced  his  steps  to  New  Hampshire,  dis- 
posed of  his  farm  and  stock,  and  with  his  wife 
started  upon  his  tedious,  tiresome  journey  to- 
ward the  valley  of  Fox  River.  On  reaching 
Chicago,  however,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  de- 
termined to  take  up  their  residence  in  the  in- 
fant city,  although  never  dreaming  of  its  fu- 
ture possibilities.  He  at  once  began  to  look 
about  for  some  enterprise  in  which  he  might 
invest  and  increase  the  eleven  hundred  dollars 
which  he  had  brought  with  him,  and  which 
constituted  his  entire  pecuniary  wealth.  He  de- 
cided to  buy  a  lime  kiln,  then  at  a  point  out- 
side of  the  city,  but  within  the  limits  of  the  lat- 
er town  of  Bridgeport.  Of  the  business  itself  he 
knew  nothing;  yet  it  seemed  to  promise  fair 
returns,  and  he  knew  that  "Yankee  grit"  and  a 
close  application  to  business  would  tell  here, 
just  as  they  have  always  told  elsewhere.  For 
two  years  he  conducted  the  manufacture  of 
lime,  but  in  1849,  in  common  with  a  myriad 
of  others,  his  brain  became  inflamed  with  the 
mania  for  "digging  gold"  in  California.  He 
did  not  know  the  privations  of  a  miner's  life, 
and  it  may  be  added  that,  had  he  comprehended 
them,  his  rugged  New  England  temperament 
would  not  have  shrunk  from  encountering 
them.  Bidding  his  wife  good-by,  he  returned 
to  Boston,  where  he  embarked  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, via  Cape  Horn.  After  a  wearisome  voy- 
age of  six  months,  he  landed  within  the  Golden 
Gate.  His  first  objective  point  was  the  gold 
fields  on  the  "American  Fork"  of  the  Sacra- 
mento River.  The  claim  which  he  staked  off 
proved  reasonably  remunerative,  but  that 
dreaded  enemy  of  the  gold-digger,  typhoid 
fever,  attacked  him,  and  after  his  recovery,  he 
found  others  in  possession.  Nor  was  the  pros- 
pect alluring  in  other  respects  to  one  enfeebled 
by  an  insidious  disease,  and  Mr.  Stone  resolved 
to  return  to  Illinois.  Leaving  San  Francisco 
in  August,  1850,  he  reached  New  York  in  the 
autumn,  his  experience  on  his  outward  trip 
having  satisfied  him  of  the  route  across  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama. 

Upon  his  return  to  Chicago  he  began  the 
manufacture  of  brick,  furnishing  this  descrip- 
tion of  building  material  for  many  of  the  best 
known  buildings  of  those  comparatively  early 
days.  His  enterprise  proved  successful,  but 
his  deep-rooted  faith  in  the  city's  future  devel- 
opment induced  him  to  invest  the  profits  of  his 
business  in  real  estate.  Within  a  few  years 
his  interests  in  land  became  so  considerable 
that  he  abandoned  the  manufacture  of  brick 
and  engaged  in  the  general  real-estate  business, 
to  which  he  devoted  his  entire  time  and  energy 
until  his  retirement  from  active  pursuits  a  few 
years  ago.  With  almost  prophetic  foresight  of 
Chicago's  growth,  Mr.  Stone  bought  largely  on 
the  South  Side,  beyond  the  then  existing  limits 
of  the  city,  and  the  subdivision  of  a  large  tract 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1003 


owned  by  him  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jackson 
Park  has,  by  its  enormous  returns,  attested  his 
business  sagacity.  Before  it  was  placed  on  the 
market  as  city  lots,  Mr.  Stone,  to  use  his  own 
language,  "made  a  living  from  it '  by  using  it 
as  a  market  garden.  It  now  yields  a  handsome 
income  from  rents. 

Mr.  Stone  has  always  displayed  a  genuine 
public  spirit,  having  been  among  the  first  to 
recognize  the  value  to  the  city  of  the  establish- 
ment of  a  system  of  improvements  which  might 
bid  fair  to  be  commensurate  with  Chicago's 
future  needs.  In  that  section  of  the  city  which 
he  has  himself  opened  up,  he  has  taken  especial 
pride  in  providing  broad  streets  and  handsome 
boulevards.  In  the  facilitation  of  intra-mural 
transportation  he  has  also  taken  a  prominent 
part,  and  it  was  in  no  small  measure  due  to  his 
efforts  that  the  property  owners  along  State 
Street,  between  Lake  and  Twelfth,  consented  to 
the  granting  of  a  franchise  to  Chicago's  first 
railway,  on  whose  cars  Mrs.  Stone  was  the  first 
woman  to  ride. 

Mr.  Stone's  political  affiliations  are  with  the 
Republican  party,  being  an  ardent  and  uncom- 
promising protectionist,  while  his  religious 
creed  is  broad  and  humanitarian. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  R.  Gardner, 
of  Lynne,  N.  H.,  on  April  4,  1841,  and  resumed 
the  avocation  of  agriculture  (this  time  on  a 
farm  of  his  own)  at  Bath,  in  his  native  State. 
Only  practical  experience  and  wise  manage- 
ment enabled  him  to  add,  each  year,  from  the 
sterile  soil,  a  little  to  his  small  savings.  Since 
his  retirement  from  business,  he  has  traveled 
extensively  with  his  wife  both  in  this  country 
and  in  Europe.  Chicago  owes  a  large  debt  of 
gratitude  to  her  sturdy  pioneers  and  to  none 
more  than  Lewis  W.  Stone. 

JAMB-S  H.  STOWELL. 

Dr.  James  H.  Stowell,  physician,  Chicago, 
was  born  in  Delavan,  Wis.,  April  29,  1854,  the 
second  son  of  Elijah  and  Lucinda  (Bristol) 
Stowell,  who  were  natives,  respectively,  of  the 
States  of  New  Hampshire  and  New  York.  On 
the  paternal  side  his  family  were  descended 
from  the  Stowells  who  came  from  imgland  and 
became  early  settlers  of  the  New  England  col- 
onies. Dr.  Stowell  received  his  literary  edu- 
cation in  Beloit  College,  Wis.,  after  which  he 
took  a  three-years'  course  in  the  Chicago  Med- 
ical College,  now  known  as  the  Northwestern 
University  Medical  School,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated, receiving  his  degree  of  M.  D.  in  June, 
1881.  He  was  President  of  the  Chicago  Med- 
ical Society  for  the  year  1900-1901,  being  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  Christian  Fenger.  He  has  also 
served  as  President  of  the  National  Association 
of  Life  Insurance  Examiners,  President  of  the 
Chicago  Association  of  Life  Insurance  Exam- 
iners and  Medical  Director  of  the  National  Life 
Insurance  Co.,  U.  S.  A.;  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Congregational  Club;  American  Medical 
Association;  Illinois  State  Medical  Society; 
Chicago  Medical  Society;  Mississippi  Valley 


Medical  Society;  Chicago  Physician's  Club; 
the  Royal  League;  the  Royal  Arcanum;  Colum- 
bian Knights,  and  North  American  Union;  is  also 
Professor  of  Medicine  in  Dearborn  Medical  College. 
In  religious  belief  Dr.  Stowell  is  a  Congre- 
gationalist  and  a  deacon  in  the  Plymouth  Con- 
gregational Church;  politically  is  affiliated  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  was  married  in 
June,  1880,  at  Aurora,  111.,  to  Frances  E. 
Beckett,  who  bore  him  six  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.:  Marion,  Helen,  Lucinda, 
James  and  Frances.  Reeves  Jackson,  the 
fourth  child,  is  deceased.  Mrs.  Stowell  died 
in  September,  1897. 

JACOB   STRADEH. 

Not  to  every  man  is  it  given  to  look  back 
upon  a  well-spent  life  of  more  than  three-score 
years  and  ten,  crowned  with  a  success  won  by 
unflagging  industry,  unwearying  energy,  un- 
questioned integrity  and  well-nigh  unending 
hard  work.  Mr.  Jacob  Strader,  one  of  the 
earliest  and  most  successful  dealers  at  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  is  now  in  his  seventy-eighth 
year,  hale,  well  preserved,  and  vigorous  in  both 
mind  and  body.  His  life  has  been  filled  with 
honorable  toil,  the  reward  for  which  has  been 
gained  not  only  in  financial  success,  but  also 
in  the  affectionate  esteem  of  those  who  know 
him  best.  He  was  born  in  Pickaway  County, 
Ohio,  not  far  from  the  City  of  Columbus, 
August  27,  1827.  Inured  to  hard  work  as  the 
son  of  a  pioneer  farmer,  on  leaving  the  district 
school  which  had  afforded  him  his  only  educa- 
tional advantages,  he  was  well  fitted  both  by 
physical  strength  and  knowledge  of  the  care  of 
stock,  to  become  a  drover.  In  those  early  days 
that  position  was  no  sinecure.  Riding  on 
horseback  at  the  head  of  a  herd  of  cattle,  ac- 
companied by  two  assistants  on  foot,  with  a 
drove  of  hogs  following  behind,  young  Strader 
crossed  and  re-crossed  the  Alleghenies  six 
times,  the  trips  to  New  York  averaging  sixty 
days  each.  He  began  this  work  in  1848,  and  in 
1854  removed  to  McDonough  County,  111., 
whence,  for  several  years,  he  shipped  cattle  to 
the  Chicago  market,  consigning  them  to  the  old 
Myrick  yards  on  Cottage  Grove  Avenue. 

Upon  coming  to  Chicago  in  1862  he  resolved 
to  engage  in  the  live-stock  commission  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account.  For  three  years  he 
was  located  at  the  Myrick  yards,  but  on  the 
opening  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  in  1865,  he 
obtained  quarters  there.  In  1867  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  H.  H.  Cooley,  and  in 
1869  Allan  Gregory  and  L.  R.  Hastings  entered 
the  firm,  the  style  then  being  changed  from 
Strader-  &  Cooley  to  Gregory,  Strader  &  Com- 
pany. In  1874,  Mr.  Strader  withdrew  from  this 
firm  to  organize  that  of  Jacob  Strader  &  Sons, 
which  is  still  successfully  engaged  in  business 
at  the  Yards. 

On  September  23,  1851,  Mr.  Strader  was  mar- 
ried to  Hannah  Maria  Dunn,  and  of  this  union 
there  were  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living. 


1004 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  F.  STUBINGER, 
Pipeman  on  Engine  56,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  June  11,  1864, 
was  educated  in  the  Benedict  School,  Buffalo, 
and  came  to  Chicago  in  1881,  after  which  he 
worked  as  a  finisher  for  the  Riley  Furniture 
Company  and  at  his  trade  as  decorator  until 
1887;  then  worked  at  the  same  trade  in  the 
Sherman  House  until  January  8,  1891,  when  he 
joined  the  Fire  Department  as  a  stoker  on  En- 
gine 58.  In  1893  he  went  to  the  World's  Fair 
Grounds  and  took  charge  of  the  Hook  and  Lad- 
der Company  on  the  Midway,  and  was  at  the 
cold  storage  fire,  July  10,  1893.  He  was  next 
transferred  to  Engine  No.  30;  in  1895,  to  En- 
gine 33,  and  then  to  Engine  56;  was  on  duty 
at  the  lumber  yard  fire  and  several  other  large 
fires  in  the  down-town  district.  On  July  29, 
1892,  he  helped  to  save  an  old  man  from  drown- 
ing in  the  Calumet  River,  being  assisted  by 
Engineer  Charles  H.  Waters,  of  Engine  58 
(Fire-Boat  "Yosemite").  The  boat  caught  fire 
while  on  the  lake  in  a  storm,  and  the  company 
working  hard  to  save  it,  finally  brought  It  to 
the  pier  where  Chief  Swenie  was  waiting  to 
receive  them.  He  also  worked  in  the  South  Chi- 
cago Salt  Dock  fire,  where  he  put  in  over  thirty- 
nine  hours  in  continuous  hard  service.  He  has 
had  many  rescues  and  narrow  escapes  but  no 
serious  injuries.  Mr.  Stubinger  was  married 
in  Chicago,  November  26,  1884,  to  Miss  Bertha 
Boerner,  and  four  sons  and  one  daughter  have 
blessed  their  union,  viz.:  Frank,  Walter, 
Willie,  John  and  Clara. 

WILLIAM  G.  STURM, 

Truckman,  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  20, 
Chicago  Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
November  14,  1868;  was  educated  in  the  Graham, 
Douglas,  Raymond  and  McClellan  public 
schools,  and  after  leaving  school,  went  to  work 
for  the  American  District  Telephone  Company, 
remaining  with  them  five  years,  doing  all  kinds 
of  work  from  running  as  messenger  boy  to  tend- 
ing the  regular  lights.  He  then  worked  for 
Daw  Brothers  in  their  tin-shop  for  four  years, 
and  for  Swift  &  Company  until  1892;  was  next 
employed  on  the  World's  Fair  buildings,  until- 
March  24,  1893,  when  he  joined  the  World's 
Fair  Fire  Department,  remaining  there  until 
the  company  was  disbanded,  December  31,  1893. 
Mr.  Sturm  had  special  leave  from  Captain  Gar- 
vey  for  an  "off."  William  Mahoney  took  his 
place,  and  went  to  the  cold  storage  fire,  and 
when  the  explosion  occurred,  he,  with  Frank 
Bielenberg,  slid  down  the  rope  about  forty  feet, 
and  then  dropped  about  fifty  feet  to  the  roof  of 
the  main  building.  Both  were  severely  burned, 
and  Mahoney  had  both  legs  and  his  collar-bone 
broken.  Mr.  Sturm  attended  the  cold  storage 
fire  and  helped  raise  the  ladder  by  which  Cap- 
tain Fitzpatrick  was  rescued  from  the  roof. 
His  company  was  the  only  one  that  had  a  line 
on  the  top  of  the  tower.  After  the  tower  had 
fallen  he  was  ordered  to  pull  down  the  line  that 
was  burned  in  two.  With  M.  Bonfield  and  others 


he  procured  a  hose  and  another  pipe,  and 
worked  at  the  fire.  He  joined  the  Chicago  Fire 
Department  on  Engine  80,  April  14,  1897,  and 
was  transferred  to  Truck  20,  August  11,  1898, 
where  he  still  remains  ready  for  any  call  to 
duty  and  danger. 

Mr.  Sturm  was  married  in  Chicago  January 
21,  1887,  to  Miss  Bertha  Spatholt,  and  four 
children  have  blessed  their  union. 

DANIEL  L.  SULLIVAN, 

Chief  Engineer,  Springfield  Avenue  Pumping 
Station,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Kankakee,  111., 
March  1,  1864,  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools  in  that  city.  Coming  to  Chicago,  in 
April,  1876,  he  entered  the  Cornell  public 
school,  after  leaving  which  he  commenced  his 
apprenticeship  as  machinist  with  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company,  remaining  eight 
years;  then  went  to  St.  Louis  and  erected  a 
cotton  and  linseed-oil  mill  for  Robert  B.  Brown 
&  Company,  remaining  there  two  years;  then 
returned  to  Chicago  and  had  charge  of  all  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company's  sta- 
tionary and  air-brake  machinery  for  three 
years.  He  was  appointed  Assistant  Engineer 
of  the  Sixty-eighth  Street  Pumping  Works,  May 
8,  1889,  retaining  the  position  for  seven  years, 
when  he  resigned  and  went  into  the  manufac- 
ture of  castor-oil,  but  sold  out  the  business  in 
March,  1897.  He  was  appointed  Chief  Engineer 
of  the  Sixty-eighth  Street  Pumping  Works,  May 
20,  1897,  remaining  in  charge  until  transferred 
to  the  Fourteenth  Street  Pumping  Station,  May 
22,  1901,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
complete  of  all  the  pumping  stations  operated 
by  the  City  of  Chicago.  November  1,  1901,  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Springfield  Avenue 
Pumping  Station,  where  he  is  still  on  duty. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  important  stations  in 
the  city,  having  three  triple-expansion  Worth- 
ington  engines,  with  a  capacity  of  20,000,000 
gallons  each  in  twenty-four  hours,  driven  by 
six  Scotch  marine  boilers  each  having  225 
horse-power. 

Mr.  Sullivan  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine 
E.  Gibbons,  in  Michigan  City,  Ind.,  June  15, 
1892,  and  three  children  have  blessed  this 
union.  Mrs.  Sullivan  passed  away  December 
11,  1897. 

THOMAS  SUNDERLAND. 

Thomas  Sunderland,  live-stock  commission 
merchant,  was  born  in  Burlington,  Iowa, 
March  5,  1839,  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  After  leaving  school,  about  1856,  he 
shipped  cattle  to  New  York  from  Burlington 
for  some  years.  In  1859,  in  company  with  John 
H.  Martin,  he  started  for  Pike's  Peak,  but  on 
arriving  twenty  miles  west  of  Fort  Kearney, 
on  account  of  so  many  returning  from  Pike's 
Peak  in  a  starving  condition,  they  concluded 
to  return  to  Burlington,  and  Mr.  Sunderland 
engaged  in  farming  until  the  war  broke  out  in 
1861,  when  he  was  appointed  sutler  of  the 
First  Iowa  Cavalry,  remaining  with  them 
three  years.  In  April,  1866,  he  came  to  Chi- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1005 


cago  and  commenced  the  live-stock  commission 
business  with  M.  G.  Criswell  under  the  firm 
name  of  Criswell  &  Sunderland,  this  partner- 
ship continuing  for  three  years,  when  Mr.  Cris- 
well having  retired  from  the  firm,  Mr.  Sunder- 
land's  brother  George  joined  him,  and  the  style 
of  the  firm  was  changed  to  Sunderland  & 
Brother,  so  remaining  until  John  Wallwork 
entered  the  firm,  and  the  style  was  changed 
to  Wallwork  &  Sunderland.  This  was  con- 
tinued until  George  Sunderland  went  to  work 
for  Armour  &  Co.  in  1880,  and  the  firm  was 
dissolved.  Later  the  Chicago  Packing  Com- 
pany hired  Thomas  Sunderland  to  buy  hogs 
for  them,  and  he  remained  in  that  capacity 
for  five  years,  and  then  commenced  business 
for  himself.  Mr.  Sunderland  was  married  to 
Miss  Amelia  Leffler  in  Burlington,  Iowa,  Sep- 
tember, 1860.  Three  children  have  been  the 
result  of  this  union. 

MRS.  NANCY  (BOYNTON)  SUTHERLAND. 
Mrs.  Nancy  (Boynton)  Sutherland,  Palatine, 
Cook  County,  111.,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire, 
both  her  parents,  David  and  Sophia  (Sawyer) 
Boynton,  being  natives  of  Meredith,  in  the 
same  State.  In  childhood  Mrs.  Sutherland  ac- 
companied her  parents  to  Illinois,  her  father 
settling,  in  1838,  in  the  town  of  Ela,  in  Lake 
County,  but  in  1843,  removed  into  Cook  Coun- 
ty, where  he  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  farm- 
ing. Mrs.  Sutherland  was  married  at  her 
home  in  Lake  County,  November  29,  1843,  to 
Mason  Sutherland,  who  enlisted  in  1862,  be- 
came a  Captain  of  Volunteers,  and  died  in  1863. 
They  had  six  children:  Charlotte  Maria  (who 
died  March  4,  1899),  Edward  H.,  Emma  E.  and 
Charles  M.  Julia  May  and  Hattie  Belle  are 
deceased.  Mrs.  Sutherland's  mother  was  born 
in  Boston,  Mass. 

EUGENE  SWEENEY, 

Chief  of  Seventh  Battalion,  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, was  born  in  Chicago  in  1851;  joined 
the  Fire  Department  in  1876,  and  was  made 
Lieutenant  of  Fire  Engine  in  1885,  and  pro- 
moted to  Marshal  of  the  Seventh  Battalion  in 
1893.  In  common  with  many  of  his  comrades, 
he  has  had  many  narrow  escapes  while  en- 
gaged in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  Probably 
the  closest  call  he  ever  had  was  at  the  Field 
&  Leiter  fire,  at  Washington  and  State  Streets 
in  1877,  when  the  huge  water-tanks  fell  on  a 
number  of  the  firemen,  killing  O'Rourke  and, 
by  subjecting  Lieutenant  Scharenburg  to  the 
intense  heat,  causing  his  deatn  a  few  days  later. 
Chief  Sweeney  was  knocked  prostrate,  but  not 
unconscious,  on  one  of  the  floors,  and  his  com- 
panions nearly  drowned  him  in  the  effort  to 
protect  him  from  the  approach  of  the  flames. 
His  bravery  and  geniality  of  character  render 
him  a  fair  example  of  the  typical  Chicago  fire- 
man. 

DENIS  J.  SWENIE, 

Denis   J.   Swenie    (deceased),   late  Fire  Mar- 
shal  and   Chief  of   Brigade,   Chicago   Fire   De- 


partment, was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  July 
29,  1834,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  city  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
old,  when  in  1848  he  came  to  this  country,  lo- 
cating at  Chicago.  Young  Swenie  was  a  lad 
of  fifteen  years  when  on  December  3,  1849,  he 
entered  the  service  of  the  Chicago  Volunteer 
Fire  Department.  Before  his  first  year  of  serv- 
ice was  completed  he  had  made  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  fire  fighter.  His  first  job  was 
as  runner  for  Hose  Company  No.  3,  connected 
with  Niagara  3,  which  was  stationed  at  Kinzie 
and  Wells  Streets,  and  later  on  Red  Jacket 
Engine  No.  4.  One  of  his  first  trips  took  him 
to  a  fire  at  Clark  and  Lake  Streets,  where  he 
entered  a  burning  building  and  carried  out 
three  women  who  had  been  overcome  by  smoke. 
The  heroic  beginning  of  his  career  as  a  fire 
fighter  was  but  an  index  of  the  deeds  that  fol- 
lowed, and  by  the  time  he  had  come  to  his  ma- 
jority he  was  Assistant  Chief  of  the  depart- 
ment. In  1856  he  was  elected  First  Assistant 
Engineer.  He  still  continued  to  do  sucn  e:« 
cellent  work  that,  in  1858,  he  was  elected  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department. 
A  bitter  controversy  arose  about  this  time  on 
the  subject  of  a  volunteer  vs.  a  paid  Fire  De- 
partment, and  Mr.  Swenie  met  with  great  op- 
position in  the  work  of  reorganization,  but  he 
was  elected  as  first  Chief  of  the  paid  Fire 
Department  and  served  until  U.  P.  Harris  was 
elected  in  1859. 

But  Denis  J.  Swenie  and  Chicago  had  great 
possibilities  yet  unfolded.  Before  he  had  com- 
pleted his  first  decade  of  service,  and  while  still 
a  young  man  in  his  early  twenties,  he  was  at 
the  head  of  the  Department,  and  only  stepped 
back  into  secondary  rank  for  a  time  because 
the  sentiment  and  opinion  of  those  in  control 
at  that  day  were  not  abreast  with  his  progres- 
sive spirit  and  judgment. 

The  first  steam  fire  engine  tested  and  used 
west  of  New  York  was  introduced  into  Chicago 
by  Chief  Swenie,  February  5,  1858,  and  named 
"Long  John,"  after  Hon.  John  Wentworth  who 
was  Mayor  at  that  time.  The  test  occurred  at 
the  foot  of  La  Salle  Street  and  met  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  citizens  generally.  In  1871  Mr. 
Swenie  was  foreman  of  Engine  Company  14, 
(Fred  Gund)  and  as  such  served  through  the 
great  fire.  He  located  his  engine  during  the 
fire  at  Bateham's  Mill,  on  Canal  Street,  south 
of  Harrison.  He  was  driven  back  to  Harrison 
Street,  and  later  to  Van  Buren  St.  It  was  dur- 
ing this  fight  that  Chief  Swenie  was  on  duty 
forty-eight  hours  with  no  food  except  an  apple. 

In  1873  Mr.  Swenie  was  appointed  First  As- 
sistant to  Chief  M.  Benner,  on  his  recommenda- 
tion. In  August,  1875,  the  Board  of  Fire  Com- 
missioners was  abolished  and  a  Fire  Marshal 
was  appointed,  called  also  Chief  of  Brigade. 
On  the  resignation  of  Chief  M.  Benner,  July  16, 
1879,  Mr.  Swenie  was  appointed  acting  Fire 
Marshal  and  Chief  of  Brigade,  and  continued 
until  confirmed  by  the  Council  November  10, 
1879,  which  position  he  continued  to  occupy 


ioo6 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


with  great  ability  for  many  years,  handling 
his  brigade  of  about  twelve  hundred  men  dur- 
ing the  excitement  of  a  great  fire  with  the  pre- 
cision and  order  of  a  well-trained  army  and, 
what  was  of  great  importance,  he  had  the  con- 
fidence and  affection  of  all  the  members  be- 
longing to  the  Fire  Department. 

Mr.  Swenie  had  enough  hair-breadth  escapes 
to  turn  the  hair  of  an  ordinary  man  white.  He 
had  been  caught  in  falling  buildings  and  several 
times  placed  in  great  peril.  All  in  all,  how- 
ever, he  was  extremely  fortunate,  and  never 
was  seriously  injured.  His  escapes  were  all 
the  more  wonderful,  when  it  is  remembered 
that  he  was  always  to  be  found  in  the  front 
rank  of  fire-fighters,  directing  the  work  and 
exposing  himself  to  danger  as  freely  as  any  of 
his  men.  One  of  the  severest  accidents  which 
the  Chief  ever  met  occurred  at  a  fire,  years 
ago,  when  his  leg  was  broken.  He  was  again 
injured  in  the  destruction  of  a  West  Side  ele- 
vator, and  was  thrown  from  his  buggy  while 
going  to  a  fire,  lighting  on  his  head  and  shoul- 
ders. He  frequently  felt  twinges  of  pain  from 
the  latter  injury. 

Chief  Swenie  was  married  to  Miss  Martha 
Toner  of  Chicago  October  16,  1853,  and  they 
were  blessed  with  a  family  of  seven  children: 
John  (who  died  in  infancy),  Frank,  Denis,  Jr., 
James  J.,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Ebbert,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Sauter, 
and  Mrs.  J.  W.  Kirkley.  This  veteran  fireman 
celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  assor 
elation  with  the  Chicago  Fire  Department  De- 
cember 3,  1899,  at  his  home,  36  Pearce  Street, 
when  six  children  and  nineteen  grand-children 
met  and  congratulated  him  upon  his  term  of 
service  for  the  city. 

In  the  City  Council  Chamber,  on  Monday  even- 
ing, December  4,  1899,  the  Golden  Anniversary 
of  Chief  Swenie's  connection  with  the  Chicago 
Fire  Department  was  notablv  celebrated  by  the 
members  of  the  City  Council  and  a  committee 
representing  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  who 
sought  to  pay  honor  to  the  veteran  fire-fighter 
by  presenting  to  the  city  an  oil-painting  by 
the  noted  artist,  Frank  L.  VanNess.  It  is  a  life- 
size  portrait  showing  the  Chief  in  full  uniform 
with  white  helmet,  a  sputtering  hose  beneath 
his  feet,  and  an  atmosphere  of  heat  and  smoke 
about  him.  In  addition  to  being  a  splendid 
likeness  of  the  Chief  himself,  depicting  him  in 
action,  it  also  is  an  allegorical  picture,  the 
frame  being  a  sort  of  epitome  of  the  growth 
and  service  of  fire-fighting  in  Chicago.  Daniel 
D.  Healy,  President  of  Public  Service,  was  the 
leader  of  the  movement  to  thus  honor  Marshal 
Swenie  and,  being  an  old  fireman  himself,  knew 
the  value  of  the  life-long  service  of  the  Chief. 
He  could  remember  when  he  ran  with  the  old 
Bucket  and  Fire  Brigade  and  worked  the  old- 
fashioned  hand  fire-engines  at  fires  in  Chicago. 
He  recalled  the  Chief's  service  in  building  up 
the  paid  Fire  Department  and  the  thorough 
manner  in  which  he  won  his  spurs  and  present 
high  position  among  the  citizens  of  Chicago. 

In  behalf  of  the  citizens  making  the  gift  to 


the  city,  William  J.  Hynes  made  the  presenta- 
tion speech.  He  said  things  about  the  Chief 
that  would  have  caused  him  greater  embarrass- 
ment than  a  4-11  fire  alarm  in  the  top-story 
of  the  Masonic  Temple.  It  was  suspected  by 
the  modest  fireman's  friends  that  he  had  con- 
nived at  the  Hinman  Street  fire,  to  save  him 
the  temptation  to  turn  the  hose  on  the  burning 
words  of  the  speakers.  In  polished  phrases  Mr. 
Hynes  spoke  of  the  character  of  the  man  who 
had  been  fifty  years  in  the  Fire  Department 
and  for  the  last  twenty  years  its  Chief.  The 
speaker  said  he  was  of  the  stuff  of  which  heroes 
were  made,  and  compared  him  to  Dewey,  Hobson 
and  Wainwright.  His  character,  Mr.  Hynes 
said,  was  untarnished  by  any  act  of  his  own, 
and  declared  his  was  an  example  for  municipal 
service  everywhere. 

Mayor  Harrison  accepted  the  picture  on  be- 
half of  the  city,  and  said  Denis  J.  Swenie  was 
not  only  a  great  fireman,  but  the  organizer  of 
the  greatest  Fire  Department  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  He  said  his  father  was  prouder  of  no  act 
of  his,  as  Mayor,  than  the  appointment  of  Mr. 
Swenie  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department.  The 
Mayor  referred  to  the  Chief  familiarly  as  "Den- 
ny," and  declared  that  he  hoped  that  "Denny" 
might  live  another  fifty  years  and  still  be  the 
head  of  the  Fire  Department. 

Alderman  Ailing  arose  and  presented  the  fol- 
lowing resolution: 

"WHEREAS.  Denis  J.  Swenie,  Chief  of  the 
Fire  Department  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  has 
just  completed  fifty  years  of  active  service  as  a 
member  of  said  department,  during  twenty  years 
of  which  he  has  held  the  office  of  Chief;  and 

"WHEREAS,  In  his  every  duty  to  the  City  of 
Chicago  he  has  shown  himself  faithful  and 
devoted  in  its  service,  and  fair,  honorable  and 
progressive  in  conducting  the  affairs  of  his  de- 
partment, so  that,  through  his  efforts,  it  has 
become  the  pride  of  our  city  and  the  peer  of 
any  similar  department  in  the  world;  and, 

"WHEREAS,  Public  citizens  of  the  City  of  Chi- 
cago have  presented  to  the  municipality  a  hand- 
some portrait  of  the  Chief  of  our  Fire  Depart- 
ment to  signalize  the  completion  of  his  half- 
century  of  service,  and  to  serve  as  a  lasting 
memorial  of  his  long  and  brilliant  administra- 
tion; now,  therefore  be  it 

"Resolved,  That  the  congratulations  of  this 
Council  be  hereby  extended  to  Chief  Swenie  on 
this  happy  anniversary,  and  that  our  thanks 
be  tendered  to  him  for  the  high  example  which 
he  has  set  of  fidelity  to  public  duty,  with  the 
hope  that  he  may  live  long  to  give  our  Fire 
Department  the  energetic  and  constant  supervi- 
sion which  his  long  experience  has  made  so 
valuable  to  the  city.  . 

"Be  it  further  resolved,  That  the  thanks  of 
this  Council  be,  and  they  are  hereby  extended 
to  the  citizens  of  this  municipality  who  have 
so  kindly  and  generously  presented  to  the  city 
the  portrait  of  the  Chief,  and  that  the  gift  be 
formally  accepted  in  behalf  of  the  City  Council. 

"Be  it  further  resolved,  That  the  Mayor  be, 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1007 


and  he  is  hereby  empowered  and  directed  to 
appoint  a  special  committee  of  five  members  of 
the  City  Council,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to 
guard  said  painting  from  harm,  and  permanent- 
ly locate  the  same  in  a  suitable  place,  where  it 
may  be  enjoyed  by  the  present  and  future  gen- 
erations. 

"Be  it  further  resolved,  That  these  resolu- 
tions be  spread  upon  the  minutes  of  the  Coun- 
cil, and  an  engrossed  copy  be  sent  by  the  Chief 
Clerk  to  Chief  Swenie." 

Which  were,  on  motion,  duly  adopted  by  a 
rising  vote. 

His  Honor,  the  Mayor,  then  appointed  the 
following  committee  in  accordance  with  the 
foregoing  resolution:  Alderman  Ailing,  Pow- 
ers, Brenner,  Math  and  Werno. 

Alderman  Neagle  then  arose  and  presented 
the  following  order: 

"ORDERED,  That  the  City  Council  spread  upon 
the  records  its  vote  of  confidence  in  the  emi- 
nent ability  and  sterling  integrity  of  Fire  Chief 
D.  J.  Swenie,  who  has  successfully  fought  our 
fires  for  fifty  years." 

Which  was,  on  motion,  duly  passed. 

This  painting  is  now  located  in  a  prominent 
place  in  the  Council  Chamber,  Chicago. 

The  Illinois  State  Firemen's  Association,  as- 
sembled in  annual  session  at  Princeton,  111.. 
January  10,  1900,  presented  Chief  Swenie  with 
a  gold  medal  in  honor  of  his  completion  of  fifty 
years  in  the  fire  service.  The  presentation 
speech  was  made  during  the  afternoon  session 
by  B.  F.  Staymates,  of  Clinton,  the  statistician 
of  the  Association,  who  paid  Chief  Swenie  high 
tribute  for  his  long  and  effective  service.  Mr. 
Swenie,  in  his  response,  said  that  he  was  pre- 
pared for  anything  in  the  line  of  duty  much 
better  than  he  was  for  the  kind  words  that  had 
been  spoken  of  him. 

Chief  Swenie  joined  the  Fireman's  Benevo- 
lent Association,  October  15,  1863,  and  became 
a  life  member  March  18,  1884,  thus  being  identi- 
fied with  the  Association  for  more  than  thirty- 
six  years.  The  city  of  Chicago  is  grateful  for 
the  skill,  genius  and  daring  manifested  by  the 
historic  head  of  its  Fire  Department.  The  well- 
earned  position  which  he  attained  was  proof  of 
the  people's  confidence  and  a  mark  of  their 
high  esteem.  The  notable  career  of  Chief 
Swenie  was  terminated  by  his  death  at  his 
home.  536  Jackson  Boulevard,  Chicago,  Febru- 
ary 6,  1903. 

JOHN  TANGNEY, 

Captain  Engine  Company  91,  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, was  born  in  Castle  Island,  County 
Kerry,  Ireland,  December  9,  1839;  was  raised  in 
the  parish  of  Scartaglin,  Ireland,  and  attended 
the  district  and  public  schools  in  the  latter 
place.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  on  his 
father's  farm,  called  "Gurtacapule,"  remaining 
there  until  the  age  of  twenty  years,  when  he 
went  to  London,  and  later  to  Liverpool,  where 
he  worked  at  ship-building  and  boiler-making 
for  about  three  years.  He  then  went  to  Bris- 


tol, England,  where  he  remained  about  one 
year,  when  he  returned  to  London,  and  there 
worked  in  the  Daptford  Government  dock-yards, 
remaining  there  until  the  blowing  up  of  Clark- 
enville  prison  by  the  Fenian  Brotherhood.  As 
all  Irish  then  working  in  the  employ  of  the 
British  Government  were  under  suspicion,  he 
then  emigrated  to  the  United  States.  Captain 
Tangney  came  from  Liverpool  to  America  on 
the  steamship  "Manhattan,"  arriving  in  New 
York  February  25,  1868,  thence  coming  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  arrived  March  18,  1868.  He  com- 
menced work  for  the  Chicago  Gas  Light  and 
Coke  Company,  remaining  there  until  October 
8,  1875,  when  he  was  appointed  upon  the  Chi- 
cago Fire  Department,  commencing  on  Hook 
and  Ladder  Company  No.  4,  under  Captain 
Louis  Fiene;  was  transferred  to  Hook  and  Lad- 
der Company  No.  2  in  April,  1877,  with  Captain 
C.  G.  Anderson;  then  to  Hook  and  Ladder  Com- 
pany No.  1,  with  Captain  Rollin  G.  Harmon. 
His  subsequent  transfers  have  been:  to  Self- 
propelling  Engine  Company  No.  10;  from  there 
back  to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  1, 
under  Captain  F.  A.  Pundt;  then  to  Hook 
and  Ladder  Company  No.  3,  under  Captain 
Norman  Holt;  to  Chemical  Engine  No.  4,  on 
Dearborn  Avenue;  to  Engine  30,  under  Captain 
A.  L.  Schubert;  to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company 
No.  10  June  1,  1886,  under  Captain  David 
O'Connell;  promoted  to  Lieutenant  January  1, 
1887,  and  to  Captain  January  1,  1890;  was 
assigned  to  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  13, 
Jefferson;  transferred  to  Hook  and  Ladder  Com- 
pany No.  10  August  31,  1896;  to  Engine  No.  89 
November  24,  1900,  and  on  July  1,  1901,  to  En- 
gine No.  91,  where  he  still  remains. 

Captain  Tangney  had  honorable  mention  in 
General  Orders  No.  3,  August  1,  1881;  No.  8, 
October  2,  1882;  and  No.  13,  April  5,  1889;  also, 
while  on  Truck  10,  by  General  Order  No.  1, 
January  31,  1900,  for  rescuing  five  men  at  a 
fire  at  407  Wells  Street,  on  January  23,  1900. 
He  has  had  many  close  calls,  but  no  serious 
accidents;  has  always  been  ready  to  respond  to 
the  orders  of  his  superiors  when  ever  and  wher- 
ever duty  called,  and  the  height  of  his  ambi- 
tion is  to  work  for  the  best  interests  of  the  De- 
partment in  every  respect.  In  all  these  years 
he  has  never  lost  a  day's  pay.  Captain  Tang- 
ney was  married  in  London,  England,  to  Miss 
Mary  O'Connor  July  23,  1865,  and  eight  children 
have  blessed  their  union,  five  of  whom  are  now 
living,  of  whom  James  F.  and  Michael  J.  were 
born  in  England;  John  J.,  Mary  E.  and  Jere- 
miah J.  were  born  in  Chicago. 

ROBERT  LAFAYETTE  TATHAM. 
Robert  L.  Tatham,  son  of  William  Henry  and 
Eleanor  (McWhorter)  Tatham,  was  born  July 
29,  1849,  at  St.  Omer,  Decatur  County,  Ind. 
William  Henry  Tatham,  the  father,  first  saw 
the  light  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Accomac 
County,  Va.  The  parents  of  his  mother  were 
descended  from  old  Virginia  stock,  and  settled 
in  Clinton  County,  Ohio,  where  their  daughter 


ioo8 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


•was  born.  Robert  L.  Tatham  attended  a  com- 
mon school  in  Clinton  County,  Ohio,  most  of  his 
childhood  being  spent  on  a  farm.  He  had  the 
great  misfortune  to  lose  his  mother  while  he 
was  yet  but  a  youth,  and  the  home  being  broken 
up,  in  accordance  with  a  request  made  by  his 
mother  before  her  decease,  he  went  to  reside 
with  his  grandparents,  whose  home  was  two 
miles  north  of  Wilmington,  Clinton  County, 
Ohio.  These  relatives  also  died,  and  again  the 
lad  had  to  find  a  new  home.  This  time  it  was 
with  his  uncle,  John  McWhorter,  who  opened 
his  heart  and  home.  The  grim  death-angel 
seemed  determined  to  close  every  avenue  of 
happiness  which  opened  to  the  orphaned  boy, 
for  the  uncle  soon  died  also.  Then  young  Tat- 
ham lived  a  short  time  with  a  brother,  George 
M.,  who  resided  at  Hazel  Dell,  Cumberland 
County,  111.,  but  soon  went  to  Macomb,  111.,  then 
to  Kansas,  and  to  Morris,  111.,  in  1869.  Feeling 
the  necessity  for  a  broader  education,  Mr.  Tat- 
ham took  a  course  in  a  commercial  college  in 
Cincinnati,  clerking  as  time  would  permit  in  a 
dry-goods  store.  Then  he  began  the  study  of 
law,  reading  with  Mr.  Edwin  Sanford  at  Morris, 
111.,  for  a  period  of  two  years,  being  at  length 
admitted  to  the  bar  before  the  Supreme  Court 
at  Ottawa,  111.,  when  he  immediately  entered  a 
law  office  in  the  Metropolitan  Block,  Chicago. 
His  first  brilliant  success  was  gained  by  the 
ease  and  skill  with  which  he  conducted  an  im- 
portant commercial  transaction  in  London,  for 
the  firm  of  Fraser,  Chalmers  &  Co.,  in  whose 
interests  he  remained  abroad  for  an  entire, 
month.  Soon  he  became  noted  for  being  pos- 
'  sessed  of  a  rarely  clear  insight,  as  well  as,  for 
being  active  and  punctual  in  all  matters  con- 
nected with  his  profession.  He  was  often  se- 
lected to  settle  estates  and  to  untangle  knotty 
problems  which  required  tact  and  accuracy. 
Asked  by  an  acquaintance  to  what  he  attributed 
his  success  as  an  attorney,  he  immediately  re- 
plied: "Because  all  who  know  me  in  Chicago 
know  also  that  if  I  make  an  appointment  I  will 
always  be  on  hand  to  the  minute."  From  early 
manhood  this  trait  had  been  very  prominent 
in  young  Tatham's  character,  and  it  appeared  to 
increase  with  the  years  until  it  formed  a  strong 
element  of  his  success.  On  the  25th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1874,  Mr.  Tatham  was  married  to  Miss 
Anna  Grant,  daughter  of  Judge  Grant,  of  Mor- 
ris, 111.,  and  two  children  were  the  result  of  this 
union:  Anna  and  Florence,  both  of  whom  are 
living.  Mr.  Tatham's  second  marriage  was  with 
Miss  Augusta  Bell,  of  Chicago,  on  December 
25,  1885.  Two  children  were  born  to  them,  Rob- 
ert L.  and  Ethel.  Although  of  a  kindly  and 
charitable  disposition,  Mr.  Tatham  did  not  affil- 
iate with  any  church  or  sect.  His  deeds  of 
kindness  were  very  numerous  and  are  graven 
on  the  heajrts  of  the  recipients.  So  far  as  his 
politics  are  concerned,  he  was  a  Democrat,  but 
he  had  little  to  do  with  party  machinery  or 
management.  Mr.  Tatham  was  prominent 
among  secret  society  workers,  having  held 
offices  at  various  times  and  being  a  Thirty-sec- 


ond Degree  Mason.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Illinois  Club  of  Chicago,  and  continued 
as  a  director  of  this  body  for  many  years.  He 
joined  Cedar  Lodge,  124,  Orient  Chapter,  and 
Blaney  Commandery,  No.  5,  at  Morris,  111.  (all 
Masonic  bodies),  and  affiliated  with  similar 
organizations  in  Chicago,  becoming  presiding 
officer  of  Cleveland  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He 
had  taken  the  Scottish  Rite  Degree  and  was 
well  known  in  Masonic  circles,  being  certain  of 
a  hearty  welcome  from  members  of  the  vari- 
ous fraternities  wherever  he  appeared. 

Death  loves  a  shining  mark,  and  Mr.  Tatham 
was  not  spared.  He  died  April  23,  1902.  His 
wife  of  the  second  marriage  and  four  children 
survive  him,  counting  the  legacy  of  Mr.  Tat- 
ham's love,  life  and  example  a  most  precious 
inheritance. 

WILLIAM  THIEMANN. 

William  Thiemann,  farmer,  ex-member  Illi- 
nois State  Legislature,  Arlington  Heights, 
Cook  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Ebstorf,  Han- 
over, Germany,  February  11,  1849,  the  son  of 
Joachim  and  Margaretha  (Hinrichs)  Thiemann, 
the  former  a  native  of  Ebstorf  and  the  latter  of 
Barnsen,  Hanover.  In  1857  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  America,  arriving  in  September  of 
that  year,  the  family  locating  in  Lombard,  Du 
Page  County,  111.  Mr.  Thiemann  was  educated 
in  his  native  country  and  in  Du  Page  County, 
and  on  March  1,  1867,  came  to  Elk  Grove,  Cook 
County,  where  he  resided  until  November,  1898, 
when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Arlington 
Heights,  his  present  home.  June  21,  1872,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Sophie  Tonne,  who 
was  born  and  educated  in  Elk  Grove  Township, 
Cook  County,  and  they  have  had  five  children: 
W.  E.  Thiemann,  Pauline,  Martha,  Mathilde  and 
Ella.  He  is  a  Lutheran  in  religious  belief  and 
in  politics  an  earnest  Republican;  while  a  resi- 
dent of  Elk  Grove  served  three  years  as  Com- 
missioner of  Highways;  for  fourteen  years  was 
Township  Treasurer  and  for  a  like  period  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace.  In  November,  1890,  he  was 
elected  a  Representative  in  the  State  Legisla- 
ture from  Cook  County,  and  re-elected  for  four 
consecutive  terms,  serving  in  all  ten  years.  On 
April  25,  1901,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Yates  Live  Stock  Commissioner,  serving  for  a 
term  of  three  years.  A  farmer  by  occupation 
and  of  sturdy  German-American  character, 
Mr.  Thiemann  has  achieved  success  as  a  busi- 
ness man,  and  has  won  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  his  fellow-citizens  as  their  repre- 
sentative in  public  affairs. 

CHARLES  G.  THOMAS. 

Charles  G.  Thomas  is  a  prominent  live-stock 
dealer  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago,  and 
commands  far  more  than  an  ordinary  degree  of 
the  confidence  of  his  patrons,  who  have  learned 
by  experience  his  sterling  and  genuine  char- 
acter, his  honest  worth  and  his  straightforward 
integrity.  Mr.  Thomas  was  born  at  Nunda,  Mc- 
Henry  County,  111.,  October  18,  1845,  and  was 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


i  cog 


educated  in  the  McHenry  County  schools  and  at 
the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Commercial  College,  Chi- 
cago. He  acquired  a  good  practical  knowledge 
of  business  forms,  and  in  1876  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Chicago.  Here  he  secured  employment 
with  Hall,  Patterson  &  Company,  at  the  Union 
Stock  Yards,  as  bookkeeper  and  cashier.  In 
1880  the  firm  became  Patterson  Brothers  & 
Company,  and  Mr.  Thomas  one  of  the  partners. 
On  the  death  of  A.  L.  Patterson,  May  30,  1895, 
the  firm  became  Patterson,  Starrett  &  Company. 
When  F.  D.  Patterson  died,  September  8,  1899, 
the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Thomas,  Starrett 
&  Company,  and  under  his  fostering  care  it  has 
taken  on  new  life  and  vigor.  Mr.  Thomas  was 
married  at  Geneva  Lake,  Wis.,  September  9, 
1866,  to  Miss  Mary  Hughes. 

JOHN  B.  THOMAS. 

John  B.  Thomas,  attorney-at-law,  is  a  native 
of  Ohio,  born  in  Darke  County,  that  State,  June 
29,  1849,  the  son  of  John  and  Abigail  (Carter) 
Thomas,  being  descended  from  an  old  Virginia 
family  of  that  name,  who  traced  their  lineage 
back  to  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  the  Mayflower.  His  father  settled  near 
Union  City,  Ohio,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
received  his  early  education  in  an  old  log 
school  house,  afterwards  receiving  private  in- 
struction in  a  classic  and  scientific  course.  His 
grandfather  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  his  father  of  the  Black  Hawk  War, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1865,  John  B.,  being  then 
in  his  sixteenth  year,  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Indiana  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  serving  in  the  campaign  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  which  contributed  to  bring- 
ing the  war  to  a  close  by  the  fall  of  Richmond. 
The  father,  who  was  a  shipbuilder,  is  said  to 
have  built  the  first  steamboat  'which  ran  on 
the  Ohio  River.  The  opportunities  of  the  son 
for  acquiring  an  education  were  limited,  but  as 
soon  as  he  was  able  he  began  teaching,  and,  at 
eighteen  years  of  age,  commenced  the  study  of 
law  with  Judges  Allen  and  Meeker,  of  Ohio,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Ohio  and  Indiana 
in  1869,  entering  at  once  upon  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  his  native  town.  He  practiced 
in  the  courts  of  Indiana  and  Ohio  with  good 
success  until  January,  1873,  when  he  moved  to 
Chicago.  Here  he  soon  became  known  among 
the  business  men  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards, 
for  a  time  was  assistant  editor  of  the  "South 
Side  Record"  and,  in  1875,  was  appointed  by  the 
Trustees  of  the  Town  of  Lake  to  prepare  a 
revised  edition  of  the  Town  Ordinances,  and 
also  served  for  four  years  as  Town  Prosecutor. 
About  this  time  he  bought  for  G.  F.  Swift  the 
Moore  packing-house,  which  became  the  nucleus 
of  the  great  Swift  packing  concern,  of  which  he 
was  the  legal  representative  for  many  years. 
In  1879  he  became  Police  Magistrate  for  the 
Stock  Yards  district,  which  position  he  occu- 
pied for  one  year,  and  was  afterward  elected  to 
the  same  office  for  a  term  of  four  years.  Mr. 
Thomas  is  a  zealous  fraternalist,  and,  in  1878, 


was  raised  to  the  sublime  degree  of  Master 
Mason,  later  becoming  a  Royal  Arch  Mason, 
Knight  Templar  and,  in  1884,  a  Noble  of  the 
Mystice  Shrine;  is  also  affiliated  with  the  Order 
of  Independent  Foresters,  in  which  he  has  held 
several  prominent  positions;  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Star  Lodge  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  of  which  he  has  been  repre- 
sentative in  the  Grand  Lodge;  and  charter 
member  of  the  Union  Legion,  No.  29,  Select 
Knights,  of  which  he  has  been  Select  Cam- 
mander  and  representative  to  the  Grand  Legion. 
Although  not  a  member  of  any  church,  he  was 
one  of  the  leading  promoters  and  a  member  of 
the  building  committee  in  the  erection  of  the 
Union  Avenue  M.  E.  Church  in  the  Stock  Yards 
District.  Judge  Thomas,  as  he  is  known,  was 
married  February  16,  1871,  to  Miss  Mattie  Hall, 
of  Springfield,  Ohio. 

ROBERT  A.  THOMPSON. 
Robert  A.  Thompson  is  one  of  the  many  suc- 
cessful business  men  who  engaged  in  the  live- 
stock trade  in  Chicago  at  an  early  day.  Like 
the  shoemaker,  he  has  "stuck  to  his  last,"  and 
his  industrious  and  useful  career  has  been 
crowned  with  a  very  substantial  success,  not 
only  in  the  accumulation  of  an  ample  compe- 
tence, but  in  the  esteem  and  kindly  regard  of 
all  with  whom  he  has  been  associated.  Mr. 
Thompson  was  born  in  Newcastle,  Lawrence 
County,  Pa.,  August  22,  1833;  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools,  and  when  his  school  days 
were  ended,  worked  on  the  farm  until  1866. 
During  that  year  he  began  buying  and  ship- 
ping cattle  from  Newcastle  to  Pittsburg,  a  busi- 
ness which  he  soon  found  very  profitable  and 
satisfactory,  so  much  so  that  in  January,  1867, 
he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in 
buying  cattle  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  ship- 
ping them  to  Eastern  markets.  He  later  asso- 
ciated himself  in  this  line  with  John  Teufel, 
and  the  two  continued  in  business  together  for 
eleven  years.  This  partnership  having  been  dis- 
solved, Mr.  Thompson  has  continued  in  busi- 
ness alone  to  the  present  time.  He  understands 
the  markets  thoroughly,  buys  boldly  and  judi- 
ciously, and  has  been  very  successful  in  all  his 
transactions.  Mr.  Thompson  was  married  in 
Newcastle,  Pa.,  December  10,  1864,  to  Miss 
Theresa  Wilson,  who  died  the  following  April. 
June  8,  1875,  he  was  married  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  R.  McCrea,  and  two  sons  have 
been  the  result  of  this  union. 

WILLIAM  H.  THOMPSON,  JR. 
Many  men  devote  a  lifetime  to  a  single  pur- 
suit, yet  do  not  all  succeed.  Some  lack  intelli- 
gence; others  natural  aptitude;  others  patient 
application  to  duty;  and  yet  others  fidelity.  It  is 
tiie  combination  of  all  these  traits  that  enable  a 
man  to  win  fortune  and  renown  in  his  chosen 
avocation.  Entrusted  for  many  years  with  the 
management  of  interests  of  high  importance, 
Mr.  William  H.  Thompson,  Jr.,  has  not  been 
found  wanting  in  any  of  those  mental  or  moral 


1010 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


qualities  essential  to  success.  He  was  born 
July  4,  1842,  at  Valatie,  Columbia  County,  N. 
Y.;  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Chicago,  and  in  1873  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Mr.  W.  H.  Monroe,  then  a  large  shipper 
of  live  stock  to  Buffalo,  Albany  and  Boston.  At 
the  present  time  he  is  head  cattle  buyer  for  the 
O.  H.  Hammond  Company,  one  of  the  four  larg- 
est concerns  of  its  character  in  the  country,  hav- 
ing branches  at  Omaha,  Neb.,  and  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.  In  1888  Mr.  Thompson  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Live  Stock  Exchange,  which  office 
he  yet  holds  through  repeated  re-elections.  This 
circumstance  well  attests  not  only  his  personal 
popularity,  but  also  his  business  qualifications 
and  the  able  manner  in  which  he  has  dis- 
charged the  onerous  duties  of  the  position. 
His  home  is  in  the  Town  of  Lake,  in  whose  wel- 
fare he  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest;  has 
served  as  President  of  the  Town  Board  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  in 
1890.  He  is  a  Mason  of  high  rank,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  Mizpah  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Delphi 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.;  Chevalier  Bayard  Command- 
ery,  K.  T.,  and  Oriental  Consistory. 

Mr.  Thompson's  genial,  social  nature,  unfail- 
ing courtesy  and  high  sense  of  honor  have  made 
him  a  universal  favorite  in  his  very  wide  cir- 
cle of  acquaintances.  He  was  married  to  Jane 
Churchill,  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  November  13, 
1867,  and  the  issue  of  this  marriage  has  been 
two  daughters:  Mary  C.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
Wm.  E.  Watt,  and  Emily,  who  resides  at  home. 

JAMES  A.  TIERNEY, 

Chief  Fire  Department,  Armour  Stock  Yards, 
was  born  in  Chicago,  May  15,  1855,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Carpenter  public  and  Brothers' 
schools.  After  leaving  school  he  was  employed 
in  the  Coan  &  TenBroeke  carriage  works  for 
eleven  years;  then  worked  in  D.  J.  Wren's  car- 
riage works  for  one  year.  He  joined  the  Fire 
Patrol  No.  1,  July  14,  1879;  was  promoted  to 
Lieutenant  in  1881,  and  transferred  to  Patrol 
No.  4,  Union  Stock  Yards,  and  promoted  to 
Captain  in  November,  1881,  remaining  in  that 
position  for  seven  years.  In  1888  he  was  ap- 
pointed Chief  of  the  Fire  Department  for  Ar- 
mour &  Co.,  which  consists,  besides  himself,  of  a 
Lieutenant  and  eight  men.  For  apparatus  they 
have  480  fire  axes,  250  chemicals,  22,000  feet  of 
hose,  and  four  fire  pumps  with  a  capacity  of  20,- 
000  gallons  per  minute.  For  their  water  system 
they  have  a  set  of  reservoirs,  containing  in  the 
aggregate  about  5,000,000  gallons  of  water,  sup- 
plied from  thirteen  artesian  wells,  which  are 
required  to  keep  the  reservoirs  full.  Except 
in  case  of  an  extra  large  fire,  the  supply  affords 
ample  protection.  These  reservoirs  are  con- 
nected by  a  48-inch  conduit,  also  have  a  10-Inch 
opening  from  a  24-inch  city  main  and  another 
from  a  16-inch  city  water  main,  to  be  used  in 
case  of  an  extra  large  fire. 

Chief  Tierney  has  had  many  narrow  escapes 
during  his  life  as  a  fireman.  By  jumping 
through  a  window  he  narrowly  escaped  being 


smothered  by  the  fumes  of  saltpeter  at  Fowler's 
packing-house,  but  otherwise  has  suffered  no 
serious  injuries.  He  is  noted  for  his  pluck  and 
bravery  and  for  his  genial  disposition,  and  is 
held  in  high  esteem  by  his  friends  and  asso- 
ciates. He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Galla- 
gher in  Chicago  November  8,  1881,  and  six  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  union. 

FRANK   M.    TIMMS. 

Among  the  many  men  doing  business  at  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  whose  names  are  synony- 
mous with  success  attributable  to  sagacious 
foresight,  unwearied  industry  and  fair-dealing, 
none  stands  higher  than  that  of  Frank  M. 
Timms,  who  has  devoted  thirty  years  of  hard 
work  to  the  building  up  of  the  successful  live- 
stock business  with  which  he  has  been  through 
all  that  time  connected.  He  was  born  at  Moscow, 
Mich.,  February  25,  1859,  and  received  his  edu- 
cational training  at  Hillsdale  in  the  same  State. 
He  was  a  youth  of  nineteen  years  when,  in 
1874,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  old  firm  of 
Mallory  &  Brother  at  the  Yards,  with  which  he 
continued  until  it  was  succeeded  by  the  firm  of 
Mallory  &  Son.  He  was  retained  in  the  em- 
ploy of  this  new  concern,  and  there  remained 
until  the  formation  of  the  Mallory,  Son  &  Zim- 
merman Company.  In  this  house  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  partnership,  and  made  Secretary  of 
the  company.  When  this  corporation  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Mallory  Commission  Company, 
he  was  elected  Secretary  of  that  organization, 
which  responsible  position  he  yet  fills.  On 
October  8,  1883,  Mr.  Timms  was  married  to 
Miss  Mabel  A.  Branch,  at  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  two  daughters.  In 
private  life  Mr.  Timms  is  generous,  affable  and 
whole-souled,  richly  deserving  the  warm  regard 
and  genuine  respect  of  his  wide  circle  of 
friends. 

FRANK   BASSETT    TOBEY. 

Frank  Bassett  Tobey,  merchant  and  manu- 
facturer, was  born  at  Dennis,  Cape  Cod,  Mass., 
September  15,  1833.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Elder  William  Brewster,  of  the  Mayflower, 
and  Thomas  Prince,  Governor  of  Plymouth 
Colony.  The  farm  on  which  he  was  born  was 
awarded  by  Plymouth  Colony  to  his  an- 
cestor, Capt  Thomas  Tobey,  in  1675,  for  serv- 
ices rendered  in  the  King  Philip  War,  and 
has  been  in  the  family  ever  since  through  in- 
heritance, being  now  owned  by  Mr.  Tobey.  His 
mother  was  Rachel  Bassett,  whose  ancestor, 
William  Bassett,  came  to  America  in  the  ship 
Fortune,  the  next  ship  following  the  Mayflower. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  worked  on  the 
farm  in  summer  and  attended  school  in  winter 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  For  the 
next  five  years  he  held  a  position  as  clerk  in 
the  village  store  and  postoffice.  At  an  early  age 
he  became  interested  in  the  anti-slavery  move- 
ment, and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  when  the 
Republican  party  was  being  organized,  wrote 
the  call  and  served  as  secretary  for  the  first 
Republican  convention  ever  held  in  his  native 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ion 


town.  He  was  also  elected  delegate  to  the  State 
convention,  but  declined  on  account  of  his 
youth.  At  that  time  the  Republicans  were  rep- 
resented by  a  small  minority,  but  eight  years 
later  every  vote  in  the  town  was  cast  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln. 

In  1857  Mr.  Tobey  came  to  Chicago,  where, 
a  year  before,  his  brother  Charles  had  started  a 
furniture  business  on  State  Street,  south  of  Van 
Buren,  in  a  small  store  20  x  60  feet.  The  next 
year  the  partnership  of  Charles  Tobey  & 
Brother  was  formed,  and  their  store  room  space 
doubled  by  the  addition  of  the  adjoining  store. 
At  this  time  the  young  men  did  all  their  own 
work,  and  by  close  attention  made  the  business 
prosperous.  Their  conservatism  and  economical 
methods  enabled  them  to  weather  the  panic  of 
1857  to  1860.  The  large  increase  of  business  in 
1859  required  larger  accommodations,  which 
they  found  at  No.  72  State  Street.  They  after- 
wards removed  to  82  Lake  Street,  and,  in  1866, 
to  a  new  building  erected  especially  for  them  at 
77-79  State  Street,  being  business  pioneers  on 
that  thoroughfare.  In  1870  in  conection  with 
F.  Porter  Thayer,  they  organized  the  Thayer  & 
Tobey  Furniture  Company.  The  great  fire  of 
1871  destroyed  their  building  and  stock,  and,  in 
common  with  most  Chicago  firms,  they  suffered 
severe  loss.  With  characteristic  energy  they 
improvised  a  salesroom  at  their  west-side  fac- 
tory, which  had  escaped  destruction,  and  be- 
fore the  fire  had  ceased  its  ravages  they  had 
taken  an  order  to  furnish  the  Sherman  House 
(now  the  Gault),  which  order  was  completed  in 
seven  days.  In  1873  they  occupied  the  Clark 
building,  corner  of  State  and  Adams  Streets.  In 
1875  the  Tobey  Brothers  bought  out  Mr.  Thay- 
er's  interest  and  the  firm  name  was  changed 
to  The  Tobey  Furniture  Company,  Charles 
Tobey  being  President,  and  Frank  Vice-Presi- 
dent and  Manager.  In  March,  1888,  the  com- 
pany occupied  the  Drake  Building,  corner  of 
Wabash  Avenue  and  Washington  Street.  The 
manufacture  of  high-class  hand-made  furniture 
for  their  own  trade  is  a  feature  of  the  business, 
which  has  grown  beyond  anticipations,  the  qual- 
ity of  the  goods  produced  being  equal  to  any- 
thing in  the  world.  In  September,  1888,  Charles 
Tobey  died  and  Frank  became  President  of  the 
company.  In  1890  they  doubled  the  capacity  of 
their  ware  rooms  by  renting  the  adjoining  build- 
ing. 

Mr.  Tobey  has  thus  seen  the  business  of  the 
firm,  beginning  in  a  little  store  of  1,200  square 
feet  in  1857,  grow  to  its  present  magnificent 
proportions,  requiring  for  the  transaction  of 
its  business  143,000  square  feet  of  floor  space, 
and  its  trade  extending  to  every  State  and  Ter- 
ritory in  the  Union,  with  occasional  foreign 
shipments.  In  fact,  it  is  without  doubt  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  widely  known  furni- 
ture houses  in  the  world.  Mr.  Tobey  is  ably 
assisted  in  the  management  by  Mr.  A.  F.  Shiv- 
erick,  Vice-President,  and  Mr.  George  F.  Cling- 
man,  Manager.  Outside  his  business,  Mr.  Tobey 
has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  and  contributed 


largely  to  philanthropic  and  charitable  enter- 
prises. He  is  President  of  Board  of  Trustees 
of  Rush  Medical  College;  President  of  the 
Bureau  of  Justice;  President  of  Society  for 
Ethical  Culture,  and  Treasurer  and  Director 
of  Illinois  Children's  Home  and  Aid  Society. 
The  distinguished  qualities  in  Mr.  Tobey's  char- 
acter, and  which  have  won  for  him  universal 
respect,  are  his  integrity,  his  charitableness  and 
his  high  sense  of  justice. 

JAMES   J.   TOBIN, 

Captain  Engine  61,  Chicago  Fire  Department, 
was  born  in  Chicago,  December  19,  1856,  and 
educated  in  the  Haven  and  Jones  public  schools. 
After  leaving  school  he  worked  at  Reid's  Plan- 
ing Mill,  and  later  drove  a  team  for  himself. 
He  joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department  in  1877 
as  watchman  on  Engine  19,  and  was  assigned 
to  Engine  1,  as  pipeman;  was  promoted  to 
Lieutenant  and  transferred  to  Engine  10;  was 
promoted  to  a  Captaincy  January  3,  1891,  and 
transferred  to  Engine  61.  Captain  Tobin,  in 
common  with  his  fellow  firemen,  has  had  many 
hair-breadth  escapes,  among  them  one  when 
he  was  on  Engine  No.  1,  at  a  fire  in  Meyer's 
Mill,  on  Clinton  and  Mather  Streets,  where  he 
was  covered  with  debris  and  thought  to  be 
dead  for  about  ten  hours,  but  was  rescued,  hav- 
ing no  bones  broken.  He  was  laid  up,  however, 
for  several  weeks  in  consequence  of  injuries  re- 
ceived. At  the  Academy  of  Music  fire,  when 
over  the  scenery,  he  jumped  onto  the  stage  and 
was  slightly  injured.  He  was  thrown  from  his 
engine  by  a  collision  with  an  electric  car  at 
Fifty-seventh  Street  and  Wentworth  Avenue, 
and  was  badly  cut  on  his  face  and  eyes,  and 
laid  up  for  repairs  about  three  weeks. 

REV.  JAMES  TOMPKINS,  D.D., 
Superintendent  of  the  Congregational  Home 
Missionary  Society,  was  born  in  Galesburg, 
April  6,  1840.  His  father,  Deacon  Samuel  Tomp- 
kins,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Galesburg, 
111.,  being  a  member  of  the  committee  which 
came  from  New  York,  in  1835,  to  select  a  site 
for  an  institution  of  learning  and,  incidentally, 
to  establish  a  colony  in  the  "Wild  West."  The 
committee  entered  a  township  of  Government 
land  and  platted  a  village  in  its  center,  in  the 
name  of  Knoxville  College.  Tompkins  Street,  on 
which  is  located  the  Knox  Female  Seminary, 
is  named  in  honor  of  this  pioneer.  Samuel 
Tompkins  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
his  wife,  Mary  Grinnell,  was  born  at  Paris 
Hill,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y. 

James  Tompkins,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
spent  his  early  years  in  his  native  place,  study- 
ing in  the  public  schools  until  1854,  when  he 
entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Knox 
College  and  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
1862,  receiving  the  degree  Master  of  Arts  in 
course.  In  1867  he  graduated  from  the  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary,  and  in  1888  received  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
Illinois  College.  During  his  preparatory  and 


IOI2 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


college  courses,  he  maintained  himself  by  teach- 
ing, and  the  year  of  his  graduation,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two,  took  charge  of  the  Elmwood 
Academy  at  Elmwood,  111.,  continuing  here  two 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  a  regular  sys- 
tem of  graded  schools  having  been  established 
by  the  town,  the  Trustees  of  the  Academy  de- 
cided to  merge  the  institution  into  the  Public 
High  School.  The  organization  of  the  graded 
and  the  establishment  of  the  High  School  was 
a  task  assigned  to  Mr.  Tompkins,  and  faith- 
fully carried  out  by  him. 

While  he  was  a  student  at  Knox  College  the 
call  of  President  Lincoln  was  issued  for  75,000 
men  to  put  down  the  rebellion,  and  a  company 
was  enlisted  at  the  college,  Mr.  Tompkins  be- 
ing among  the  first  to  volunteer.  As  there 
were  so  many  enlisting  throughout  the  State, 
the  Captain  went  to  Springfield  to  urge  the  ac- 
ceptance of  the  company  by  Gov.  Yates,  but  the 
mission  was  unsuccessful,  and  thus  several  good 
soldiers  were  spoiled  in  the  making  of  some 
good  ministers.  After  resigning  his  position, 
in  June,  1864,  he  was  enabled  to  give  his  serv- 
ices to  the  country  by  joining  the  United  States 
Christian  Commission,  which  did  such  valuable 
work  for  the  "boys  in  blue,"  in  camp,  in  hos- 
pital and  on  the  battlefield.  He  remained  in 
the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Mr.  Tompkins  was  ordained  to  the  work  of 
Gospel  ministry,  April  24,  1867,  in  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Prospect  Park  (now  Glen 
Ellyn),  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the 
Congregational  pastorate,  serving  jointly  the 
church  at  Prospect  Park  and  the  First  Church 
of  Christ  in  Babcock's  Grove  (now  Lombard), 
111.  On  visiting  Minnesota  for  rest  and  re- 
cuperation, he  was  engaged  as  stated  supply  of 
the  Congregational  Church  at  St.  Cloud,  and 
from  there  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  Minneapolis. 
After  three  years'  residence  in  Minnesota,  he 
found  it  necessary  to  seek  a  milder  climate; 
so  he  resigned  his  charge  at  Minneapolis,  and 
accepted  a  call  from  the  Congregational  Church 
at  Kewanee,  111.;  serving  as  pastor  there  over 
six  years.  He  was  chosen  by  the  General  Con- 
gregational Association  of  Illinois,  in  May,  1878, 
after  several  ballotings.  General  Superintendent 
of  the  Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society 
of  Illinois,  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his 
office  in  July,  with  headquarters  at  Illinois, 
and  is  still  occupying  that  position.  He  has 
introduced  several  new  methods  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  work  and  awakened  a  deeper  in- 
terest and  more  hearty  co-operation  in  all  the 
Churches,  the  most  important  of  which  was 
the  employment  of  able  men  as  State  evange- 
lists. 

Mr.  Tompkins  was  married  in  Oak  Park,  111., 
to  Miss  Ella  A.  Kelley,  on  September  8,  1869, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz: 
Roy  James,  Mabel  Ellen,  William  C.  and  Seeley 
Kelley. 

JOHN  R.   TOWLE. 

Great  results  frequently  have  their  inception 


in  small  beginnings.  The  monarch  of  the  for- 
est has  its  beginning  in  the  tiny  acorn,  and 
the  majestic  river,  broad  of  bosom  and  swift  of 
current,  has  its  origin  in  the  mountain  spring. 
So  in  the  world  of  human  life  and  effort,  "the 
race  is  not  always  to  the  swift  nor  the  battle 
to  the  strong,"  and  in  democratic  America,  the 
poor  farmer's  boy,  unaided  by  aught  save 
brains,  honesty,  perseverance  and  pluck,  not 
infrequently  becomes  the  millionaire.  John  R. 
Towle  was  born  upon  a  farm  near  Jackson, 
Mich.,  Nov.  5,  1842,  but  after  reaching  the  age 
of  eleven  years,  was  reared  in  Wisconsin,  grow- 
ing to  manhood  in  the  counties  of  Juneau  and 
Walworth.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  he 
was  a  student  at  Point  Bluff  College,  when  his 
patriotic  impulses  prompted  him  to  lay  aside 
his  books  and  enlist  in  Company  K,  of  the 
Sixth  Wisconsin  Infantry  commanded  by  Rufus 
R.  Dawes.  This  regiment,  under  command  of 
Colonel  Culler,  formed  a  part  of  the  famous 
"Iron  Brigade"  lead  by  General  George  Gib- 
bons, later  by  Gen.  E.  H.  Bragg,  through  many 
a  hard  fought  campaign.  As  the  result  of  a 
severe  wound  received  at  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  Mr.  Towle  was  honorably  discharged 
on  January  1,  1863. 

Returning  to  Wisconsin,  he  took  a  course  in 
the  Milwaukee  Commercial  College,  and,  on  New 
Year's  Day  of  1864,  opened  a  general  store  at 
Mauston,  the  county-seat  of  Juneau  County,  but 
removed  to  Sparta  in  the  spring  of  1865.  Owing 
to  the  rapid  decline  of  merchandise  after  the 
close  of  the  war,  financial  disaster  overtook 
him  and,  in  two  years,  he  was  forced  to  make 
an  assignment.  He  met  an  indebtedness  of 
$66,000  by  a  payment  of  ninety-five  cents  on 
the  dollar,  and,  on  May  10,  1866,  found  him- 
self in  Chicago,  with  a  cash  capital  of  not  more 
than  ninety  dollars.  Within  three  days'  he 
found  employment  with  W.  F.  Foster  &  Com- 
pany, wholesale  dealers  in  notions,  with  whom 
he  remained  for  two  years.  He  then  spent  a 
year  with  S.  D.  Jackson  &  Company,  and  three 
years  with  D.  W.  &  A.  Keith,  and  in  1873  en- 
gaged with  the  wholesale  house  of  Carson,  Pirie, 
Scott  &  Co.,  as  general  salesman,  continuing  in 
their  employ  for  eighteen  years.  Meanwhile 
Mr.  Towle  had  invested  largely  in  real  estate 
in  Woodlawn  and  Hyde  Park,  time  having  since 
abundantly  justified  his  business  judgment. 
When  he  first  went  to  reside  in  Woodlawn  in 
1882,  the  little  suburb  could  boast  of  a  popu- 
lation scarcely  exceeding  one  hundred  'inhabit- 
ants per  square  mile.  He  has  had  his  home 
there  long  enough  to  see  the  population  grow 
to  40,000,  streets  paved,  an  admirable  system 
of  sewerage  constructed,  vastly  improved  trans- 
portation introduced,  and  numerous  other  im- 
provements made.  In  the  promotion  of  all 
these  reforms  he  has  been  an  active  and  ef- 
ficient factor. 

Mr.  Towle  is  a  member  of  George  H.  Thomas 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  of  the  Western  Division  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was  the  founder 
of  the  Woodlawn  Park  Club,  serving  as  Presi- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1013 


dent  the  first  two  terms  after  organization. 
Mr.  Towle's  wife's  maiden  name  was  Mary  N. 
Thompson.  They  were  married  at  Mauston, 
Wis.,  on  January  1,  1864,  and  have  been  the 
parents  of  three  sons,  and  one  daughter.  Only 
the  daughter  now  survives.  Mr.  Towle  is  a 
Republican,  having  cast  his  first  vote  for  Lin- 
coln in  186,4,  and  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  affairs  of  his  party  ever  since. 

CHARLES  CORNING  TURNER. 

Charles  C.  Turner  (deceased)  was  born  in 
New  York  City  December  6,  1854,  the  son  of 
Moses  and  Helen  (Fitzgerald)  Turner.  His 
father  was  a  commission  merchant,  and,  for  a 
time,  a  hotel-keeper  near  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  and 
related  by  descent  to  the  Corning  family,  of 
which  Erastus  Corning  of  Albany  was  a  con- 
spicuous member.  Mr.  Turner  was  the  only 
child  of  his  parent's  family  who  lived  to  ma- 
turity, and  his  mother  having  died  when  he 
was  eleven  years  of  age,  and  his  father  hav- 
ing become  partially  paralyzed  soon  after,  he 
afterwards  devoted  his  entire  time  to  the  care 
of  the  latter  until  his  (the  father's)  death, 
which  occurred  when  the  son  had  about  reached 
his  majority.  As  a  consequence  the  son  had 
little  opportunity  of  acquiring  an  education  in 
the  schools,  but  gained  much  general  informa- 
tion by  wide  reading  and  by  travel  with  his 
invalid  father.  After  his  father's  decease,  Mr. 
Turner  conducted  a  small  store  for  some  time 
in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  but  about  1880  came  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  obtained  his  first  employment 
with  the  Durham  Tobacco  Company,  first  as 
office  man,  a  few  months  later  being  promoted 
to  the  position  of  bookkeeper,  for  which  he 
had  qualified  himself  by  study  and  by  obser- 
vation while  in  the  employ  of  the  firm.  The 
Durham  Company  having  removed  from  Chi- 
cago, Mr.  Turner  next  entered  into  the  employ- 
ment as  bookkeeper  for  Baker  &  Smith,  dealers 
in  steam-heating  apparatus,  later  becoming  a 
partner  in  the  concern  and  holding  the  position 
of  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  company. 
This  firm  having  been  dissolved  in  1887,  he 
remained  out  of  employment  for  a  time,  but 
soon  after  became  connected  with  the  firm  of 
Deming  &  Gould,  jobbers  and  commission  mer- 
chants, first  as  bookkeeper  and  still  later  as 
general  manager,  retaining  this  position  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  During  the  progress 
of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  Mr.  Turner 
was  appointed  Consul  for  the  Republic  of  Uru- 
guay, South  America,  for  the  States  of  Ohio, 
Missouri  and  Illinois,  and .  in  this  capacity  he 
continued  to  act  up  to  the  date  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Turner  was  twice  married,  first  to  Julia 
Hatch,  who  bore  him  one  daughter,  Helen  B. 
His  second  marriage  occurred  October  3,  1893, 
with  Laura  E.  Bradford,  daughter  of  William 
A.  and  Anna  E.  (Norton)  Bradford,  of  Chicago, 
and  by  this  marriage  there  are  three  children: 
Christabel  Corning,  born  December  25,  1895; 
Charles  Maynard,  born  July  22,  1900,  and 
Margaret  Elizabeth,  born  August  8,  1903.  In 


his  political  relations  Mr.  Turner  was  a  Re- 
publican, and  was  also  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church.  Fraternally  he  was 
deeply  interested  in  Masonry,  being  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason,  and  member  of  Golden 
Rule  Lodge  No.  126,  Oriental  Consistory.  He 
was  prominent  in  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity,  in 
which  he  held  a  number  of  important  offices; 
was  also  identified  with  various  social  clubs  and 
other  organizations  in  the  suburbs  in  which  he 
lived,  although  his  greatest  enjoyment  was  in 
his  home  life.  Exceptionally  genial  in  dispo- 
sition, he  formed  many  warm  friendships 
among  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact, 
while  a  strongly  sympathetic  nature,  made  him 
a  liberal  contributor  to  all  deserving  charities 
which  appealed  to  him  for  support.  Mr.  Tur- 
ner's decease  occurred  at  his  home  in  Chicago, 
July  29,  1903,  the  interment  taking  place  at 
Forest  Home  Cemetery,  August  1,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

CORNELIUS  VANDERHOVEN, 
Mechanical  Engineer,  Chicago  Avenue  Pumping 
Station,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Amsterdam,  Hol- 
land, December  18,  1852,  and  educated  in  the 
district  schools  until  he  came  to  Chicago  in 
1863,  when,  after  attending  the  Skinner  public 
school  for  two  weeks,  he  commenced  work  in 
a  planing  mill  on  Mather  Street.  He  was  later 
employed  in  different  kinds  of  business  until 
he  went  on  the  lakes  in  1870,  continuing  there 
until  1880.  In  the  spring  of  1881  he  engaged 
in  the  teaming  business  for  himself,  and  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  became  connected  with 
the  Chicago  Avenue  Pumping  Works,  helping 
to  clean  out  the  original  tunnel  in  the  winter 
of  1881  and  1882.  When  that  work  was  com- 
pleted he  worked  as  oiler  until  September,  1888, 
when  he  was  promoted  as  assistant  engineer. 
In  April,  1889,  he  was  discharged  by  Mayor 
Cregier  for  political  reasons.  During  the  time 
he  worked  for  the  city  he  was  absent  from 
duty  only  two  days,  this  being  on  account  of 
illness.  After  this  he  was  in  different  kinds 
of  business  until  August  8,  1895,  when  he  re- 
turned to  the  North  Side  pumping  works  and 
started  in  as  coal-passer;  later  took  three  ex- 
aminations of  different  grades,  passing  the  fifth 
grade  August  4,  1897,  and  two  weeks  later  was 
assigned  to  the  Electric  Light  Station  as  assist- 
ant engineer,  remaining  there  until  March  1, 
1898.  On  April  2,  1898,  he  became  connected 
with  the  North  Side  Pumping  Works  as  As- 
sistant Engineer,  where  he  has  remained  up  to 
the  present  time  as  Mechanical  Engineer.  Mr. 
Vanderhoven  was  married  in  Chicago,  March 
16,  1895,  to  Miss  Eva  Freeland. 

JOHN  H.  VAN  HOUSEN. 
John  H.  Van  Housen,  President  Steu- 
ben  County  Wine  Company,  was  born  in 
Bath,  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  December 
24,  1826,  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
of  Central  New  York,  and  on  leaving  school 
was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  L.  C.  Whiting's  dry- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


goods  store,  at  Bath,  N.  Y.,  four  years  later  (in 
1847)  being  admitted  to  partnership  under  the 
firm  name  of  Whiting  &  Van  Housen.  This  as- 
sociation continued  until  1860,  when  Mr.  Van 
Housen  withdrew  to  engage  in  the  wine  and 
liquor  business  at  Bath,  N.  Y.,  where  the  Steu- 
ben  County  Wine  Company  was  established  in 
1869,  removing  to  Jackson,  Mich.,  in  1872,  and 
to  Chicago  in  1876,  when  the  Steuben  County 
Wine  Company  was  incorporated  by  John  H., 
B.  T.  and  H.  L.  Van  Housen  as  stockholders 
and  incorporators,  with  a  capital  of  $200,000,  J. 
H.  Van  Housen  being  chosen  President,  B.  T. 
Van  Housen,  Secretary,  and  H.  L.  Van  Housen, 
Treasurer.  The  company  was  first  located  at 
220  Wabash  Avenue,  and  has  since  made  three 
removals,  each  time  to  a  larger  store  on  ac- 
count of  increasing  business,  being  now  located 
in  their  elegant  store,  210-212  Madison  Street, 
which  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  complete 
establishments  of  its  kind  in  the  wholesale 
trade.  The  house  carries  a  very  large  stock 
of  strictly  American  made  goods,  of  the  purest 
and  best  quality.  The  prediction  made  by  Mr. 
Van  Housen  years  ago,  that,  owing  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  American  climate  and  the  varied 
kinds  of  grapes,  America  would  excel  the  world 
in  the  manufacture  of  pure  wines,  brandies, 
champagne  and  whisky,  has  been  verified,  and 
the  public  now  realize  that  the  American  prod- 
uct, in  every  respect,  is  as  good  as  the  foreign 
and  of  purer  quality.  The  business  of  the  Steu- 
ben County  Wine  Company  in  this  line  of  goods 
is  large  and  constantly  on  the  increase. 

Mr.  Van  Housen  was  married  in  Naples,  On- 
tario County,  N.  Y.,  on  Jan.  12,  1854,  to  Miss 
Charlotte  A.  Torrey,  and  they  have  been  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Beach  Torrey,  Harry 
L.,  and  Charles  L.,  the  youngest  being  deceased. 
Mr.  Van  Housen's  remarkable  success  in  busi- 
ness is  attributable,  in  part,  to  the  efficient  co- 
operation of  his  two  sons,  who  are  actively  as- 
sociated with  him  in  its  management;  as  also 
to  his  native  sagacity,  sound  business  judgment 
and  tireless  energy,  coupled  with  a  frank,  genial 
and  generous  temperament  that  wins  him  many 
friends. 

GEORGE  B.  VAN  NORMAN. 

It  is  not  easy  to  limit  the  possible  achieve- 
ments of  unflagging  energy,  when  directed  by 
keen  intelligence  and  a  capacity  for  broad  grasp 
of  affairs.  Commercial  foresight  and  business 
tact,  quickness  of  perception  and  alertness  of 
action,  when  joined  to  sagacity  and  persever- 
ance, rarely  fail  to  leave  their  impress  upon 
the  great,  throbbing  heart  of  the  world  of  trade. 
For  the  man  endowed  with  these  qualities, 
business  success  means  intellectual  and  moral 
triumph. 

Looking  back  upon  a  life  of  fifty-eight  years, 
with  physical  and  mental  vigor  unimpaired,  Mr. 
George  B.  Van  Norman  may  well  experience  the 
feeling  of  pride  that  comes  to  a  victor.  He  first 
saw  the  light  upon  a  Chemung  County  (N.  Y.) 
farm,  November  25,  1842.  When  he  was  a  boy 
of  thirteen  years,  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Polly 


(Park)  Van  Norman,  came  west,  settling  at 
Moscow,  Iowa  County,  Wis.  The  father  was 
descended  from  a  long  line  of  Knickerbocker 
ancestors,  while  his  mother  was  of  English  ex- 
traction. He  aided  his  father  upon  the  farm 
until  August  16,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  for 
three  years  as  a  private  in  the  Eighth  Wiscoo- 
sin  Infantry.  He  served  in  the  West,  was  twice 
wounded,  and  returned  a  First  Sergeant.  In 
1863  he  re-enlisted  for  the  war,  and  was  chosen 
Second  Lieutenant  of  his  old  company,  but  un- 
fortunately a  failure  to  fill  the  quota  prevented 
his  receiving  his  commission,  and  he  was  ap- 
pointed regimental  drill-master  for  new  re- 
cruits. At  the  close  of  hostilities  he  was  as- 
signed to  duty  in  the  Freedmen's  Bureau,  and 
on  September  16,  1865,  received  his  discharge 
at  Uniontown,  Ala.  He  was  in  forty-two  en- 
gagements, as  shown  by  the  history  of  his  regi- 
ment. 

After  spending  a  few  weeks  at  his  old  home 
at  Moscow,  he  went  to  Spring  Green,  Wis., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business. 
In  1866  he  began  shipping  live  stock  to  Chi- 
cago and  Milwaukee.  The  venture  was  profit- 
able and  proved  to  be  the  initiatory  step  in  his 
successful  business  career.  After  five  years  de- 
voted to  this  enterprise,  he  purchased  a  farm 
five  miles  from  Spring  Green  and  there  car- 
ried on  farming  as  well  as  the  business  of  a 
retail  butcher,  besides  continuing  his  shipments 
of  stock. 

In  1874  he  removed  to  Milwaukee,  where  he 
began  business  as  a  live-stock  commission  mer- 
chant. He  also  invested  in  real  estate  in  that 
city,  as  well  "as  in  what  is  now  South  Mil- 
waukee. The  latter  purchase  especially  demon- 
strated his  business  sagacity.  He  was  elected 
President  of  the  South  Milwaukee  Company, 
which  in  three  years  built  up  a  town  of  4,000 
inhabitants,  with  eight  large  factories,  either 
completed  or  in  process  of  construction.  Among 
these  enterprises  was  the  Eagle  Horse-Shoe 
Company,  organized  by  Mr.  Van  Norman  and 
capitalized  at  $150,000.  He  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  company  and  has  filled  that  office 
ever  since.  They  have  doubled  the  size  and 
capacity  of  the  plant  which,  when  completed, 
will  give  employment  to  five  hundred  men. 

He  came  to  Chicago  to  reside  in  1893,  and 
at  once  formed  a  partnership  with  A.  L.  Nickey 
and  J.  W.  Holmes,  the  style  of  the  firm  being 
G.  B.  Van  Norman  &  Company.  Mr.  Nickey 
had  entered  Mr.  Van  Norman's  employ  as 
bookkeeper  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  and 
has  been  associated  with  him  in  business  for 
twenty-three  years.  The  concern  has  its  main 
office  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  and  also  con- 
ducts a  Milwaukee  branch,  which  is  in  charge 
of  Mr.  Nickey.  In  1896  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  G.  B.  Van  Norman,  Shattuck,  Pax- 
son  &  Company.  In  1894,  Mr.  Van  Norman  en- 
gaged in  the  packing  business,  among  his  as- 
sociates being  Messrs.  William  Plankinton,  O. 
C.  Mason,  Fred  D.  Barrows,  D.  W.  Booth  and 
Jeremiah  Quinn.  The  venture  proved  success- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1015 


ful  and  the  enterprise  is  in  a  prosperous  con- 
dition. 

Mr.  Van  Norman's  family  has  consisted  of  his 
wife  and  three  daughters.  The  latter  are  now 
married  and  reside  in  Milwaukee,  and  to 
each  the  father  has  presented  a  handsome  home. 
Jennie  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Robert  C.  Brown; 
Alma,  now  Mrs.  Dr.  J.  T.  Stewart,  and  Lizzie, 
who  married  B.  C.  Wait,  Assistant  Secretary 
of  the  Milwaukee  Harvester  Works.  Mr.  Van 
Norman  is  a  member  of  E.  B.  Wolcott  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Milwaukee.  His 
first  vote  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln  while 
in  the  army  in  Mississippi,  and  he  has  since 
been  a  stanch  Republican.  He  has  been  ten- 
dered the  nomination,  in  Wisconsin,  for  Con- 
gress, but  his  business  induced  him  to  decline 
a  nomination  which  was  equivalent  to  an 
election. 

ALBERT  H.  VEEDER. 

This  eminent  corporation  lawyer,  whose 
standing  at  the  bar  is  second  to  that  of  no  other 
practitioner,  and  whose  reputation  extends  be- 
yond the  limits  of  Illinois,  was  born  in  Fonda, 
Montgomery  County,  N.  Y.,  on  April  1,  1844,  the 
son  of  Henry  and  Rachel  (Lancing)  Veeder. 
He  graduated  from  Union  College  in  1865,  and 
soon  after  came  to  Illinois,  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Galva,  where,  from  1866  until  1868, 
he  was  Superintendent  of  Schools.  During 
these  years  he  also  applied  himself  to  the  study 
of  law,  and  in  1868  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
For  six  years  he  practiced  his  profession  in 
the  rural  city,  but  in  1874  a  natural  ambition 
for  a  wider  field  prompted  him  to  come  to 
Chicago.  He  made  his  home  in  the  Town  of 
Lake,  and  served  as  attorney  for  the  town 
during  1874-76,  making  for  himself  a  brilliant 
and  enviable  record.  His  light  was  not  long 
permitted  to  remain  "hid  under  a  bushel,"  his 
broad  learning,  sound  judgment,  power  of  quick 
perception  and  signal  ability  soon  bringing  him 
a  large  and  wealthy  clientage.  The  great  cor- 
porations doing  business  in  Lake  were  among 
the  first  to  recognize  his  worth  and  avail  them- 
selves of  his  services.  Among  the  important 
companies  in  which  he  is  a  director  may  be 
named  the  Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit  Com- 
pany; the  Junction  Railway;  the  Stock  Yards 
Companies  of  St.  Louis,  St.  Joseph,  and  San 
Francisco;  the  Consumers'-  Cotton-Seed  Oil 
Company,  Swift  &  Company,  and  Libby,  McNeil 
&  Libby.  His  eldest  son,  Henry,  is  associated 
with  him  as  a  partner. 

In  private  life  Mr.  Veeder  is  frank,  genial 
and  of  unfailing  courtesy.  He  has  innumerable 
friends,  and  is  best  loved  by  those  who  know 
him  best.  He  belongs  to  the  Kenwood  and 
Chicago  Athletic  Clubs,  and  is  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar, a  Thirty-second  Degree  Mason,  and  a 
Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  in  religious  association  a 
Congregationalist. 

Mrs.  Veeder  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Isaac  C. 
Duryea,  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


Veeder  were  married  August  15,  1865,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  four  children. 

RICHARD  VOELKER. 

Richard  Voelker,  grocer,  River  View,  111., 
was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  in  1865,  but 
early  in  life  came  to  the  United  States,  finally 
settling  at  River  View,  where  he  conducts  a 
grocery  and  meat  market  business.  On  Oc- 
tober 28,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Ellen  Ru- 
dolph, born  in  1865,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Charles  Voelker.  August  26,  1893,  Mr.  Voelker 
was  appointed  Postmaster  at  River  View,  and 
this  position  he  has  continued  to  hold  to  the 
present  time.  In  politics,  Mr.  Voelker  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

JONAS   L.  WAFFLE. 

Jonas  L.  Waffle,  live-stock  commission  mer- 
chant and  salesman,  was  born  in  Elkhorn, 
Wis.,  August  15,  1852,  and  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  After  leaving  school  he  worked 
for  H.  S.  Bunker  in  an  elevator  and  lumber 
yard  at  Elkhorn,  from  1869  to  1872,  when  he 
came  to  Chicago  and  worked  for  his  original 
employer  until  the  firm  of  Bunker  &  Cochran 
was  organized  in  1876,  and  has  remained  with 
the  same  firm  up  to  the  present  time  (1904). 
He  is  considered  one  of  the  best  salesmen  at 
the  Union  Stock  Yards.  He  was  married  at 
Delavan,  Wis.,  January  11,  1873,  to  Miss  Bridget 
O'Donnell,  and  eight  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living,  and  there 
are  two  grandchildren. 

JAMES    WALLACE, 

Superintendent  Water  Pipe  Extension  Depart- 
ment, Chicago,  was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  May 
23,  1855,  attended  the  public  schools  in  his  na- 
tive city.  After  leaving  school  he  served  part 
of  his  time  at  the  boiler  making  trade  in  Os- 
wego, and,  after  coming  to  Chicago  in  August, 
1873,  completed  his  apprenticeship  at  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  shops, 
where  he  remained  until  he  entered  upon  the 
plumbing  business,  April  30,  1880.  He  was 
appointed  water  inspector  and  tapper  for  the 
village  of  Hyde  Park  in  April,  1881,  which 
title  was  changed  by  ordinance  in  1881  to 
Superintendent  of  Water  Pipe  Extension,  which 
position  he  continued  to  fill  (excepting  ten 
months  in  1885)  until  1887.  He  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  for  District  No. 
5  in  1880,  holding  that  position  until  1889.  He 
engaged  in  the  contracting  business,  laying 
water-mains  and  sewers,  in  which  he  continued 
until  August,  1894,  when  he  was  appointed 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  Water  Pipe  Ex- 
tension, and  held  that  position  until  June  30, 
1895.  He  then  returned  to  the  contracting 
business,  continuing  until  May,  1897,  when  he 
was  appointed  Superintendent  of  Special  Wa- 
ter Pipe  Extension,  for  the  purpose  of  laying 
a  large  system  of  main-feeders,  the  cost  of 
which  amounted  to  $1,117,210.75,  although  the 
work  was  not  completed  until  the  spring  of 


ioi6 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1898.  He  remained  in  this  employment  until 
October,  1898,  when  he  was  re-assigned  to  the 
position  of  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Wa- 
ter Pipe  Extension,  continuing  in  that  capacity 
until  November,  1899,  when  standing  highest 
on  the  eligible  list  of  those  who  had  taken 
the  civil-service  examination,  he  was  appointed 
Superintendent  of  Water  Pipe  Extension,  a 
position  which  he  now  holds. 
'  Mr.  Wallace  is  the  inventor  of  the  tripod 
pipe-derrick,  which  is  so  constructed  that  two 
men  can  easily  raise  from  five  to  ten  tons. 
The  derricks  have  worked  admirably  and  great- 
ly facilitated  the  work  of  pipe-laying.  The 
crank  axle  of  each  derrick  is  provided  with 
a  pair  of  ordinary  48-inch  wagon  wheels  in- 
stead of  cranks,  which  wheels,  when  slipped 
out  of  mesh  with  the  drum-gear,  are  used  in 
transporting  the  derrick  from  place  to  place. 
Since  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Wallace  to  his 
present  position  there  has  been  a  large  sav- 
ing in  the  operating  expense  of  his  department, 
which  goes  to  show  that  he  is  well  fitted  for 
the  important  position  held  by  him,  and  that 
his  efforts  are  rewarded  by  the  knowledge  that 
he  has  the  esteem  of  his  associates  and  friends. 
Mr.  Wallace  was  married  in  Chicago,  May  19, 
1878,  to  Miss  Catherine  E.  Hogan,  and  five 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  three  of 
whom  are  living. 

A.  MONTGOMERY  WARD. 
A.  Montgomery  Ward,  pioneer  in  the  system 
of  direct  sale  of  goods,  at  wholesale  prices,  to 
the  user  by  order  and  without  solicitation,  was 
born  in  New  Jersey  on  the  17th  day  of  February, 
1844,  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  com- 
menced his  present  business  in  a  small  room, 
18x20  feet,  on  Kinzie  Street,  Chicago,  in  1872. 
Two  men  and  one  boy  furnished  sufficient  help 
to  transact  the  business  that  came  from  the 
orders  received  direct  from  those  using  the 
goods,  as  the  proposition  was  to  sell  the  goods 
at  wholesale  prices  without  the  aid  of  travel- 
ing men.  The  first  year  the  sales  amounted 
to  only  a  few  thousand  dollars,  but  by  buying 
in  large  quantities  for  cash,  and  directly  from 
the  manufacturers  in  this  and  foreign  countries, 
the  business  has  increased  so  that  the  firm  of 
Montgomery  Ward  &  Co.  have  been  obliged-  to 
enlarge  their  sales  and  store-rooms  to  the  pres- 
ent mammoth  capacity,  which  gives  to  this 
concern  a  building  possessing  the  highest 
point  of  observation  in  Chicago.  This  is  one 
of  the  finest  mercantile  buildings  in  the  United 
States,  if  not  in  the  world,  having  a  total  floor- 
space  of  twenty-five  acres,  employing  two  thou- 
sand clerks  and  fifty  typewriters,  and  constant- 
ly carrying  a  stock  of  merchandise  valued  at 
$2,000,000.  From  a  few  hundred  timid  cus- 
tomers during  the  first  year,  who  spread  the 
news  of  the  treatment  received  by  "this  firm, 
the  number  now  on  their  books  reaches  over 
two  million.  This  result  has  been  achieved  by 
honest  dealings  with  their  customers,  and  the 
policy  of  guaranteeing  every  article  as  good  as 


represented,  and  agreeing,  if  not  found  satis- 
factory, to  allow  the  purchaser  either  to  ex- 
change the  goods  for  others,  or  to  refund  the 
purchase  money  if  preferred.  That  this  plan 
has  been  satisfactory  to  their  army  of  cus- 
tomers has  been  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that 
they  remain  as  permanent  buyers  when  any 
kinds  of  goods  are  wanted  by  them,  and  at 
a  saving  of  15  to  35  cents  on  the  dollar,  their 
sales  have  been  constantly  growing,  and,  at  the 
present  time,  amount  to  an  immense  sum  an- 
nually. This  large  business  has  not  been  done 
without  the  persistent  push  and  nerve,  for 
which  Chicago  dealers  are  noted,  the  world 
over,  in  connection  with  a  complete  system  of 
advertising  and  catalogue,  and  by  keeping  up 
to  date  with  the  wants  of  their  customers.  Chf- 
cago  is  greatly  indebted  to  her  many  keen  busi- 
ness men  for  her  prosperity  and  the  place  she 
occupies  as  the  second  city  in  the  United 
States,  and  to  none  more  so  than  to  Montgomery 
Ward. 

JAMES  WARD, 

Captain  Engine  No.  15,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Ballinakill,  County  Carlow, 
Ireland,  November  26,  1861,  was  educated  in 
the  local  schools,  and  after  leaving  school,  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  business  in  the  city 
of  Dublin.  Leaving  his  native  country  for 
America,  he  arrived  in  New  York  City,  May 
21,  1883,  then  went  to  Frankfort,  N.  Y.,  and, 
after  remaining  there  two  years,  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1885,  where  he  worked  for  Hibbard, 
Spencer,  Bartlett  &  Co.  for  nine  months.  He 
was  then  engaged  with  John  Howard,  hardware 
dealer,  and  later  with  the  Keeley  Brewing 
Company,  remaining  two  years.  November  2, 
1888,  he  joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department 
on  Engine  No.  1;  was  transferred  to  Hook  & 
Ladder  Company  No.  14,  December  31,  1888,  re- 
maining there  until  transferred  to  Truck  No.  9, 
in  1892;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant,  December 
31,  1892,  and  assigned  to  Engine  15;  July  1, 
1896,  was  transferred  to  Engine  31  and  pro- 
moted to  Captain;  after  which  he  was  succes- 
sively transferred  to  Engine  6,  January  9,  1897; 
to  Engine  38,  July  16,  1897;  and  to  Engine  15, 
May  1,  1900,  where  he  has  since  remained  on 
duty  and  always  ready  for  any  call  that  may 
come  'to  him.  Captain  Ward  was  always  on 
hand  at  all  the  large  fires  in  the  lumber  dis- 
trict, but  has  never  suffered  any  serious  ac- 
cidents. He  was  married  in  Chicago,  Septem- 
ber 14,  1890,  to  Miss  Frances  Soenes,  and  five 
children  have  blessed  their  union,  four  of 
whom  are 'now  living. 

JAMES   H.  WARD. 

James  H.  Ward,  a  successful  legal  practi- 
tioner of  Chicago,  was  born  in  that  city,  No- 
vember 30,  1853.  Attendance  at  the  public 
schools  during  boyhood  was  supplemented  by 
a  course  at  the  University  of  Notre  Dame,  Ind., 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1873.  On  leaving 
his  Alma  Mater,  he  matriculated  at  the  Union 
College  of  Law  in  Chicago,  graduating  in  1876. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1017 


He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  that  year,  and 
has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  active  practice. 
Mr.  Ward  takes  a  deep  interest  in  politics,  and 
has  been  frequently  honored  by  his  party.  In 
1879  he  was  elected  Supervisor  of  the  Town 
of  West  Chicago,  and  in  1884  was  a  candidate 
for  the  office  of  Presidential  Elector  on  the 
Democratic  ticket.  He  was  also  elected,  in 
1884,  a  member  of  the  Forty-ninth  Congress, 
from  the  Third  Illinois  District.  He  was  ten- 
dered the  nomination  for  Probate  Judge  of  Cook 
County  a  few  years  since,  but  declined  it. 

JAMES  RILEY  WARD. 

Mr.  Ward  is  one  of  the  well-known  mem- 
bers of  the  Chicago  bar  who  has  won  an  honor- 
able place  in  his  profession  by  the  employ- 
ment of  the  old-fashioned  methods  of  integrity 
and  honesty,  and  in  the  vigorous  attention  he 
gives  to  all  business  intrusted  to  his  care.  He 
adopted  and  utilized  these  methods  during  a 
period  of  thirty  years,  during  almost  twenty 
years  of  which  he  practiced  at  the  Carrollton 
bar  in  Southwestern  Illinois.  Mr.  Ward  was 
born  in  Madison  County,  111.,  May  7,  1851,  the 
son  of  McKinley  Ward.  He  was  trained  in  the 
local  schools,  and  received  a  liberal  education, 
graduating  from  Illinois  College,  Jacksonville, 
in  1873,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  Though  ab- 
sorbed in  his  profession,  he  is  well  informed 
and  still  retains  a  love  of  classical  literature, 
and  delights  in  the  communion  of  mind  that 
makes  delightful  the  Republic  of  Letters.  Mr. 
Ward  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  State  of 
Missouri,  in  February,  1874,  and  by  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Illinois,  in  June  of  the  same 
year,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1893.  Prior  to 
establishing  himself  in  Chicago,  he  had  con- 
ducted important  litigation  in  the  State  and 
Federal  Courts  of  Illinois,  Kansas,  Missouri, 
Arkansas,  Minnesota  and  Nebraska,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  bar  of  the  United  States  Cir- 
cuit Courts,  in  those  States.  In  1889  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States,  and  has  been  a  member  of 
the  bar  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Courts 
of  .the  Southern  and  Northern  Districts  of  Illi- 
nois since  1887.  His  success  as  a  lawyer  in 
Chicago  has  been  gradual  and  certain,  and  he 
has  built  up  and  retains  a  fine  practice,  hav- 
ing been  in  recent  years  employed  in  some  of 
the  most  celebrated  cases  of  the  city.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Democrat,  and  comes  of  Irish  de- 
scent. Mr.  Ward  lives  on  Diversey  Boulevard, 
near  Lincoln  Park,  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
residence  portions  of  Chicago,  in  a  handsome 
home  purchased  by  him  at  the  time  he  moved 
to  Chicago  in  1893.  He  is  one  of  the  Chicago 
lawyers  who  has  acquired  by  individual  efforts 
valuable  property  and  is  prepared  to  enjoy  life. 
His  two  daughters  reside  with  him,  his  wife 
having  died  April  3,  1902. 

SAMUEL  ARTHUR  WATERMAN,  M.  D. 
Samuel   A.   Waterman,   physician    and     sur- 
geon, Chicago,  was  born  in  Minonk,  111.,  June 


28,  1868,  the  son  of  Collins  P.  and  Lydia 
(Knowles)  Waterman,  natives  of  Otsego  County, 
N.  Y.,  and  Concord,  N.  H.,  respectively,  and 
the  great-great-grandson  of  Mr.  Young  of 
Revolutionary  War  fame;  while  his  grand- 
father, Hamilton  Waterman  (a  man  noted  for 
his  sterling  worth),  was  one  of  the  early  pro- 
moters of  railway  industry  in  New  York  State. 
Collins  P.  Waterman  served  four  years  during 
the  Civil  War  and  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Illinois.  His  son,  Samuel  Arthur 
Waterman,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the 
oldest  of  three  children.  Charles  Edgar  died 
in  Chicago,  November  24,  1899,  after  a  return 
from  a  perilous  trip  through  the  Klondyke  re- 
gion. John  Abbott,  the  third  child,  resides  in 
Chicago.  Mrs.  Waterman,  the  mother,  died 
December  25,  1874,  and  in  1877  the  father  re- 
married and  now  resides  in  Los  Angeles,  Gal., 
with  his  wife  and  daughter,  Mary  Edna.  In 
1877,  S.  A.  Waterman  completed  his  high  school 
education,  and  then  taught  near  Kappa,  Wood- 
ford  County,  111.,  for  twelve  months,  afterward 
going  to  Woodford,  in  the  same  County.  De- 
ciding at  length  to  study  medicine,  he  began 
his  preparatory  work  at  the  Northwestern 
University,  completing  his  course  in  1891.  En- 
tering the  department  of  medicine  at  the  Uni- 
versity, he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in 
1894.  Since  that  time  he  has  taken  post-grad- 
uate courses  in  the  New  York  Polyclinic  and 
in  the  New  York  Post  Graduate  Schools,  and 
has  further  pursued  his  scientific  investigations 
in  London,  Paris  and  Berlin. 

On  August  20,  1894,  Dr.  Waterman  was  mar- 
ried to  Lina,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary 
(Nostrand)  Dibbs,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Before 
her  marriage  Mrs.  Waterman  spent  two  years 
at  the  Oswego  Normal  School,  after  which  she 
entered  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Hospital  train- 
ing school  for  nurses  at  Brooklyn,  graduating 
from  this  institution  in  1891.  After  securing 
his  degree  Dr.  Waterman  settled  at  Auburn 
Park,  Chicago,  where  he  has  since  been  most 
successful  in  his  chosen  profession.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Waterman  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: Marion  Collins,  William  Layton  and 
Charles  Eugene.  The  doctor  belongs  to  the 
Chicago,  the  State  and  the  National  Medical 
Societies,  as  well  as  to  various  benevolent  or- 
ganizations. He  is  a  Republican  as  to  politics, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

CHARLES   H.   WATERS. 

Charles  H.  Waters,  Engineer  Fire-boat  "Yose- 
mite"  (Engine  No.  58),  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  New  York  City,  June  11, 
1857,  and  educated  in  the  public  school,  St. 
Mary's  Academy  and  Christian  Brothers'  School. 
After  leaving  school  he  served  his  time  as  an 
apprentice  with  the  Delemater  Iron  Works,  in 
which  the  celebrated  inventor,  Ericson,  was  a 
partner;  later  was  employed  on  tug-boats  on 
the  river,  finally  coming  to  Chicago,  May  5, 
1874.  Here  he  worked  for  a  time  for  Frazer  & 
Chalmers,  A.  Plamondon,  John  Davis  &  Co., 


ioi8 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


and  Robert  Tarrant;  then  went  on  the  lakes  as 
engineer  for  the  steamer  "Lawrence,"  and  later 
on  the  "Messenger"  (Graham  &  Morton  line) 
for  St.  Joseph,  Mich.,  until  he  joined  the  Fire 
Department,  October  10,  1879,  being  employed 
on  Engine  No.  6,  when  that  company  was  re- 
organized, as  Assistant-  Engineer.  He  was 
transferred  to  Engine  No.  23  in  July,  1880,  then 
to  Engine  31  (at  its  organization),  December 
3,  1880;  transferred  to  Engine  No.  5,  July,  1881; 
promoted  to  Engineer,  January  3,  1885,  and 
assigned  to  Engine  34  (when  organized),  Sep- 
tember 12,  1888;  transferred  to  fire-boat  "W. 
H.  Alley,"  the  name  of  which  was  later  changed 
to  "Chicago."  While  the  "Chicago"  was  be- 
ing repaired  he  was  assigned  to  the  "Parma- 
lee,"  but  on  December  3,  1891,  resumed  duty 
on  the  "Chicago."  May  16,  1893,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  "Yosemite,"  where  he  still  re- 
mains. Mr.  Waters  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Doonan  in  Chicago,  September  5,  1888,  and  three 
children  have  blessed  this  union. 

FIRE-BOAT  HISTORY. — The  fire-boat  "Yosemite" 
was  built  in  1890  by  Miller  Brothers  on  the 
North  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River.  Her  en- 
gine was  made  by  C.  R.  Elmes — length  107 
feet;  beam  25  feet,  tonnage  141  gross;  double 
engines  18x20,  developing  the  same  as  fire-boat 
"Geyser";  boiler  10  feet  in  diameter  and  16 
feet  long;  800  horse-power;  two  pumps,  with 
16%xl2  inches  stroke;  steam  and  water  cylin- 
ders, 9^x12;  capacity  9,000  gallons;  will  throw 
ten  two-inch  streams,  or  eighteen  ordinary  1*4- 
inch  nozzle,  equal  to  the  same  number  of  fire- 
engine  streams;  twelve  1%-inch  streams,  of  4- 
inch  torrent  revolving  standpipe,  600  feet  in- 
spirator and  donkey  pump;  has  3,000  feet  3%- 
inch  hose;  can  throw  a  3%-inch  stream  400 
feet;  4%-inch  streams  150  feet  each;  with 
standpipe  working  at  3%  inches;  draws  12 
feet  of  water  and  has  a  speed  of  16  miles  per 
hour;  has  steam  steering  apparatus,  which  can 
be  reversed  from  one  side  to  the  other  in  nine 
seconds;  is  allowed  125  pounds  of  steams;  has 
filter  recommended  by  the  United  States'  Gov- 
ernment Inspector,  Stewart  H.  Moore,  which 
is  a  success  in  keeping  scales  from  the  boiler 
and  equalizing  the  temperature  in  the  leg  of 
the  boiler.  On  January  14,  1899,  when  the  fire- 
boat  "Illinois"  went  into  service,  the  "Yose- 
mite" was  assigned  to  Engine  58,  to  take  the 
place  of  the  fire-boat  "Chicago,"  while  the  lat- 
ter was  being  repaired.  The  fire-boat  "Yose- 
mite" has  had  a  number  of  narrow  escapes,  one 
of  these  occurred  on  September  24,  1894,  when 
in  responding  to  a  special  call  from  box  1511 
(E.  R.  Beck's  lumber  yards,  South  Chicago), 
on  leaving  the  harbor  everything  was  made 
fast  and  port-holes  closed,  as  a  gale  was  blow- 
ing from  the  southwest.  In  order  to  avoid  a 
reef  at  Morgan's  Pier,  near  Fifty-eighth  Street, 
the  boat  headed  out  into  the  lake.  When  about 
one  and  a  half  miles  from  shore  and  one  mile 
south  of  the  Sixty-eighth  Street  Crib,  the  boat 
sprang  a  leak  and,  within  ten  minutes  after 
the  life-boat  had  rescued  the  officers  and  crew, 


it  sank.  The  "Yosemite"  was  afterwards  raised 
and  again  placed  in  service.  At  the  Armour 
Elevator  fire  she  plowed  her  way  through  the 
debris  and  was  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight,  and, 
at  one  time,  could  not  be  seen  for  the  smoke 
and  fire;  but  she  came  out,  doing  excellent  serv- 
ice. She  was  also  in  the  S.  K.  Martin  lumber 
fire,  doing  good  service  there,  and  when 
through  at  that  fire,  saved  the  Santa  Fe  Eleva- 
tor from  burning;  also  had  a  very  narrow  es- 
cape from  falling  walls  at  the  Northwestern 
Elevator  fire,  on  August  5,  1897.  The  "Yose- 
mite" has  worked  at  six  different  elevator  fires 
and  two  hardwood  lumber-yard  fires,  and  at  the 
largest  "down-town"  fires  that  have  occurred 
during  the  last  eight  years,  where  she  could 
be  utilized. 

ENGINE  58,  FIRE-BOAT  "CHICAGO." — The  fire- 
boat  "Alpha"  having  been  deemed  unsatisfac- 
tory, the  City  Council  authorized  the  purchase 
of  the  powerful  tug  "W.  H.  Alley,"  and  the 
pumps  were  transferred  from  the  "Alpha"  to 
the  "Alley,"  and  the  latter  was  placed  in  com- 
mission December  31,  1886.  In  1887,  the  fire- 
boat  was  overhauled,  the  old  pumps  were  re- 
placed by  two  new  and  more  powerful  ones 
(size  10x12x6),  and  the  name  changed  to  "Chi- 
cago." This  boat  is  91  feet  long  over  all,  20 
feet  beam,  with  eight  feet  draft,  and  was  again 
rebuilt  in  1891,  assigned  as  "Engine  58"  and 
stationed  at  South  Chicago.  It  was  again  re- 
built in  1900  (entirely  new  except  engine  and 
pumps)  and  took  the  place  of  the  "Yosemite" 
November  2,  1900.  The  "Chicago"  carries  140 
pounds  of  steam,  has  a  boiler  14  feet  long  by 
8  feet  in  diameter,  plate  one-half  inch  thick; 
two  pumps,  10x12x6  pumping  engines  6x12, 
single  or  double;  a  single  engine,  18^-inch,  22- 
inch  stroke,  which  develops  400  horse-power; 
has  four  two-inch  streams  which  can  be  thrown 
250  feet;  eleven  l^-inch  streams,  which  can 
be  thrown  150  feet;  and  one  3-inch  stream, 
which  can  be  thrown  350  feet. 

ELIAS  T.  WATKINS. 

Elias  T.  Watkins,  banker  and  sterling  busi- 
ness man,  for  over  fifty  years  an  important  fac- 
tor in  financial  circles  in  the  city  of  Chicago, 
was  born  in  Milton,  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,May  17, 
1816.  After  attending  the  public  schools  at  Au- 
burn and  Seneca  Falls,  in  his  early  youth  he 
went  to  Brockport,  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  spent  two  years  as  clerk  in  the  dry-goods 
store  of  Bristol  &  McKnight.  In  1836,  return- 
ing to  Seneca  Falls,  he  re-entered  school  there, 
supporting  himself  on  the  money  which  he  had 
earned  while  employed  as  a  clerk.  He  then 
returned  to  Brockport,  and  again  entered  into 
the  service  of  his  former  employers,  Bristol 
&  McKnight,  remaining  two  years,  when  he  ac- 
cepted employment  as  a  salesman  in  the  dry- 
goods  establishment  of  William  McKnight  & 
Co.,  at  Rochester,  continuing  with  this  firm  un- 
til 1845,  when  he  became  a  partner.  Two  years 
later,  having  earned  a  considerable  sum  of 
money,  he  withdrew  from  the  firm  of  McKnight 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1019 


&  Company,  and,  removing  to  Chicago,  organ- 
ized the  importing  firm  of  Eddy,  Brackett  & 
Watkins,  which  continued  in  existence  for  a 
period  of  eleven  years.  In  1859  Mr.  Watkins 
became  associated  with  John  B.  Turner,  who, 
next  to  William  B.  Ogden,  was  the  most  in- 
fluential factor  in  the  development  of  railroad 
enterprises  connected  with  the  history  of  Chi- 
cago, and  which  have  contributed  to  so  large 
an  extent  to  the  growth  of  the  city.  This  con- 
nection led  to  the  construction  of  the  street  rail- 
way on  North  Clark  Street,  which  was  one  of 
the  first  street-car  lines  put  in  operation  in  the 
city  of  Chicago.  About  the  same  time  he  be- 
came interested  in  the  Chicago  Gas  Light  & 
Coke  Company,  which  proved  a  most  profitable 
investment.  In  this  company  he  finally  became 
one  of  the  most  extensive  stockholders  and,  for 
a  time,  served  as  President  of  the  company. 

In  October,  1864,  Mr.  Watkins  became  an  ex- 
tensive stockholder  in  the  Merchants'  Loan  & 
Trust  Company,  one  of  the  oldest,  as  well  as 
the  largest  financial  institutions  in  the  city  of 
Chicago,  with  which  he  was  prominently  iden- 
tified for  the  rest  of  his  life.  During  the  same 
year  he  was  made  a  director  of  the  company,  a 
position  which  he  continued  to  occupy  up  to 
the  date  of  his  death.  Mr.  Watkins  was  also 
an  extensive  stockholder  in  the  Edison  Electric 
Lighting  Company,  which  has  had  a  notable 
career  in  connection  with  the  development  of 
city  interests  and  enterprises,  and  for  one  year 
held  the  position  of  President  of  the  company. 
He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Chicago 
Historical  Society. 

On  August  3,  1842,  Mr.  Watkins  was  married 
at  Brockport,  N.  Y.,  to  Amanda  Angeline 
Downs,  who  came  to  Chicago  with  her  husband 
in  1848,  and  they  spent  their  lives  on  the  North 
Side,  their  residence  during  their  latter  years 
being  at  148  Rush  Street.  In  August,  1902,  they 
celebrated  the  sixtieth  anniversary  of  their 
marriage.  Mrs.  Watkins'  death  occurred  at 
their  Chicago  home  from  an  attack  of  pneu- 
monia, October  24,  1903,  preceding  that  of  her 
husband  by  less  than  two  months.  Mr.  Wat- 
kins'  death,  which  occurred  December  16,  1903, 
was  the  result  of  an  accident  occasioned  by  a 
fall  on  a  stairway  in  his  own  home. 

Singularly  reticent  and  unobtrusive  in  tem- 
perament, Mr.  Watkins  combined  a  geniality  of 
manner  in  his  intercourse  with  his  more  inti- 
mate friends  with  a  conservativeness  and  self- 
control  in  matters  of  business,  and  to  these 
qualities  are  to  be  traced  his  uniform  success 
in  life.  With  these  traits  he  united  a  strict 
integrity,  which  won  for  him  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  was  brought 
in  business  or  social  relations  throughout  his 
career  of  over  half  a  century  in  the  city  of 
Chicago. 

RANKIN  WAUGH. 

The  Union  Stock  Yards  are  the  center  of 
most  interesting  business  activities  and  of  op- 
erations on  a  bewildering  scale  of  magnitude. 
The  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills  and  vast  plains 


of  the  Great  West  are  slowly  moving  to  this 
market.  Here  are  prepared  foods  for  all  the 
world,  and  from  here  go  forth  to  the  East  and 
to  Europe,  train  loads  of  live  stock  daily.  On 
such  a  field  of  action  only  strong  men  can  hold 
their  place,  and  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  those 
who  rise  to  the  surface  and  become  prominent 
are  unusually  able  and  gifted  characters. 
Among  such  men,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  fitly 
holds  an  honored  place. 

Rankih  Waugh  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
County,  Pa.,  in  1850,  and  was  brought  to 
Bureau  County,  111.,  by  his  parents,  when  only 
six  months  old.  His  education  was  secured 
at  Lombard  University,  Galesburg,  111.,  and  it 
is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he  made  the  most 
of  the  splendid  opportunities  there  afforded. 
He  shows  in  himself  the  value  of  a  Pennsyl- 
vania heredity  of  character  and  moral  fiber, 
broadened  and  strengthened  by  his  life  in  the 
Great  West.  Reared  on  a  farm,  Mr.  Waugh 
naturally  took  a  deep  interest  in  live  stock, 
displaying  such  an  excellent  judgment  in  ev- 
erything that  related  to  that  noble  activity, 
that  it  almost  inevitably  became  his  life-work. 
In  1872  he  came  to  Chicago,  and,  connecting 
himself  with  the  live-stock  firm  of  R.  P.  &  M. 
Conger,  soon  acquired  a  thoroughly  practical 
knowledge  of  every  line  of  his  work  as  it  was 
conducted  at  the  Stock  Yards.  In  1873  he 
founded  the  firm  of  Waugh  Brothers,  which 
had  an  honorable  and  successful  career  for 
twenty  years.  In  1893  Mr.  Waugh  assumed  ex- 
clusive control,  and  since  that  time  has  done 
business  in  his  own  name.  Every  detail  of 
the  work  is  familiar  to  him,  and  he  sells  hogs, 
cattle  and  sheep  as  they  may  arrive  on  the 
market,  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  his  pa- 
trons. Personally  he  is  courteous  and  oblig- 
ing, treating  his  customers'  interests  as  his 
own,  and  has  ever  manifested  unswerving  in- 
tegrity and  high  principle  in  all  his  dealings 
with  the  world.  He  enjoys  life  to  its  fullest 
extent,  and  has  troops  of  friends,  who  look  with 
pride  on  his  creditable  record  as  a  live-stock 
commission  merchant.  Mr.  Waugh  was  married 
June  6,  1900,  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Fox,  by  whom 
he  has  had  one  daughter,  Janice  Elizabeth 
Waugh,  born  August  16,  1901. 

WILLIAM  W.  WEATHERSTONE. 
William  W.  Weatherstone,  son  of  Edward 
and  Jane  (Parr)  Weatherstone,  was  born  in 
Oxford,  England,  March  28,  1832.  Edward 
Weatherstone  was  an  officer  of  the  British  Navy, 
who  was  forced  to  retire  on  account  of  ill-health 
subsequent  to  the  War  of  1812,  afterward  en- 
gaging in  trade  as  a  merchant.  William  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  place  and,  at  the  age  of  nineteen, 
entered  the  employ  of  a  silver-smith  in  London. 
Emigrating  to  America  in  1853,  he  first  settled 
in  Boston,  where  he  continued  in  the  silver- 
smithing  business.  From  1863  to  1870  he  was 
located  successively  in  Wisconsin,  St.  Louis 
and  Chicago,  in  the  latter  year  engaging 


I02O 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


in  the  silver-plating  business  for  himself  at 
Aurora,  111.,  where  he  did  most  of  the  plating 
for  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad. 
In  1875  he  settled  at  La  Grange,  Cook  County, 
establishing  there  a  manufactory  of  solid  silver- 
ware under  the  firm  name  of  W.  W.  Weather- 
stone  &  Son,  James  P.,  his  son,  being  his  as- 
sociate. In  1888  he  retired  from  the  firm,  his 
son  continuing  the  business.  Since  that  time 
Mr.  Weatherstone  has  resided  in  La  Grange, 
a  well-known  and  highly  respected  citizen.  He 
has  been  a  life-long  Democrat  and,  though  not 
a  seeker  for  political  preferment,  his  opinions 
on  party  affairs  are  of  weight  and  influence.  In 
1853  he  married  Martha  Dolding,  a  native  of 
Kent,  England,  and  ten  children  were  born  to 
them,  but  none  are  now  living,  James  P.,  his 
last  surviving  son,  having  died  November  27, 
1902. 

JAMES  P.  WEATHERSTONE. 

James  Parr  Weatherstone  (deceased),  late 
Postmaster  and  well-known  business  man  of 
LaGrange,  111.,  was  born  in  East  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  October  21,  1854,  the  son  of  William  W. 
and  Martha  (Dolding)  Weatherstone;  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Boston,  St.  Louis 
and  Chicago,  and  on  completion  of  his  educa- 
tion, learned  the  printer's  trade  in  which  he 
was  employed  until  June,  1871,  when  he  formed, 
with  his  father,  the  firm  of  William  W.  Weath- 
erstone &  Son,  at  Aurora,  111.,  engaging  in  the 
business  of  silver-plating.  In  1874  they  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  remaining  until  1876,  when 
they  located  in  LaGrange  and  began  the  manu- 
facture of  silver  and  plated  ware.  In  1879  Wil- 
liam W.  Weatherstone  retired  from  the  firm, 
the  business  being  continued  until  1893  under 
the  name  of  James  P.  Weatherstone.  A  life- 
long Democrat,  active  and  influential  in  the 
councils  of  his  party,  Mr.  Weatherstone  twice 
served  the  people  of  LaGrange  in  an  official 
capacity.  In  1884  he  was  elected  Trustee  of 
the  village,  serving  until  1887;  in  August,  1894, 
he  was  appointed  Postmaster  of  LaGrange  by 
President  Cleveland,  serving  until  November  1, 
1899.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the  latter  of- 
fice he  engaged  in  retail  stationery  and  cigar 
business,  in  which  he  continued  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  November  27,  1902. 

Mr.  Weatherstone  was  married  on  Novem- 
ber 11,  1875,  to  Isabelle,  daughter  of  Harrison 
Albee,  of  Aurora,  111.,  and  he  left  a  family  of 
five  daughters:  Clarice  A.,  Grace  I.,  Blanche 
M.  (now  Mrs.  Goan),  Martha  L.  and  Ethel  A.. 
Among  the  first  of  the  business  men  to  locate 
in  LaGrange,  Mr.  Weatherstone  did  much  to 
assist  in  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
village,  and  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow-citizens,  by  whom  he  was 
held  in  high  esteem. 

ANDREW  J.  WEAVER. 

This  successful  dealer  in  live-stock  has  de- 
voted nearly  forty  years  of  his  life  to  the  busi- 
ness, which  he  thoroughly  understands  in  all 
its  details.  He  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pa., 


March  4,  1854.  His  school  days  were  soon  over, 
and,  in  1864,  at  the  early  age  of  ten  years,  he 
engaged  in  driving  cattle  across  the  mountains 
from  Pittsburg  to  Harrisburg  and  Lancaster. 
Subsequently  he  worked  for  two  years  for  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  Company  of  Pittsburg,  and 
afterward  was  engaged  for  four  years  in  ship- 
ping cattle,  by  rail,  from  Pittsburg  to  New 
York.  For  two  years  he  also  conducted  an  under- 
taking establishment,  and  a  livery  stable  in 
connection  therewith.  Returning  to  the  Stock 
Yards,  he  was  connected  with  the  firm  of  S. 
B.  Hedges  &  Company,  for  six  years.  The  next 
three  years  he  spent  in  the  employment  of  Sad- 
ler &  Company,  shipping  cattle  from  St.  Louis 
and  Chicago  to  New  York.  Sadler,  McCall  & 
Company,  of  Pittsburg,  were  his  next  employ- 
ers, remaining  with  them  one  year.  He  next 
began  buying  cattle  in  Chicago,  shipping  them 
to  Pittsburg,  which  business  he  carried  on  un- 
til 1890,  when  he  came  to  Chicago.  His  first 
employment  here  was  buying  cattle  for  Simon 
O'Donnell,  with  whom  he  remained  twelve 
months.  For  two  years  he  was  a  salesman  for 
Darlington,  Quick  &  Company,  and  later  for 
Alexander  Rogers  &  Crill  for  a  year.  He  then 
became  junior  partner  of  the  firm  of  H.  R. 
Perrine  &  Company,  which  was  afterward  joined 
by  Samuel  Ayers.  The  gentleman  last  named 
withdrew  about  1897,  and  the  firm  was  soon 
afterward  dissolved.  Mr.  Weaver  carried  on 
business  alone  until  January,  1898,  when  he 
again  accepted  a  position  as  buyer  for  Simon 
O'Donnell.  One  year  later  (January,  1899),  the 
firm  of  Simon  O'Donnell  &  Company  was  or- 
ganized, Mr.  Weaver  being  admitted  into  part- 
nership and  placed  in  charge  of  the  Chicago 
office.  His  career  affords  a  noteworthy  illus- 
tration of  what  may  be  accomplished  by  hard 
work  and  steady  application  to  duty.  Begin- 
ning as  a  cattle-driver  when  a  boy  of  ten,  he 
has  gradually,  but  steadily,  climbed  the  ladder 
of  success  in  his  chosen  business  through  un- 
wearying industry,  natural  aptitude  and  an  in- 
tegrity which  has  never  been  assailed.  Mr. 
Weaver  was  married  on  May  10,  1881,  to  Miss 
Luella  McGregor,  of  East  St.  Louis,  111.,  and 
they  have  been  the  parents  of  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  yet  living,  viz.:  Anna  May, 
Albert  Joseph  and  Lottie  Barbara — one  son, 
Andrew  John,  being  deceased. 

HENRY   WEBER. 

Henry  Weber  (deceased),  late  Superintendent 
of  the  Calumet  Grain  Elevator  Company's  sys- 
tem of  grain  elevators,  was  born  at  Grand 
Rapids,  Ohio,  January  1,  1849,  the  second  of 
seven  children  born  to  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
(Kebler)  Weber,  who  were  natives  of  Switzer- 
land, but  of  German  ancestry.  The  other  chil- 
dren of  this  family  were:  Otto,  Casper,  George 
(died  in  infancy),  Lena,  Mary  and  George  Am- 
brose, the  latter  now  assistant  cashier  of  the 
Ohio  Savings  and  Trust  Company  Bank,  at  To- 
ledo, Ohio.  The  father  died  in  1886  at  the  age 
of  sixty-nine  years,  while  the  mother  is  still 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1021 


living.  The  daughter  Mary,  of  this  family, 
married  John  Stollberg,  a  wholesale  merchant 
of  Toledo,  and  died  in  1896.  In  early  life  Henry 
Weber  was  engaged  in  farming,  but  for  more 
than  twenty-five  years  was  connected  with  the 
grain  trade,  beginning  as  grain-inspector  for 
the  Board  of  Trade  at  Toledo,  in  1875,  where 
he  was  employed  for  eight  years.  He  then  took 
charge  of  the  Wabash  Elevators,  but  in  1891, 
assumed  his  position  with  the  Calumet  Ele- 
vator Company,  which  he  retained  for  the  rest 
of  his  life,  his  long  service  giving  evidence  of 
his  efficiency.  On  January  10,  1875,  Mr.  Weber 
married  Miss  Mary  L.  Culver,  of  Toledo,  Ohio, 
and  to  them  were  born  two  children:  Eliz- 
abeth May,  born  in  1876,  was  married  June  14, 
1899,  to  Courtney  R.  Merrill,  assistant  cashier 
of  the  Union  Bank,  South  Chicago,  111.,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Wallace  Edwin,  born  No- 
vember 11,  1900;  and  Mabel  J.,  born  in  1878, 
on  January  18,  1898,  married  H.  F.  Branden- 
burg, of  Chicago,  and  they  have  a  son,  Herbert 
Henry,  born  December  4,  1900.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Weber  was  identified  with  the  "National 
Union,"  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Church,  while  his  daugh- 
ters and  their  families  attend  the  Congrega- 
tional Church.  Mr.  Weber  died  at  the  home 
of  his  daughter,  Mabel  J.  Brandenburg,  228 
Seventy-fourth  Place,  Chicago,  December  8, 
1904. 

ISAAC  W.  WEEKS. 

Isaac  W.  Weeks,  formerly  Superintendent  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Transfer  Elevator,  Chicago, 
was  born  near  Belleville,  Ontario,  Canada,  No- 
vember 15,  1860,  the  son  of  John  Y.  and  Lydia 
(Hunt)  Weeks,  who  were  the  parents  of  four 
sons,  Daniel,  James,  Harmon  and  Isaac  W., 
all  of  whom  are  still  living.  The  father  died, 
aged  seventy-two  years,  but  the  mother  still 
survives.  Reared  on  a  farm,  Isaac  W.  Weeks 
came  to  Chicago  when  twenty-four  years  of 
age  and,  beginning  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder, 
has  been  employed  for  over  twenty  years  in 
the  elevator  business.  For  eleven  years  he  was 
connected  with  the  Santa  Fe  Elevator,  and  for 
two  years  Superintendent  of  the  Peavey  Ele- 
vator B,  when  on  December  4,  1900,  he  assumed 
his  last  position  as  successor  to  Christ  Stiver. 
The  Pennsylvania  Transfer  Elevator  was  built 
in  1897  with  a  storage  capacity  of  168,000  bush- 
els, is  owned  by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany and  operated  by  the  Requa  Brothers.  In 
1882,  Mr.  Weeks  married  Miss  Mary  Anetta 
Cranter,  and  four  children  have  been  born  to 
them:  Percy  and  Arthur,  who  are  still  living; 
Gracie  who  died  at  eighteen  months  of  age,  and 
a  boy  who  died  in  infancy.  In  politics  Mr. 
Weeks  is  a  Republican. 

JAMES  H.  WEEKS. 

James  H.  Weeks,  Superintendent  of  the  Mab- 
batt  Elevators,  Chicago,  who  was  born  in  Con- 
secon,  Ontario,  Canada,  has  been  identified  with 
the  elevator  business  over  thirty-five  years, 
much  of  the  time  being  employed  at  the  old 


elevator  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Fourteenth 
Streets.  He  recalls  many  of  the  noted  leaders 
of  the  grain  market  at  an  earlier  day,  includ- 
ing George  Phillips,  the  "Grain  King,"  who 
was  a  weighman.  Elevator  A,  the  older  of  the 
Mabbatt  Elevators  A  and  B,  of  which  Mr.  Weeks 
is  Superintendent,  was  built  in  1887,  with  a 
capacity  of  650,000  bushels,  and  Elevator  B,  in 
1890,  having  a  capacity  of  700,000  bushels  and 
capable  of  handling  one  hundred  cars  daily. 
They  are  operated  by  George  A.  Seaverns,  who 
employs  some  twenty-five  men  in  their  manage- 
ment. Mr.  Weeks  was  married  in  1875  to  Miss 
Mary  Ellen  Smith,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have 
had  three  children,  -one  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy, those  now  living  being  Lydia  R.  and 
Frederick  W.  His  family  are  attendants  at 
the  St.  James  Catholic  Church,  and  he  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  taking  an  active  interest 
in  problems  relating  to  good  government. 

BERNARD  M.  WEIDINGER. 
Bernard  M.  Weidinger  was  born  in  Chicago, 
January  27,  1868,  and  educated  in  the  Lincoln 
public  school.  After  leaving  school  he  com- 
menced working  in  1881  for  Shoeneman  &  Com- 
pany, continuing  until  May  1,  1886,  when  he 
read  law  in  the  office  of  Sears  &  Arnd  for  a 
year  and  a  half;  then  went  to  the  firm  of  Kea- 
ter  &  Thompson  and  Fred  Arnd,  in  criminal 
law,  for  another  year  and  a  half,  during  two 
years  of  which  time  he  was  employed  at  night 
in  the  Chicago  Public  Library,  and  for  the 
rest  of  the  time  was  first  copy-holder,  and  then 
proof-reader,  on  the  "Chicago  Tribune"  until 
1889,  after  which  he  embarked  in  the  real-estate 
and  insurance  business.  He  was  a  candidate 
for  nomination,  for  the  Legislature  on  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket,  in  the  old  Sixth  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict, but  since  then  has  confined  his  attention 
to  the  real-estate  business. 

NICHOLAS  WEINAND, 

Chief  Third  Battalion,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  born  in  Prussia,  on  Christmas  Day, 
1845,  and  in  early  life  learned  the  painter's 
trade.  In  1870  he  joined  the  Fire  Department, 
becoming  a  member  of  Huck  Hose  Company 
No.  3.  He  was  under  command  of  D.  J.  Swenie, 
Captain  of  the  Gund  Engine  14,  in  1871,  and 
staid  with  that  famous  fireman  in  his  battle 
with  the  greatest  fire  in  the  world's  history, 
when  he  lost  his  engine  in  the  cyclone  of  fire 
at  the  corner  of  West  Van  Buren  and  Canal 
Streets,  but  saved  an  entire  block  with  an  out- 
side engine  by  drawing  water  from  the  river. 
The  Water  Works  had  then  been  burned. 
Weinand  and  his  family  lost  everything  they 
had  except  their  lives,  character  and  old 
clothes.  In  1885  Weinand  was  promoted  to  a 
Captaincy  on  Engine  27,  and  October  1,  1894, 
was  advanced  to  Chief  of  the  Third  Battalion, 
a  position  which  (1904)  he  still  holds.  He  has 
had  many  narrow  escapes  during  his  long  expe- 
rience as  a  fireman,  and  was  severely  injured 
at  the  fire  at  the  old  Journal  office,  on  Dear- 


1022 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


born  Street,  and  also  at  the  National  Theater 
on  Clybourn  Avenue.  He  is  always  ready  to 
respond  whenever  and  wherever  duty  calls. 

CHRISTIAN  WELFLIN. 
Christian  Welflin  (deceased),  Wheeling,  111., 
was  born  in  Alsace,  France  (now  Germany), 
September  13,  1845,  the  son  of  Christian  Welflin, 
also  a  native  of  Alsace.  Mr.  Welflin  came  to 
America  with  his  father  and  sister,  arriving  at 
Chicago  on  March  1,  1854.  His  father  enlisted 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  in  Company 
K,  Thirteenth  Illinois  Volunteers  (Col.  Wyman's 
regiment),  serving  from  1861  to  1865,  and  died 
of  yellow  fever  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  June  27, 
1869.  The  son  learned  the  harness  trade  in 
Chicago,  afterwards  worked  for  some  time  in 
Memphis,  but  in  1874  came  to  Wheeling  and 
established  himself  in  the  harness  business 
there.  On  September  9,  1880,  he  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Goodlobin  Armbruster  (widow),  of 
Wheeling,  and  has  four  children:  Minnie,  Ed- 
ward, Frank  and  Flora.  After  his  marriage 
he  went  into  the  Chicago  House,  at  Wheeling, 
remaining  until  his  retirement  in  July,  1893. 
In  his  later  years  he  occupied  a  pleasant  home 
just  across  the  DesPlaines  River  and  outside 
of  the  village  corporation.  Mr.  Welflin  died  in 
1901. 

GEORGE  W.  WELLER, 

Captain  of  Engine  No.  80,  Chicago  Fire  De- 
partment, was  born  in  Chicago,  July  18,  1842, 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  worked  for  his  father  at  render- 
ing works;  later  sold  ice,  and  also  worked  for 
the  Steele-Wedeles  Company,  wholesale  grocers, 
and  other  parties  until  August,  1870,  when  he 
joined  the  Chicago  Fire  Department,  and  was 
assigned  to  Engine  No.  4  as  driver;  was  next 
transferred  as  driver  for  Marshal  Walters,  then 
for  Petrie,  and  later  to  Truck  4,  and  made 
truckman  by  Chief  Williams.  After  returning 
from  the  Saturday  night  fire  of  October  7, 
1871,  and  before  eating  supper,  the  bell  struck 
an  alarm  for  the  Sunday  night  fire,  of  October 
8,  1871,  and  Captain  Weller  immediately  re- 
sponded and  worked  for  thirty-six  hours  fight- 
ing the  "Great  Blaze"  of  that  date.  He  was 
promoted  to  Lieutenant  and  assigned  to  En- 
gine 16,  in  September,  1885 ;  next  was  promoted 
to  Captain  and  transferred  to  Truck  18,  January 
3,  1890,  by  Chief  Swenie;  and  then  to  Hook  and 
Ladder  Company  No.  20  on  the  12th  day  of 
December,  1891,  where  he  remained  some  ten 
years.  Captain  Weller  is  now  (1904)  doing 
duty  in  charge  of  Engine  No.  80.  He  is  one 
of  the  firemen  from  "wayback,"  having  served 
in  the  volunteer  fire  department  as  "torch  boy" 
on  engine  "Wide-Awake"  No.  12,  in  1857,  and 
having  remained  with  the  volunteer  service  un- 
til its  place  was  taken  by  the  paid  fire  depart- 
ment. His  father  was  foreman  of  a  fire  com- 
pany, and  two  brothers  were  also  members  of 
the  same  department.  Captain  Weller  has  had 
many  narrow  escapes,  and  made  several  res- 
cues, assisted  by  his  company;  was  once  serious- 


ly hurt  by  having  his  hip  broken  and  several 
ribs  fractured.  He  married  Miss  Louisa  Ebert, 
in  Chicago,  and  two  daughters,  Carrie  and 
Emma,  have  been  born  to  them. 

HIRAM  S.  WENNER, 

Superintendent  of  the  Grand  Crossing  Elevator, 
Seventy-seventh  Street  and  Illinois  Central 
track,  was  born  in  Allentown,  Pa.,  February  8, 
1859,  being  descended  from  a  family  who  were 
farmers.  On  leaving  the  paternal  home  he  went 
to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  spent  some  time 
learning  the  milling  trade,  but  in  1885  came 
to  Chicago,  when  he  became  manager  of  the 
Chicago  Cereal  Mill,  remaining  there  until  1893. 
He  then  formed  the  connection  with  the  Grand 
Crossing 'Elevator,  which  has  continued  ever 
since.  The  building  was  originally  used  as  a 
barbed  wire  factory,  but  was  later  converted 
by  J.  S.  Stevens  into  an  elevator,  which  had 
a  capacity  of  about  50,000  bushels,  and  was 
capable  of  receiving  10,000  bushels  per  day. 
Mr.  Wenner  became  the  successor  of  F.  H. 
Mealiff  in  1896  when  he  took  charge  of  the 
building  and  continued  to  operate  it  until 
August,  1903,  when  the  building  was  destroyed 
by  fire.  Mr.  Wenner  then  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  adjoining  building  (known  as  the 
Chicago  Cereal  Mills)  which  he  converted  into 
a  grain  elevator,  with  a  storage  capacity  of 
100,000  bushels  and  a  working  capacity  of  20,000 
bushels  per  day.  During  the  winter  of  1903-04 
Mr.  Wenner  installed  the  machinery  in  the  new 
Grand  Crossing  Elevator  which  he  set  in  opera- 
tion in  March,  1904.  In  1889  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Miriam  L.  Tinsley,  daughter  of  J.  W. 
Tinsley,  and  of  this  union  there  have  been  born 
five  children :  Dorothea  E.,  Charles  W.,  Miriam 
L.,  Alfred  T.  and  J.  Milton.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Wenner  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Columbian  Knights, 
and  in  politics  an  Independent. 

FRANKLIN  WHITCOMB. 
Franklin  Whitcomb,  brick  and  tile  manu- 
facturer, DesPlaines,  Cook  County,  111.,  was 
born  in  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1830,  the  son 
of  Moses  and  Lucy  (Pike)  Whitcomb — the 
former  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  1787, 
and  the  latter  of  Salem,  Mass.,  born  in  1796. 
Mr.  Whitcomb  arrived  in  Chicago,  September 
27,  1845,  and  for  the  following  six  years  was 
employed  in  ship-yards  during  the  winter  and 
upon  the  lakes  during  the  summer.  In  1851 
he  located  at  Niles,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in 
building  and  contracting  until  1863,  when  he 
removed  to  Park  Ridge.  Here  he  remained  five 
years,  being  foreman  of  the  pressed  brick  de- 
partment of  Penny  &  Meacham,  for  four  years, 
and  in  the  building  business  one  year.  He  then 
(1868)  established  himself  in  the  brick-manu- 
facturing business  at  DesPlaines,  using  a  ma» 
chine  known  as  the  "Intermediate  Wonder," 
with  a  capacity  of  30,000  brick  per  day.  In 
1883  he  added  a  tile  manufactory  to  his  works, 
and  employs  some  twenty  hands  in  the  mak- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1023 


ing  of  brick  and  tile,  and  the  sale  of  lime,  hair, 
stucco  and  cement,  his  sales  being  divided  be- 
tween the  local  and  city  trade.  On  October 
15,  1856,  Mr.  Whitcomb  was  married  in  the 
Town  of  Maine  to  Elizabeth  Jones,  daughter 
of  Evan  and  Ann  Jones,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren living:  Mary,  Elda  and  George  M.  In 
politics  Mr.  Whitcomb  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
held  the  office  of  Town  Trustee  and  member  of 
the  School  Board  for  a  number  of  years. 

ALBERT  G.  WHITNEY. 
Albert  G.  Whitney,  attorney  and  author,  was 
born  near  Mt.  Vernon,  Knox  County,  Ohio,  May 
3,  1847;  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
at  Vermilion  Institute,  and  after  leaving  the 
Vermilion  Institute,  taught  public  schools  for 
a  time  in  Ohio  and  Illinois.  In  1872  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Keosauqua,  Iowa,  and 
then  went  to  Champaign,  111.,  where  he  was  a 
teacher  in  mathematics  in  the  Illinois  Indus- 
trial University;  later  was  Principal  of  the  pub- 
lic school  at  Salem,  111.,  for  eight  months.  He 
then  practiced  law  in  Champaign  until  he  came 
to  Chicago,  in  1900,  where  he  continued  his 
profession.  He  is  the  author  of  "Rights  of 
Railway  and  Street  Companies,"  etc.  Mr.  Whit- 
ney was  married  in  Champaign,  111.,  to  Miss 
Elnora  Radebaugh,  on  November  9,  1871,  and 
five  children  have  been  born  of  this  union. 

SAMUEL  A.  WIGHT. 

This  distinguished  member  of  the  Chicago 
bar,  who  has  been  for  fifteen  years  one  of 
Chicago's  honored  citizens,  was  born  in  Cuya- 
hoga  County,  Ohio,  May  16,  1854,  and  when 
but  a  year  old  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Hillsdale,  Mich.,  where  he  received  a  liberal 
education  at  the  city's  high  school  and  at  Hills- 
dale  College.  In  after  years  he  also  took  a 
special  post-graduate  course  at  the  Chicago  Col- 
lege of  Law.  After  graduating  at  Hillsdale, 
he  was  appointed,  in  September,  1876,  Superin- 
tendent of  the  public  schools  at  North  Adams, 
Mich.  On  leaving  that  place  he  went  first  to 
Grand  Rapids,  where  he  read  law  in  the  office 
of  James  E.  Wilson,  and  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice on  April  30,  1880.  Two  years  later  he  re- 
moved to  Detroit,  to  accept  the  position  of 
freight  claim-adjuster  for  the  Detroit,  Grand 
Haven  &  Milwaukee  Railroad.  The  absorption 
of  this  line  into  the  Grand  Trunk  System,  in 
1885,  threw  Mr.  Wight  out  of  office,  and  he 
came  at  once  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  ever 
since  carried  on  the  practice  of  his  profession 
with  distinguished  success.  At  first  he  entered 
the  office  of  Hon.  John  P.  Altgeld,  but  has  since 
found  other  quarters,  going  first  to  the  Chicago 
Opera  House  and  subsequently  to  the  Fort  Dear- 
born building. 

His  specialties  are  corporation  law  and  the 
management  of  estates,  in  which  two  impor- 
tant branches  of  legal  lore  he  admittedly  has 
no  superior.  He  is  general  counsel  for  im- 
portant corporations  in  Chicago,  Boston,  Phila- 
delphia and  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  is  legal  adviser 


for,  and  general  manager  of,  many  large  es- 
tates. He  has  been  employed  in  much  heavy 
litigation,  and  is  always  an  indefatigable 
worker  on  behalf  of  his  clients,  never  spar- 
ing himself.  In  the  important  case  of  Edwin 
L.  Johnson  vs.  B.  V.  Page  Company,  which  he 
fought  to  a  successful  conclusion  in  the  Fed- 
eral courts,  and  in  which  he  represented  the 
defense,  he  personally  attended  the  taking  of 
testimony  at  Atlanta,  Ga.;  San  Francisco;  Day- 
ton, O.,  and  Memphis,  Tenn.  Another  case  of 
great  moment  in  which  he  was  retained,  and 
which  he  also  won,  was  that  of  The  People's 
Bank  of  Waseca  vs.  the  Columbia  Oil  Company. 
A  case  involving  the  validity  of  a  will  dispos- 
ing of  a  large  estate  in  Philadelphia,  the  trial 
and  taking  of  testimony  in  which  occupied  four 
months,  at  the  date  of  writing  this  sketch  is 
held  under  advisement  by  the  court. 

Mr.  Wight  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  who 
hold  him  in  high  esteem,  alike  for  his  high 
intellectual  and  his  many  admirable  social 
qualities. 

ROBERT  B.  WILCOX, 

Engineer  in  charge  of  Intercepting  Sewers, 
Chicago,  was  born  in  Chicago,  October  11,  1867, 
attended  the  Skinner  public  school  and  West 
Division  High  School,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1884.  He  then  attended  the  University 
of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  for  two  years,  and 
later  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  grad- 
uating from  the  latter  in  1890.  He  then  en- 
tered the  engineering  department  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company,  and 
later,  the  engineering  department  of  the 
Sanitary  District  of  Chicago,  remaining  one 
year.  He  resigned,  and  in  1892  was  appointed 
by  John  Ericson,  Assistant  Engineer,  as  his 
assistant  for  Hjde  Park  Tunnel.  When  Mr. 
Ericson  was  made  Principal  Engineer,  Mr.  Wil- 
cox  was  appointed  engineer  in  charge  of  tunnel 
construction,  and  later  had  charge  of  the  con- 
struction of  Lake  View  Tunnel,  and  then  of 
the  extension  of  the  Sixty-eighth  Street  Tunnel, 
making  in  all  six  years  as  engineer  in  charge 
of  tunnel  construction  for  the  city.  In  1898  he 
was  appointed  Superintendent  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Water-Works  Tun- 
nel, continuing  for  one  year,  when  he  resigned 
and  was  appointed  in  March,  1899,  Engineer  in 
charge  of  Harbors  for  Chicago,  being  next 
transferred  to  the  position  of  Engineer  in 
charge  of  Construction  of  the  Thirty-ninth 
Street  Intercepting  Sewer. 

Mr.  Wilcox  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Athletic  and  Illinois  Clubs  and  of  Western  So- 
ciety of  Engineers.  By  the  faithful  discharge 
of  the  arduous  duties  imposed  upon  him,  he 
has  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  confidence 
placed  in  him  by  his  employers. 

GEORGE  TITUS  WILLIAMS. 
The  quiet,  uneventful  lives  of  successful  busi- 
ness  men,   who    win    their   way   to   the   front 
through  earnest  effort  and  painstaking  fidelity 
to  every  trust,  are  often  more  instructive  than 


1024 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


are  the  stories  of  the  achievements  of  great 
generals  or  statesmen.  Patient  toil  may  some- 
times count  for  more  than  valor,  and  rugged, 
unvarying  integrity  brings  to  its  possessor 
what  is  worth  more  than  fame.  These  reflec- 
tions are  suggested  by  the  long  and  useful  life 
of  George  Titus  Williams,  who  passed  from 
earth,  honored  and  beloved,  on  September  30, 
1891.  His  father,  William  D.  Williams,  and  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Margaret 
Lossing,'  •  were  both  natives  of  Union  Vale, 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  too  was 
born,  May  2,  1825.  He  was  educated  at  Willett's 
Academy,  and  after  graduation  settled  on  a 
farm  in  his  native  town,  where  he  devoted  him- 
self to  the  rearing  of  blooded  horses.  In  this 
he  was  very  successful,  and  in  1854  he  sold  to 
James  B.  Clay,  of  Kentucky,  the  famous  "Mam- 
brina  Chief,"  for  $4,000,  a  higher  price  than 
any  paid  for  a  stallion  in  this  country  prior  to 
that  time.  In  1866  Mr.  Williams  disposed  of 
his  farm  to  accept  the  appraisership  of  the 
Dutchess  &  Columbia,  the  New  York  &  New 
Haven  and  other  Eastern  railroad  companies. 
The  responsible  duties  attaching  to  these  posi- 
tions he  discharged  with  pronounced  fidelity 
and  skill  for  three  years,  when  he  determined 
to  remove  to  Chicago.  It  was  in  June,  1869, 
that  he  arrived,  and  at  once  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Stock  Yards  and  Transit  Company 
as  purchasing  agent.  Later  he  was  made  Super- 
intendent, but  in  1888  resigned  that  office,  to 
resume  his  former  position,  from  which  he  was 
called  three  years  later,  by  death. 

Mr.  Williams  was  widely  popular  and  was 
much  loved  by  his  friends  for  his  many  noble 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  Although  always 
averse  to  holding  public  office,  he  consented  to 
serve  as  'Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  Town  of 
Lake,  for  eight  years,  commanding  universal 
respect  through  his  shrewd  sense,  keen  sagacity 
and  absolute  fairness. 

Mrs.  Williams  and  three  of  their  four  chil- 
dren survived  him.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Phoebe  Underbill,  and  they  were  married  at  La- 
Grange,  N.  Y.,  in  December,  1847.  The  surviv- 
ing children  are  named  Jesse  L.,  Henry  J.,  and 
Mary.  Another  son,  George  H.,  died  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  years. 

JESSE  L.  WILLIAMS. 

Jesse  L.  Williams,  weighmaster  at  Division 
D,  Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit  Company,  son 
of  George  Titus  and  Phoebe  (Underbill)  Wil- 
liams, was  born  in  Union  Vale,  N.  Y.,  January 
31,  1849,  and  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College, 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  After  leaving  school  he 
came  to  Chicago,  and  commenced  work  for  the 
Union  Stock  Yard  &  Transit  Company,  June  3, 
1869,  and  has  occupied  several  responsible  posi- 
tions with  the  Company  continuously  until  the 
present  time.  He  was  married  to  Rachel  Wig- 
glesworth  in  Chicago,  December  11,  1873,  and 
four  children  have  been  born  to  them,  three  of 
whom  are  now  living:  lola,  Ethel  and  Jessie. 


George  T.,  an  only  son,  died  August  26,  1877. 
Mr.  Williams  has  stood  by  the  interests  of  Chi- 
cago and  the  Union  Stock  Yard  &  Transit  Com- 
pany, and  by  his  faithful  attention  to  his  many 
duties  and  his  pleasant,  accommodating  ways, 
has  won  a  host  of  friends. 

ROBERT  A.   WILLIAMS, 

"Pioneer"  Fireman,  ex-Chief  Marshal  Chicago 
Fire  Department,  was  born  in  Ormstowri,  Can- 
ada, June"25,  1827,  and  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  After  learning  the  trade  of  a  black- 
smith in  Lachine,  Canada,  he  came  to  Chicago, 
April  1,  1848,  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  a 
Mr.  Stevens  until  the  latter  sold  out,  when  he 
went  to  Janesville,  Wis.;  was  next  employed  by 
Asa  Pierce,  wagon  and  plow-maker,  and  then 
by  Henry  Witbeck  &  Co.,  remaining  several 
years,  and  later  by  A.  E.  Bishop,  after  the  lat- 
ter had  bought  the  Witbeck  interest.  In  1858 
he  became  Captain  of  the  Fire  Engine  "Island 
Queen,"  Volunteer  Fire  Department;  was  ap- 
pointed Assistant  Marshal  by  Chief  Marshal 
U.  P.  Harris,  in  1867,  and  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  Chief  Fire  Marshal  in  1868,  serving 
in  that  capacity  until  1873.  In  the  big  fire  of 
October  8,  1871,  a  mistake  was  made  in  giving 
the  alarm,  and  the  firemen  lost  time  while  lo- 
cating the  fire.  Some  of  the  engines  belonging 
to  that  district  were  delayed  in  consequence, 
which  prevented  them  from  arriving  in  season 
to  extinguish  the  original  fire.  Had  they  ar- 
rived with  their  usual  promptness,  there  would 
have  been  no  great  Chicago  fire  at  that  time. 
Chief  Williams  fought  the  blaze  with  his  usual 
tenacity,  and  fell  back  only  when  driven  from 
his  position  by  the  intensity  of  the  heat.  Since 
his  retirement  from  the  Fire  Department  he 
has  occupied  several  positions  of  trust.  Chief 
Williams  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  L.  Yaple, 
at  Adrian,  Mich.,  December  31,  1854. 

HENRY  J.  WILLING. 

While  the  successful  merchant,  as  such,  does 
not  usually  occupy  so  conspicuous  a  place  in  the 
eye  of  the  world  as  the  eminent  professional 
man,  or  as  he  who  is  prominent  in  public  af- 
fairs, the  duties  of  his  calling  are  no  less  ardu- 
ous and  exacting,  demanding  the  highest  order 
of  organizing  talent  and  constant  watchfulness 
of  the  trend  of  events  as  well  as  financial 
skill.  These  are  the  traits  exhibited  by  Mr. 
Henry  J.  Willing  throughout  a  long  and  suc- 
cessful business  career  in  Chicago,  extending 
over  a  period  of  more  than  thirty  years. 

Mr.  Willing  was  born  at  Westfield,  Chau- 
tauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  July  10,  1836,  and  died  at 
Jefferson,  N.  H.,  September  28,  1903.  The  death 
of  his  father,  Samuel  Willing,  when  the  son 
was  but  seven  years  old,  left  the  responsibility 
of  nurture  and  training  of  Henry  J.  upon  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Jane 
Maylome.  She  was  of  Huguenot  descent  and 
by  both  character  and  education  well  fitted  for 
the  task.  Three  years  after  the  death  of  the 
elder  Mr.  Willing,  the  family  removed  to  Chi- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1025 


cago,  and  Henry,  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  entered 
the  small  dry-goods  store  of  U.  P.  Harris,  later 
receiving  his  business  education  in  the  estab- 
lishments of  Thomas  B.  Carter  &  Company,  and 
Cooley,  Farwell  &  Company.  He  spent  eight 
years  in  the  former  and  fourteen  in  the  latter, 
passing  through  all  the  subordinate  grades  of 
clerkship.  He  was  next  tendered  a  responsible 
position  in  the  house  of  Field,  Leiter  &  Com- 
pany, and  not  long  after  his  acceptance,  was 
admitted  to  the  firm  as  a  junior  partner.  At  this 
time  his  capital  was  comparatively  small,  being 
the  accumulations  of  years  of  patient  industry 
and  economical  living;  but  he  possessed  an  ex- 
perience, tact  and  skill  which  proved  of  more 
value  than  his  money  capital.  Upon  the  retire- 
ment of  Mr.  Leiter,  Mr.  Willing's  responsibility 
greatly  increased,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that,  to  his  sagacity,  prudence  and  good  judg- 
ment is  due,  in  no  small  degree,  the  phenomenal 
success  attained  by  the  house.  Thirteen  years 
of  unremitting  application  to  business,  joined 
to  the  heavy  burden  of  responsibility  resting 
upon  his  shoulders,  began  to  impair  Mr.  Will- 
ing's  health,  and  in  1883,  satisfied  with  the  hand- 
some fortune  which  he  had  amassed,  he  dis- 
posed of  his  interest  in  the  business  which  he 
had  so  greatly  aided  in  building  up,  and  retired. 

He  was  a  man  of  broad,  enlightened  public 
spirit,  and  in  private  life  he  found  his  chief 
pleasure  in  works  of  benevolence  and  philan- 
thropy. He  adhered  to  the  religious  faith 
inculcated  by  his  pious,  prayerful  mother,  and 
for  twenty-five  years,  was  a  Presbyterian 
elder,  first  in  the  Second  Church  of  that  denomi- 
nation and  afterwards  in  the  Fourth.  He  was 
also  a  director  of  the  Presbyterian  Hos- 
pital, and  a  Trustee  of  the  Northwestern  (now 
the  McCormick)  Theological  Seminary,  as  well 
as  Vice-President  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  and  a  director  of  the  Chicago  Home 
for  Incurables.  To  all  these  charities,  as  well 
as  to  many  others,  he  was  a  liberal  and  regu- 
lar contributor. 

A  pressure  of  business  cares  did  not  pre- 
vent Mr.  Willing  from  cultivating  his  taste 
for  art  and  literature.  He  served  in  the 
directorate  of  the  Art  Institute,  and  was  a 
member  of  both  the  Chicago  and  American  His- 
torical Societies,  as  well  as  of  the  American 
Archaeological  Society,  and  a  Trustee  of  the 
Newberry  Library;  also  maintained  a  member- 
ship in  most  of  Chicago's  leading  social  clubs, 
including  the  Union  League  and  a  number  of 
others.  He  was  also  identified  with  the  Citi- 
zens' League,  which  he  warmly  supported,  both 
financially  and  morally.  Politically  he  was  a 
Republican,  but  in  1889  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  first  Board  of  Drainage  Trustees  upon  a 
non-partisan  ticket. 

Mr.  Willing  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss 
Frances  Skinner,  a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Mark 
Skinner;  the  issue  of  this  union  being  two 
children:  Evelyn  Pierrepont  and  Mark  Skin- 
ner. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willing  spent  much  of 
their  time  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life 


abroad,  traveling  extensively  through  Europe. 

EDWARD    WILLMANN. 

Edward  Willmann,  city  bridge  engineer,  was 
born  in  Lofoten,  Norway,  December  28,  1863, 
attended  a  private  school  and  later  graduated 
from  Bergen  Technical  College,  Bergen,  Nor- 
way, in  1883,  and  at  the  Royal  Polytechnic  High 
School  at  Dresden,  Germany,  in  1885.  After 
spending  some  time  as  an  apprentice  in  the 
machine  shops  and  foundries  at  Goerlitz,  Ger- 
many, in  June,  1887,  he  came  to  America  and 
going  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  was  employed  for  eight 
months  in  the  bridge  department  of  the  Chi- 
cago, St.  Paul  and  Kansas  City  Railroad,  then 
for  two  and  one-half  years  by  the  Chicago,  St. 
Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Omaha  Railroad  Company, 
and  still  later  for  thirteen  months  at  Pittsbifrg 
in  the  detail  department  of  the  Shiffler  Bridge 
Company.  In  1892  he  was  employed  by  the 
Commissioners  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition  as  designer,  but  in  1893  became  asso- 
ciated with  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago  as 
assistant  bridge  engineer,  remaining  in  that 
position  six  years,  during  which  he  had 
charge  of  all  the  bridge  designing  and  con- 
structing. In  May,  1899,  City  Engineer  Ericson 
appointed  him  City  Bridge  Engineer,  which 
position  he  still  holds  with  great  credit  to  him- 
self and  the  city,  proving  conclusively  that  he 
is  well  fitted  for  the  discharge  of  its  responsible 
duties. 

JAMES  E.  WILSON. 

James  E.  Wilson  has  been,  for  nearly  thirty 
years,  identified  with  the  live-stock  commission 
business  at  the  Uni,on  Stock  Yards,  for  six  years 
in  a  subordinate  capacty,  and  for  more  than 
twenty  years  on  his  own  account.  Essentially 
the  builder  of  his  own  fortunes,  his  success  has 
come  to  him  as  the  well-earned  reward  of  his 
own  energy,  perseverance  and  hard  work.  He 
was  born  at  New  Hampton,  N.  H.,  June  19,  1845, 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  an 
academy  of  his  native  place.  His  school  days 
ended,  he  learned  the  business  of  a  druggist  at 
Lowell,  Mass.,  and  remained  in  that  city  until 
in  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  of  the 
Sixth  Massachusetts  Infantry.  Ill-health  com- 
pelling him  to  leave  the  service  in  1863,  he 
resumed  his  occupation  as  a  druggist,  and  after 
a  year  spent  at  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  another 
in  New  York  City,  he  came  to  Chicago  in  1865. 
He  here  entered  the  employ  of  the  wholesale 
drug-house  of  J.  H.  Reed  &  Company,  and  from 
1870  until  1873  was  engaged  in  the  same  line  of 
business  in  London,  Ohio.  After  returning  to 
Chicago  in  1873,  he  entered  the  employ  of  H.  E. 
Mallory  &  Brother,  at  the  Stock  Yards,  as 
cashier,  and  after  six  years  began  business  for 
himself.  His  affability,  courtesy  and  business 
capacity  have  won  for  him  many  friends. 

WILLIAM  C.  WILSON. 

William  C.  Wilson  is  one  of  the  most 
esteemed,  successful  and  influential  members  of 
the  Chicago  bar.  His  paternal  grandfather, 


IO26 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Thomas  Wilson,  was  a  native  of  Dublin,  Ire- 
land, and  his  father,  Thomas  H.,  was  born  in 
Butler  County,  Penn.  His  mother,  Mary  Neal, 
was  a  native  of  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
Neal,  of  Maryland.  Mr.  Wilson  was  born  at 
Sidney,  Ohio,  February  28,  1836,  and  educated 
at  Fort  Wayne  (Indiana)  College.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  been  repeatedly 
requested  to  accept  public  office;  yet  the  only 
nomination  which  he  has  ever  accepted  was  for 
a  seat  on  the  bench  of  the  Superior  Court,  being 
a  candidate  on  the  Prohibition  ticket.  In  recent 
years  he  has  confined  his  legal  practice  to  real 
estate  law,  upon  which  he  is  regarded  as 
authority.  In  religious  faith  Mr.  Wilson  is  a 
Methodist.  On  December  1,  1869,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Anna  E.  Fussey,  of  Chicago.  Their 
four  children  are  named:  John  H.,  Walter  W., 
Frederick  H.,  and  Catherine  V.  Their  home  is 
at  Evanston. 

JOHN  C.  WINDHEIM. 

Captain,  Engine  No.  64,  Chicago  Fire  Depart- 
ment, was  educated  in  the  Walsh  and  Foster 
public  schools,  and  after  leaving  school,  was 
engaged  in  the  teaming  business  until  he  joined 
the  Fire  Department,  July  2, 1886,  on  Engine  No. 
23.  His  subsequent  changes  included  transfer 
to  Engine  15,  to  Engine  40,  and  to  Truck  14; 
promotion  to  Lieutenant  in  1892  and  transfer 
to  Engine  41  ("Geyser")  and  to  Truck  14;  pro- 
motion to  Captain,  April  15,  1897,  and  transfer 
to  Truck  5;  to  Engine  82  October  6,  1900,  and 
to  Engine  64  December  1,  1900,  where  he  still 
remains.  He  has  had  many  narrow  escapes, 
and  has  been  slightly  injured,  but  has  not  had 
any  bones  broken  and  is  ready  for  any  call, 
either  of  duty  or  danger. 

B.   H.  WINKELMAN. 

B.  H.  Winkelman,  DesPlaines,  Cook  County, 
111.,  is  a  native  of  DesPlaines,  where  he  was 
born  in  1862.  In  1883,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  he  was  married  in  his  native  town  to 
Miss  Olivia  Golde,  and  has  continued  to  make 
his  home  there.  By  occupation  he  is  a  general 
merchant,  deals  also  in  wines,  liquors  and 
cigars,  as  well  as  grains  and  sprouts,  and  is 
agent  for  the  Standard  Brewery  and  for  the 
sale  of  farm  implements,  carriages,  buggies,  etc. 
He  has  four  children:  Albert,  Ida,  Hattie  and 
Phoebe.  In  religion  he  is  an  Episcopalian,  and 
in  politics  stands  by  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

ENEAS  ARTHUR  WOOD. 

In  the  death  of  Mr.  E.  A.  Wood,  which  occur- 
red on  February  15,  1897,  his  business  associates 
lost  a  sage  counsellor,  the  city  of  Chicago,  a 
citizen  of  enlightened  public  spirit  and  blame- 
less life,  and  the  church,  an  active,  prayerful 
member  and  liberal  supporter.  His  unwearying 
energy  was  equaled  by  his  unfailing  integrity, 
while  his  charity  was  in  thorough  consonance 
with  his  unselfish  spirit. 

Mr.  Wood  was  born  at  Embro,  Oxford  County, 


Canada,  February  4,  1842,  and  received  a  com- 
mon school  education.  In  November,  1863,  he 
came  to  Chicago,  and  began  working  for  W.  M. 
Tilden,  at  the  old  Bull  Head  Stock  Yards,  as  a 
buyer  of  hogs.  He  supplemented  his  training 
at  school  by  an  evening  course  at  Bryant  & 
Stratton's  Business  College,  remaining  there 
but  a  short  time,  and  going  thence  in  May,  1868, 
to  join  his  brother  James  in  Atchison  County, 
Mo.,  where  they  successfully  conducted  a  ranch 
until  1873.  In  that  year  the  two  brothers  came 
to  Chicago,  the  senior  members  therein  being 
two  others  brothers,  Samuel  E.,  and  John  H. 
Mr.  E.  A.  Wood  continued  a  member  of  this 
well  known  firm  until  his  death.  Familiarly 
known  about  the  yards  as  "Ney"  (derived  from 
his  rather  uncommon  name  of  Eneas)  he  was 
for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  a  conspicuous 
local  figure,  and  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
successful  merchants  upon  the  Live-Stock 
Exchange,  where  no  man  enjoyed  in  a  higher 
degree  the  unqualified  respect  of  his  fellow 
members.  His  interest  in  education  was  keen 
and  strong,  and  for  several  years  he  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  School  Board  in  the  First  District 
of  the  old  Town  of  Lake.  His  public  spirit 
was  broad  and  never  flagged.  No  worthy  charity 
appealed  to  him  in  vain,  and  he  was  promi- 
nently identified  with  many  enterprises  looking 
to  the  betterment  of  humanity.  His  nature  was 
deeply  religious.  For  some  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  official  board  of  the  Union  Ave- 
nue Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  later  a 
Trustee  of  St.  James'  Church.  His  practical 
knowledge  of  building  led  to  his  being  made 
chairman  of  the  building  committee  of  the  last 
named  organization,  the  members  of  which 
body  have  placed  a  memorial  window  in  the 
church,  in  recognition  of  his  services.  His  pas- 
tor, Rev.  Robert  Mclntyre,  thus  described  his 
character  in  pronouncing  his  funeral  sermon: 
"His  was  a  life  of  devotion,  love  and  service. 
His  was  a  three-fold  nature;  diligent  in  busi- 
ness, fervent  in  spirit  and  devoted  to  the  serv- 
ice of  God.  Zealous  and  not  slothful,  he  was 
a  true  Christian  father,  as  well  as  a  clean  and 
upright  citizen.  As  a  church  member,  Mr. 
Wood  was  constant  in  worship,  and  faithful  to 
his  early  vows." 

Mr.  Wood  was  a  charter  member  of  Mizpah 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  a  member  of  Delta  Chap- 
ter, No.  19,  R.  A.  M.,  and  a  Sir  Knight  of  Mont- 
joie  Commandery,  No.  53.  He  was  married  at 
Phelps  City,  Mo.,  December  12,  1871,  to  Miss 
Hester  A.  Chambers,  and  of  their  seven  chil- 
dren, six  are  living.  Frank  L.,  the  eldest  son, 
is  connected  with  the  firm  of  Wood  Brothers. 

JAMES  WOOD. 

James  Wood  is  the  eldest  of  the  four  broth- 
ers who,  at  one  time,  composed  the  firm  of  Wood 
Brothers,  doing  business  at  the  Union  Stock 
Yards.  His  life  has  been  one  of  varied  experi- 
ence, which  has  both  enlarged  his  native  capa- 
bility for  judging  men  and  given  him  a  broad, 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  affairs.  It  has 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1027 


been  filled  with  hard  work,  yet  crowned  with 
success,  and  through  all  its  varying  phases  has 
remained  one  of  unsullied  honor.  He  was  born 
in  Morayshire,  Scotland,  January  16,  1833,  and 
in  boyhood  was  brought  to  Canada  by  his  par- 
ents, Alexander  and  Barbara  (McPherson) 
Wood.  After  leaving  school  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  coach  builders'  trade  at 
London,  Canada,  in  1856  and  1857  attended  the 
University  of  Toronto  and  Knox  College, 
Canada,  and  in  1858  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where,  for  a  time,  he  found  employment  in  the 
shops  of  the  Little  Miami  Railroad  Company. 
He  first  came  to  Chicago  in  1864,  and  at  once 
began  business  as  a  live-stock  commission  mer- 
chant at  the  old  Fort  Wayne  Yards,  but  on  the 
completion  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  transfer- 
red his  headquarters  thither,  on  Christmas  Day, 
1865.  There  he  continued  in  business  by  him- 
self for  two  years,  but  in  1867  he  took  a  con- 
tract for  building  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad. 
In  the  spring  of  1868  he  bought  a  tract  of  land 
in  Atchison  County,  Mo.,  where  he  successfully 
conducted  a  ranch  for  five  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1873  he  returned  to  Chicago,  once  more  to 
engage  in  business  as  a  dealer  in  live-stock,  this 
time  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wood  Brothers, 
composed  of  himself,  Samuel  E.,  John  H.  and 
Eneas  A.  Wood. 

Just  as  he  has  won  confidence  and  esteem 
through  his  hard  sense,  sound  judgment  and 
unswerving  manliness  of  character  as  a  busi- 
ness man,  so  in  private  life  he  has  made  many 
friends  through  his  genial  temperament,  un- 
varying courtesy  and  kindly  disposition.  He 
is  a  member  of  Apollo  Commandery,  K.  T.,  of 
Chicago  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  was  a  charter 
member  of  Lakeside  Lodge,  A.  P.  &  A.  M.  In 
religious  faith  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  a  member 
of  the  Forty-first  Street  Church,  Chicago,  and 
has  served  for  many  years  as  one  of  its  Trus- 
tees. 

Mr.  Wood  married  at  Independence,  Mo.,  Feb. 
9,  1859,  Jane  Evans,  of  Brantford,  Canada,  and 
of  seven  children  born  to  them,  three  have 
passed  away.  Those  living  are:  Dr.  George  A., 
the  eldest  son;  Walter  E.,  manager  of  Wood 
Brothers,  South  Omaha  Branch;  Charles  A., 
employed  in  the  Chicago  office;  and  Mrs.  Lin- 
coln M.  Coy. 

JOHN  H.  WOOD. 

The  name  of  Wood  is  one  of  the  best  known 
and  most  highly  honored  at  the  Union  Stock 
Yards,  where  many  bearers  of  the  patronymic 
have  not  only  achieved  financial  success,  but 
have  also  built  up  enviable  reputations  for  clear- 
headedness, sound  judgment  and  sterling  moral 
worth.  Among  the  largest  and  most  prosperous 
firms  at  the  "Yards,"  for  many  years,  has  been 
that  of  Wood  Brothers,  of  which  Mr.  John  H. 
Wood  was  one  of  the  organizers,  and  for  many 
years  a  member. 

Both  his  parents,  Andrew  and  Barbara  (Mc- 
Pherson) Wood,  were  of  Scotch  nativity,  while 
he  himself  was  born  in  Embro,  Oxford  County, 


Canada,  on  September  21,  1835.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  he  resolved  to  begin  life's  battle 
for  himself,  and,  leaving  his  father's  house, 
for  three  months  he  drove  stage  on  a  route  of 
twenty-five  miles.  He  soon  perceived,  however, 
that  this  employment  offered  little  promise  for 
the  future,  and  determined  to  learn  a  trade. 
Going  to  Brantford,  Canada,  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  of  three  years  in  carriage-trim- 
ming. For  a  year  thereafter  he  worked  as  jour- 
neyman for  the  house  which  he  had  served  as 
an  apprentice,  his  skill  and  fidelity  commanding 
the  full  confidence  of  his  employers.  From 
Brantford  he  went  to  Guelph,  and  after  a  short 
residence  there  crossed  the  boundary,  and  came 
to  what  Canadians  are  fond  of  designating  as 
"the  States,"  seeking  employment.  At  that 
time  the  prevailing  high  wages  had  overstocked 
the  labor  market,  and  after  traveling  from  Cin- 
cinnati to  New  Orleans,  and  failing  to  secure 
work  at  his  trade,  he  wheeled  coal  for  a  time  on 
the  docks  at  New  Orleans  for  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  per  day,  his  fellow-laborers  being 
negro  slaves.  From  New  Orleans  he  went  to 
Medina,  N.  Y.,  where  he  bought  an  unfinished 
livery  stable  and  carriage  shop,  the  material  for 
which,  with  the  pluck  and  enterprise  of  a  true 
Chicagoan,  he  shipped  to  Chicago.  From  1859 
until  1861  he  conducted  a  large  stable  at  the 
corner  of  Kinzie  Street  and  LaSalle  Avenue, 
where  it  was  his  custom  to  furnish  conveyances 
for  such  magnates  as  S.  W.  Allerton,  W.  M.  Til- 
den  and  Peter  Nottingham,  on  their  early  morn- 
ing trips  to  the  Stock  Yards.  In  1861  he  dis- 
posed of  his  livery  business,  to  enter  the  employ 
of  W.  M.  Tilden  as  a  buyer  of  hogs  at  the  Fort 
Wayne  Yards,  retaining  that  position  for  four 
years.  He  then  entered  upon  the  live-stock 
commission  business  for  himself,  and  from  this 
beginning  ultimately  developed  the  great  house 
of  Wood  Brothers.  In  1880  he  withdrew  from 
the  firm,  preferring  to  carry  on  business  alone. 
Mr.  Wood's  domestic  life  has  been  exception- 
ally happy.  It  was  on  January  15,  1856,  that 
he  married  Mary  McDonald,  at  Brantford, 
Canada,  who  became  the  mother  of  his  eight 
children.  Of  this  family  only  four  are  living: 
James,  William,  John  E.  and  Hazel  Viola,  who 
became  Mrs.  J.  F.  Kirkendall,  July  3,  1898.  Mr. 
Wood  is  a  cordial  host,  and  his  pleasant  home 
is  always  a  center  for  refined  gatherings.  Gen- 
erous to  a  fault  towards  his  friends,  he  is  liberal 
1  to  the  poor  and  a  generous  contributor  to  both 
public  and  private  charities.  An  earnest  advo- 
cate of  temperance,  the  Women's  Christian 
Temperance  Union  and  their  numerous  reform 
clubs,  find  in  him  a  zealous  and  liberal  sup- 
porter. 

SAMUEL  E.  WOOD. 

Samuel  E.  Wood  is  one  of  the  veteran  stock 
dealers  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  where  he  has 
been  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  twenty-five  years.  He  was  born  at 
Embro,  Oxford  County,  Canada,  July  27,  1838, 
and  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  Canada, 


1028 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


completing  his  professional  course  at  Oberlin 
College,  Ohio,  graduating  from  that  institution 
in  1860.  He  practiced  at  Edgerton,  Ohio,  until 
1863,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  E.,  Eighty- 
Sixth  Ohio  Infantry,  receiving  a  First  Lieuten- 
ant's commission  by  virtue  of  election  by  his 
comrades.  After  receiving  his  discharge  he 
came  to  Chicago  in  June,  1865,  and  practiced 
medicine  for  a  year.  In  1866  he  received  and 
accepted  a  proposal  from  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad  Company  to  become  its  live-stock  agent 
at  the  Union  Stock  Yards.  The  following  year 
he  organized  the  firm  of  Wood  Brothers,  whose 
reputation  is  now  co-extensive  with  the  conti- 
nent.' Associated  with  him  were  his  three 
brothers,  John  H.t  James  and  Eneas  A.  The 
principal  place  of  business  of  the  firm  is  in 
Chicago,  with  branches  at  South  Omaha  and 
Sioux  City. 

Mr.  Wood  had  long  been  a  recognized  leader 
in  the  trade.  Because  of  his  previous  profess- 
ional training  and  practice,  his  familiar  asso- 
ciates on  the  Exchange  and  at  the  yards  are 
fond  of  calling  him  "Doc,"  the  employment  of 
this  familiar  sobriquet  being  one  of  the  minor 
evidences  of  his  general  popularity.  Few  men 
have  been  more  liberally  endowed  by  nature 
with  all  that  goes  to  constitute  a  perfectly 
rounded  character,  mental  and  moral  sagacity, 
joined  to  integrity  and  honor.  Owners  of  farms 
and  ranches  scattered  over  a  dozen  Western 
States  know  his  name  as  a  synonym  for  never 
failing  probity  and  scrupulous  fidelity  to  every 
business  obligation. 

Mr.  Wood  is  a  consistent  and  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  and  a 
liberal  contributor  to  its  support  and  the 
advancement  of  its  interests.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Abraham  Lincoln  Post,  No.  91,  Grand 
Army  Republic,  and  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the 
United  States,  Commandery  of  Illinois. 

Mrs.  Wood's  maiden  name  was  Mary  E. 
Strough.  They  were  married  at  Edgarton, 
Ohio,  November  23,  1860,  shortly  after  the  Doc- 
tor's graduation  from  Oberlin.  They  are  the 
parents  of  a  son,  Samuel  K.,  who  is  the  general 
attorney  for  the  National  Packing  Company, 
and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  John  E.  Dean. 

HORACE  HARRIS  YATES. 
Horace  Harris  Yates  was  born  to  Thomas  and 
Olive  (Rawson)  Yates,  February  25,  1815,  in  the 
town  of  Benton  adjoining  the  city  of  Geneva,  N. 
Y.  The  grandfather  Rawson  served  in  the  War 
of  the  revolution  and  an  uncle,  Ely  Rawson,  and 
his  father,  each  had  the  glorious  opportunity  to 
serve  their  country  in  the  War  of  1812.  In  1816 
his  parents  moved  from  Benton  to  Bennington, 
N.  Y.,  and  here  the  happy  days  of  earliest 
childhood  were  spent.  At  the  age  of  seven 
years,  Horace  was  left  an  orphan,  finding  a 
home  with  his  maternal  uncle,  Abner  Rawson, 
who  resided  at  Walworth,  near  Rochester,  N. 
Y.  Here  his  education  was  secured,  and 
here  he  labored  at  agricultural  pursuits,  or 
drove  his  uncle's  horses  on  the  tow-path  of  the 


old  Erie  Canal — not  an  unpleasant  task  all 
things  considered.  Having  thus  early  become 
an  orphan,  he  was  separated  in  early  life  from 
a  sister,  four  brothers  and  two  half-brothers; 
and  yet  his  youth  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
a  lonely  one,  and  we  find  him  yet  an  inmate  of 
his  uncle's  home  when  he  had  achieved  his 
majority.  In  1835  he  went  to  Michigan,  but 
only  remained  in  that  State  one  year,  returning 
to  New  York  State  and  locating  at  Attica, 
where,  for  a  period  of  two  years,  he  conducted 
a  grocery  store.  Growing  desirous  of  a  change, 
however,  at  the  end  of  another  two  years  he 
went  to  Chicago,  and  for  twelve  months  worked 
for  his  half-brother,  Thomas  Church,  who  was 
proprietor  of  a  provision  store. 

In  1839  Mr.  Yates  married  Mary  Robinson,  of 
Wattsburgh,  Pa.,  and  returning  to  Chicago,  es- 
tablished himself  in  business  there,  settling  at 
length  on  Clark  Street,  one  hundred  feet  south 
of  Lake  Street,  where  he  sold  the  first  goods 
ever  sold  south  of  Lake  Street.  He  chose  the 
grocery  business  as  his  line  of  work,  but  later 
moved  his  stock  to  the  West  Side,  corner  of 
Canal  and  Randolph  Streets,  which  property 
still  belongs  to  his  estate.  In  J.849  Mr.  Yates 
chose  to  reside  on  the  West  Side  of  Chicago,  on 
Peoria  Street  between  Randolph  and  Washing- 
ton, and  there  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  Here  his  three  children,  Henry,  Martha 
and  George,  were  born;  and  here,  in  1854,  Henry 
and  George  died. 

Mr.  Yates  was  always  passionately  fond  of 
fine  horses  and  has  owned  and  driven  some 
very  fine  specimens.  Politically  he  was  a  Re- 
publican and  his  sympathies  were  ever  strong 
with  this  party.  He  was  a  member  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  and  extended  his  aid  in 
all  good  works  undertaken  by  this  organiza- 
tion. His  first  wife  having  died,  he  was  united 
in  marriage,  in  1853,  to  Miss  Eliza  Selkregg,  of 
North  East,  Pa.,  and  four  children  came  to 
gladden  their  home:  Edward  Payson,  Alice, 
Lily  and  Lennie.  Alice  and  Lily  both  died  in 
infancy,  and  the  son,  Edward,  at  Colorado 
Springs,  August  29,  1900. 

tfot  content  with  resting  on  his  past  achieve- 
ments, even  in  his  later  years,  Mr.  Yates  at- 
tended to  his  business  with  the  vigor  of  early 
manhood.  He  was  interested  in  all  that  per- 
tains to  the  city's  growth,  and  carefully  served 
all  interests  intrusted  to  his  care.  Mr.  Yates 
died  November  9,  1904,  and  his  daughter 
(Mrs.  M.  S.  Chatterton),  January  21,  1905. 

FRANK  WALTER  YOUNG. 
Frank  Walter  Young  (deceased),  lawyer,  was 
born  at  Youngs  Point,  near  Peterborough,  On- 
tario, Canada,  February  17,  1834,  the  son  of 
John  and  Johanna  (Ives)  Young.  His  father 
was  the  owner  and  manager  of  a  large  estate 
in  Canada.  His  mother,  inspired  by  a  strong 
devotion  to  her  children  and  an  ambition  for 
a  higher  education  than  they  could  hope  to 
attain  in  a  small  Canadian  town,  induced  her 
husband  to  remove  to  the  United  States.  The 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1029 


first  settlement  of  the  family  was  made  at 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  but  two  years  later  they  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  where  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  being  then  nine  years  of  age,  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  and  achieved  all  his  suc- 
cesses. The  paternal  grandfather  of  Frank  W. 
Young,  in  early  manhood,  was  an  officer  in  the 
British  Army,  but  having  fallen  in  love  with 
the  daughter  of  Barrington  Blackball,  and  the 
parents  on  both  sides  having  objected  to  their 
marriage,  the  youthful  pair  renounced  their 
faith  in  the  Church  of  England  and  united  with 
the  Catholic  Church,  in  order  that  they  might 
secure  their  heart's  desire  of  a  union  for  life. 
Then,  having  sold  his  commission  in  the  army, 
the  ex-officer  with  his  bride  came  to  Canada, 
where  he  settled  upon  a  large  tract  of  land 
near  Peterborough,  granted  to  him  by  the  king 
in  recognition  of  his  services  to  the  realm, 
becoming  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  in  that 
region,  where  some  of  his  descendants  still 
livel  The  place  was  called  Youngs  Point  in 
honor  of  the  family  name. 

After  receiving  his  early  training  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  Frank  W.  Young,  on  coming  to 
Chicago  became  a  student  at  the  old  St.  Mary's 
of  the  Lake  School,  after  which  he  took  up 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Norman  B. 
Judd,  where  he  remained  for  four  years.  His 
health  having  become  impaired,  he  then  spent 
some  time  traveling  before  entering  upon  the 
practice  of  the  profession,  which  he  followed 
thereafter  with  unremitting  zeal  and  with  a  suc- 
cess, as  a  lawyer  and  as  a  man,  that  won  him 
the  highest  esteem  of  the  bar  and  the  love  and 
honor  of  all  who  knew  him  best.  During  his 
professional  career,  he  was  often  spoken  of  as 
a  candidate  for  Judge  on  the  Democratic  ticket, 
but  on  three  occasions  refused  the  use  of  his 
name  on  grounds  of  principle,  as  he  was  not 
in  harmony  with  the  views  of  his  party  on 
pending  questions.  He  was  an  extensive 
traveler  throughout  the  United  States,  but 
never  outside  his  adopted  country  after  com- 
ing from  his  native  Canada. 

Mr.  Young  took  a  deep  interest  in  charitable 
work,  being  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Visita- 
tion and  Aid  Society,  of  which  notable  and  ex- 
cellent organization  he  was  Vice-President  and 
a  Director  during  the  last  fifteen  years  of  his 
life.  At  the  request  of  this  society  he  pre- 
pared a  bill  which  was  the  foundation  of  the 
present  Juvenile  Court  Law,  of  which  he  was 
a  zealous  champion;  drafted,  with  recognized 
legal  precision  and  skill,  industrial  and  manual- 
training  school  laws,  and  was  prominently 
identified  with  the  incorporation  of  the  Catholic 
charitable  institutions  in  the  City  of  Chicago. 
He  was  a  member  and  Vice-President  of  the 
St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Society  and,  for  over 
twenty  years,  also  a  director  of  the  West  Side 
Bureau  of  Charities  and  a  regular  contributor 
to  many  other  charitable  organizations.  In  his 
practice  he  scrupulously  avoided  sensational 
cases  and  retainers  in  causes  of  questionable 
merit,  preferring  always  to  devote  his  talents1 


to  the  service  of  clients  whose  interest  could 
best  be  served  by  deep  and  patient  study  and 
the  most  painstaking  and  conscientious  care. 

On  October  4,  1871,  Mr.  Young  was  married  to 
Miss  Emily  Virginia,  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Elizabeth  (Stark)  Cochrane  of  Keokuk,  Iowa. 
On  the  maternal  side  her  lineage  is  traced  back 
to  the  family  of  Gen.  John  Stark,  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame.  Mrs.  Young's  father  belonged  to 
a  Southern  family  who  came  originally  from 
Scotland  and  settled  at  an  early  day  in  Ten- 
nessee, where  they  became  extensive  slave-own- 
ers but,  becoming  impressed  with  the  injustice 
of  slavery,  gave  their  slaves  their  freedom. 
Many  of  the  ex-slaves  at  first  refused  to  accept 
the  boon,  but  finally  wandered  away,  except  two 
who  remained  with  the  family  until  their  death. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  had  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Pauline  Elizabeth,  Eva  Maria  (who 
married  Robert  W.  Rau,  October  30,  1899), 
Francis  Philip  and  Inez  Catherine  (who  died 
July  15,  1889). 

Born  and  reared  a  Catholic,  Mr.  Young  was 
a  devout  and  active  member  of  that  church  all 
his  life,  always  loyal,  but  ever  tolerant  and 
charitable  towards  Christians  of  different  faith. 
He  died  after  a  brief  illness  on  April  7,  1902. 
He  was  regarded  by  those  who  knew  him  as  an 
ideal  Christian  gentleman;  refined  in  taste  and 
manner,  kind  and  devoted  as  a  husband  and 
father,  loyal  to  his  friends,  independent  and 
uncompromising  in  his  views  on  questions  of 
private  and  public  equity,  benevolent  and  sym- 
pathetic in  his  treatment  of  the  poor  and  un- 
fortunate and  of  an  integrity  that  would  never 
be  swerved  from  the  right. 

We  quote,  in  conclusion,  from  a  sketch  of 
Mr.  Young,  by  one  with  whom  he  was  long  and 
intimately  associated: 

"After  all,  in  the  true  biography  of  a  man, 
the  accidents  and  incidents  of  his  birth  and 
career  are  of  but  minor  significance.  What 
a  man  is,  and  what  his  life  signifies,  are  ques- 
tions of  the  character  and  the  heart.  . 
To  a  man  conscious  of  ability  and  power,  the 
allurements  of  place  and  influence  among  men 
appeal  with  potent  charms  and  are  such  as 
often  lead  him,  while  striving  for  high  station, 
to  adopt,  in  some  measure,  the  false  doctrine 
that,  in  seeking  desired  results,  the  end  justi- 
fies the  means. 

"But,  standing  apart  from  the  ranks  of  those 
who,  by  insistent  clamor,  seek  to  obtain  atten- 
tion or  preferment,  Mr.  Young  calmly  pursued 
the  quiet  paths  of  professional  and  social  life, 
scorning  with  his  whole  soul  the  shams  and 
pretenses  by  which  so  many  succeed  in  winning 
public  applause  and  positions  of  honor. 

"If  one  were  to  sum  up  the  salient  qualities 
of  Mr.  Young's  character,  they  might  be  epit- 
omized in  these:  His  utter  forgetfulness  of  self- 
interest  when  called  upon  to  serve  others,  either 
as  a  friend  or  as  a  lawyer;  his  innate  love 
of  right  and  justice  and  his  inbred  hatred  of 
oppression  and  tyranny  in  any  form,  social  or 
spiritual;  his  quick  sympathy  for  the  poor  and 


1030 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


unfortunate,  which  always  found  expression  in 
timely  service  rendered  without  ostentation  to 
the  full  extent  of  his  time  and  resources. 
"  'His  life  was  gentle;  and  the  elements 
So  mixed  in  him,  that  Nature  might  stand  up 
And  say  to  all  the  world,  this  was  a  man!'  " 

LESTER   C.  YOUNG. 

Lester  C.  Young  is  one  of  the  younger  live- 
stock commission  merchants  of  the  Union 
Stock  Yards,  at  Chicago,  and  his  brief  career 
is  replete  with  interest,  for  in  that  time  he 
has  attained  a  position  that  others  have  toiled 
a  life-time  to  win,  and  are  still  farther  from  the 
goal  than  he  with  his  best  years  before  him. 
Mr.  Young  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Morris, 
111.,  September  18,  1862,  and  was  trained  in 
the  public  schools  for  practical  life,  his  after 
success  showing  the  excellence  of  his  training. 
When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he  left  school 
and  struck  out  for  himself,  his  first  engage- 
ment being  with  the  Minneapolis  Harvester 
and  Binder  Company  for  a  year.  For  two  years 
he  was  with  the  Enterprise  Carriage  Company, 
of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  was  then  engaged  in 
farming,  and  in  buying  and  selling  live  stock 
and  horses  for  two  years.  In  1881  he  came  to 
Chicago,  and  was  introduced  by  a  friend  to  Mr. 
Earl,  of  the  firm  of  Earl  Brothers  at  the 
Yards,  who  engaged  his  services  for  the 
firm  at  $40  a  week,  or  whatever  he  might 
be  worth  to  the  house.  The  first  week's  en- 
velope contained  $45,  and  Mr.  Young  thought  it 
was  a  mistake.  In  the  second  envelope  he 
found  $50,  whereupon  he  called  a  halt,  only  to 
find  later  that  he  could  make  more  money  work- 
ing for  himself.  So  he  resigned  after  being 
with  the  Earl  Brothers  for  about  a  year,  and, 
in  partnership  with  W.  Evers,  founded  the  firm 
of  W.  Evers  &  Company.  This  firm  was  dis- 
solved at  the  end  of  two  and  a  half  years,  when 
Mr.  Young  went  into  business  alone,  and  has 
so  continued  to  the  present  time,  being  regard- 
ed by  his  associates  and  friends  as  a  man  of 
great  business  sagacity  and  sound  judgment, 
an  opinion  confirmed  by  his  exceedingly  credit- 
able history. 

GEORGE  F.  ZANEIS. 

George  F.  Zaneis,  Chicago  agent  for  the  Cen- 
tral Accident  Insurance  Company,  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Washington,  111.,  October  1, 


1864,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  For 
several  years  after  leaving  school  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farm  work,  then  held  a  position  in 
the  postoffice  at  El  Paso,  111.,  for  about  a  year, 
after  which  he  removed  to  Bloomington,  111., 
where  he  was  employed  some  four  years  in  the 
dry-goods  store  of  Cole  Brothers.  Coming  to 
Chicago  in  1882,  he  was  employed  in  Marshall 
Field  &  Company's  retail  store  for  eight  years. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  accident  insurance 
business,  acting  as  City  Agent  for  the  Star 
Accident  Insurance  Company  for  three  years, 
and  for  a  like  period  for  the  North  American 
Insurance  Company,  after  which  he  became 
Manager  for  the  State  of  Illinois  of  Commer- 
cial Accident  Company,  remaining  with  that 
concern  seven  years.  At  the  present  time  Mr. 
Zaneis  is  City  Agent  for  the  Central  Accident 
Insurance  Company  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  His  long 
connection  with  the  accident  insurance  business 
in  Chicago  attests  his  qualification  for  that 
line  of  business,  and  the  confidence  reposed  in 
him  by  his  employers,  while  his  experience  and 
genial  disposition  insure  for  them  a  satisfac- 
tory return  for  his  service.  Mr.  Zaneis  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Royal  League  for  a  num- 
ber of  years;  also  Secretary  of  the  Adult  Bible 
Class  Department  of  Cook  County. 

HENRY  J.  HAYWARD. 

Henry  J.  Hay  ward  (deceased),  late  attorney- 
at-law,  Chicago,  was  born  at  Milford,  Mass., 
in  1842,  came  to  Chicago  about  1887  and  died 
in  that  city  October  28,  1901.  Mr.  Hayward 
was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  Bar,  March  30, 
1894,  and  during  his  residence  of  fourteen 
years,  attained  considerable  prominence,  be- 
ing for  a  time  counsel  for  the  Citizens'  League, 
besides  being  identified  with  numerous  public 
measures.  Mr.  Hayward's  death  occurred  sud- 
denly on  the  date  named  from  heart  disease, 
falling  unconsciously  to  the  sidewalk  oppo- 
site 2520  Calumet  Avenue,  and  breathing  his 
last  while  being  taken  to  Mercy  Hospital.  His 
residence  was  at  3769  Lake  Avenue. 

Mr.  Hayward  was  survived  by  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Hattie  M.  Hayward,  and  two  daughters,  Mat- 
tie  F.  and  Nina  H.  Mrs.  Hayward  died  in 
1904.  The  daughter,  Mattie  F.,  is  Mrs.  George 
D.  Griffith,  of  Oak  Park,  and  Nina  H.  is  Mrs. 
John  A.  Graham,  01  Tallahassee,  Fla. 


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